Elijah Klein Could Quickly Factor Into Bucs’ OL Plans

Jason Licht alluded to Bredeson and Opeta being quality depth back at the NFL Annual Meeting, but they will have to earn the chance to start.

“If anything, [each are] great depth pieces, but they are going to compete for starting jobs,” Licht said in late March. “I think Ben can compete to start at guard or center, Sua at guard. Both are really smart players, both are bigger guys, both have a lot of strength. Both are going to get opportunities here that maybe they didn’t have, well in Sua’s case. Especially with us, because there’s opportunity. Glad to have those guys.”

But should neither prove to inspire offensive coordinator Liam Coen, one has to wonder if the team will consider plugging rookie Elijah Klein in to fill that role. Klein was a five-year starter at UTEP, logging 53 starts at right guard and two at center. He has plenty of experience and continued to get better during his time in college.

In fact, he had the highest PFF grade in pass blocking among all college guards last season at 93.5. In 155 true pass-blocking sets, he allowed just three pressures, two hurries, and a sack in 2023. That was a marked improvement from the previous year, where those totals were 17, 14, and two, respectively. Although he rarely allowed anyone near his quarterback, his run-blocking ability is viewed even higher by those who have extensively watched his game, with Pewter Report’s own Josh Queipo being one of them.

For a Bucs offense looking to improve its 32nd-ranked rushing attack last season, Elijah Klein comes in offering plenty of knowledge of the zone run concepts that will be a staple of Coen’s game plan and considers that to be his forte.

“I think run blocking is my specialty,” Klein said after being drafted. “That’s what I like to do. I like to be the hammer, not the nail. I don’t like to be passive in any aspect of football, so the run game is something that I really pride myself on and I look forward to coming in and seeing what this run game looks like.”

He’ll enjoy breaking down the X’s and O’s in his new playbook, too.

It may take some time for him to develop and learn to play against higher-level competition, but Elijah Klein has upside as a starting NFL guard. Not only did his potential intrigue the team but so did the mentality in which he plays the game.

“They’re getting a gritty, nasty dude,” Klein said in what the Bucs are getting in him. “I don’t claim to be the lightest on my feet, I don’t claim to play with the most finesse, but what I do like to do is put my head down and hit people as hard as I can. They’re expecting somebody who is grimy in the trenches.”

On the current depth chart, it looks like he will need to put his head down and join the fight for the left guard spot, but Bucs assistant general manager John Spytek sounded open to the idea of shuffling guys around the offensive line after the draft concluded.

That included a mention of possibly moving Cody Mauch over to left guard as he has experience on the left side having been the starting left tackle back at North Dakota State, which would then create a hole at right guard that would need filling.

There are still some moving pieces to figure out when it comes to the offensive line, but if Elijah Klein shows continued promise in both pass and run blocking, the Bucs may have just found the last cog in the young offensive line that Jason Licht has spent a lot of resources building at a great value.