McQuistan could lead locals

"It's pretty neat," Pat McQuistan said. "When you're a twin, if your brother is doing something, you always want to do it a little better. But this is OK. There's no jealousy, none. We're just really happy for him."

Teams like Kansas City, St. Louis, Arizona, Atlanta and others have all paid visits to Ogden to meet with Paul McQuistan and evaluate him. According to the draft gurus at Sports Illustrated, he's most likely to be drafted in the fifth round but could go a round or two earlier if he made a strong impression on one particular team.

McQuistan "blocks with good lean and jolts opponents at the point of attack," SI.com said. "Works to play with leverage, displays good awareness on the field and works well with teammates. Has a nasty streak and gives effort finishing blocks."

That "nasty streak," McQuistan said, has never gotten him in trouble but has helped him send messages to defensive linemen who think they can outmuscle him.

"The game is so intense that sometimes you have to have a little of that," he said. "But I've never gotten a penalty because of it. (NFL coaches ) want to see if I can play to that edge all the time without causing my team any penalties."

SI.com rates McQuistan as the 13th best offensive tackle. He's also the top-rated prospect from the Big Sky Conference and the state of Utah, according to the magazine's rating system.

ESPN analyst Mel Kiper said McQuistan is one of the "sleepers" of this year's draft and could be selected in the second or third rounds.

But as good as McQuistan is, there is room for improvement for the expert run blocker during passing plays.

"When he has to move his feet a lot in pass protection, he struggles and gets beaten," NFL.com said. "He does not punch the defensive tackle aggressively in pass protection, he can be driven back into the quarterback's lap too easily."

Still, McQuistan's mean streak and competitive nature should get him a mid-round draft status.

"On the most important plays, McQuistan consistently eliminated his man from the play," NFL.com said. "He is, without question, a team player whose all-out effort and competitive playing spirit not only make him a productive offensive lineman, but his intensity raises the level of competitiveness and production of all the other linemen's production."

That's pretty strong praise for a kid who didn't even fantasize of playing football on Sundays as he was growing up.

"I can honestly say when we grew up that we never said we were going to be playing on Sundays," Pat McQuistan said. "That's just not the way we thought. But now, it's knocking on the door. And that's pretty cool."

Depending on which team drafts him, McQuistan will play either tackle or guard. The position, he said, isn't important.

"I'll play wherever they want me to play," McQuistan said. "Just being on a team is all I'm really worried about right now."

And, with a little more reason to do so, the McQuistan family just might find themselves watching football on Sundays.

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E-mail: jeborn@desnews.com