It’s time to talk about the trenches. The most important positions on the football field. If your team has a good offensive line, you’ll likely have a good offense (unless you’re the New York Jets). Coaches talk all the time about wanting to dominate the trenches because it decides games, and the past two Super Bowls have proved that. The Kansas City Chiefs and New England Patriots couldn’t keep their quarterbacks upright in the big game, which led to their losses.
It’s not the sexy pick, but it’s an important one. Here are my top-10 offensive tackles in this year’s NFL draft.
1. Francis Mauigoa, Miami
Throughout the college football season, I figured Mauigoa would be considered as a guard throughout this draft cycle. Then the college football playoffs happened, and he helped orchestrate a dominant run game throughout the playoffs, helping Miami get to the National Championship. He’s earned the right to stay at tackle, but he doesn’t view it that way. When asked at the NFL combine, he made it clear he’d go wherever he was asked to along the offensive line.
Mauigoa comes in at 6-foot-5, 329 pounds, and an arm length of 331/4. He compares to All-Pro right tackle Penei Sewell in terms of measurements, so he could easily thrive at the tackle position in the league. Watching Mauigoa, he plays with tremendous power, being able to move people out of the way. Good athleticism to have a fast get-off when he attacks edges, but at the same time, he can take a more patient pass set, showing the versatility he has. Athleticism shows in the run game as well; he can pull efficiently, is smart, and handles stunts well.
Could improve his ability to sink his hips and truly anchor against power. Felt like his hand placement was inconsistent, which led to him getting beaten a couple of times this season, but he has the upside and talent to be the first tackle off the board.
2. Spencer Fano, Utah
Fano is the best athlete out of all the offensive linemen in this class. The way he moved at the NFL combine compared to everyone else was just jaw-dropping. He started his career at left tackle and then moved to right for the past two seasons. The talking point with him is where he’s gonna play in the NFL. He’s 6-foot-5 and 311 pounds, but has an arm length of 32 1/8, which is shorter than New England tackle Will Campbell. Fano’s advantage is his wingspan: 80 1/4; he’s almost three inches wider than Campbell’s.
The arm length and wingspan both come in below the 20th percentile for offensive tackles. The projection is hard, but the athletic part is not. Ran a 4.91 40 with a 1.72 10-yard split. Fano’s footwork helps him look clean in the run game, giving him the versatility to run either a zone or gap scheme. Mirrors defenders well, and his pass set is clean; mix it in with his good hand placement, and he has the upside to be a dominant NFL tackle.
The strength part is the issue. Just lacked overall power and got taken advantage of a couple of times in his tape. Didn’t anchor well, nor have tremendous bend when edges would strike his chest. Rushers who had bend were able to win with ease on his outside shoulder. I’d give Fano an opportunity to play tackle first at the NFL level; he’s the type of athlete who can do it. I wouldn’t rush him to guard; that won’t solve his strength issue.
3. Max Iheanachor, Arizona State
No doubt Iheanachor is one of my favorites in this draft class. He’s very close in terms of being my second-ranked tackle in this class, but I liked the athletic upside of Fano just a bit more. The Iheanachor story is a fun one. He was born in Nigeria and moved to Los Angeles in his teens. He played basketball and soccer growing up and didn’t play football until five years ago, when he joined the East Los Angeles College football team. Played JUCO for two years, then transferred to Arizona State to start at right tackle for the past two seasons.
The tape is clean for someone who doesn’t have as much paying experience as others; it just speaks to the coachability Iheanachor has. His feet are always active, can mirror anyone in space and his base is very solid. Hands are up throughout reps, and he keeps them tighter to his chest, not leaving his chest exposed. There are some negatives to his game felt like he could get more flexible to handle power better, but the upside is all there within Iheanachor’s game.
He also packs the size of an NFL tackle. 6-foot-6 and 321 pounds with 33 7/8 inch arm length. That size ran a 4.91 40 at the NFL combine, putting everyone on notice.
4. Monroe Freeling, Georgia
Freeling is one of the highest risers throughout this draft cycle. Initially, I thought he was a solid tackle in rounds two to three, but after the combine, the buzz around him just began to rise. He has all the measurables you can ask for as a tackle, being 6-foot-7, 315 pounds, and an arm length of over 34 inches. The athletic side is there as well, running a 4.93 40 and a vertical jump of 33.5 feet. Someone that size simply shouldn’t be moving like that, and that’s why NFL teams are intrigued.
The tape has a ton of ups and downs. The athlete in him is there, no question. He moves effortlessly in open space, between the tackles, and in a zone scheme. Torques his body as well to really fit into tight spaces. Then the strength as well, when he gets locked into you, just might as well give up on the rep because he won’t let go. The downs are also very evident. He has a lot of work to do on his leverage and hips. Leans too far forward a ton, leaving him vulnerable to stronger edges; he doesn’t have real patience in his pass sets, and he also struggles to bend effectively in his pass sets.
Has the athleticism, but really needs a ton of fine-tuning. The negatives shouldn’t steer away an NFL team in the first round because Freeling can be the best tackle out of this class in three to four years.
5. Kadyn Proctor, Alabama
Proctor is the biggest player on this list, but not the tallest. He comes in at 6-foot-7 and 352 pounds. The size and measurements are the traits that will draw NFL teams. He played at nearly 390 pounds throughout the season, but lost about 40 pounds before the combine. The biggest thing for him is to stay at that lower weight to help him move more easily and handle the NFL competitions.
Regardless of the size, I felt like Proctor has tremendous feet within his game. For his size, he moved pretty well out in space and when mirroring edge rushers. He just struggled with power, which is something I didn’t think I would say going into his tape. Power and just the violence within his game. Doesn’t really move people or show the willingness to have the mindset to just hit people. Struggles with some techniques in his pass set, which also hurts him. He has the size teams want, but he will face some hurdles early in his career.
6. Blake Miller, Clemson
The true ironman of this class. Played over 50 games for Clemson and has over 3,500 snaps. Miller isn’t like some other prospects in this class, like Iheanachor and Freeling, where you question what you might be getting with those players – you know what you’ll get with Miller.
He’s a clean player overall, a lot of clean pass sets mixed with his good feet and athleticism. Great base that allows him to mirror edge defenders and can work well in the run game. He was asked to pull as a tackle a couple of times, which demonstrated his athleticism at the position. One thing I did notice is that he’ll drop his hands to load up for a punch, exposing his chest, but that’s a minor negative in his game. The form and feet are there, but Miller just has to get stronger to survive in the NFL. Just wasn’t a people mover and struggled to negate power in his pass sets.
Miller has the measurables of an NFL tackle: 6-foot-7 and 317 pounds with over 34-inch arms. A true plug-and-play starter in this class.
7. Caleb Lomu, Utah
Lomu surprised me when he came out this year. He’s a redshirt sophomore, and I felt like he could’ve played another year at the college level. Regardless, he’s in this draft class and played left tackle for Utah the past two seasons with Fano at right. Another tackle in this class with good size, 6-foot-6 and 313 pounds, with 33 3/8 arm length. Just like his teammate, he also has great athleticism, jumping 32 1/2 feet and running a 4.99 40, all above the 89th percentile for offensive tackles.
Watching Lomu, I felt he was one of the better run blockers in this class. Moves well and gets to the second level easily. Keeps a wide base in pass pro and can mirror defenders when he has to, but he struggled with pad height when it came to his pass pro. Felt like he played tall, which hurt him a bit. Anchored and had decent bed in his game, but surprisingly, he struggled to face defenders who would crash inside. Wasn’t able to power step down despite being a good athlete.
He reminds me a bit of Joe Thomas in terms of size and movement, and I’m not saying he will be Thomas, but he just reminded me of him while watching.
8. Markel Bell, Miami
Hinted at it earlier with Proctor, but here’s the tallest player in this group, and just a mountain of a man. Bell comes in at 6-foot-9 and 346 pounds with over 36-inch arms. Absolutely crazy measurables for a tackle. It’s funny with him: the arm length, wingspan, height, and weight are all above the 96th percentile for offensive tackles, but when it comes to hand size, he has nine-inch hands, which are in the second percentile. Doesn’t matter, but just thought that was funny when looking at it.
He’s a mauling presence on the left side of the line, and I was surprised when watching him. He moves well, and his base stays wide in his pass sets. Strength is where he thrives; he can hold defenders back with his right arm and throw them off easily. Had decent feet in a zone scheme, but would thrive more in a gap scheme. Obviously, with someone that big, he played a little high at times, leaving his chest exposed. Along with that, he’d fully shoot out his arms in his pass set. Some minor things to work on, but Bell is an intriguing prospect for me.
9. Caleb Tiernan, Northwestern
Tiernan didn’t run a 40 throughout this process, but did do the vertical jump and broad jump. His vertical was 35.5 inches, and his broad was 9′ 5″ feet – both are above the 80th percentile for offensive tackles. The numbers indicate he’s a good athlete, and it’s true. Really jumps off the line and attacks edges on the soutsie. Moves his feet in a zone cheme nicely and runs in the open field nicely. One of my favorites within his tape was his fake punch. He’d fake a punch to an edge, forcing the edge to respond with his arms, then he’d quickly bring them back and re-engage.
He comes in at 6-foot-8 and 321 pounds, but the problem is the arm length. Has 32 1/4-inch arms, which are about the same size as Fano. He’s a big guy, though at 6-foot-8, so I would give him a shot at tackle. Moves well, has great size, and is smart. Will struggle against power, but as a later round tackle, Tiernan could be a decent tackle in the league and, at worst, be a solid backup guard in the NFL.
10. Jude Bowry, Boston College
Bowry is another player in this class with good size. 6-foot-5 and 31 pounds with over 33-inch arms. He has started at left tackle for the past two seasons at Boston College and showcased his good size on the edge. He’s a fantastic athlete who can really attack edges off the line. Moves out in space and in zone schemes well, and like Freeling, he thought he had a really nice twitch out in space. Had the feet to match speed around the edge when it comes to those smaller and faster edges, trying to beat him to the outside.
Still is a very raw prospect, like others in this class. Struggled with power and overall core strength. Like Proctor, I didn’t feel like he had the violence as a tackle and truly just didn’t’ move people. He could move inside to tackle, but I’d still give him a shot at tackle early in his career due to his movement skills.
Players outside looking in
11. Travis Burke
Burke was a journeyman in college, playing two seasons at Gardner-Webb, then transferring to FIU, where he ended his college career this past season with Memphis. Has the versatility to play either left or right tackle, but played right for Memphis this past season. He’s 6-foot-8 and 325 pounds with over 34-inch arms running a 5.17 40 at the NFL combine.
You feel his huge frame on tape, and he just moves people, driving them down the field. Able to torque his body to get defenders and create gaps within the run game, but the best part was his athleticism. He moved really well for his size and can thrive in a zone scheme at the NFL level. He also showcased the ability to get to the second level.
Leans a bit too much in the run game, would like him to keep his chest up, and sometimes overshoots when climbing to the second level, which allows quick defenders to get by him. But the size and athleticism are there; he was very close to making the top-10.
