Part Two of Joseph's Gems 2025 is here! As promised I delivered an offensive player, particularly an offensive tackle. This may not necessarily be a "sexy" pick to you, but this prospect is a guy who like that girl at the bar starts looking pretty snazzy after a couple of rounds of Maker's Mark.
But before we move forward, let's recap, what's a Gem?
Gems are measured by a select handful of categories:
Size - How they compare amongst traditional NFL counterparts
RAS - Do they possess adequate athleticism to compete at the highest level?
Stats - When on the field did they make plays?
Competition - How did they do when the lights were the brightest?
All-Star Recognition (New for 2025) - To follow the recent trend of Packers' Selections, did the prospect receive an invite to an All-Star Game, and how did they perform?
With the added category, I also had to adjust my certifications:
0 out of 5: Coal
1 out of 5: Very Included
2 out of 5: Included
3 out of 5: Slightly Included
4 out of 5: Gem
5 out of 5: Diamond in the Rough!
So for our second Gem of 2025*,* we'll remain in the ACC and cover Boston College's Ozzy Trapilo.
Ozzy Trapilo hails from Norwell, Massachusetts where he played for Boston College High School. He was a 4-Star prospect across the board and depending on who you ask was a Top-10 Offensive Tackle prospect in the nation. If Ozzy Trapilo sounds familiar, you may remember his dad, the late Steve Trapilo. Steve played at Boston College and was a 2nd-Team All-American before being drafted 96th Overall in the '87 Draft by New Orleans, playing until 1993 before calling it a career, which means an NFL pedigree runs in Ozzy's veins. I'm sure Boston College was always the only destination for Ozzy, but several top programs did take a crack at him: Dartmouth, Duke, Georgia Tech, Louisville, Michigan, Nebraska, Northwestern, Princeton, Rutgers, Syracuse, UConn, UMass, Vanderbilt, Virginia, Yale, and Wake Forest. Northwestern did almost pull off the upset, garnering a visit for a prospect many compared to Mike McGlinchey right out of high school, but the Golden Eagles managed to lockdown their homegrown product. After redshirting in 2020, Trapilo was thrust into action quickly, playing at both guard positions in spot starts due to injury (for '24 Gem, Christian Mahogany I might add). By 2023, he was a full-time starter at tackle, and what a year he had, allowing 0 sacks on 363 pass-blocking snaps which earned him 2nd-Team All-ACC. Ozzy followed that up with an equally impressive year by earning 1st-Team All-ACC as a senior.
Ozzy is "large and long", which is great for the ladies (sorry, couldn't resist), but also great if you're an aspiring NFL offensive tackle. Now usually, when I come across 6'8 or taller offensive line prospects their calling card is simply the fact that they're bigger than everyone else. That is not the case with Ozzy Trapilo. Ozzy is a student of the game and he knows how to use his lengthy frame to create problems for rushers trying to get in the pocket. Now, unfortunately, when you're that tall there's normally a little issue with bend that can only be compensated for so much. But Ozzy does all the little things that his large and long frame can do to stymie incoming rushers. His feet are excellent, Ozzy's got this fantastic sliding kick step that I see him use from time to time that seems to work really well for him. I'd like him to add more tricks to his bag regarding his hands but the techniques you do see on display are masterful. Speaking of hands, his grip strength is amazing. Once Trapilo latches on to a defender, the rep is all but over. Reports about Ozzy say that he is a student of the game and also a workout warrior. He may not be the most explosive guy in the world but he is not a guy you want to underestimate either. Ozzy may not be the "eraser" that teams covet but he is a "stalemater" and I can live with that. When interviewed at the Senior Bowl, Ozzy described himself as a "Steady Eddie" and I couldn't agree more, as Boston College utilized him to earn nearly 200 yards rushing per game for 2+ years.
Get a little taste of what Ozzy had to offer here:
So is Ozzy Trapilo a Gem?
Size
Ozzy checked in at 6'8, 316 lbs when he went down to Indianapolis. For his size, I was hoping his arms might be a closer 33.5-34" but they measured only 33". It's not a dealbreaker. If it were me, I'd probably want a little bit more bulk, maybe teetering towards 325 but that might take away from the athleticism Ozzy does have. If drafted, Ozzy would be the tallest offensive lineman ever taken by General Manger Brian Gutekunst, towering over even 2024 pick Travis Glover by 2 inches. Despite the height advantage, he's actually 1 pound lighter than Glover. All these things are just nitpicking at best. It's really just a question of is he too tall? Some of you might say no since UDFA Caleb Jones hung around for a couple of seasons, but drafting a guy and taking a flyer on someone are two different things. But the Packers also met with Oregon State's Gerad Christian-Lichtenham who's also 6'8 and showed out at the Shrine Bowl. So seems like Trapilo is fair game. For me, it's a check.
RAS
The apple sure didn't fall from the tree, Ozzy eclipsed his dad's RAS of 8.46 and got to 8.85. I'm only slightly concerned about his bench numbers, but Boston College's pro day is on the 24th, so hopefully he can add about 4 more reps. Seeing as he did the broad jump I'm not sure why he didn't do the vertical, but at 6'8 it's really not that big of a deal. Ozzy checks all of the boxes for Gutekunst minus the broad jump, which is probably indicative of the "problems" that come with someone being so long, that there's often a little bit of stiffness and imbalance. Ozzy is far from a secret in this year's class, but a few improvements on Monday would make an already promising prospect almost impossible to ignore. Check.
Stats
Never easy or sexy to talk about an offensive lineman when it comes to this category, but Ozzy has logged roughly 2,000 snaps in his collegiate career and has only surrendered 2 sacks and 26 pressures. I can't really "church it up" more than that, nor do I need to. Check.
Competition
Playing in the ACC gave Trapilo a ton of quality edge rushers to go against. Although Boston College got destroyed by Notre Dame in his sophomore season he looked pretty good. Two games apiece against Missouri, Clemson, Florida State, SMU, and Miami were high-quality outings as well. Check.
All-Star Recognition
Trapilo earned a spot at the Senior Bowl and while he didn't steal the show he certainly handled his own. I only saw one pass rusher land him in hot water and that was Marshall's Mike Green. I think his explosiveness caught him off guard but Ozzy did recover about as well as a tackle could once beaten off the line. The second rep Trapilo was only able to get one hand on him but when he landed it Green had to recover from possibly getting pancaked which "saved" the rep; a testament to Ozzy's awesome grip strength. With a little bit of work in the offseason, these things can be mitigated to a degree. It didn't stop Brian Gutekunst and the Packers from meeting with Trapilo down in Alabama either. Check.
Certification
Size? Check.
RAS? Check.
Stats? Check.
Competition? Check.
All-Star? Check.
I certify Boston College's Ozzy Trapilo as a DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH and it would be a crime to not hear his name called in the Third Round!
Is Ozzy Trapilo a Match for the Packers?
Ozzy is probably one of the only "true tackles" in the 2025 class. There are a lot of tackles who would probably be better suited to play guard in the NFL. Ozzy can play guard in a pinch and do it magnificently I might add but he's definitely a "set-it-and-forget-it" right tackle who doesn't feel out of place on the blindside either. He doesn't have the bend and perhaps lower body strength you might desire but those things can be overcome with a good offseason conditioning program and coaching. Ozzy also comes from a power gap scheme that ran some zone concepts here and there. The Packers are primarily a zone-running team but Head Coach Matt LaFleur has started to incorporate some power gap concepts into their scheme recently which explains the Aaron Banks signing. If Trapilo was drafted it might be a harbinger of what is to come: a heavier emphasis on running gap concepts which would lead to heavier boxes which would allow the receivers to face defensive backs on an island. With Elgton Jenkins moving to center, the Packers' interior is shored up when you factor in Sean Rhyan, Jordan Morgan, and Donovan Jennings. However, once you get past Rasheed Walker and Zach Tom, things get a little iffy when your only reinforcements are likely Jordan Morgan, Kadeem Telfort, and Travis Glover. Do the Packers bring back Andre Dillard? I doubt it. Trapilo continues my "high floor" trend for this year's draft class where you have a guy who may not ever be "elite", but can be a bookend for 10 seasons if you get him in your building and watch him grow. We know Gutekunst loves his 3rd Round "darts" so let's hope his aim is true with a throw to Ozzy Trapilo.
Part 2 of Gems is in the books. I'll catch you next week with something a little more "sexy".
#GPG
PLEASE SUBSCRIBE TO OUR CHEESEHEAD NATION WEEKLY NEWSLETTER HERE.
__________________________
Joseph has been an avid fan of the Green Bay Packers since 1997, citing an affinity for dairy products during his childhood and his favorite color, green. Born in Jacksonville, FL, Joseph currently is an Active Duty servicemember in the U.S. Armed Forces. Joseph considers himself a lifelong fan of the game of football, competing since his youth well into adulthood. When it comes to the Pack, Joseph is particularly impassioned about the NFL Draft and collegiate scouting process, and will contribute regularly on CHTV.com leading to that year's upcoming Draft. You can follow him on Twitter at @joeyreyallday.
__________________________
NFL Categories:
Green Bay Packers