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Zalance Heard ranked by On3 as a 5-star

On3 imageby: Shea Dixon01/17/23sheadixon
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LSU offensive tackle signee Zalance Heard is not only a five-star in the final On3 rankings, but he’s moved up the list, once again.

Now, Heard has moved up to the No. 11 overall prospect in the 2023 class. He was previously ranked No. 15 overall.

The move also pushes Heard from the No. 3 offensive tackle up to the No. 2 offensive tackle this cycle.

Heard’s No. 2 offensive tackle ranking is the highest for an LSU signee since La’el Collins was ranked as the No. 2 offensive tackle in the 2011 class.

For the one-time defensive tackle prospect, it’s been a fast rise to becoming one of the nation’s most coveted offensive linemen.

“I am very happy that I made the move to offensive tackle, but I am just surprised by how everything happened, because I never saw myself as an offensive tackle,” Heard said. “I am pretty surprised that I’m such a high recruit at offensive tackle. But, I know that I put in the work to get there.”

On3’s Thoughts

“(Heard’s) frame and stature are as good as you’ll see at offensive tackle in this cycle,” On3 Director of Scouting and Rankings Charles Power said. “He’s 6-foot-5.5. He still has room to add mass in his lower body. Exceptional length, 36-plus inch arms verified on college visits. From that standpoint, he’s just how you draw it up as an offensive tackle.

“You watch him play, and he’s extremely nasty. He plays with a physical edge, works to finish his blocks and just dominates in his first year playing offensive line at the high school level. I was watching a high school game in Louisiana last year that featured a bunch of top-end talent, and immediately one of the offensive linemen jumped out. And I thought, ‘he’s huge, he’s long and he moves really well.’ And it was him.”

Heard capped off a dominant senior season at Neville by earning Top Performers honors at the Under Armour All-American Game week.

“Heard looked like the top offensive lineman all week – both in practice and in Tuesday’s game,” said On3 National Director of Rankings and Scouting Charles Power. “The 6-foot-5.5, 315-pounder pairs elite length and high-end upper body strength to manifest in a brick wall on the edge. It took Heard a few reps to adjust during 1-on-1’s but he quickly got his feet and turned in impressive play the rest of the week.

“In (the Under Armour All-American Game), Heard used his strength to create a push. There were several plays where he completely bullied opposing defensive linemen. Make no mistake, the offensive line group at Under Armour was not strong, but Heard looked the part of one of the top prospects at the position nationally.”

NFL Comparison

DJ Fluker: Round 1, Pick No. 11 in the 2013 NFL Draft

“We see several similarities between Zalance Heard and D.J. Fluker as high school prospects. Both have supreme length with arms that measure in the 36-inch range. They also both began their careers as defensive linemen before taking up offense tackle as upperclassmen. There are similarities on the field, as well. Like Fluker, Heard is a strong run blocker who plays with a physical edge. Heard is about an inch taller than Fluker and weighs less at the same stage, though we wouldn’t be surprised to see their ultimate playing weight be the same – in the 330 pound range.”

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