Chargers 90-in-90: OT Tyree St. Louis

The 90-in-90 series keeps on trucking and today we bring you the profile on second-year offensive tackle Tyree St. Louis.

St. Louis came out of the IMG Academy in Florida as a four-star recruit by both ESPN and Rivals and the ninth-best offensive lineman prospect in the state while being a top-300 high school prospect in the country. He decided to stay close to home and play his collegiate ball at Miami over the likes of Florida, Kentucky, Tennessee, and USC.

As a freshman in 2015, St. Louis did not redshirt for the Hurricanes but saw most of his actions on special teams. As a sophomore, he saw himself earn the first starts of his career as he got the nod for the final eight games of the season at right tackle.

St. Louis would go on to start the final 26 games of his career through his junior and senior season with 13 starts in 2017 coming at right tackle and the final 13 coming on the left side. He earned Honorable Mention All-ACC honors following the 2018 season.

Before joining the Chargers, St. Louis was originally signed as an undrafted free agent by the Patriots. After spending about a week in New England, he was then signed to the Colts’ practice squad but was released soon after.

He signed with the Chargers on October 18 of last year.

Basic Info

Height: 6-5
Weight: 315
College: Miami
Experience: 1
Years with team: 1

Contract Status

Per Spotrac.com, St. Louis is playing on a one-year deal worth $610,000 in 2020.

The Good

St. Louis hasn’t played any meaningful snaps in the NFL yet, so we’ll have to look back at what was said during the pre-draft process about him and how that still may translate to the professional level.

He’s got prototypical size and length, which is exactly what you need to check first when it comes to formerly undrafted players. Physically, he’s well-built and is a smooth mover. He’s quick off the line in the run game and strives to maintain a wide base at all times. He’s also explosive in his pass sets which doesn’t allow pass-rushers much time to develop a plan when attacking him. His experience playing at least one full season at both left and right tackle bodes well for him, as well.

The Bad

While his hands are active, he struggles to fit them consistently on defenders. Too often he absorbs contact and let’s defenders into his chest. He’ll need to improve on his leverage as that will be one of the first things to stop him from succeeding at this level. In most of the notes from his time at Miami, a common theme is his lack of upper-body strength compared to his lower half. He’s got the means to move and get into position, but his arms and core have been unable to keep up.

Odds of making the roster/What to expect in 2020?

With a crowded room of bodies vying for the left tackle spot, I think St. Louis is certainly going to be on the outside looking in. Just off the top, Sam Tevi, Trey Pipkins, and maybe even Storm Norton will be the three front-runners for the job. As of now, I think St. Louis continues to be a stash on the practice squad as an emergency depth piece. His potential is there, but it happens to be matched by the progress he still needs to make to be serviceable at the NFL level.