ESPN's scouts take:
Black was forced into the starting lineup the past two seasons due to injuries. He did not handle his starting role very well in 2005 but made great strides in 2006 and might have developed a bit of a market for himself in free agency. He has very good position versatility in that he has started games in his career at both the left and right offensive tackle positions. He is not really better suited for one over the other. At times he looks like he does not have the athletic ability to be a consistent left tackle. He also does not possess the great bulk or strength you want out of the right tackle position. He is a solid knee-bender and leverage player. He shows above average athletic ability for the position. He shows good foot quickness on the edge. Black is not a guy who can consistently handle the top edge rushers in the NFL, but he shows solid quickness out of his stance and can flatten out versus edge pressure. He really improved his hand quickness and usage. He shows a good initial stab to get the rusher off balance, which allows him to recover versus quick, wide-pressure to his outside shoulder. He plays with good knee bend in pass pro, He really improved his patience and ability to sit down without over-extending and lunging. He shows solid vision and instincts in pass pro. He does a good job of passing off on stunts. His biggest weakness in pass pro is his lack of change-of-direction ability. Though he improved his ability to slide laterally, he does not recover very well back inside. He does not have great anchor ability versus a bull rush, either. He can get knocked back on his heels and struggles to consistently re-direct. He is more of a finesse player in the run game. He is a position blocker who has to rely on angles in the run game. He does a good job of walling off the backside. He does a nice job of pulling on Kansas CityÆs strong side toss play. He can get out of his stance and shows the ability to get downfield once he builds up a head of steam. He can find the moving target out in space. He is not a physical run blocker. He will fall off base blocks. He does not get a consistent push. He can be late out of his stance at times in the run and passing games and he does not have that top recovery quickness. Overall he showed a lot of improvement this season when called on to start. With offensive line play on the downside in the NFL in recent seasons, Black might have created a small market for himself based on his 2006 improvement as a starting left offensive tackle.
