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With offensive line play slowly getting worse throughout the NFL, this class has some special trench dogs across the board. The interior offensive linemen in this class aren't as talented as the tackles, but man there are still some studs who aren't getting talked about enough. Today, we'll review my top 10 guards and centers, and even some tackles who will move inside in the pros. Let's get into it!
Photo: Jacob Reiner/NDSU Athletics
10. Jalen Sundell - North Dakota State
What They Do Well | What Could Limit Them |
Accelerates his feet on contact, allows him to drive defenders off their spot | Whiffs at second level at times, guy he misses usually makes the tackle |
Great strength, if he gets two hands on you in pass or run, you're going nowhere | Pass pro could be cleaner, looks like he stops his feet one he blocks the rusher |
Punisher mentality, looks to finish plays and drive defenders into the ground | Played against worse competition, could be a deterant for some teams |
Played tackle and center throughout his career, good versatility |
With good athleticism, great strength, solid footwork, and a nastiness to him, Sundell has a chance to be a solid starter in the league. He does need to work on his pass protection and second level work a bit, but he's got the juice to be a starter for some time in the NFL.
Pro Comp: Ted Karras
9. Kingsley Eguakun - Florida
What They Do Well | What Could Limit Them |
Patient hands, waits for the defender to commit before giving a hard punch | Will miss blocks completely, gets too vertical too quickly |
Doesn't panic against blitzes and bluffs, stays on his man until he can't | Needs to work on picking up stunts, eyes get lost and hips turn easily |
Good lateral movement, can reach and pull effectively | Missed most of his final season due to an ankle injury |
Footwork is solid, constantly running his feet |
I think Kingsley is a better center than what he gets credit for. He plays patient and has good footwork, also has some decent mauling ability to pancake guys and clean out pass rushers. He'll need to work on his vertical game when peeling off doubles and get better at picking up stunts to have a chance as a starter.
Pro Comp: Austin Corbett
8. Christian Haynes - UConn
What They Do Well | What Could Limit Them |
Good lateral movement, can get to second level and work to the edge in pass pro | Not the strongest lineman, struggled when a defender got leverage on him |
Solid hand fighting and placement, fires right to the defenders chest with power | Plays high at times, needs to sit lower throughout the rep |
Nice footwork, helps him scoop under defenders and take them out of their gap | Gets beat by much smaller defenders more than you'd like for a big body |
A solid IOL prospect with good tool, Haynes has violent hands and fast footwork, upper end athleticism, and can move guys out of gaps. With that being said, I think he'll struggle from a strength perspective against the better half of defenders in the league. He had reps where he was benched backwards by linebackers and edge players. Overall, Haynes needs to play lower and use his legs more.
Pro Comp: Cam Jurgens
Photo: Bryan Lynn/Icon Sportswire
7. Zak Zinter - Michigan
What They Do Well | What Could Limit Them |
Great puller, keeps his angle tight to the OL and steamrolls whoever he hits | Doesn't punch and reset effectively in pass pro, gets grabby and overextends |
Pretty good in pass pro, decent footwork with a ton of strength to pair with it | Plays with high pads a decent amount, makes it tougher to be a dominant blocker |
Played in a more run heavy system, will help if he stays in a similar scheme | Didn't really blow open a gap in the run game, RBs bounced the play away from him for bigger gains |
Good footwork in the run game, can execute any play in the book |
Zak is a pretty well rounded lineman. He's just above average at everything, but makes his money as a dominant puller. He'll excel in a gap run scheme system, but he needs to get better in pass pro with his footwork and hand fighting.
Pro Comp: Graham Glasgow
6. Cooper Beebe - Kansas State
What They Do Well | What Could Limit Them |
Strong, moves guys out of gaps and takes on aggressive moves well | Pads can get high at times, has bad reps when he stands up |
Good eyes in pass pro, picks up blitzes and stunts with ease | Struggles against ends that squeeze hard down the line, tries to square them up instead of logging them |
Footwork is great, steps on time and doesn't panic against better rushers | Doesn't react well to counter moves in pass rush, doesn't reset effectively |
Violent hands, gives a good punch and can turn defenders |
Overall, Cooper is a solid prospect. He has good footwork, good strength, and good blocking prowess. He could stand to improve against more nuanced rushers and taking better angles when blocking in the run game, but he should be a solid addition to any OL in the NFL once those improve.
Pro Comp: Will Hernandez
5. Christian Mahogany - Boston College
What They Do Well | What Could Limit Them |
Pure raw strength, resets the LOS and delivers devastating kick out blocks | Footwork was poor early on, cleaned it up as the year went on while recovering from an ACL tear the year before |
Good eyes in pass pro, doesn't panic against stunts and blitzes | Zone blocking is spotty, either roots a guy out of his gap or gets beat easily |
Better run blocker than pass protector, but he can stand guys up on either | Despite being a great puller, if his guy spills or dents, he struggles to log them |
Surprisingly good athlete given his size |
If you want a project lineman who is stupid strong and really only needs to work on footwork, Christian is your guy. He'd thrive in a gap scheme where he can pull and down block 60% of the time, but his pass protection needs improving, especially with his footwork. He could be an anchor at guard if coached up correctly.
Pro Comp: Trai Turner
Photo: Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire
4. Hunter Nourzad - Penn State
What They Do Well | What Could Limit Them |
Great run blocker, can block in zone and gap schemes, resets the LOS consistently | Will whiff on blocks here and there, especially when peeling off doubles |
Good in pass pro, can lock up guys in 1v1 looks | Struggles to pick up stunts, eyes aren't constantly working on each rep |
Does a nice job deploying "snatch" technique, ripped down some strong rushers with it | Second level blocking could use some work, gets overextended at times |
Violent hands and fast feet to help him take defenders for rides out of their gap |
Hunter is a damn good center with some great tools that will help him in the NFL. He's an exceptional run blocker, his pass blocking is nearly as good in 1v1 scenarios, and he uses some advanced techniques that most college players don't use. He does need to get better at picking up stunts and staying in control at second level, but he could be a starter within his first season.
Pro Comp: Tyler Linderbaum
3. Zach Frazier - West Virginia
What They Do Well | What Could Limit Them |
Great lateral footwork and movement, can reach tough alignments | Misses blitz and stunt pickups here and there, eyes are glued on his first guy |
Pretty solid in pass pro, does well against varying sizes and skillsets | Doesn't reset LOS on inside run plays as much as you'd like |
Sticks on blocks, tough to fight off him once he's got a hold of you | Hit or miss at second level, some defenders swipe by him with ease |
Moves guys out of gaps on outside run plays, opens cutback lanes |
A good athlete for his size, Zach has superb footwork and is great on outside zone plays, his lateral movement is smooth, and he's good in pass pro. He needs to get better at picking up free rushers and improve his base blocking in the run game. He didn't reset the LOS often, but either way he'll do best in a Shanahan-style offense.
Pro Comp: David Andrews
2. Graham Barton - Duke
What They Do Well | What Could Limit Them |
Mean blocker, looks to pummel whoever he gets his paws on | Hands get outside defenders frame quite a bit, needs to keep elbows tight |
Calm with his footwork and hand fighting, doesn't panic and lands a hard punch | Hips get turned against stunts, needs to stay square |
Anchors well against bull rushes, settles his weight down to stonewall defenders | If he stays at tackle, his landmarks are too shallow in pass pro |
Played center and tackle and exceled at both, great versatility |
A great prospect as a tackle, Barton trends even better as a guard or center. Graham resets the LOS on a consistent basis, holds his own against most pass rush moves, and he remains calm throughout his process. He does need to shoot his hands a little tighter and not get so grabby, as well as staying square throughout the entire rep, but he should be a first rounder regardless.
Pro Comp: Teven Jenkins
1. Jackson Powers-Johnson - Oregon
What They Do Well | What Could Limit Them |
Absolute mauler in the run game, blocks until the whistle stops blowing | Gets overextended at times trying to lunge into defenders |
Unreal power from his hips, creates great knockback and gets defenders off balance | He'll stand upright and stop moving his feet here and there, hinders the offense when he does it |
Strong and violent hands, very tough to beat him once he locks onto you | Will miss blitz pickups or will leave his man for a blitz that isn't coming |
Great snaps all around, solid in pass protection as well |
JPJ is your typical corn-fed white boy on the offensive front. He's a really sound player with great lower half power, he moves fluidly, and isn't afraid to drive guys into the turf. He needs to work on some blocking progression, but overall can start day 1 in the NFL and will be the first IOL off the board.
Pro Comp: Diet Jason Kelce
Photo: Brandon Sloter/Getty Images
Final Notes:
Some guys who slid down my board towards the end of the process were Tanor Bortolini, CJ Hanson, and Trevor Keegan. All possess some good qualities, and they could find decent playing time depending on how they progress as rookies.
Tune back in throughout the week for my second mock draft, as well as a breakdown of the best linebackers in this class!
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