From now until the 2026 NFL Draft, we will scout and create profiles for as many prospects as possible, examining their strengths, weaknesses, and what they can bring to an NFL franchise. These players could be potential top-10 picks, down to Day 3 selections, and priority undrafted free agents. Today, a scouting report on Arkansas OG Fernando Carmona Jr.
No. 55 Fernando Carmona Jr./OG Arkansas – 6050, 316 pounds (Redshirt Senior)
Measurements
Player Ht/Wt Hand Size Arm Length Wingspan
Fernando Carmona 6045/316 9 1/2 32 1/8 80 1/2
40-Yard Dash 10-Yard Dash Short Shuttle 3-Cone
5.22 1.85 4.60* 7.48*
Broad Jump Vertical Bench Press
8’7″ 29 26
*Pro Day Results
THE GOOD
– NFL build and looks the part, thick lower half and great overall mass
– Functionally strong and tough in pass protection, hard to beat down the middle in the pass game
– Anchors well in pass game with wide base, routinely stalls bull rushes
– Shows snap out of stance and able to reach/cut off
– Experience puller in run and pass game, able to latch onto moving targets and finish blocks against defensive backs in run game
– Tight hands and forceful punch with good timing, using length well to control blocks
– Active eyes against stunts
– Excellent starting/playing experience
– Durable and available
The Bad
– Lacks ideal length and shorter arms than expected compared to the rest of his frame
– Vulnerable on his edges in pass game
– Struggles against rushers with twitch and good hand use, swipes are able to beat him clean
– Can lunge if punch misses its target in pass game
– Struggles to redirect back inside against counters
– Lacks foot speed to cover ground in space on screens
– Isn’t a dominant run blocker who could stand to create more movement
– Upright and stiff player who struggles against bend
– Inconsistent squeezing through to second level and attaching to run blocks
– Takes too many penalties
Stats
– 49 career starts
– Career: 3,272 offensive snaps (2,480 LT, 790 LG, 1 TE)
– 2025: 790 snaps (all at LG)
– Allowed 11 career sacks, per PFF (just one in 2025)
– 29 career penalties (high of 10 in 2022, six in each of the last two years)
– PFF’s No. 37 overall offensive guard in 2025 among 228 qualifiers (No. 34 run blocker, No. 99 pass blocker)
– Played TE in high school, catching 13 passes for 152 yards and one touchdown junior year
Injury History
– Unknown injury during junior year of high school, missing part of season before returning for playoffs
Bio
– Turns 24 in July 2026
– Three-star recruit from Las Vegas, Nevada
– Spent 2021-2023 at San Jose State, 2024-2025 at Arkansas
– Chose San Jose State over New Mexico State and several FCS schools (Dartmouth, San Diego, Portland State)
– Got recruited/noticed after putting out Twitter videos of him working out during COVID
– Transferred to Arkansas because he wanted to take “next step in my career”
– Apologized for stomping on ankle of a Texas Tech player in a 2024 game
– Goes by “Junior”
– Father, Fernando Sr., was star college baseball player and became football coach for Utah while older brother, George, was UNLV’s long snapper
– Grandson of Cuban immigrants (grandma immigrated to Las Vegas and became a pit boss)
– Didn’t begin playing football until junior year of high school (“I was always kind of scared to hit,” he said of initial trepidation, but soon fell in love with the game, referring to it as his “calling”); credits his brother for convincing him to try football
– Played seven total high school games, and had senior season cancelled by COVID
– Played basketball in high school and can perform two-handed dunks
– Credits then-San Jose State and current Arizona OL Coach Josh Oglesby for “molding me”
– Loves ice cream (triple chocolate his favorite) and credits eating “full pint” of Ben & Jerry’s “every night” five days a week to bulk up in transition from tight end to offensive line from 220 to over 300 pounds; has since cut back on ice cream to once per week
– Enjoys fishing
Tape Breakdown
Las Vegas’ Fernando Carmona got his start from humble beginnings, a high school tight end whose career was greatly impacted by injury and COVID. He made his way to San Jose State to become a left tackle and transferred to Arkansas for the 2024 season. He spent his first year with the Razorbacks at left tackle before kicking inside to guard for his final season.
Carmona is thickly built and plays with power and strength. He’s best in pass protection against power and bull rushes, strong and stout to anchor and rebuff those attempts. He plays with a wide base and tight ends, creating plenty of power to hold the line and prevent the pocket from collapsing. He’s the left guard in all the clips below.
He can even flash in pass protection as a puller and is experienced doing so in the run and pass game.
Negatively, he’s vulnerable to losing against rushes on his edges. When defenders are active half-man with swipes and twitch, Carmona can be beaten. He also struggles to redirect back inside against counters. Examples of both.
Carmona is a big but largely stiff and upright player. He also wasn’t as dominant a run blocker as you’d expect, though facing SEC competition is a different ballgame compared to his days at San Jose State. His movement is adequate, and he does a nice job reaching, but he isn’t the people-mover his size, profile, and strength might indicate.
Conclusion
Overall, Fernando Carmona Jr. is a wide-bodied guard with good snap quickness and a great anchor in pass protection. But twitched-up and smaller defensive tackles will give him fits, and his run blocking is merely average in a phone booth. While he has a tackle background, he’s going to be a pure guard at the NFL level. He’ll need to compete hard for a spot at the end of a roster, but he has the overall build and strength to do so.
My NFL comp is Sidy Sow.
NFL Draft Projection: Late Day Three-Undrafted
Steelers Depot Draft Grade: 6.6 (Pure Backup)
Grade Range: 6.2-7.1Games Watched: vs Notre Dame (2025), at LSU (2025), vs Auburn (2025)
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