NFL draft positional rankings: Any first-round interior O-linemen?
Leading up to the NFL draft on April 28-30, Shutdown Corner will examine each position, rank the top players at each spot and identify some sleepers, sliders and lesser-known gems.
Everywhere you look in the league, teams need quality offensive linemen, and not just tackles. So why don’t guards and centers go higher in drafts?
Well, sometimes they do. Take 2015. The Washington Redskins surprised many by bypassing defensive lineman Leonard Williams, hailed by many as the best all-around player in last year’s draft class, to take Brandon Scherff. And not as a tackle, the position he played primarily at Iowa, but as a guard.
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Consider that a big win for fans of the big uglies, especially those inside guys who get lost in the shuffle at times. Pair that with another few recent tackle conversions, 2014 picks Zack Martin and Joel Bitonio, and we might have a mini-trend worth noting here. Both were top-35 selections who played tackle in college but have converted to being two of the brightest young guards in the NFL in quick order.
Meanwhile, high picks at tackle have not worked out as well in recent years. Could there be more of a run this year at guards and center?
Not likely. There are some attractive prospects in this year’s crop of interior blockers, but there are only two pure interior players who have a chance to go in Round 1 — either Alabama center Ryan Kelly or Kansas State guard Cody Whitehair. (It should be noted that Whitehair primarily has played left tackle in recent seasons, but most NFL teams project him inside.)
An NFL team could peg Michigan State’s Jack Conklin or Ohio State’s Taylor Decker as inside players, but for the purpose of our rankings they’ll be projected as tackles.
The depth inside isn’t terribly strong. The first 75-100 picks of the draft could feature three or four centers and six to eight guards, and that falls in line with how the past few drafts have unfolded. Thereafter, the depth falls off more precipitously.
Shutdown Corner’s Top 10 Interior Offensive linemen for 2016
1. Cody Whitehair, Kansas State (G) — 6-foot-4, 301 pounds — College left tackle projects as great zone-blocking NFL guard with toughness, quickness, intelligence
2. Ryan Kelly, Alabama (C) — 6-4, 311 — The best center in the draft, Kelly is a highly respected, intelligent, long-armed pivot with 10-year starting potential
3. Joshua Garnett, Stanford (G) — 6-5, 312 — Guard who fits only power-based, man-blocking scheme, better run blocking than pass; highly intelligent
4. Christian Westerman, Arizona State (G-C) — 6-3, 298 — Not massive, but regarded highly for his toughness, versatility, strength, commitment to the game
5. Evan Boehm, Missouri (C-G) — 6-2, 302 — Battled injury, adversity in 2015 and in the process won over scouts with strength, leadership, smarts
6. Nick Martin, Notre Dame (G-C) — 6-4, 299 — Tough, smart brawler who carries a bit of bad weight and isn’t as highly rated as brother Zack with Dallas Cowboys
7. Rees Odhiambo, Boise State (G) — 6-4, 314 — Durability is major question, but he has the frame, athleticism, temperament, power to thrive inside in NFL
8. Germain Ifedi, Texas A&M (G-T) — 6-6, 324 — Top-grade talent who struggled to meet expectations but has nastiness, bulk to be power NFL blocker inside or out
9. Max Tuerk (C-G-T) — 6-5, 298 — Played all five OL sports in college, but lack of bulk makes him trickier NFL projection, especially following torn ACL
10. Connor McGovern, Missouri (G-T) — 6-4, 306 — Weight-room champ whose pass-blocking deficiencies make him a very good guard candidate
Positional grade: C-plus
This year’s interior batch might be one of the smarter and more versatile groups in the past four or five years. However, the lack of depth is concerning, and there doesn’t appear to be a can’t-miss future Pro Bowler in the batch. A good lot but not a special one.
Sleeper
Joe Thuney, North Carolina State (OG-C)
There are more impressive specimens in college football than the 6-4, 304-pound and short-armed Thuney, but he showed up remarkably well in most of the testing drills at the NFL scouting combine, which appeared to back up the game tape that showed an agile, light-footed and very smart blocker who spent time at every position for the Wolfpack. He was an All-America left tackle, handing tough assignments such as first-round prospects Shaq Lawson and Noah Spence, and yet Thuney probably projects to guard or center in a zone scheme in the NFL. He’s not en elite athlete but the kind of player you root for with intelligence, work ethic and mental toughness.
Small-school wonder
Kyle Friend, Temple (C)
There are not a ton of true “small school” prospects with draftable grades in this year’s class among the interior players. But Friend, who was the first three-time team captain in the Owls’ history along with linebacker Tyler Matakevich, has a chance to be a late draft pick and stick. Friend possesses only average size, explosion and quickness and almost certainly will be pegged as a center and nothing else in the NFL. However, he has incredible strength (41 reps on the bench press at his pro day, which would have been the most at the combine by a mile), great feel for the game and the requisite toughness to get a chance in the league. Temple raised its profile with a terrific season and has three top-100 prospects that drew all 32 teams to its pro day. Those extra sets of eyes might take notice of Friend’s intangibles.
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Eric Edholm is a writer for Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Eric_Edholm