Thanks for a year to remember, O’Cyrus Torrence. Go thrive. (Photo credit: Florida Gators)
Here’s hoping it’s worth the wait.
Florida offensive guard O’Cyrus Torrence has been selected with the 59th overall pick in the 2nd round by the Buffalo Bills. In doing so, he becomes the third taken after Anthony Richardson went #4 overall last night to Indianapolis and German Dexter went just a few picks ago to Chicago. Many thought Torrence would be a first-round selection, but he slid down to the second round, which makes him an early candidate for the steal of the draft.
Regardless of where he was picked or whether he qualifies as a steal or not, Torrence brings a lot of promise to the table.
Torrence started his career at Louisiana with Billy Napier, committing to the Cajuns as part of Napier’s first full class in 2019. He earned second-team All-Sun Belt honors as a sophomore in 2020, and then first-team All-Sun Belt honors in 2021 as a junior. Then Napier departed for Florida, Torrence came with him, and- no, this statement is not hyperbole- Torrence might just have had the single best year any Gator offensive lineman has ever had.
Over the course of the 2022 season, Pro Football Focus calculates that Torrence played on 355 pass-blocking snaps. On those 355 pass-blocking snaps, O’Cyrus Torrence allowed a grand total of zero sacks, zero QB hits, and just eight QB hurries- which itself can be subjective given Anthony Richardson’s escapability. That’s right, the man fondly referred to as CyBo was not responsible for a single sack or even a single hit on his QB at any point in the entire 2022 Gator football season.
As such, he was named a consensus first-team All-American.Torrence became the second Gator to accomplish this feat since 2015 (the first was Kyle Pitts), and the 34th in program history.
That’s not a fluke, obviously; Torrence does all the fundamental things right as a blocker, and he does them right consistently. His initial blast off the snap was able to neutralize even the best interior defensive linemen in the SEC, his hands were always in the right spot, and while his footwork isn’t the best of any lineman in the country, it was plenty good enough to keep him out of trouble.
And it’s not just as a pass blocker where Torrence thrives. He’s also a tremendous run blocker, too; he spearheaded the job of creating running room for Trevor Etienne and Montrell Johnson, who combined two rush for 1,560 yards last season.
Perhaps his footwork could get a little better to help him become even better as a run blocker, and there are certainly a few natural adjustments he’ll have to make at the pro level, such as not lunging on his blocks on linebackers, but O’Cyrus Torrence is a true well-rounded interior offensive lineman who can contribute very quickly at the next level.
Thanks for a hell of a year, CyBo. Go make millions.
