Justin
Herron.
Justin
Herron.
Wake Forest· 6'4"· 308 lb· 5.26s 40
"A record-setting Wake Forest left tackle who came back from a torn ACL to captain the team at 24, Herron is a smart, light-footed zone blocker whose game is built on movement and processing rather than power."Pre-draft read
A bendy, light-footed tackle who mirrors rushers with quick feet and recovers well when beaten early. He sets with balance, keeps his pad level down climbing to the second level and shows a good punch that stuns defenders on contact. Sorting out twists and late pressure is one of his best traits, the reward for five years of college reps at the position.
In the run game he functions best in space, reaching defenders on zone concepts and cutting off backside pursuit rather than driving a man off the line. Raw strength is the limitation: NFL-caliber power rushers walk him back into the pocket, and he cannot win a phone-booth rep with force. The signature is athletic recovery, the ability to lose a rep for a beat and still finish it clean.
Outside and mid zone running game that asks its tackles to reach, climb and block in space instead of displacing defenders at the point.
Year 1: developmental swing tackle and game-day inactive. Ceiling: a long-term sixth lineman who can start ten games without the offense changing.
A power gap scheme that asks its tackles to down-block and drive defensive ends off the ball with raw force on early downs.
His value is measured in how little an offense has to adjust when he replaces a starter.
Justin Herron College Highlights
Pre-draft reel of his pass sets, recovery and second-level work at left tackle.
Wake Forest Offensive Line vs Clemson (2019)
Full-game line film against the best defensive front on the schedule.
Justin Herron is the Unsung Hero on this Patriots Touchdown
NFL rep breakdown of his blocking on a Patriots scoring play.
Herron is the definition of a proven college player with an unproven pro ceiling. He redshirted, then became a fixture at left tackle for Wake Forest, setting the program record for games played and anchoring the record-setting offense of his junior year, when the Deacons hit school marks for total yards and points. His offensive line coach described him as a grinder whose consistency in practice matched his consistency on Saturdays.
The path was not linear. A torn ACL in the 2018 season opener cost him his senior year and a second redshirt, and he returned in 2019 as a graduate student, was voted captain, earned third-team All-ACC honors and played his way into the Senior Bowl. He was also a three-time All-ACC Academic selection who did not play football until high school, arriving from a basketball family, and he took the trumpet in his high school jazz band along the way.
The flags were strength and age. At 6-5 and roughly 290 to 305 pounds he needed to get considerably stronger to survive NFL power, the knee was a real medical question, and he would be a 25-year-old rookie with limited developmental runway. Most evaluators projected a swing tackle who could shift inside to guard. New England, a team that has always valued versatile, intelligent linemen, took him at 195.
- 01
Quick feet and natural bend
He mirrors speed off the edge and can redirect without losing his base, the athletic foundation of his projection.
- 02
Elite experience
A record-setting number of games at Wake Forest at left tackle, so no defensive front presents him a picture he has not seen.
- 03
Recovery athleticism
He loses the first move and still finishes the rep clean, which keeps his bad plays from becoming sacks.
- 04
Processing and leadership
Voted captain as a graduate student and three-time All-ACC Academic, he sorts stunts and communicates protection reliably.
- 05
Positional flexibility
His frame and movement profile let a team develop him at both tackle spots and at guard in the same offseason.
- 01
Needs functional strength
He gets walked backward by NFL power and cannot anchor a bull rush without significant weight-room gains.
- 02
Medical question
A torn ACL in the 2018 opener cost him a full season and is the flag every team's doctors weighed.
- 03
Older prospect
He entered the league as a 25-year-old rookie, which shortens the window teams will give him to develop.
- 04
Not a drive blocker
He wins with angles rather than force, so a gap-scheme offense would have to change how it runs behind him.
Relative Athletic Score (Kent Lee Platte) benchmarks combine/pro-day numbers against every measured prospect at the position since 1987. 10.00 is elite; 5.00 is average.
— — — positional median (p50)
- 40 yd
- 5.26sp50
- Vertical
- 33inp50
- Broad jump
- 105inp50
- Three-cone
- 8.41sp50
- Shuttle
- 4.88sp50
- Bench
- 27repp50
| Yr | Team | G |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Wake Forest | — |
| 2016 | Wake Forest | — |
| 2017 | Wake Forest | — |
| 2018 | Wake Forest | 1 |
| 2019 | Wake Forest | — |
| Career | — | 51 |
He redshirted in 2014 and received a second redshirt for 2018 after tearing his ACL in the season opener, the only game he played that year. New Orleans and Wake Forest both credit him with 51 career games, a program record; his position coach separately described 51 career starts, and because those two figures conflict the start total is left blank rather than guessed. Individual season game counts are not published in the available record. Offensive linemen carry no statistical line beyond games and starts.
A dash means the figure is not published by a source we trust — never a zero we invented.
Late-round developmental tackle who survives on versatility and spot starts.
Long-tenured swing tackle who started stretches for multiple teams without being a liability.
Tackle whose medical history and strength issues limited him to scattered appearances.
Everything above is the pre-draft evaluation. This section is what actually happened — updated year over year.
Herron gave New England exactly what a sixth-round tackle is supposed to give: real snaps at a premium position. He appeared in 28 games for the Patriots between 2020 and 2022, filling in at both tackle spots when injuries hit. Off the field he made national news in 2021, when the Tempe police department gave him an Outstanding Service award for stopping an assault in a public park and restraining the attacker until officers arrived.
He was traded to Las Vegas during the 2022 season and spent two years there, appearing in 28 games with 10 starts across 2022 and 2023, then signed with New Orleans in 2024 and with Detroit for 2025. That is the career arc of a valued swing lineman: six seasons, four teams, over $4 million in earnings and a roster spot every year. In hindsight the evaluation was accurate on both ends. The strength concerns were real and kept him from ever locking down a starting job, and the intelligence and versatility were real enough to keep him employed. For pick 195, a six-year backup tackle who can cover three positions is a clear return.