Gregory Patrick

Physical Profile

Long-framed at roughly 6-4.5 to 6-6 with adequate arm length for the edge, but currently plays around 275-281 pounds — light for a Power Four tackle and the single biggest gap between where he is and where he needs to be. The frame will carry weight; scouts project he needs roughly 25-30 pounds of functional mass to hold up against college-caliber power. What separates him athletically is bend and short-area agility: he changes direction without losing his pad level and keeps a wide, balanced base, traits traced to a multi-sport background. In-person evaluation flagged 'he bends well, moves well' as the defining athletic markers, with a high floor and a ceiling raised by that athleticism.

Play Style

He plays primarily left tackle at Portage Northern with a controlled, technician's approach rather than a nasty-finisher demeanor. His best film is on the move: reach blocks, climbs to the second level, and pulls where his agility lets him arrive under control and square up a moving target. At the point of attack he lands his punch on time and sustains with a wide base, and his knee bend keeps him from playing tall despite the length. Evaluators repeatedly praise his 'approach, demeanor and technique' — this is a prospect whose tape reads like someone coached well and coached early, not someone winning on raw dominance. The unknown is what happens when he faces a rusher who can actually threaten his edge, because his prep offense rarely asked him to find out.

Strengths

• Advanced run blocker for his age — 247Sports national analyst Gabe Brooks specifically credits an 'above average punch at the point of attack,' and he finishes with leverage rather than falling off blocks.
• Genuine second-level and pull athleticism. He excels on the move with sudden short-area agility, which is the trait that makes him a fit in gap/duo and outside-zone concepts rather than just a phone-booth mauler.
• Positional versatility and pro-level pedigree. Evaluators note he 'may or may not be a college left tackle, but he's capable of playing any spot on the line' — the tackle-or-guard flexibility plus a father and uncle who both played college OL means the technical coaching is already internalized. He was a junior captain under Kurt Twitchell.
• Balance and posture carried over from a basketball and baseball background — he plays with a wide base and rarely gets his feet crossed on reach or climb assignments.

Areas to Improve

• Pass protection is the clear deficiency. He came from a run-heavy prep offense with limited true pass-set reps; Brooks explicitly warns this 'could present a sizable learning curve.' He needs volume reps on vertical sets, kick-slide depth, and handling speed-to-power counters before he can be trusted on an island.
• Play strength and mass at the point of attack. At 275-281 he can win with technique and leverage against high school competition, but he will get walked back by Power Four interior and edge power until he adds roughly 30 pounds of functional weight through a full year in a college strength program.
• Anchor development against the bull rush — a direct consequence of both the weight gap and the thin pass-pro rep count.

College Projection

Redshirt in 2026 is the overwhelming likelihood and the correct plan. He arrived in June instead of January, putting him a full semester behind in the strength program, and Notre Dame's line is stocked with experienced starters (Black, Knapp, Otting, Absher, Lambert/Augustine) with Ashton Craig and Charles Jagusah in the mix. He is currently listed as a backup right tackle behind fellow freshman Charlie Thom. Expect a year of scout-team reps and mass-building, then competition for a two-deep spot in Years 2-3. Realistic starting window is his redshirt sophomore or junior season, with right tackle or guard the likeliest landing spot if he doesn't add the length-plus-foot-speed combination to hold the blind side.

NFL Outlook

247Sports projects a Day 3 outcome (rounds 4-7) on his current trajectory, which is a fair read on a four-star tackle whose calling card is movement over power. The path to beating that projection runs entirely through the two development items: if he converts to a 305-310 pound frame without losing the bend and short-area quickness, and the pass-set technique catches up over three years in a Notre Dame OL room, a Day 2 grade is reachable. If the weight comes on stiff or the pass protection lags, he profiles as an interior fit and a priority free agent — the same route his uncle Chris took out of Nebraska. Bloodlines are a mild positive here; both his father and uncle reached the college level and one reached an NFL camp, suggesting the physical development is likely to arrive.

Best Fit

A gap/duo or wide-zone rushing offense with a coaching staff that is patient enough to redshirt and develop rather than force early snaps — exactly the profile of the program he chose. Notre Dame is a strong fit: an established OL development pipeline, a deep enough room to protect him for two years, and a run-first identity that lets his best trait play immediately while pass protection catches up. Schematically he is most valuable to an offense that pulls its tackles and asks linemen to reach and climb; he is least suited to a pass-heavy spread that would expose the thinnest part of his résumé from day one. Guard is the realistic contingency plan and would put a premium on the same movement skills.