OL Pass Pro vs 3-Tech

The 3-technique is aligned on the outside shoulder of the offensive guard. He's usually the most explosive and disruptive interior rusher on the field — Aaron Donald, Chris Jones, Vita Vea — and the guard's job is to keep him from getting penetration into the QB's lap.

The guard's first move is a short-set or jump-set, gaining depth quickly to take away the rusher's runway. From there it's a punch battle: independent hands, inside hand first, fight to lock the rusher's outside arm. If the guard wins hand placement, he wins the rep.

The two losses look the same: the rusher gets to half-man, anchors, and bull-rushes through. The guard's fix is anchor — pad level low, knees bent, weight on the balls of the feet. A guard who pops up to a high pad level is going backwards on every rep.

The scheme answer is the post-protect. The center helps the guard with a quick ride to the 3-technique, then peels off to the second level. It buys the guard a half-second to set his hands and is the foundation of most modern pass-pro systems.