We’ve arrived at the big-boy portion of our positional draft rankings! After already breaking down the best running backs, linebackers, wide receivers and cornerbacks of this class, we will spend these next two weeks talking about the guys inside the trenches both inside and out for offense and defense – and we are starting with the offensive tackle position!
I believe there are four small-dunk first-round players among this group, who can all be week-one starters, with varying degrees of technical advancement compared to physical upside. After that, there are five names, who I’d have no problem with all going inside the top-75, including a couple of athletic specimen, who aren’t close to the potential of players they can become one day. At number ten, there’s one more highly talented prospect, who may actually go earlier than a few names I have listed above him, based on the ceiling he presents. After that, you’re looking at more so serviceable players, who will largely be backups, along with a couple of underdeveloped kids you may want to take a flyer on day three, if you have the edges of your O-line secured for now.
Just to clarify – North Dakota State’s Cody Mauch will see his name listed among the interior offensive line.
Here’s how I have this group stacked up:
1. Paris Johnson, Ohio State
6’6”, 315-pounds; RS SO
The top-rated offensive tackle in the 2020 class, Johnson saw the field for just 22 snaps as a true freshman, before taking over as the full-time starter at right guard in ’21 and earning second-team All-Big Ten honors (13 games). Last year he improved to consensus first-team and second-team All-American this past year, when he moved out to left tackle. His steady presence on C.J. Stroud’s blindside enabled the Buckeyes to finish first (45.7) and second (44.2) respectively in points per game in FBS these past two seasons.
+ The grip strength, demeanor and leg-drive are all there in the run game and he really works up through contact to create that momentum
+ Out at tackle, he can really widen that edge and cover up guys responsible for contain, routinely allowing backs to stretch out and get out to the corner or cut underneath, At guard, you saw him come in from the side on nose-tackles to push them over into the opposite A-gap, so that guy can’t two-gap
+ Shows the hip mobility to reach-block three-techniques, as well as come off combos late and get a piece of the linebacker, while having some extra room for error if his angles up to the second level aren’t perfect
+ With the way he covers ground on zone concepts, Johnson can execute fold-blocks and make the job easier for the guard inside of him, to just seal the down-lineman
+ Swiftly establishes the inside foot and gets his base turned, in order to force edge defenders to have to go through him on the backside of gap schemes
+ Gets after second-level defenders with tremendous urgency and you actually see him seal off true MIKEs straight over the center at times
+ His dexterity to twist defenders and get his lower body turned simultaneously to open up lanes is highly impressive, You saw that when LBs try to blitz the play-side gap and he pins them away from it, to present a wide hole (B-gap at guard)
+ Displays good awareness for defenses walking down a linebacker late outside him and how that changes responsibilities on run schemes
+ Clearly has that mobility to play in space, with impressive success getting his hands on corners and safeties in the screen game
+ Johnson features a well-coordinated, patient kick-slide and uses his wingspan well to not present a free B-gap
+ Arms for days at just over 36 inches and edge rushers have to take wider angles consistently, while being able to stab with the inside arm at the near-shoulder to actively elongate those
+ With those long branches and strong upper body to control rushers even if his elbows are outside his frame
+ Smooth lateral mover, to stay in front of inside counters and help out on the interior in a hurry, if his man drops out
+ It also enables him to slide in front of interior linemen in the play-action game and full-line slides before they can even get that first step down regularly
+ When defenders sell out for the bull-rush and create movement, Johnson can increase his step frequency and knee bend to re-anchor effectively
+ No problem at all flipping and riding aggressive upfield rushers towards his own end-zone
+ Shows the ability to recover and still ride loopers off track, as he has to transition on delayed T-E twists
+ Playing at guard, you saw Johnson actively looking for work if he doesn’t have a direct assignment, delivering some significant chips from the side, And that transitioned along with moving out to tackle, where week one against Notre Dame, the next-closest rusher ended up being in the A-gap and he still made sure that guy hit the ground
+ Did allow two sacks last year, but only one other QB hit across 910 pass-blocking snaps since the start of 2021 (26 non-sack pressures)
– His base can get a little narrow as he churns his legs in the run game and it may lead to him landing on the turf more regularly against pros
– Tends to stop his feet when he throws his hands and heavily relies on the two-handed punch – he will need to adapt more independent hand usage
– His hands overall are pretty high and wide, particularly picking up loopers and blitzers
– There’s room to still get stronger, when it comes to swallowing initial power and snatch guys late, not allowing them to escape as plays are being extended
– Can overstride at times selling play-action and allow his D-end to slip inside of him
Based on his height and general skill-set, Johnson was a miscast at right guard as a redshirt freshman in 2021, but did show he can excel in the run game right away. Once he moved to his designated position at left tackle this past season, the pass-blocking skills were able to shine as well. He’s one of the smoothest athletes you will find for the position, yet has the strength in his hands to take control in both facets of the game. Where I do believe he needs to improve is not using two-handed punches regularly and his base to anchor against power leaves things to be desired at this point. Considering what an easy mover he is and the length he possesses to counter-act that, those should be fixable areas though. I do believe he’s best suited for a zone-based rushing attack, where his mobility and leg-drive can really shine, rather than just blowing defenders off the ball vertically, but there’s upside to utilize him even more as a puller across the formation or out towards the perimeter. I don’t see Johnson making it out of the top-15.
2. Broderick Jones, Georgia
6’5″, 315 pounds; JR
Right outside the top-10 overall recruits in 2020, Jones only started four games over his first two seasons (all at left tackle in 2021). He took over on the blindside this past season and was absolutely dominant, paving the way for a Georgia offense that averaged 500 yards and 41.1 points per game (fifth nationally), which made it all the way to an undefeated championship season (their second straight title). Jones himself was named first-team All-SEC.
+ Jones has good girth in all the right areas, without any excess weight in the mid-section
+ Imposing road-grader in the run game, Gets after people whether the score is 0-0 or his team is up by 50
+ This guy regularly tosses the edge defender on the front-side of zone runs out of the way and forces linebackers to fill the B-gap in a hurry
+ Can absolutely blow D-tackles off their landmarks when coming in on an angle on double-teams, particularly in short-yardage and goal-line situations
+ If he gets underneath the arm-pit of linemen, he can wash them down and create significant cutback opportunities, And he has the grip strength to twist defenders out of running lanes, even if he can’t block down on an angle
+ Understands when he has to add a gather-step against wider alignments, to not presents easy opportunities for edge defenders to jump inside of his blocks
+ On combo-blocks his eyes are usually up and he doesn’t struggle to work up to the backer with space, with the force in his hands to shove them to the ground
+ Regularly was utilized as a puller on GT power, where he’s light on his feet as he skips out of his stance but heavy at contact, and has the reactionary agility to adjust on the fly
+ This dude is scary to be in front of on screens and pulling out to the corner, where most defenders try to go low on him, to avoid getting thrown around
+ Even if his technique isn’t perfect yet, Jones presents the athletic lower half and strong upper body to ride edge rushers off track
+ If defenders go into the chest of him, they quickly realize there’s not much they can do anymore
+ You rarely see guys turn the corner when engaged with Jones, where they try to dip-and-rip, but he still guides them enough off track to not affect the QB
+ Packs a lot of strength in those hands, to widen their arc significantly or push them into the pile, if they try to quickly crash inside
+ Linebackers trying to get around Jones on delayed blitzes seem to have no clue how to actually approach this and are content with just standing there with his arms extended
+ When Jones’ guy slants away from him and he’s unoccupied, he delivers some devastating rib-shots on somebody tangled up with one of his teammates
+ Watching the 2022 season-opener 49-3 destruction of Oregon, the pass-pro reps for Jones was so clean throughout the day and he completely shut guys out trying to work against him
+ Wasn’t responsible for a single sack and just nine other pressures across 470 pass-blocking snaps this past season
+ Ran the best 40 time among all O-linemen in Indy this year at 4.97 and his movement during the on-field drills was well-coordinated, while finishing the workout in a funny way, as he just tossed one of the coaches to the inside when releasing on the screen-drill
– His feet can get a little heavy late and defenders are able to work off his blocks, where you’d want more flexion in the lower rather than upper half, and that’s in part due to imperfect hand-placement
– Too often in 2022, you’d see Jones drop his eyes when initiating contact in both facets of the game, and defenders being able to pull him off
– Makes himself vulnerable to inside counters on a regularly basis, when he should keep his shoulders and hips squared, but instead opens up to the edge rusher, who doesn’t even have the angle to beat him around the corner
– When he did face a legit speed-rusher in LSU’s B.J. Ojulari, you saw him punch with the outside hand and had that left foot in the air as well, creating a soft shoulder to get past
– Has to do a better job of coming to balance at times when working up the field in the screen game, as guys have the ability to side-step him
This is still clearly an ascending tackle prospect, who won’t turn 22 years old until after the draft and only logged 19 career starts at the Bulldogs. However, his natural talent stood out right away and he was already one of the premiere players at his position in his first season as a full-time starters, despite facing a loaded slate of SEC edge defenders. Now, some of those guys were actually the ones who gave him trouble, because they could threaten the edges of his frame off the snap and were more technically advanced, but there’s no reason to believe he won’t be able to get to that level sooner rather than later, with the natural power he possesses and the awareness he showed as a young player already. I want to see him eliminate this nasty little habit of not keeping his chin up, but in terms of brute force in the run game and ability to snatch up pass-rushers, he has a chance to turn into the most complete guy of the bunch.
3. Peter Skoronski, Northwestern
6’4”, 310 pounds; JR
Slightly outside the top-100 overall recruits in 2020, Skoronski stepped in at left tackle as a true freshman and was named to the All-Freshman team, when Rashawn Slater decided to sit out the season due to COVID concerns. Then he improved to a first-team All-Big Ten performer in 2021, which he repeated this past season, along with being a unanimous first-team All-American. His grandfather Bob Skoronski was a starter and team captain for all five of Vince Lombardi’s championship teams.
+ The best compliment I can give Skoronski is that his tape can be almost boring at times, because every rep is clean and there’s not much to note
+ His aiming points and angles are excellent for such a young player
+ Operates from a wide base and with good leg-drive, while lifting up through contact with his elbows in tight
+ Does well to establish positioning with the inside foot sealing edge defenders on the backside of run concepts
+ Gets underneath the arm pit of D-tackles on angular blocks and rides them down the line
+ Brings plus grip strength and ability to twist bodies to expand running lanes, along with the dexterity to keep his hands latched as defenders try to slip or turn away from contact
+ Shows great balance to peel off blocks and transition to a secondary target without any delay
+ Consistently works with square shoulders and stays tight to his teammate on vertical combos, to maximize force and not allow defenders to split those
+ Patient and under control working up to the second level, being able to get under the chest with great consistency
+ Also getting out to the corner on fly sweeps or those completely horizontal handoffs, he rarely overruns targets, just blindly hustling out there
+ Somehow people are interring that Skoronski isn’t a great athlete, when he tested in the 70th percentile or better among all combine events other than the three-cone and his jumps were 96th and 97th percentile respectively
+ Already a very sound and comfortable pass-protector, who consistently is first off the ball, gets to his landmarks and doesn’t throw his technique out of the window
+ Shows an understanding for the depth of the pocket and how to manipulate rush angles, along with the easy lateral movement to mirror guys across multiple moves
+ Adjusts the length of his initial dependent on where combat will occur and is able beat wide-nine alignments to the spot
+ His hands are so consistent with landing inside the frame of rushers and controlling reps, because they typically stay attached throughout
+ Varies his approach and excels at using his arms in independent fashion, whether he’s trying to widen guys with the inside hand or wants to take charge off them on power rushes
+ Rarely does his weight shift too far to the outside foot and he’s ready to negate angles as guys are trying to slice through the inside shoulder
+ Extends his inside arm when deciphering through the pressure and is ready to redirect towards guys slanting to the B-gap if there’s no threat off the edge – When he does do so, he often times rides those guys into the pile and doesn’t given them an angle towards the quarterback
+ His feel for shuffling along and how to pick up loopers with the two-handed strike, to guide their path is impressive for a young player
+ Allowed just two sacks on nearly 700 snaps as a true freshman and did the same in ’21 on over 800, along with 18 additional pressures, However he quietly just had his best season in that regard (one sack, two QB hits and three hurries)
– The big hold-up with Skoronski of course is only having 32 and ¼-inch arms, while I also believe he played below 310-pound mark
– You see edge rushers really create problems for him with long-arm maneuvers, where he can’t place his hands or has the kind of super-strong base to just swallow those
– It can also show up in the run ground where guys can just out-reach him and therefore pull him off when leaning into contact
– Doesn’t create a whole lot of knock-back at first contact with his strike generally and you rarely see him take linebackers for a ride, the way you’d like to
– While I love with how much control he plays, at times I’d appreciate a little more urgency to just negate space in the first instance rather than trying to establish position
At the risk of sounding like a cop-out, it’s pretty easy to find a comparison in terms of player profile for Skoronski, if we just go to the guy he replaced at Northwestern, in Rashawn Slater. I do believe the now-Pro Bowler was a greater athlete, particularly with some of the insane stuff he did in the weightroom, to balance out length concern. However, Skoronski is clearly the most technically advanced tackle in the 2023 class. The way he fits his hands and is able to transfer force from the ground up in the run game, along with reading rushers and using different combat-maneuvers to counter them, are tremendous. There’s not much to criticize on tape, but you just wonder how high his ceiling may be, due to always having a disadvantage in that one area. Ultimately, I believe a team will start him out at tackle and he will play it at a pretty high level, but he transitions inside a couple of years into his pro career. Having him down at number three almost feels wrong, but it only speaks to the strength of the top of this class, as Skoronski will be a top-15 overall prospect for me.
4. Darnell Wright, Tennessee
6’6”, 335 pounds; SR
The number two offensive tackle recruit in 2019 behind only Alabama standout and now-Giant Evan Neal, Wright started seven of eleven games as a true freshman (five at right tackle, two at right guard) and then nine of ten available for in year two (all at RT). In 2021 he started all 13 games at left tackle and helped the Tennessee offense score a team-record 511 points, before moving back to the right side this past season, when the Vols immediately broke that record (599) and Dwight was recognized individually as a first-team All-SEC performer.
+ When you look at this guy, everything you see screams “power” at you
+ Shows a natural ability to sink his hips and work up through contact, to create movement on angular blocks
+ You’re just not going to rock this guy’s pads backwards or squeeze him down on backside seal-blocks
+ Has the explosiveness out of his stance to work cross-/fold-blocks and skip pulls in the run game
+ For a man his size, the agility in short areas and flexibility in his lower half to reach-block edge defenders on fly sweeps is pretty impressive
+ Just engulfs smaller bodies stepping down or replacing edge defenders, when he comes across the line on kick-outs
+ Really strong with that inside arm, to extend and create that little bit of extra movement, while riding bodies on the interior into the trash when given the opportunity
+ Can create some significant momentum on B-gap defenders as the angular element to combo blocks by accelerating his feet through the target
+ Showcases the dexterity to keep his hands in place with the hips of the man he’s responsible for, as they’re trying to slice past, and he rides them off their landmarks
+ Wright doesn’t look uncomfortable getting out in space and has the natural power to put defenders on the ground by just getting a hand on them
+ His feet are quick enough to match legit speed off the edge and then sit down to not allow himself to be ridden into the quarterback’s space at the top of the arc
+ Shows good awareness for that platform of the guy padding the ball back there and when to flip with the rusher, to ride him past that point
+ His base is so strong, that even when rushers seem to set up speed-to-power well, Wright can stymie their charge and force them to look for different strategies
+ Can work in some independent hand usage to keep rushers in line with his frame, along with really snatching cloth and dropping his hips, in order to take control of reps
+ Displays impressive body-control, to quickly puts his outside foot back down and mirror inside moves, even by twitchy guys at nearly 100 pounds less
+ Once rushers get off balance, he can quickly put them on the ground and exploits of the opportunity to jump on top of them
+ Thanks to quarterback Hendon Hooker’s mobility, Wright’s agile skills to help secure the edge or shield guys from the backside on rollouts really stood out
+ Extremely battle-tested against a collection of impressive SEC edge rushers and more than held his own – Allowed just one hurry all day against Alabama in 2022, largely going up against a lock for the top-five in Will Anderson, who simply couldn’t work his typical speed-to-power against him
+ Didn’t give up a single sack and just eight total pressures across 507 pass-blocking snaps this past season
– Carries a little excess weight in the mid-section I’d say and he’s not quite up to par with the top-three guys in terms of foot quickness
– Doesn’t consistently play up to his size and brings the aggression to create displacement in the run game, while other times he gets his weight shifted too far out in front as he really goes for it (partially due to the type of offense the Volunteers ran)
– Gets too far over his skis at times and ends up stumbling forward when he can’t connect with his hands as D-linemen reduce their surface area
– While you like the mobility to get to the second level, he doesn’t break down and secure blocks consistently enough to take care of his assignments
– Regularly late off the snap and has a certain up-kick to his pass-sets, which didn’t become as much of a problems with less than a quarter of his work being labelled as “true pass-sets” by PFF (tons of RPOs, screens, etc.)
I’ve been a fan of Wright for a while now and he’s been ascending his draft stock throughout this process. He came in at a massive 342 pounds for Senior Bowl week, yet he showcased impressive movement skills, effortlessly mirroring a couple of spin moves, along with taking the fight to more power-based string, showcasing his strong upper half. Then he moved around extremely well during the on-field drills at the combine and you heard those bags pop when he landed his punches in pass-pro. This guy has 2746 career snaps with full years starting at both left and right tackle, put together an incredible track record against a murderous row of SEC edge defenders. So I have no doubt that he should and will go in the first round. I’d like to see him enforce his power on a more consistent basis and there’s a little bit of a tweak that he has to work on his kick-slide, but I don’t think there’s actually a gap between him and what is generally accepted as the “big three” at offensive tackle.
5. Dawand Jones, Ohio State
6’8”, 370 pounds; SR
Just outside the top-1000 overall recruits in 2019, Jones appeared in nine games as a true freshman and then in six of eight contests in the COVID-shortened following campaign, including his first start, In 2021, he started all 13 games and was a second-team All-Big Ten selection for the Buckeyes, which he repeated this past season, Then last year he was a second-team All-American, as a mainstay on that right edge
+ Massive upper half and can knock defenders off balance when he just lands those hands in the run game, And with the long arms he can deliver that last push to get the man further off track to create room late
+ I thought overall Jones’ urgency off the snap and willingness to impose himself physically was a lot better in 2022
+ You see him dish out some literal two-handed shoves to blow the front-side wide open
+ When he grabs the shoulder-plate and extends though, you see put guys flat on their backs at times, especially linebackers mugged up in the gap
+ If D-ends try to crash across him face on the backside of zone runs, he will wash them way down the line and optically show the ball-carrier to cut back behind him
+ Because of how massive he is, when he tries to reach-block guys on the edge, they often try to peak around and get off balance, to where he can ride them along and allow the back to stay behind his block
+ Yet, if he’s tasked with simply sealing the back-side, extending that outside arm in the chest of edge guys and bringing the opposite hip-around is very effective
+ When he arrives at the party, with no direct assignment, he can help move the significantly and allow the ball-carrier to hide behind that wall or push through it
+ Some of his tape is just hilarious to watch, when he puts guys on the ground seemingly without breaking a sweat
+ Offers a quick jump out of his stance to cut off the angle for edge rushers, has his hands ready at his mid-section and is patient with his punch
+ The way he snatches and traps guys when they do get closer to his body makes him basically negate guys completely
+ His insane 7’6” wingspan allows him to constantly put a hand on defenders before those guys could even get to his frame, and it gives him a ton of room for error in his technique
+ If guys try to loop wide around him and don’t actively try to find an angle, he’s fine sitting back and waiting there, but if he does go for it, those long arms can really stymie rushers in their approach
+ Even if the outside hand is swatted away, he can push guys further off track by still reaching them with the other arm
+ When he does overset and rushers create that lane to the quarterback seemingly going underneath, Jones is typically able to ride those guys across the QB’s face, to leave him unaffected
+ Buries guys underneath himself with regularity, if they shift their momentum too far out in front
+ After surrendering three sacks and eight other pressures in 2021, Jones didn’t even allow his quarterback to be hit once due to him last year and only hurried five times
+ PFF awarded him with their highest pass-blocking efficiency of any draft-eligible tackle at 99.4 last season
+ Even going up against all the five-stars Georgia has to offer, those guys realized there’s no escaping if Jones gets his hands on them
– You see Jones just throw his hands and not move his lower body at times, when he can’t get his body positioned accordingly throughout run plays
– Appears disoriented when his initial assignment is changed post-snap and he has to come up solutions on the fly in that regard
– The way he puts his hands on the face-mask of defenders and some of the pull-downs will be flagged more regularly at the pro level
– Short-setting guys and forcing them to go way around him, because of his size and length, was an effective strategy at the college level, but that won’t fly in the NFL
– At this point, Jones does get by with his massive frame and length along with natural strength, which won’t be as prevalent going against pro players, who will force him to get on their level technically
Jones only took part in the first practice at the Senior Bowl, but he just stood out from the moment he stepped on the field with his giganteous size and unheard of wingspan. Edge defenders quickly realized that they weren’t going to get through his chest, but the one rep that really stood out to me came during individual run-blocking, where he was supposed to reach-block his man but didn’t gain enough ground laterally with that first step, yet he was able to create so much torque on the far-shoulder of his man, that he ended up turning and pinning that guy inside anyway. That’s what you’re dealing with here – an absolute mountain of a man, whose strength and length give him a lot of room for error and when he puts it altogether, he can dominate people. Now, while he has definitely shown technical development, he does heavily rely on his natural gifts and will have to overhaul his pass-sets in order to actually cut off angles for more talented and crafty NFL rushers than he’s faced so far. However, he has things you can’t teach and the potential(!) to become a more athletic version of Orlando Brown down the road.
6. Anton Harrison, Oklahoma
6’4″, 310 pounds; JR
A four-star recruit in 2020, Harrison already logged over 1000 snaps at left tackle through his first two seasons with the Sooners. As a junior, he started all but on one of 12 regular season game on the blindside yet again (one at right tackle and opted out of the Cheez-It Bowl) and received more recognition on a national scale, when he was named a first-team All-Big 12 performer.
+ Presents an athletic frame with minimal excess weight and long arms (34 and ¼)
+ Can create some knock-back as he lands his hands inside the frame of defenders, shoving linebackers off track regularly
+ I thought this past season he was more assertive near the point of attack, to drive-block edge defenders or block down on three-techniques and get those guys off their landmarks
+ You see him lift stand up D-tackles in order for fellow linemen wrap around behind him regularly
+ On the backside of wide zone runs, if linebackers try to shoot the B-gaps Harrison hits and rides them way down the line, to open up massive cutback lanes behind him
+ When guys try to dip underneath him or get around blocks, Harrison typically rides them towards his own end-zone to blow the front-side open
+ Has the quick burst to help secure the down-linemen on combo blocks and then deliver some force to open up a lane inside of them as somebody from the second level behind it steps down
+ Bends off the inside foot and uncoils force through defenders in the hole wrapping around on power/counter schemes
+ Frequently is able to face-plant defenders as he catches them off balance, with one foot off the ground, with the triceps strength to extend and push them down
+ Makes the job of his teammates a lot easier, when he’s passing off down-linemen on front-side combos by extending with the inside arm and allowing the guy next to him to bring his base and secure the block
+ Rarely overruns his targets in space and forces guys to work around him consistently
+ His 4.98 in the 40 was tied for the second-best mark among all offensive linemen at the combine
+ And he shows off that mobility in impressive fashion pulling out wide or releasing and putting hands on third-level defenders in the screen game
+ There’s good rhythm and a certain calmness in his kick-slide, with the light feet to guide edge defenders around the loop
+ Times up his strike as rushers try to throw their hands, frequently hitting them as they’re off balance and taking them to the ground every once in a while
+ His initial hand-placement may not be great always and he gets caught with his elbow out wide, but he does work to re-fit them and finds way to gain control
+ And he finds ways to maximize his length to out-reach his man
+ Can really snatch rushers as he grabs cloth of guys trying to work through him, without giving them a lane to escape
+ Plays under good control generally and doesn’t overreact to defensive movement, picking up games and mirroring guys with space to work
+ Smoothly transitions from the slanting linemen to the looper on E-T twists
+ Has some impressive recovery moments on tape, where rushers have him on skates and he’s somehow able to drop his anchor due to his high-level balance
+ Off their GT power schemes and RPO elements, Harrison was also tasked with pulling around and pick up linebackers trying to shoot the hole, where his ability to stop his momentum and then mirror guys was highly impressive
+ Allowed just one sack and eight hurries (no QB hits) across 447 pass-blocking snaps last season
– Can’t reduce his height very well and you can see them roll his weight over his shoulders at times trying to establish contact with smaller linebackers
– Doesn’t set the tone in the run game like you’d want to see for that size, having to become more effective with his hand-placement and re-work the way he transitions force from the ground up
– You see some of that as well in the pass game, when his chest folds forward instead of working with sink in his hips and then he kind of tries to chase after guys up the arc, where if timed correctly can leave the inside lane to the QB completely free
– Carries his hands fairly low and comes in wide with the punch, to where guys who sell out on attacking his chest can take him for a ride a few times, as he doesn’t seem ready to land his hands – You see that at times when he’s not ready for somebody coming his way on twists
– There’s a few reps, where he tries to ride edge rushers up the field, but he doesn’t maintain contact and that guy is able to slip underneath him
It’s never easy projecting tackles in particular going from offensive systems that relied heavily on a few run concepts, off which they build their RPO game and offer limited reps for pass-protectors to prove themselves. The areas of weakness in Harrison’s game right now are pretty clear – he struggles to bend at the knees and maximizing his power in the run game, while his hands and feet aren’t married regularly enough in pass-pro. On the Brightside, he does bring plenty of shock in his hands and well-coordinated movement to work to the second level, while being light on his feet to deal with speed off the edge and being able to clamp down on guys once he takes control of reps. There is a fairly steep learning curve in front of him, but he has all the physical tools and the mindset to become a plus starter on the blindside, which is why he regularly finds his name late in first-round mock drafts.
7. Matthew Bergeron, Syracuse
6’5”, 320 pounds; RS JR
Just inside the top-1000 overall recruits in 2019, Bergeron played in 12 and started five game as a true freshman. Other than missing two games this past season, he started all of the other 34 games, with all but three of those at left tackle. He earned honorable mention and then second-team All-ACC accolades most recently, whilst being a team captain in 2022.
+ Nice girth throughout his frame and effectively rolls his hips through contact to create movement in the run game
+ Even with sub-optimal hand-placement, he can widen the edge pretty consistently on the front-side of zone concepts
+ Shows a strong grip with the inside hand, which doesn’t allow edge defenders to back-door or slip his blocks typically
+ When having to block down on three-techniques who aggressively try to get through his gap, Bergerson does well to get his hand on the defenders’ hip and use that momentum against that guy
+ Does well to on hinge-blocks and just get the job done when tasked with sealing guys on the backside of concepts
+ In formations with a tight-end next to him, where the C-gap was uncovered, Bergeron effectively was able to able to pick up and ride smaller bodies at the edge of the box out of the picture
+ You really like what he presents blocking on the move, sweeping around the edge and taking linebackers for a ride or blowing DBs trying to set the edge out of the picture
+ Was utilized on some skip-pulls, where he would wrap around on GT power plays and looked pretty light on his feet to get to his landmarks
+ Shows a real plan in his approach as a pass-protector, changing up between quick sets, jumping out of his stance aggressively versus speed-based rushers, etc.
+ Can cover a ton of ground in his kick-sets in order to counter true speed-balls off the edge
+ Carries his hands at his hips and is ready to punch and counter the movement of rushers
+ Will land some surprise stabs quickly at the chest of rushers, to throw off the timing of the moves they want to set up
+ Displays the body-control to re-anchor even when it looks like power rushers are under control of reps
+ Transitions well on twists by the D-line, whether it’s the strong base to absorb force by the initial slanter or the lateral agility to slide in front of the secondary looper
+ Quickly redirects from the initial kick to a lateral shuffle in order to help out or take over stunting interior defenders, if his man on the edge peels off
+ Generally can use the momentum of defender to guide them away from the quarterback
+ Takes advantages of chances to pull off-balance rushers to the ground and pins them down there
+ While he was officially charged for five sacks by PFF last season, in terms of total pressures he was at 12 compared to 11 the year prior, with 770 combined pass-blocking snaps
+ Slid inside to guard some during Senior Bowl week and I thought he was able drop the anchor against powerful rusher
– His hands regularly start off high and wide already and he minimizes the force he can apply in the run game, as well as make him vulnerable to get flagged, because the refs can see everything
– Pro Football Focus only credited his with 33 positively graded run plays last season, which I wouldn’t judge as such (in terms of a net plus), but in terms of having his hands latched onto the aiming points, that number is probably about right
– Tends to pick up his inside foot too much, as he’s trying to gain ground vertically in his pass-sets and becomes vulnerable against guys with a great long-arm – Clemson’s Myles Murphy was in control of that matchup for most of the day, even if Myles didn’t get to finish many plays
– Edge rushers frequently are the ones to get their arms inside and Bergeron ends up with his elbows out wide, which limits his ability to slow down power
Bergeron has nearly put together the exact same resume during his pre-draft process as Tennessee’s Darnell Wright. Throughout Senior Bowl week, I thought his movement skills in pass-protection were highly impressive, not allowing guys to gain an angle on the quarterback, as well as being able to mirror and shut down some challenging counter moves. And while he didn’t test at the combine, he had a tremendous on-field workout. He looked so light-footed, changed directions and reacted to the coaches’ indications without any issues. His hand-placement in both facets of the game drove me wild at times on tape, but that area already looked improved down in Mobile and I also understand that he will receive the type of coaching to see major benefits. How well he carries 320 pounds, being able to cover ground vertically and horizontal in protection, is rare – and he doesn’t even yet take great advantage of his play-strength all the time. I would not be shocked if he ends up being one of the last few picks of the first round and he’s probably a lock for the top-50.
8. Tyler Steen, Alabama
6’5”, 315 pounds; RS SR
A three-star recruit in 2018 for Vanderbilt, Steen started 33 consecutive games and played in 38 total for the Commodores, with some action at defensive tackle, one season at right tackle and then switching over to the blindside for the latter two. He transferring to Alabama for the 2022 season, where he was a fixture at left tackle for all 13 contests and was named second-team All-SEC.
+ Packs a lot of bulk into his lower half, with massive quads, yet gets out his stance gracefully
+ Does well to attack aiming points and drive his legs in the run game, to create the initial movement
+ Very much in control as a blocker, rather than leaning into defenders or not centering his weight
+ You never actually see him whiff on blocks completely or be tossed to the side by the guy he’s engaged with
+ Demonstrates highly impressive short-area agility to hinge- or scoop-block B-gap defenders on the backside of run schemes
+ Uses his grip exceptionally well once he and one of his teammates create that initial momentum on quick combos, to exploit that and ride them off their landmarks
+ Displays great awareness for when to peel off double-moves and locates second-level targets if the picture changes slightly post-snap
+ When he gets that inside hand clamped onto the near-shoulder-plate of defenders, he can forcefully toss those guys to the turf
+ Showcases good dexterity in his upper body to sustain blocks when his base isn’t perfectly aligned and defenders seem to have an angle to disengage
+ Light enough on his feet to execute skip-pulls as well as secure third-level defenders when getting out in space
+ Displays great rhythm and does well to cut off angles around the corner in his pass-sets – I was very impressed with his movement skills and consistency in that facet
+ You seem legitimately square up those wide-nine rushers who truly try to win with speed around the corner
+ Has his elbows in tight and lifts up through contact once he engages with rushers
+ Smoothly covers a ton grass laterally, whether he just slides in front of edge rushers in the quick-game or full-line slides are called
+ Displays some highly impressive recovery skills, where he goes with landing a kick to mirroring inside counters in a matter of time, in which the defender doesn’t even get to his inside shoulder
+ Is flexible enough to (re-)fit his hands against guys trying to dip underneath his reach
+ When having to pick up slot blitzers, Steen’s patience and calmness really stand out, getting himself in position and being ready to snatch them up
+ Throughout Senior Bowl week, it was more of the same as I saw on his tape – it may not always look pretty, but he just finds a way to stay in front of rushers and not allow them to get all the way to the quarterback, And he showed some chippiness I didn’t know he had
+ His marks in the broad jump, short-shuttle and bench press at the combine were all in the 79th percentile or better
– Not somebody who engulfes defenders and takes them for a ride in the run game typically
– Sees his pads knocked back significantly at times when guys land the long-arm inside frame – Definitely needs to work on activating his lower half and improving the way he uses his hands in order to absorb the initial force
– In general, needs to become more pro-active with landing meaningful first contact and not expose his chest as much in that regard, where only having 32 and ¾-inch arms doesn’t help
– Yet, gets caught overextending his arms at times in the recovery phase of protection and folds up when guys swat his hands away
– Misses looping backers by locking his eyes in on the D-end crashing inside on multiple occasions, going through his film
While Steen isn’t an overwhelming run-blocker, as the hefty lower body would suggest, he consistently takes care of his assignments and is highly capable of executing basically any scheme you ask him to. The one thing on his tape that really holds you up from going all-in is the ability to protect his chest and slow down power-rushers. Pass-rushers are only going to get longer and stronger as he makes the transition to the next level and if there’s one deficiency they can attack, you’re not going to get away with what you’re currently dealing with that aspect. Other than that, there aren’t really many negatives to point out. If you can get that one weakness in his game fixed, I believe Steen has all the other skills to be a long-time starter in the league and to me, there’s a substantial drop to the rest of this class. So I would not be surprised in the slightest if he ends up being selected in the second round.
9. Jaelyn Duncan, Maryland
6’6”, 305 pounds, RS SR
A four-star recruit in 2018, Duncan ended up redshirting his first year on campus, before taking over the starting gig at left tackle from the second game on in year two. He started all five contests of the COVID-shortened 2020 campaign and played in all 13 the following year (11 starts), before starting all 12 contests he was available for this past season. He earned honorable mention All-Big 10 notice in each of those three years.
+ Reliably lands his outside hand on the near pec of edge defenders and drives his legs through contact on drive blocks, as well as get underneath the arm-pit of interior guys when they try to crash through the B-gap on the backside
+ Shoots his hips and runs his feet through contact on the front-side of zone schemes, allowing the back to press extensively
+ Displays the agility to reach-block defensive ends on the front-side of wide zone runs and allow the ball-carrier to get around the corner
+ Keeps churning his feet to move bodies in the run game and you see him create good space double-teaming three-techniques along with his guard
+ Does a nice job of taking a little shuffle step to make sure D-tackles can’t work over the top of blocks by his guard, but not committing his shoulders and still being able to cut off the angle for linebackers as he climbs up
+ Looks comfortable and does a good job of coming to balance working up to second-level defenders
+ Shows the speed to lead the way on sweep plays and screens, getting his hands on defensive backs to great effect
+ His mobility was regularly utilized on pin-and-pull concepts out to the edge, or wrapping around from the backside on GT power
+ Really jumps out of his stance and has the foot agility to deal with speedy rushers in his pass-sets
+ You routinely see him cut off angles for guys trying to turn the corner on him and easily guide them past the quarterback if they overshoot it
+ Even when it seems that they have a beat on the snap from wide alignments, Duncan stays true to his vertical sets and only flips at the last second, in order to just do enough for the QB to stay unaffected
+ Watching Duncan mirror rushers who try to give him a shake or just find a way to get to one of side of him, it looks like he’s doing a practice drill, showcasing his tremendous lateral agility
+ With those long arms he has, he can land that one-handed stabs against rushers, to square them up and stun their charge
+ Has the hip mobility to recover when he’s been attached to the end slanting inside, to still get back and guide loopers around the edge
+ Had a tremendous showcase against Michigan edge duo of Aidan Hutchinson and David Ojabo in 2021, displaying the ability to match speed, but also hunker down and re-anchor after getting hit in his chest, I don’t believe he surrendered a single pressure all day
+ Put on a great display during Senior Bowl week – Showed the foot quickness to cut off the angle for edge rushers and force them on a wider loop and was able to anchor against speed-to-power moves with better hand usage to stymie their force, Plus he did so working on both ends of the line
+ Backed that up with an excellent combine performance – 5.1 flat in the 40 (79th percentile), 31 and ½-inch vert (86th percentile) and 9’5” broad jump (92nd percentile)
– Not a true enforcer on gap schemes and pauses off the ball at times, where I’d like to see him attack and dictate reps more
– There’s too much chest-to-chest blocking in the run game with Duncan in tight quarters and when he tries to land his lands on guys with a run-way, there’s way too much of a wind-up/punch, rather than snatching the target
– His hands clamp down from the outside and are often too high in pass-pro, with rushers being able to knock them away or dip underneath, regularly opening up the inside door
– I thought this past season, whether it was getting his weight too far over his toes in the run game or relying heavily on two-handed punch in pass-pro, you saw Duncan lose his balance at much higher frequency
– His PFF grade went from over 71 each of the prior two seasons down to 61.7, allowing seven sacks and double the pressures (28) compared to 2021
I was so excited to see how much growth Duncan could show this past season and legitimately thought we could see him end up being a first-round pick. Unfortunately he went the exact opposite direction, as his hand-placement and weight-distribution put him in unfavorable positions and his pressure numbers in pass-pro went way up. With that being said, he’s another guy I’ve already seen technical improvement during Senior Bowl week and he reminded us of his athleticism at the combine. There are certainly things he needs to correct in order to be more consistent on gamedays, which is a bit concerning since he has plenty of game reps, but his feet are special and his issues are more correctable than his ’22 tape may suggest, in my opinion.
10. Blake Freeland, BYU
6’8″, 305 pounds; RS JR
A three-star athlete recruit, who started a couple of years at quarterback in high school and then kind of did everything but play on the O-line as a senior, Freeland started 15 games across his first two seasons at right tackle, In 2021, he transitioned to the left side – replacing Brady Christensen – excelling as a 13-game starter, He did the same this past season and was awarded first-team All-Independent in consecutive seasons
+ Looks like a plus-sized tight-end, who moves much more fluidly than most of these giants
+ Comes off the ball with good urgency in the run game and is consistent with fitting his hits at the correct aiming points
+ Attacks the near-shoulder of defensive ends and is strong with the inside hand to create movement at the point of attack on lateral run schemes
+ Displays tremendous agility to scoop-block t three-techniques on the backside of wide zone, while also being able to significantly wash them down on inside zone runs, to create cutback lanes for the ball-carrier
+ On front-side combos, he digs that shoulder into the chest of the defender and steps into his fellow blocker, to create that vertical momentum
+ Was regularly utilized on wrap-around pulls for power concepts, wher
+ If you get him out in the screen game, that athleticism in space can really shine
+ However, he’s also smart with getting out in front of fly sweeps, etc. not allowing defenders to slice inside of him, before getting vertical and targeting the safety or pursuit defender
+ Was uber-consistent this past season looking at PFF’s grading, with just two games below 70 and none worse than 66.4
+ Light on his feet and advanced in his technique as a pass-protector, His patience at sitting back and forcing the rusher across from him to show his plan really stands out
+ Consistently is able to land one hands inside and is actively looking to re-fit if those get knocked away
+ You see him bait the hands of rushers with fake jabs and throws his hands right on time as guys present their frame, Plus he’s constantly looking to re-fit his grip as defenders try to knock it away
+ Widens his base to counter power and take off steam from rushers
+ Glides laterally with ease to slide in front of edge rushers lined up outside the tight-end, who gets released in the pattern
+ Does well to really sell play-action, particularly on the front-side of zone fakes, where he forces edge defenders to bring their base around to set the point and then he gets square to them
+ Routinely reaches out with his long arm, to help out the guard next to him and feel potential rushers potentially slanting that way whilst deciphering who may come off the edge, if the picture is a bit muddy
+ If his man drops out, Freeland’s eyes instantly go inside, to pick up any potential loopers or help out on guys working the B-gap
+ Earned PFF pass-blocking grades of 91.9 and 90.7 respectively these past two seasons, allowing only one sack and 11 other pressured across 888 combined pass-blocking snaps
+ Broke the combine record for offensive linemen with a 37-inch vertical and hit the ten-foot mark in the broad (five inches better anybody from this year’s OL group), plus his 1.68 ten-yard split was also tops for the group
– A little bit in the pants overall, without great muscle distribution throughout his frame
– His height does present some challenges in terms of natural pad-level and some waist-bending/shoulder-rolling tendencies
– Won’t move people against their will on gap schemes, due to not being able to roll his hips and transfer force from the ground up particularly well
– Due to being naturally tall in his pass-sets and not really attacking with those hands, you see guys be able to long-arm him and drive him backwards or take him off balance
– Lacks a certain fluidity, to turn and cut off angles for rushers who can work with space and challenge him with their suddenness or just get a great jump off the ball
The first thing I do once I get Freeland in my building is sitting him down with my athletic training and nutrition stuff, to get his body NFL ready and work on the mobility in his lower body joints. His height will always create challenges in terms of pad-level and fully incorporating what he has from the hips down. However, his combination of athleticism and length are rare to find and he’s already performed extremely well against college competition. I don’t see him as a great for a gap-scheme heavy rushing attack, but he’s highly capable of every aspect of being a zone-blocker and you can take advantage of his skills on the move on crack toss, power and screen plays. Considering some of the rough moments he went through during Senior Bowl week, he would probably benefit from being a swingle tackle early on, but his upside is about as high anybody outside the top-six or so.
The next names up:
Jordan McFadden (Clemson) Wanya Morris (Oklahoma), Ryan Hayes (Michigan), Nick Saldiveri (Old Dominion), Richard Gouraige (Florida), Warren McClendon Jr. (Georgia), Asim Richards (North Carolina) & Carter Warren (Pittsburgh)
For in-depth breakdowns of the NFL and college football, head over to my page halilsrealfootballtalk.com and my Youtube channel
Twitter: @halilsfbtalk
Instagram: @halilsrealfootballtalk
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/halilsrealfootballtalk/
Defy Life 