A mainstay on the Rockets' offensive line, John Greco filled a huge void at left offensive tackle when he replaced Nick Kaczur (New England) as a sophomore.

The coaches felt that Greco was more than capable of handling that tough assignment after seeing him excel at right tackle during his first year with the team. He was so impressive in 2004 that he became the first offensive lineman to win the Norman Cohen Award, given to the team's top freshman.

At Boardman High School, Greco was named first-team All-Conference and second-team All-Region as a senior, adding second-team All-Conference honors as a junior. He helped the team share the conference championship in his junior year and the squad finished second in the conference in Greco's freshman season. He also lettered one season in basketball, the same team that produced former Toledo All-Mid American Conference center, Chris Tuminello.

Greco enrolled at Toledo in 2003, performing on the scout team as an offensive tackle. That preparation period helped him take over right tackle duties in 2004. He generated 59 knockdowns with seven touchdown-resulting blocks, helping the offense rank 11th in the nation with an average of 459.2 yards per game.

As a sophomore, Greco took over left tackle duties. The explosive Toledo offense ranked 10th nationally in scoring (35.8 points per game) and with their new left tackle leading the way, the rushing attack ranked 13th in the country, averaging 216.8 yards per game, a vast improvement over the previous season, when the Rockets averaged 160.8 yards per game on the ground. Greco finished that season with 86 knockdowns and 10 touchdown-resulting blocks, earning All-Mid American first-team accolades.

Greco picked up All-MAC first-team honors in 2006. The team co-captain registered 90 knockdowns and came up with ten touchdown-resulting blocks. He allowed three sacks on 386 pass plays and guided an offense that averaged 326.9 yards per game.

Greco was a third-team All-American and first-team All-MAC choice during his final season. He led a front wall that allowed only 16 quarterback sacks, as the offense generated 5,373 yards (447.8 yards per game), leading the MAC in total offense, rushing and scoring. He delivered 99 knockdowns, coming up with 14 touchdown-resulting blocks.

Positives: Has a thick frame with good bone structure and room to carry at least another 10 pounds of bulk … Quiet leader on the field, but will not hesitate to take a teammate to task for a poor performance … Uses his size and lower-body strength to get movement off the snap, especially when working in-line … Demonstrates good knee-bend and recovery quickness to protect the pocket and adequate change-of-direction agility … Hard worker in the weight room, taking well to hard coaching … Intelligent athlete who is quick to locate stunts and shows good patience on twists … Easily takes plays from the chalkboard to the field … More tenacious drive blocker than Nick Kaczur with great lower-body strength to get leverage and widen the rush lanes … Plays with true aggression, going full blast until the whistle … Has the knee-bend to stay low in his pads off the snap … Lacks explosion, but has a decent initial step, but relies more on patience in pass protection … Has the upper-body strength and body lean to engulf smaller defenders … Must do a better job with hand placement, but has a punishing hand punch that will generally knock the defender off-balance … His explosive jolt is one of his best assets … Plants his foot in the ground and moves his feet well to get a strong push off the snap, showing a good concept for taking proper angles for the running game … Has the strength to finish. will fall off some blocks when he gets his hands outside the frame … When he gets his hands on the defender early in the play, he will win most one-on-one battles … Won't fire out of his stance and get to the second level quickly, but is patient waiting for linebackers to target. Takes good angles, but his long foot speed is not evident, but he does strike with force when landing … In straight-up blocking, he is a good mauler … Has adequate anchor and slide in pass protection, showing the vision to read and react to twists and games. Will be better when he improves his hand placement … Good working down the line of scrimmage, but needs to be lighter on his feet sliding back in pass protection.

Negatives: Lacks the athleticism and long arms (29 5/8-inch length) to be effective reaching and mirroring edge rushers on the left side. Might be a better fit back at right tackle or inside at guard, where his limited reach would not be as exposed as it would be at left tackle … Does not have great muscle tone in his arms or legs but is more thick than he is sloppy … Shows good natural power (420-pound bench press) … Best on the short pull, as he looks a bit sluggish trying to go long distances … Has just adequate quickness off the snap, relying more on his patience to let the defender make the first move before countering … Must do a better job of maintaining hand placement. Will come off some blocks early and, when he gets his hands on the outside, he will lunge when punching … Does not have the timed speed to get on defenders with quickness when trap blocking. Can open his hips and move down the line, but is just not quick enough to reach the target … Must do a better job coming back to the inside in his pass set, as he does not slide back fluid enough or keep his hands inside his frame to counter throughout the play.

Compares To: NICK KACZUR-New England … Greco was a capable replacement for Kaczur at left tackle back in 2005, but like Kaczur, he is not left tackle material at the next level. A possible return to the right tackle spot or inside to guard will be a better fit for a player with his drive-blocking ability and strong hand punch. He struggles with his slide back in pass protection and perhaps due to his shorter-than-ideal arms, he will get his hands outside his frame and overextend. He is good on the short pull, but lacks the quickness to adjust to moving targets. He has a strong anchor taking on defenders over his head, but despite his weight-room strength, the only pop he generates on contact is when he uses his hands properly.

No injuries reported.

Campus: 5.34 in the 40-yard dash … 420-pound bench press … 1,050-pound leg press … Leg presses 650 pounds 18 times … 28-inch vertical jump … 4.65 20-yard shuttle … 7.73 three-cone drill … 29 7/8-inch arm length … 9 ¾-inch hands … Right-handed … 28/36 Wonderlic score.

Attended Boardman (Youngstown, Oh.) High School, playing football for head coach Gary Smith … First-team All-Conference and second-team All-Region choice as a senior, adding second-team All-Conference honors as a junior … Helped the team share the conference championship in his junior year and the squad finished second in the conference as a freshman … Lettered one season in basketball.

Marketing major … Son of Melanie and John Greco … Born John Patrick Greco on 3/24/85 … Resides in Youngstown, Ohio.