This is the sixth in a series previewing each position in the April 29-May 1 NFL draft. Today’s installment looks at offensive tackles.
It’s a great year to be looking for a capable offensive tackle in the NFL draft.
An average of 8.6 tackles have been drafted in the first 100 picks over the past 10 years.
This year, there could be 13 or 14 in the top 100.
None of this year’s tackles might be as good as the top four from last year’s outstanding class. But this year’s class is deeper.
“The depth at offensive tackle goes well into Day 3,” NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah said. “Some of the guys will project into guard. And there are a lot of guys with the ability to be guard or tackle.
“In the second or third round, there’s some pretty good depth at offensive tackle, good players will be available there,” said ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr.
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Last year’s top tackle picks were: the Giants’ Andrew Thomas (taken No. 4), Cleveland’s Jedrick Wills (No. 10), the Jets’ Mekhi Becton (No. 11) and Tampa’s Tristan Wirfs (No. 13). They all were good as rookies. Wirfs protected Tom Brady’s blindside all the way to the Super Bowl.
There will be at least four taken in the first round this year – Oregon’s Penei Sewell, Northwestern’s Rashawn Slater, Virginia Tech’s Christian Darrisaw and Oklahoma State’s Teven Jenkins.
Overall position ranking: 8 out of 10.
Bills view: Brandon Beane scored a coup when he re-signed right tackle Daryl Williams to a three-year contract just before the start of free agency. Left tackle Dion Dawkins is signed for the next four seasons. Ryan Bates returns as a solid swing tackle candidate. The Bills signed Bobby Hart, who has made 66 career starts, to compete with Bates. Also on the roster is Trey Adams, an undrafted signee last year. The Bills could add a tackle late in the draft. The demand for a tackle late in the first round might benefit the Bills, by presenting them with a trade-down opportunity. The glut of tackles who will go in the second and third rounds will push other prospects down, also helping Buffalo.
Bills’ need ranking: 3 out of 10.
The best: Oregon’s Sewell. He became the first sophomore to win the Outland Trophy as college football’s top lineman in 2019. He opted out of the 2020 season. He might need more work early than an average top-10 pick just from a lack of snaps, but he has elite foot quickness, and he’s only 20 years old. Sewell allowed just seven pressures on 491 pass-blocking snaps in 2019, according to Pro Football Focus, and he’s good in the run game.
“Sewell is explosive but he still needs to add some strength,” Jeremiah said. “He covers up speed rushers no problem. But in pass pro, you’ll see guys tug and pull him a little bit. He’s got a lot of upside.”
Names to know: Jeremiah rates Northwestern’s Rashawn Slater slightly ahead of Sewell. Slater made 37 starts. He’s 6 feet, 4 inches with 33-inch arms, not the longest, which is why some scouts think he might be best at guard. (Buffalo’s Dawkins has 35-inch arms.) There are questions about whether a bunch of the top tackles might be better off at guard. Some think that’s the case for Notre Dame’s Liam Eichenberg, Texas’ Samuel Cosmi and Michigan’s Jalen Mayfield, Clemson’s Jackson Carman and others. Eichenberg is 6-6 with 32 3/8-inch arms. He is technically efficient, like many Notre Dame linemen, so expect him to prove himself at tackle. Jenkins is a finisher who would fit great in Buffalo, if the Bills had the need.
Old video: Stanford’s Walker Little opted out of the 2020 season. A knee injury wiped out all but the opener of his 2019 season. He played half a season as a true freshman in 2017 and an excellent, full season in 2018. He’s a tough projection for NFL scouts. But he was great in that ’19 opener vs. Northwestern. He’s a good pass protector who may not get out of the top 50. His grandfather and great uncle both played in the NFL in the 1950s.
Sleepers: There are a bunch of intriguing late-round prospects. UMass’ Larnel Coleman added 60 pounds in his career and is a raw, finesse prospect. Tommy Doyle of Miami, Ohio, a former prep hockey player, is 6-8 and light in the pants but he’s a finisher. Miami played just three games in 2020.
TOP 10 OFFENSIVE TACKLES
Player/school Ht. Wt.
1. Penei Sewell*, Oregon 6-5, 331
2. Rashawn Slater, Northwestern 6-4, 304
3. Christian Darrisaw*, Virginia Tech 6-5, 322
4. Teven Jenkins, Oklahoma State 6-6, 317
5. Liam Eichenberg, Notre Dame 6-6, 306
6. Jalen Mayfield*, Michigan 6-5, 326
7. Dillon Radunz, North Dakota St. 6-6, 304
8. Samuel Cosmi*, Texas 6-6, 314
9. Walker Little, Stanford 6-7, 313
10. Spencer Brown, Northern Iowa, 6-8, 314
