Offensive Tackles
The were 22 OTs selected in the 2021 draft, as follows:
Round 1 - 5
Round 2 - 1
Round 3 - 4
Round 4 - 3
Round 5 - 2
Round 6 - 4
Round 7 - 3
The 2022 OT draft class was a "tale of two cities" with respect to the crop of talent. Round 1 was very rich, while Rounds 2 and 3 weren't slouches. After that, things tapered off very quickly. Day 3 was littered with project players. While one or two may emerge, I don't expect much as a whole.
The 2023 OT draft class is very unpredictable at this juncture. There isn't a sure-fire Round-1 guy right now outside of Skoronski, but the class does ooze with potential. There are several, very gifted prospects with starter-quality potential.
1) Peter Skoronski | 6'3 | 295 | LT | Northwestern
8/27 - Nebraska - Skoronski had a very good game by most counts. While he did get bent back a bit on a couple stout bull rushes, he gathered himself well and kept the pocket clean. He showed off good footwork, as he was quick and fluid with his steps, showed very good technique. His hand placement was consistently tight and inside in both pass sets and in the run game. As a run blocker, he was able to get a push and create run lanes.
2) Paris Johnson | 6'6 | 315 | LT | Ohio State
9/3 - Notre Dame - Johnson had a couple snaps where he was really challenged, but as he found his groove he looked the part. he played with a good balance of strength and quickness. He routinely protected the edge in pass pro. He also showed some pop in the run game.
9/23 - Wisconsin - Johnson had a good game. He did well in pass pro, showing that he can use a fluid kick slide to mirror with the wide arc rush, often done by Herbig. In the run game, he fired off the ball and moved his man to create run lanes with consistency.
3) Broderick Jones | 6'4 | 315 | LT | Georgia
9/3 - Oregon - Jones had an excellent game. For starters, he showed off great athleticism, being able to get out into space on screen passes, hitting his landmarks to open up run lanes. He was a wall in pass pro, consistently hemmed his man up with mirroring and power. he was sturdy in the run game, showing the ability to move guys off the ball. He played with leveled aggression, never took any plays off, finished.
4) Connor Galvin | 6'7 | 310 | LT | Baylor
9/10 - BYU - Galvin had a very good game. In pass pro, he showed off a fluid kick slide and was able to handle power rushes as well as quickness off the edge. He wasn't as strong as a run blocker, but still landed some nice blocks to spring a few runs. Overall he looked like a very good LT prospect.
5) Darnell Wright | 6'6 | 335 | RT | Tennessee
9/10 - Pittsburgh - Wright never flashed any dynamic traits in this game, but he was very reliable and consistently handled his man in both the pass and run game. Pitt has some very good edge players, yet Wright wasn't phased by any of them. He played with good leverage and strength, did well to mirror and keep guys in front of him.
9/24 - Florida - Wright had a great game. He often drew the gifted Brenton Cox, yet was able to shut him down. While strong in the run game, he was dominant in his pass sets.
6) Jaelyn Duncan | 6'6 | 320 | LT | Maryland
9/17 - SMU - Duncan had a great game. He consistently hemmed his man up in pass pro, and was a beast in the run game. He flashed very good athleticism, was able to get out into space very quickly.
9/24 - Michigan - Duncan had a good game overall. He started out a little bit stiff, but caught his stride within a few series. He was reliable in both the run game and in pass pro. That said, his physical traits didn't pop as they did in the game prior.
7) Olumuyiwa Fashanu | 6'6 | 310 | LT | Penn State
9/1 - Purdue - Fashanu had a fantastic game, easily looked like the best O-lineman on either squad. He showed off a very quick, fluid kick slide with very few missed steps. He mirrored his man with ease, and was very stout in standing his man up. He also showed nice movement skills and strength in the run game, often landing in on his target and moving defenders off the ball.
9/17 - Auburn - Fashanu had a very challenging game, one where he took some lumps. As a whole, he performed very well though. On the down side, there were a few plays where he overset in his kick slide, left the inside counter move open. On a few others, he didn't time his punch well enough and let a power rusher get into his breast plate, compromising his ability to hold his ground. In the run game, he was met with strength, was consistently able to get a push or steer his man. On the flip side, he mirrored very well in his pass sets a number of times, was able to handle quickness and/or power. Derrick Hall and Colby Wooden are two NFL-caliber players, and Fashanu met if not exceeded their talent quite a few times. He was able to neutralize each of them in pass pro and in the run game a number of times.
8) Blake Freeland | 6'8 | 305 | LT | BYU
9/10 - Baylor - Freeland had a very solid game. He was very good to excellent in pass pro, showing the ability to mirror edge defenders and keep them off his chest with good leverage. He was a bit up and down as a run blocker. While he did have some good snaps, there were others where he got too high, didn't carry the block through, or simply didn't create a push. His height may have actually worked against him in this regard.
9/17 - Oregon - Aside from a few hiccups, Freeland had a solid game. Oregon has a reputable pass rush, yet Freeland was able to ward off edge defenders pretty well when in pass pro. While Oregon had 3 sacks, it was the play of others that allowed as much. In the run game, he was decent but not great.
9) Matthew Bergeron | 6'5 | 327 | LT/OG | Syracuse
9/3 - Louisville - Bergeron had a decent game, with this match up highlighting his strengths and weaknesses. On the plus side, he's big dude that played with some strength and nastiness in the run game. When using sound technique, he hemmed up his man well. In pass pro, he was off a number of times. His hands got wide of the breast plate several times, and was suspect to inside counters and quick bend pass-rushes around the edge. Quite often, he looked like he might be a better OG prospect than that of an OT. All said, he was generally reliable.
9/17 - Purdue - Bergeron had a very good game. While he was solid in the run game, he was great in pass pro. He continues to show power when latching on, a tough guy to release from.
9/23 Virginia - Bergeron had another good game. He showed strength in pass pro, somewhat easily posting his man up and keeping him at bay. In the run game, he got a good push and often took his man out of contention. He handled opposing strength and quickness equally well.
10) Anton Harrison | 6'5 | 310 | LT | Oklahoma
9/17 - Nebraska - Harrison had a solid game. While he didn't look real fluid or athletic at times, he did a good job of hemming his man up in pass pro and in the run game. OU ran behind him with success several times.
9/24 - Kansas State - Harrison did quite well today. He often drew Felix Anudike-Uzomah, who is a talented edge player. Harrison routinely locked him up, gave Gabriel time to throw. Harrison also did his job in the run game, enabled perimeter runs.
11) Jordan Morgan | 6'5 | 328 | LT | Arizona
9/10 - Mississippi State - Morgan had a very good game. He displayed a fluid kick slide coupled with the athleticism to mirror edge speed well. He was also strong in the run game, had success using his strength and leverage against weaker defenders.
12) Dawand Jones | 6'8 | 360 | RT | Ohio State
9/3 - Notre Dame - Aside from losing his feet and slipping badly on one play early on, Jones was very reliable. He was a wall in pass pro, and proved to provide a good push in the run game. He looks quicker, in better shape this year vs. last.
9/24 - Wisconsin - Jones had a good game. He did draw a holding penalty and still didn't flash great fluidity. However, his movement skills and overall agility looks vastly better than last year's. He was very dependable in pass pro, and consumed defenders in the run game when blocking down on them.
13) Robert Scott | 6'5 | 312 | LT | Florida State
9/4 - LSU - Scott put together a good game. While he was a bit iffy on a few run plays, he was generally a wall in pass pro, shut down Roy and others throughout the balance of the game.
9/16 - Louisville - Scott had a very up and down game, one where limitations were evident. On the plus side, he was able to mirror in pass pro and give his QB time to get rid of the ball. He also showed well as a run blocker, creating some push. On the flip side, he was beat by edge quickness a number of times, whether it be by arc rushes or inside counters. He also struggled when edges used speed to power, as he let them into his breat plate and was compromised.
9/24 - Boston College - DNP
14) Carter Warren | 6'5 | 320 | LT | Pittsburgh
9/1 - West Virginia - Warren had himself a very solid game. While he lacked technical proficiency on several snaps, he was effective, consistently hemmed his man up in pass pro. While he asserted himself in the run game, he was less effective in this regard. He had a few plays where he left a man unblocked, looked like he didn't know what his assignment was.
9/10 - Tennessee - Warren had a very good game. Whether it was in pass pro or in the run game, he often handled his man very well. He played with good balance and power throughout.
15) Warren McClendon | 6'4 | 300 | RT | Georgia
9/3 - Oregon - while not as polished as his LT teammate Jones, McClendon had a very solid outing. He showed decent fluidity blocking the edge in pass pro, and showed some good power in the run game. He was a very dependable, reliable player in this match up.
16) Nick Broeker | 6'4 | 315 | LT/OG | Ole Miss
17) Jaxson Kirkland | 6'6 | 310 | LT | Washington
18) Ryan Hayes | 6'7 | 307 | LT | Michigan
9/1 - Colorado State - Hayes had a good game. When CSU was able to create a pass rush at times, it wasn't against Hayes. He didn't flash great strength or fluidity in the run or pass game, but he seldom missed one any of his assignments.
9/24 - Maryland - Hayes, somewhat surprisingly, had a very solid game. he consistently hemmed his man up in pass pro, and kept his man at bay for the run to consistently be a threat to his side.
19) Zion Nelson | 6'5 | 315 | LT | Miami
9/17 - Texas A&M - Nelson didn't see much action, as it appears that he's been relegated to back-up duties. When in, he drew a holding penalty and failed to impress. He's taken many steps back from his prior play.
20) Tyler Steen | 6'5 | 315 | LT | Alabama
21) Marques Cox | 6'6 | 309 | LT | Northern Illinois
22) Donovan Jennings | 6'5 | 327 | LT | South Florida
23) Wanya Morris | 6'6 | 301 | RT | Oklahoma
9/17 - Nebraska - Morris had a solid game. OU ran the ball behind him with success, was also able to get passes off thanks to his pass pro blocking. He didn't wow, but was effective.
9/24 - Kansas State - Morris was very steady, carried out his pass pro and run assignments with a balanced effort throughout the game.
24) Caleb Etienne | 6'7 | 325 | LT | Oklahoma State
9/1 - Central Michigan - Etienne is a big man, and he used it to his advantage. While not real fluid or quick in his kick slide, he was nearly impossible to get around once he latched on.
9/10 - Arizona State - Etienne had a very even game. While his play didn't wow me, he often hemmed his man up in both the pass and run game.
25) Nathan Thomas | 6'5 | 315 | LT | Louisiana