KSR 2022 NFL Draft Profile: Dare Rosenthal

We are one week away from the NFL Draft, and things are happening as the biggest non-sporting event on the calendar quickly approaches. Kentucky could have a couple of big days out in Las Vegas.

Dare Rosenthal was a late add to the Kentucky football roster in 2021 after deciding to transfer from LSU. However, the talented player came in and almost immediately became the starter at left tackle. The athletic player put a solid season together and decided to be a one-and-done.

Our draft profile series at KSR rolls on with the high ceiling left tackle that will still need some development in the NFL.

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Player: Dare Rosenthal

• Height: 6067
• Weight: 306 pounds
• Arm: 33 1/2 inches
• Hand: 9 inches
• Wingspan: 79 1/2 inches
• 40-yard dash: 4.88 seconds
• Broad jump: 8’9″
• Vertical: 29 inches
• 3-cone: 7.97 seconds
• Short shuttle: 5.00 seconds
• Bench press: DNP

At the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, Dare Rosenthal caught some buzz by recording the top 40 time for any offensive lineman participating. The long strider did not have great agility scores, but the big fella does have some long speed that also was a good number in short area.

However, Rosenthal does have some small arms and hands for a prospect that is clearly above 6-foot-6, but the testing was solid and should have given him a bump in most evaluations.

College Production

• 2018 (LSU): Redshirt
• 2019 (LSU): 5 games, 3 starts at left guard, 229 snaps
• 2020 (LSU): 7 games, 5 starts, missed games due to suspension
• 2021 (Kentucky): 12 games, 12 starts, missed bowl game with injury
• Career: 24 games, 20 starts combined at LSU and Kentucky

Background

Dare Rosenthal developed into a four-star recruit at Ferriday (La.) High located near the Mississippi border. A defensive line prospect, Rosenthal recorded 30 tackles for loss as a senior while also playing on the offensive line. On the recruiting trail, Rosenthal was always a hot commodity.

The prospect committed to Alabama at the end of his freshman year of high school only to back out of that commitment 11 months later. New LSU head coach Ed Orgeron made Rosenthal a priority target for the Tigers and landed a commitment in the summer before his senior year. Rosenthal would sign with the Tigers and enroll at LSU later that summer.

After one year spent at defensive line, Rosenthal switched to offense in 2019 and was a part of the national championship team that set numerous records. After playing guard, Rosenthal slid out to tackle and was a full-time starter as a redshirt sophomore in 2020. However, a suspension forced him to miss some time in the lineup.

It was not until the end of June 2021 until Rosenthal entered the transfer portal. The recruitment went quickly as the high-profile transfer committed to Kentucky two weeks later and then became a starter for the Wildcats at left tackle in 2021.

After one year in Lexington, Rosenthal decided to move on and entered the NFL Draft despite just one full season as a primary starter.

Scouting Report

From a measurement standpoint, Dare Rosenthal seems to check the required boxes for a left tackle. There is real athleticism available on his 6-foot-6 frame with room to add weight. However, a lot of development is still needed.

Rosenthal has very good feet and looks comfortable operating in pass sets using his athleticism to his advantage, but quite often his punch arsenal lacks both accuracy and power. This allows defenders to get inside him and eventually win reps with power more often than not.

In the run game, Rosenthal can latch on if the punch is not missed but there is not a lot of power in his lower half. Therefore, drive blocks are often stoned. The prospect could be a great fit in a zone scheme due to the athleticism and movement skills. Rosenthal has high potential as a reach blocker, and those athletic traits give him tons of room for growth in pass protection.

The offensive tackle is nowhere near a finished product, but he needs some clear time to season. Dare Rosenthal most likely needs to be a practice squad rookie to fine tune his skills. However, if the light comes and things come together, there is Pro Bowl potential in this offensive tackle prospect.

Draft Window

Dane Brugler (The Athletic) Grade: 5th round

Jordan Reid (ESPN) Grade: 5th-6th round

On day three at the NFL Draft, there are a wide range of possibilities for Dare Rosenthal. The athletic traits are real despite the lack of arm length, and this is a prospect with a ton of room for growth. If an NFL team is looking for a developmental tackle, not many have a better combination of production and potential.

However, there are some off of the field concerns following a violation of team rules suspension at LSU and a surprising late transfer to Kentucky. If that stuff checks out, it could be easy to see a franchise take a flyer on Rosenthal late in round four. If that digging scares some teams away, a drop into the seventh round could be possible.

At the end of the day, the potential is obvious, but there isn’t a huge sample size of production and that makes the tackle a day three prospect.