The Commish
youknowhatimsayin?
Rookie Impact: OL
by Robert Wright
3/28/06
It's generally accepted that this is one of the most talented drafts in the history of the NFL. 2004 brought us an excellent rookie class, but this one is much deeper and could be as rich in elite talent. We don't have a crop of quarterbacks to compete with 1983, but there's intriguing potential available (to say the least). The wide receivers, while unusually deep and hard to grade, are lacking in elite talent. At every other position this draft is loaded. After a dozen or so premiere players, there's nearly two full rounds of talent that would typically have first round grades. This year's second rounders will bring first round talent to your favorite team. Third rounders grade like typical second rounders and so on. As always there will be undrafted rookie gems found in free agency. This year more than usual.
We'll provide you with complete analysis by position of this rookie class, of course, with an emphasis on fantasy implications. Generally that process would make little mention of the offensive lineman. Not this year. This class of OLs will be key to the future of several NFL teams. The indirect affect on fantasy performers should be considered. It's pass protection that makes things possible for QBs, WRs and TEs, and it's run blocking that makes those all important RBs shine. Several quality skill position players struggled because of poor OL play last season. This rookie class offers an antidote to the struggles. Rookie offensive lineman sometimes take a little time to develop, so the value may be slightly delayed, but understanding it early can give you an edge in the future. So, when it comes to this rookie class...
Let's get started in the trenches.
Centers
The story at center this post-season remains Nick Mangold (Ohio State). He was head and shoulders above his peers at the Senior Bowl, and he didn't disappoint at the Combine. For most of the season he was rated second to Outland Trophy winner Greg Eslinger (Minnesota). Mangold wasn't the strongest center. He wasn't the fastest. He did run the quickest shuttle, and that's important for interior lineman. He is very explosive in short distances. He was fundamentally superior in the drills. He is very possibly a first round draft pick. Few players have made themselves more money since the season ended than Mangold. He's the complete package.
Will Montgomery (Va Tech) and Chris Chester (Oklahoma) have been nice surprises. At 312 pounds Montgomery was the second heaviest center. The heaviest (Ryan Cook) is being looked at as a tackle. More on him later. Montgomery probably was going to be drafted very late prior to the Combine. He's moved up a couple rounds. He ran faster than Eslinger while outweighing him by 20 pounds. He was far and away the strongest of the centers, and one of the strongest overall. He showed great burst, did unexpectedly well in the quickness drills, and was as athletic as all but Chester. Montgomery has a ton of experience starting at both guard and center for the Hokies the last three years. He has great intangibles and combined with the measureables he's displayed, it looks like he'll be very useful in the NFL.
Chester is a converted TE, so it shouldn't be too surprising that he was the fastest in the group. What was surprising was how much faster he was-- a full 3 tenths faster in the 40 than Eslinger. There's a lot of enthusiasm surrounding Chester right now. It should probably be curbed some. He has great tools, but centers don't run 40 yards very often, and he is new to the position. He's a project, and the outstanding measureables could cause a team to reach for him early. I won't be surprised to see his name on a card as early as the third round. The tools are there for a very solid interior lineman. The inexperience makes me wonder if measureables will be too influential with him.
Pat Ross (Boston College) and Marvin Phillip (Cal) continue to look like outstanding prospects. They should both be available early the second day, and they're both the type of talents who would easily have first day grades in a typical year. Mike Degory (Florida) and Donovan Raiola (Wisconsin) will find their places in the NFL too.
If it seems like I'm down on Eslinger, I'm not. He's a terrific center with superior technique in all phases of the position. He's a better prospect than all but Mangold. He's proved it on the field of play. That's more important than bench pressing and sprinting. He's still a lock for the third round, and he represents terrific value. He's as NFL ready as any center.
I give this class of centers a B. It's a little deeper and more talented than usual. When it comes to these offensive lineman get used to higher grades.
Guards
This looks like a terrific group. Max Jean-Gilles (Georgia) is the most popular of the bunch, but I'm not sold that he's the best. Charles Spencer (Pittsburgh) is the story here. Spencer started at left tackle for the Panthers last season, and he played well. Knowing tackles make bigger paychecks than guards, it must have been disappointing for Spencer when word came from on high that the NFL considered him a guard. It's working out nicely for him. Rather than being somewhere near the bottom of the top 10 tackles, Spencer may have proved himself the #1 guard. He's convinced me. At 352 pounds only Jean-Gilles was bigger, and Spencer outran all but two guards in attendance. He's a fierce competitor who gives tremendous effort with every task. He turned heads with his interior play at the Senior Bowl, and then was the most impressive combination of size, speed and strength in Indianapolis. Like Jean-Gilles, he'll be asked to drop a few pounds, but it doesn't appear to be a big issue.
Max is no slouch either. He may need to work on the weight, but the natural athleticism for a man his size is very impressive. It doesn't show so much in the logged numbers, but in the way he does things. He has a cat like quality in his initial burst, showing the needed quickness to carry his weight (355) much better than expected. He'll immediately upgrade a running game. Fantasy enthusiasts should keep that in mind come draft day.
Davin Joseph (Oklahoma) is not a giant mauler like the other two, but he's made a case for being the top guard himself. He is the best overall athlete at guard in this class, and combined with his long arms, he has several scouts believing he could hold up at tackle in a pinch. His speed makes him a great candidate for teams employing zone blocking schemes.
The top notch talent doesn't let up after the first three. The two guards from USC, Taitusi Lutui and Fred Matua, along with Mark Setterstrom (Minnesota), posted the best quickness numbers of the highly rated guards. Setterstrom and Lutui have been highly regarded all season, and Matua now has his name being mentioned as high or higher than both. There was some controversy surrounding Matua for declaring early in a year packed with quality lineman. USC head coach Pete Carroll would have preferred Matua stay in school, help the Trojans for another season, and get a bigger pay day next year. Matua has been up to the challenge and a big pay day is in the works anyway. Being a little less experienced, a year younger, yet equally impressive as the seniors works to Fred's advantage when scouts consider future development.
Rob Sims (Ohio State) pulled his hamstring running the 40 and opted out of the workouts other than pressing 225 27 times. He tried to get himself measured at Ohio State's Pro Day, but the hamstring wasn't ready and he pulled up lame again. Several teams are arranging for private workouts. The unfortunate hamstring injury may have denied the press a real story, but personnel execs are certainly aware of Sims' potential. Before the hammy tightened up Sims covered 20 yards in a blistering 2.87. That number is significantly, almost ridiculously, faster than any other guard. At the Shrine Game one personnel exec told us that Sims could play left tackle in the NFL. Like Joseph he is a prime candidate for a zone blocking team, and he may be the most underrated lineman out there. He was nothing short of dominant this past season. Purdue's athletic defensive end Ray Edwards says Sims is the best player he's ever faced.
Jason Spitz (Louisville) rounds out this impressive group of guards as perhaps the most versatile player. He didn't produce the measureables of those discussed above, but he was stellar in the drills. He is capable of switching to center, and like Sims, he's proved it on the field for three years and will likely do the same in the NFL for much longer.
With seven possibly elite talents followed by the versatile Spitz, and a couple players discussed below with the tackles, this class of interior lineman gets an A. It's that good.
Tackles
Early last season this class of tackles was regarded as the best in memory. It no longer gets such high praise, and I'm not sure why. I sure believe it's the best in memory. I have little doubt as a matter of fact.
D'Brickashaw Ferguson (Virginia) is regarded as not only the cream of the crop, but also one of the elite prospects at any position in the draft. I agree, but he has company. D'Brick didn't work out at the Combine, but he continued to impress in the interview process. His Pro Day on March 21st was impressive. Many are discussing him in the same breath as Jonathan Ogden, Orlando Pace and Walter Jones. He's not the imposing presence of an Ogden or Pace, but the Jones comparison seems valid. It's hard to find flaws in this guy, so I've given up trying.
D'Brick's company is Winston Justice (USC). He didn't run the 40 or hit the weightroom, but he did show off in the other events and drills. What a speciman this kid is. His vertical jump (35") was significantly superior to anyone else's. Is that important? You bet. It's a great measure of burst and leg power. He also excelled in the broad jump, the shuttle and the cone drill. He moves like a 320 pound running back, but he's more than just a freakish athlete. He's a solid technician in pass protection with a highly developed punch. His burst makes him potentially the most explosive run blocker in this excellent class. Like D'Brick, it's hard to find flaws in Justice. He was solid in the interviews, and the overhyped story of his off the field problems should be considered a non-issue. The media won't let it go, but I'm certain NFL execs have. I haven't missed a USC game since Carson Palmer was a junior, and it's Justice's body of work on the field that is most impressive. Some say he's been inconsistent. I'd like to know when, because I must have missed it. I have some difficulty ranking the tackles listed below, and without any disrespect to Ferguson, I'm having difficulty separating him from Justice. They are very similar. This isn't the place for a long breakdown of the two top tackles, but in my mind their potential is dead even. Justice is that good. I'm comfortable giving him the unusually high praise.
The next three tackles remain very difficult to rank. Eric Winston (Miami FL) was the athletic star of the group. At 6-6 and 5/8ths and 310 pounds he posted the fastest 40 and it wasn't close. He also ran the fastest shuttle. Only Justice (easily) and Colledge (by 100th of a second) bested him in the cone drill. Winston is a terrific athlete who has converted from tight end. Many scouts graded him higher than Ferguson coming into the season, but he was a little slow recovering from knee surgery. As a sophomore he dominated. Last season the slow start hurt his standing, but by season's end he was back to his stellar play. He's made himself some money this post-season, and he's going to make an NFL franchise better for years to come.
Jonathan Scott (Texas) didn't post the impressive measureables of Winston and Justice, but he continues to make a strong case for himself this post-season. He excelled in all the drills displaying technique as refined as any tackle entering the league. He's a humble kid, extremely coachable, willing to play any position, with a great pedigree, whose production on the nation's #1 rated offense speaks for itself. His play at the Senior Bowl left draft guru Scott Wright wondering if he wasn't the best tackle in attendance and Ferguson was there. See the pattern? Ferguson looks like an elite talent, but several others just aren't far behind him.
Enter Marcus McNeill (Auburn), the most imposing physical speciman of them all. At nearly 6-8 and 340 pounds McNeill was the 3rd fastest of the 28 tackles in competition. Amazing, really. Only Daryn Colledge and Winston Justice posted better verticle jumps, which explains the explosive quickness which made McNeill one of just five tackles to cover 20 yards in under three seconds. This performance hasn't been given enough praise. Big Marcus stumbled in the cone drill and posted a pedestrian time, but he rectified the notion that he lacks lateral agility at his Pro Day. He hasn't given up a sack in three years, and this is the beast who paved the way for Cadillac Williams and Ronnie Brown a couple years ago. He is another solid citizen, a student of the game, and you guessed it-- some scouts were grading him higher than Ferguson a year ago.
I'm not going to bother ranking Winston, Scott and McNeill. I'd rather just endorse them as being unfairly underrated by the usual suspects playing guru in the media. It's fair to downgrade their expected draft positions in this very deep draft. It's wrong to be overly critical of their NFL prospects. They are excellent football players.
I'm not close to being done praising the tackles though. This gets better.
Andrew Whitworth (LSU) has impressed and made probably the biggest move of any player on the tackle chart. Whitworth says that up until the Combine he's been 'undernoticed'. He's been noticed now, but what took so long? The guy had a great career at LSU. He set a school record by playing in 52 consecutive games, and dominating the opposition for two straight years. The only practice he ever missed was the day he graduated (early). In the words of LSU head coach Les Miles, "He’s a great left tackle. And I don’t use that term, ‘great,’ very often." At 6-7 and a massive but lean 334 pounds, Whitworth posted one of the top 40 times among all tackles. He had the second best performance in the weightroom, and was solid as a rock in every drill. He's another high character guy, a team leader. I won't be at all surprised if three years from now, he proves to be a better option than some of the excellent tackles discussed above. Compared to the other tackles, there was something about Whitworth that was... intimidating. He had presence the others lacked.
While Whitworth has moved ahead of Daryn Colledge (Boise State) and Ryan O'Callaghan (Cal) as I see things, Colledge and O'Callaghan have done nothing to disappoint. O'Callaghan is a prototype for a big mauler at right tackle. He doesn't look like a prospect for the left side, but neither did Flozell Adams early in his career. There's a lot of similarity between those two, and Big Ryan (344 pounds) could end up being just as good. Like Flozell, O'Callaghan plays with a true nasty streak when run blocking, and he hasn't given up a sack in two years. He's not as nimble as the tackles mentioned above, but again like Flozell, he has the versatility to play in the interior and be dominant. Some think he's a little tall for guard duty, and I disagree. He plays like a guard in run blocking and like a tackle in pass protection, a right tackle. He can immediately upgrade any OL in the NFL, even if initially used for depth on one of the league's better lines.
Colledge is also being discussed as a potential guard, but for different reasons. He's smaller, and he's fast. Only Winston and Guy Whimper ran faster. He has an exceptionally powerful base and plays with solid technique while having mastered cut blocks and sealing the edge. His Senior Bowl performance can be summed up by calling him D'Brick-lite. He accomplishes the same things D'Brick accomplishes in the same situations. He stones the same DEs. He makes the same plays run blocking. He's just not quite as impressive. He is athletic enough to play LT with some polishing, and like O'Callaghan he is an immediate upgrade to any line in the league. Like some of the guards discussed above, he is a great candidate for a zone blocking scheme, in his case, as a guard or as a tackle, even a left tackle.
Jeremy Trueblood (Boston College) and Guy Whimper (East Carolina) round out my top ten tackles. Whimper's performance generated a lot of praise from those overly impressed by measureables. He is another converted TE who grew into a tackle's body. He was a powerhouse in the weightroom, the second fastest runner, and he showed exceptional quickness and athleticism. He's a raw project, but he has the tools to be molded into a productive player. He may cut his teeth at the guard position and find his true NFL home on the interior.
Trueblood had a tough week at the Senior Bowl, but he recovered nicely at the Combine. He's another fierce run blocker who dispelled the notion that he wasn't athletic. He ran and jumped exceptionally well for a 6-8 320 pound man. He's as tough as they come. It may take him just a little longer to develop, but he is capable of competing with any tackle in this article. Like Whitworth, I won't be surprised if Trueblood ends being one of the top tackles in this draft.
Just outside the top ten are yet more intriguing prospects. There's a list of players too long to detail, but a few deserve comment. Ryan Cook (New Mexico) didn't post the best numbers, but he's as polished and versatile as any lineman in the draft. He is exceptionally powerful and is praised for his technique, hands, and footwork. He played center in college, and can do so in the pros. He's been observed as a guard and a tackle by NFL scouts. He excelled working out as a tackle at the Senior Bowl, and like O'Callaghan he is prototypical for a big mauler on the right side. His versatility provides instant depth to an offensive line and gives him a little extra value on draft day.
Jahri Evans (Bloomsburg), Paul McQuistan (Weber State), and Rashad Butler (Miami FL) have all displayed the athleticism to find a home in the NFL. They should all be excellent second day values this April. Finally, Kevin Boothe (Cornell) has been the only disappointment, but perhaps expectations were too high. He dominated small school competition, and still looks like a solid project. I expect him to be very good in a couple years.
What a deep class of tackles. They get an A+ from me. Rich in elite prospects and deep in potential NFL starters, it is the best group to come along in recent memory. It's also great news for the fans of teams with struggling offensive lines. Help is on the way. They don't have the direct fantasy impact of other positions, but the indirect impact down the line could be substantial. I'll have a keen eye for which teams reap a harvest from this crop on draft day. Their respective skill position players will benefit.
http://fftoday.com/articles/wright/06_rookie_ol.htm
by Robert Wright
3/28/06
It's generally accepted that this is one of the most talented drafts in the history of the NFL. 2004 brought us an excellent rookie class, but this one is much deeper and could be as rich in elite talent. We don't have a crop of quarterbacks to compete with 1983, but there's intriguing potential available (to say the least). The wide receivers, while unusually deep and hard to grade, are lacking in elite talent. At every other position this draft is loaded. After a dozen or so premiere players, there's nearly two full rounds of talent that would typically have first round grades. This year's second rounders will bring first round talent to your favorite team. Third rounders grade like typical second rounders and so on. As always there will be undrafted rookie gems found in free agency. This year more than usual.
We'll provide you with complete analysis by position of this rookie class, of course, with an emphasis on fantasy implications. Generally that process would make little mention of the offensive lineman. Not this year. This class of OLs will be key to the future of several NFL teams. The indirect affect on fantasy performers should be considered. It's pass protection that makes things possible for QBs, WRs and TEs, and it's run blocking that makes those all important RBs shine. Several quality skill position players struggled because of poor OL play last season. This rookie class offers an antidote to the struggles. Rookie offensive lineman sometimes take a little time to develop, so the value may be slightly delayed, but understanding it early can give you an edge in the future. So, when it comes to this rookie class...
Let's get started in the trenches.
Centers
The story at center this post-season remains Nick Mangold (Ohio State). He was head and shoulders above his peers at the Senior Bowl, and he didn't disappoint at the Combine. For most of the season he was rated second to Outland Trophy winner Greg Eslinger (Minnesota). Mangold wasn't the strongest center. He wasn't the fastest. He did run the quickest shuttle, and that's important for interior lineman. He is very explosive in short distances. He was fundamentally superior in the drills. He is very possibly a first round draft pick. Few players have made themselves more money since the season ended than Mangold. He's the complete package.
Will Montgomery (Va Tech) and Chris Chester (Oklahoma) have been nice surprises. At 312 pounds Montgomery was the second heaviest center. The heaviest (Ryan Cook) is being looked at as a tackle. More on him later. Montgomery probably was going to be drafted very late prior to the Combine. He's moved up a couple rounds. He ran faster than Eslinger while outweighing him by 20 pounds. He was far and away the strongest of the centers, and one of the strongest overall. He showed great burst, did unexpectedly well in the quickness drills, and was as athletic as all but Chester. Montgomery has a ton of experience starting at both guard and center for the Hokies the last three years. He has great intangibles and combined with the measureables he's displayed, it looks like he'll be very useful in the NFL.
Chester is a converted TE, so it shouldn't be too surprising that he was the fastest in the group. What was surprising was how much faster he was-- a full 3 tenths faster in the 40 than Eslinger. There's a lot of enthusiasm surrounding Chester right now. It should probably be curbed some. He has great tools, but centers don't run 40 yards very often, and he is new to the position. He's a project, and the outstanding measureables could cause a team to reach for him early. I won't be surprised to see his name on a card as early as the third round. The tools are there for a very solid interior lineman. The inexperience makes me wonder if measureables will be too influential with him.
Pat Ross (Boston College) and Marvin Phillip (Cal) continue to look like outstanding prospects. They should both be available early the second day, and they're both the type of talents who would easily have first day grades in a typical year. Mike Degory (Florida) and Donovan Raiola (Wisconsin) will find their places in the NFL too.
If it seems like I'm down on Eslinger, I'm not. He's a terrific center with superior technique in all phases of the position. He's a better prospect than all but Mangold. He's proved it on the field of play. That's more important than bench pressing and sprinting. He's still a lock for the third round, and he represents terrific value. He's as NFL ready as any center.
I give this class of centers a B. It's a little deeper and more talented than usual. When it comes to these offensive lineman get used to higher grades.
Guards
This looks like a terrific group. Max Jean-Gilles (Georgia) is the most popular of the bunch, but I'm not sold that he's the best. Charles Spencer (Pittsburgh) is the story here. Spencer started at left tackle for the Panthers last season, and he played well. Knowing tackles make bigger paychecks than guards, it must have been disappointing for Spencer when word came from on high that the NFL considered him a guard. It's working out nicely for him. Rather than being somewhere near the bottom of the top 10 tackles, Spencer may have proved himself the #1 guard. He's convinced me. At 352 pounds only Jean-Gilles was bigger, and Spencer outran all but two guards in attendance. He's a fierce competitor who gives tremendous effort with every task. He turned heads with his interior play at the Senior Bowl, and then was the most impressive combination of size, speed and strength in Indianapolis. Like Jean-Gilles, he'll be asked to drop a few pounds, but it doesn't appear to be a big issue.
Max is no slouch either. He may need to work on the weight, but the natural athleticism for a man his size is very impressive. It doesn't show so much in the logged numbers, but in the way he does things. He has a cat like quality in his initial burst, showing the needed quickness to carry his weight (355) much better than expected. He'll immediately upgrade a running game. Fantasy enthusiasts should keep that in mind come draft day.
Davin Joseph (Oklahoma) is not a giant mauler like the other two, but he's made a case for being the top guard himself. He is the best overall athlete at guard in this class, and combined with his long arms, he has several scouts believing he could hold up at tackle in a pinch. His speed makes him a great candidate for teams employing zone blocking schemes.
The top notch talent doesn't let up after the first three. The two guards from USC, Taitusi Lutui and Fred Matua, along with Mark Setterstrom (Minnesota), posted the best quickness numbers of the highly rated guards. Setterstrom and Lutui have been highly regarded all season, and Matua now has his name being mentioned as high or higher than both. There was some controversy surrounding Matua for declaring early in a year packed with quality lineman. USC head coach Pete Carroll would have preferred Matua stay in school, help the Trojans for another season, and get a bigger pay day next year. Matua has been up to the challenge and a big pay day is in the works anyway. Being a little less experienced, a year younger, yet equally impressive as the seniors works to Fred's advantage when scouts consider future development.
Rob Sims (Ohio State) pulled his hamstring running the 40 and opted out of the workouts other than pressing 225 27 times. He tried to get himself measured at Ohio State's Pro Day, but the hamstring wasn't ready and he pulled up lame again. Several teams are arranging for private workouts. The unfortunate hamstring injury may have denied the press a real story, but personnel execs are certainly aware of Sims' potential. Before the hammy tightened up Sims covered 20 yards in a blistering 2.87. That number is significantly, almost ridiculously, faster than any other guard. At the Shrine Game one personnel exec told us that Sims could play left tackle in the NFL. Like Joseph he is a prime candidate for a zone blocking team, and he may be the most underrated lineman out there. He was nothing short of dominant this past season. Purdue's athletic defensive end Ray Edwards says Sims is the best player he's ever faced.
Jason Spitz (Louisville) rounds out this impressive group of guards as perhaps the most versatile player. He didn't produce the measureables of those discussed above, but he was stellar in the drills. He is capable of switching to center, and like Sims, he's proved it on the field for three years and will likely do the same in the NFL for much longer.
With seven possibly elite talents followed by the versatile Spitz, and a couple players discussed below with the tackles, this class of interior lineman gets an A. It's that good.
Tackles
Early last season this class of tackles was regarded as the best in memory. It no longer gets such high praise, and I'm not sure why. I sure believe it's the best in memory. I have little doubt as a matter of fact.
D'Brickashaw Ferguson (Virginia) is regarded as not only the cream of the crop, but also one of the elite prospects at any position in the draft. I agree, but he has company. D'Brick didn't work out at the Combine, but he continued to impress in the interview process. His Pro Day on March 21st was impressive. Many are discussing him in the same breath as Jonathan Ogden, Orlando Pace and Walter Jones. He's not the imposing presence of an Ogden or Pace, but the Jones comparison seems valid. It's hard to find flaws in this guy, so I've given up trying.
D'Brick's company is Winston Justice (USC). He didn't run the 40 or hit the weightroom, but he did show off in the other events and drills. What a speciman this kid is. His vertical jump (35") was significantly superior to anyone else's. Is that important? You bet. It's a great measure of burst and leg power. He also excelled in the broad jump, the shuttle and the cone drill. He moves like a 320 pound running back, but he's more than just a freakish athlete. He's a solid technician in pass protection with a highly developed punch. His burst makes him potentially the most explosive run blocker in this excellent class. Like D'Brick, it's hard to find flaws in Justice. He was solid in the interviews, and the overhyped story of his off the field problems should be considered a non-issue. The media won't let it go, but I'm certain NFL execs have. I haven't missed a USC game since Carson Palmer was a junior, and it's Justice's body of work on the field that is most impressive. Some say he's been inconsistent. I'd like to know when, because I must have missed it. I have some difficulty ranking the tackles listed below, and without any disrespect to Ferguson, I'm having difficulty separating him from Justice. They are very similar. This isn't the place for a long breakdown of the two top tackles, but in my mind their potential is dead even. Justice is that good. I'm comfortable giving him the unusually high praise.
The next three tackles remain very difficult to rank. Eric Winston (Miami FL) was the athletic star of the group. At 6-6 and 5/8ths and 310 pounds he posted the fastest 40 and it wasn't close. He also ran the fastest shuttle. Only Justice (easily) and Colledge (by 100th of a second) bested him in the cone drill. Winston is a terrific athlete who has converted from tight end. Many scouts graded him higher than Ferguson coming into the season, but he was a little slow recovering from knee surgery. As a sophomore he dominated. Last season the slow start hurt his standing, but by season's end he was back to his stellar play. He's made himself some money this post-season, and he's going to make an NFL franchise better for years to come.
Jonathan Scott (Texas) didn't post the impressive measureables of Winston and Justice, but he continues to make a strong case for himself this post-season. He excelled in all the drills displaying technique as refined as any tackle entering the league. He's a humble kid, extremely coachable, willing to play any position, with a great pedigree, whose production on the nation's #1 rated offense speaks for itself. His play at the Senior Bowl left draft guru Scott Wright wondering if he wasn't the best tackle in attendance and Ferguson was there. See the pattern? Ferguson looks like an elite talent, but several others just aren't far behind him.
Enter Marcus McNeill (Auburn), the most imposing physical speciman of them all. At nearly 6-8 and 340 pounds McNeill was the 3rd fastest of the 28 tackles in competition. Amazing, really. Only Daryn Colledge and Winston Justice posted better verticle jumps, which explains the explosive quickness which made McNeill one of just five tackles to cover 20 yards in under three seconds. This performance hasn't been given enough praise. Big Marcus stumbled in the cone drill and posted a pedestrian time, but he rectified the notion that he lacks lateral agility at his Pro Day. He hasn't given up a sack in three years, and this is the beast who paved the way for Cadillac Williams and Ronnie Brown a couple years ago. He is another solid citizen, a student of the game, and you guessed it-- some scouts were grading him higher than Ferguson a year ago.
I'm not going to bother ranking Winston, Scott and McNeill. I'd rather just endorse them as being unfairly underrated by the usual suspects playing guru in the media. It's fair to downgrade their expected draft positions in this very deep draft. It's wrong to be overly critical of their NFL prospects. They are excellent football players.
I'm not close to being done praising the tackles though. This gets better.
Andrew Whitworth (LSU) has impressed and made probably the biggest move of any player on the tackle chart. Whitworth says that up until the Combine he's been 'undernoticed'. He's been noticed now, but what took so long? The guy had a great career at LSU. He set a school record by playing in 52 consecutive games, and dominating the opposition for two straight years. The only practice he ever missed was the day he graduated (early). In the words of LSU head coach Les Miles, "He’s a great left tackle. And I don’t use that term, ‘great,’ very often." At 6-7 and a massive but lean 334 pounds, Whitworth posted one of the top 40 times among all tackles. He had the second best performance in the weightroom, and was solid as a rock in every drill. He's another high character guy, a team leader. I won't be at all surprised if three years from now, he proves to be a better option than some of the excellent tackles discussed above. Compared to the other tackles, there was something about Whitworth that was... intimidating. He had presence the others lacked.
While Whitworth has moved ahead of Daryn Colledge (Boise State) and Ryan O'Callaghan (Cal) as I see things, Colledge and O'Callaghan have done nothing to disappoint. O'Callaghan is a prototype for a big mauler at right tackle. He doesn't look like a prospect for the left side, but neither did Flozell Adams early in his career. There's a lot of similarity between those two, and Big Ryan (344 pounds) could end up being just as good. Like Flozell, O'Callaghan plays with a true nasty streak when run blocking, and he hasn't given up a sack in two years. He's not as nimble as the tackles mentioned above, but again like Flozell, he has the versatility to play in the interior and be dominant. Some think he's a little tall for guard duty, and I disagree. He plays like a guard in run blocking and like a tackle in pass protection, a right tackle. He can immediately upgrade any OL in the NFL, even if initially used for depth on one of the league's better lines.
Colledge is also being discussed as a potential guard, but for different reasons. He's smaller, and he's fast. Only Winston and Guy Whimper ran faster. He has an exceptionally powerful base and plays with solid technique while having mastered cut blocks and sealing the edge. His Senior Bowl performance can be summed up by calling him D'Brick-lite. He accomplishes the same things D'Brick accomplishes in the same situations. He stones the same DEs. He makes the same plays run blocking. He's just not quite as impressive. He is athletic enough to play LT with some polishing, and like O'Callaghan he is an immediate upgrade to any line in the league. Like some of the guards discussed above, he is a great candidate for a zone blocking scheme, in his case, as a guard or as a tackle, even a left tackle.
Jeremy Trueblood (Boston College) and Guy Whimper (East Carolina) round out my top ten tackles. Whimper's performance generated a lot of praise from those overly impressed by measureables. He is another converted TE who grew into a tackle's body. He was a powerhouse in the weightroom, the second fastest runner, and he showed exceptional quickness and athleticism. He's a raw project, but he has the tools to be molded into a productive player. He may cut his teeth at the guard position and find his true NFL home on the interior.
Trueblood had a tough week at the Senior Bowl, but he recovered nicely at the Combine. He's another fierce run blocker who dispelled the notion that he wasn't athletic. He ran and jumped exceptionally well for a 6-8 320 pound man. He's as tough as they come. It may take him just a little longer to develop, but he is capable of competing with any tackle in this article. Like Whitworth, I won't be surprised if Trueblood ends being one of the top tackles in this draft.
Just outside the top ten are yet more intriguing prospects. There's a list of players too long to detail, but a few deserve comment. Ryan Cook (New Mexico) didn't post the best numbers, but he's as polished and versatile as any lineman in the draft. He is exceptionally powerful and is praised for his technique, hands, and footwork. He played center in college, and can do so in the pros. He's been observed as a guard and a tackle by NFL scouts. He excelled working out as a tackle at the Senior Bowl, and like O'Callaghan he is prototypical for a big mauler on the right side. His versatility provides instant depth to an offensive line and gives him a little extra value on draft day.
Jahri Evans (Bloomsburg), Paul McQuistan (Weber State), and Rashad Butler (Miami FL) have all displayed the athleticism to find a home in the NFL. They should all be excellent second day values this April. Finally, Kevin Boothe (Cornell) has been the only disappointment, but perhaps expectations were too high. He dominated small school competition, and still looks like a solid project. I expect him to be very good in a couple years.
What a deep class of tackles. They get an A+ from me. Rich in elite prospects and deep in potential NFL starters, it is the best group to come along in recent memory. It's also great news for the fans of teams with struggling offensive lines. Help is on the way. They don't have the direct fantasy impact of other positions, but the indirect impact down the line could be substantial. I'll have a keen eye for which teams reap a harvest from this crop on draft day. Their respective skill position players will benefit.
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