Oregon Football: 3 most important newcomers for spring 2021

Most important may be a strong term to use for an incoming freshman offensive tackle, but Kingsley Suamataia isn’t your ordinary newcomer. He’s one of the top 50 prospects in the nation and he happens to play a position that could see a big decline this upcoming season with Penei Sewell heading off to the NFL draft.

Losing Sewell definitely hurts but the Ducks do have some key returning players at the tackle spots such as George Moore, Malaesala Aumavae-Laulu, Steven Jones and Jaylen Smith, but with a strong spring, we could see Suamataia rocket up the depth chart.

Coming in as the top-ranked prospect in Oregon’s 2021 recruiting class, Suamataia also enrolled early. He was the No. 35 recruit and sixth-best offensive tackle in the nation, according to the composite.

As if his future doesn’t look bright enough, 247Sports recruiting analyst Blair Angulo projects him as a future first-round NFL draft pick and states that he’s a multi-year starter at the college level.

Will that start in 2021? Possibly, but he’ll need a big spring and if he does meet expectations and exceed them, the Ducks won’t see a huge drop-off at the tackle spot. He also has the versatility to play guard with his 6-foot-5, 280-pound frame.