2022 NFL Draft Ultimate Preview: Offensive Tackles
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GREEN BAY, Wis. – With Billy Turner released, Elgton Jenkins coming off a torn ACL and Dennis Kelly unsigned, the Green Bay Packers have a major need at offensive tackle entering the 2022 NFL Draft.
State of the Packers
The Packers have only two offensive tackles who are under contract and healthy. One is left tackle David Bakhtiari. The five-time All-Pro missed almost all of last season with a torn ACL but will be more than a year-and-a-half beyond the injury when training camp begins this summer.
“Love David, love what he’s all about, who he’s trying to become,” offensive line coach Luke Butkus said recently. “He just got married, so we’ve had some talks about that, coming off his honeymoon. We talked about that. but there’s no doubt in my mind he’ll get back to who he once was.”
The other is Yosh Nijman, who turned heads in playing about 53 percent of the snaps at left tackle last year in the absence of Bakhtiari and Jenkins. He presumably will get the first crack at the starting job at right tackle.
“First of all, you’ve got to give him a lot of credit through the last three years just his work ethic and his consistency working,” general manager Brian Gutekunst said. “I think he just needed an opportunity. It’s probably as much my fault as anybody, we kept bringing in veteran guys at tackle to shore up kind of that third tackle spot, which never really gave him the opportunity. Once he got the opportunity, he certainly performed exceptionally well.”
Jenkins, a Pro Bowl guard in 2020, suffered a torn ACL on Nov. 21 and might not be given the green light for Week 1. He is entering his final season under contract. How do the Packers view his long-term spot on the line? This draft will tell the tale.
Ranking the Draft Need
Out of 11 position groups, offensive tackle ranks as our second-biggest need. The Packers might soar with Bakhtiari and Nijman as the starting tandem but they’re one injury from disaster.
Perhaps You Can Forget These Prospects
Based on Green Bay’s draft history, the likes of Kentucky All-American Darian Kinnard and Minnesota’s hulking Daniel Faalele might not be on the board.
Ranking the Offensive Tackles
Evan Neal, Alabama
Measureables: 6-7 1/2, 337. 34 arms. DNP testing.
Analytical stats: Neal started all 40 games in three seasons, with 15 at left tackle in 2021, when he was a consensus first-team All-American, 12 at right tackle in 2020 and 13 at left guard in 2019. Pro Football Focus has data on 74 draft-eligible tackles who played 50 percent of the pass-protecting snaps. In its pass-blocking efficiency metric, which combines sacks, hits and hurries per pass-protecting snap, Neal ranked 10th. He allowed two sacks and was flagged once for holding. On runs to his gap, the back bounced it elsewhere 33 percent of the time, fourth-worst of Sports Info Solutions’ top 24 prospects, but gained a middle-of-the-pack 2.6 yards before contact.
Personal touch: There’s no shortage of football DNA. His father, Eddie, played at Tulane. An uncle, Cleveland Gary, was a first-round pick in 1989 who had a pair of 1,000-yard seasons for the Rams. Another uncle, Jimmie Jones, was a third-round pick by the Cowboys in 1990 who had 32 sacks in eight seasons.
“I started out at Okeechobee High School my freshman year, a small program, didn’t do as great, and got the opportunity to go to IMG my sophomore year, so it was kind of a no-brainer,” he said at the Scouting Combine. “Got the chance to be under great coaches and play against great coaches in practice helped me out, it really helped me sharpen my iron. It put me on a collegiate routine. At IMG you are on a routine, a schedule, so it gave me a bird’s-eye view of what that would be like. My dad was really really instrumental in my recruitment process and he always told me that Alabama and Coach Saban had a system, a system that works. I trusted his judgment. On signing day I picked up that Alabama hat and the rest is history.”
Here's an attention-grabbing headline from ESPN: “How snake-twirling potential No. 1 pick Evan Neal makes everything look easy.
NFL Draft Bible Scouting Report: Huge tackle with special athleticism for his size who has started since his true freshman season. Neal has tremendous potential thanks to his foot speed, length and size. He has to refine his technique and play more patiently in pass protection. Overaggressiveness and waist bending causes him to end up on the ground too often. Neal projects as a starting tackle who could develop into one of the best in the league at his position.
Ikem Ekwonu, North Carolina State
Measureables: 6-4, 310. 34 arms. 4.93 40, 4.73 shuttle, DNP bench.
Analytical stats: Ekwonu started 31 games in three seasons, with 27 of those at left tackle. He was a first-team All-American in 2021. In PFF’s pass-blocking efficiency, he ranked 15th and allowed three sacks. He was not flagged for holding. On runs to his gap, the back bounced it elsewhere 17 percent of the time, sixth-best of Sports Info Solutions’ top 24 prospects, and gained 2.3 yards before contact, sixth-worst.
Personal touch: Ekwonu comes from a family of achievers. His father, T.J., immigrated to the United States from Nigeria. His fraternal twin plays linebacker at Notre Dame.
"That's always been the standard at my house," Ekwonu told ESPN. "Whatever passion you wanted to pursue, you wanted to achieve it at the highest level."
Ekwonu’s passion is handing out pancakes like a server at IHOP.
“I feel like you ask anybody back at (North Carolina) State, they are going to tell you I have the most fun on the field,” he said at the Scouting Comibne. “I just love this game so much. I love the offensive line. I love being able to impose my will when I go against defenders. That’s something I take a lot of pride in. Everything I go on the field and put the helmet on, I have a lot of fun with this game and dominating people. That’s one of the best parts of the job. I just love dominating people.”
Speaking of pancakes, for each pancake block delivered, the linemen were awarded bottles of maple syrup. He had 154 bottles in two seasons. He sang as a kid and sold knives to make money.
NFL Draft Bible Scouting Report: Having lined up at left guard and left tackle, Ekwonu is a very aggressive run blocker who creates a push upfront with great strength. He is very competitive, looking to finish defenders and successfully doing so. Ekwonu creates knockback and deals out body blows with his initial strike. Heavy hands allow him to enforce his will on opponents. When he has good positioning, he displays great grip strength.
Charles Cross, Mississippi State
Measureables: 6-4 3/4, 307. 34 1/2 arms. 4.95 40, 4.61 shuttle, 20 bench.
Analytical stats: Cross redshirted in 2019, then started 22 games at left tackle in 2020 and 2021. He was a first-team All-American last season. In PFF’s pass-blocking efficiency, he ranked sixth and allowed two sacks. He was flagged seven times for holding, second-most in the class, according to Sports Info Solutions. On runs to his gap, the back bounced it elsewhere 31 percent of the time, seventh-worst of SIS’s top 24 prospects, and gained 2.1 yards before contact, fourth-worst.
Personal touch: Cross arrived at Mississippi State in 2019 tipping the scales at 270 pounds, so he redshirted to get himself ready for the rigors of the SEC. By the time he arrived at the Scouting Combine, he had packed on another 37.
“He’s like a pit bull,” MSU offensive line coach Mason Miller told The Dispatch. “When he gets his hands on you, he doesn’t surrender.”
Cross grew up in Laurel, Miss., so went to college close to home. Now, he’s a potential top-15 draft pick. “I’ve really been thinking about it since (I was) a little kid,” Cross said at pro day. “It was always a dream of mine. It’s a blessing that it’s coming to reality. I’m just excited for the opportunity.”
His nickname was “Sweet Feet.” It’s that fabulous footwork that has made him a sure-fire first-round pick.
"For an offensive tackle, particularly a left tackle, and what they're asked to do at the Power Five level in the NFL, blocking speed rushers and edge rushers that are quick and powerful and have great change of direction — the biggest thing those guys need is the ability to move their feet quickly and change direction," MSU coach Joe Moorhead told Yahoo. "I think outside of run blocking and ability to establish the line of scrimmage and being physical, that footwork part of it is of paramount importance."
NFL Draft Bible Scouting Report: Cross plays with excellent foot speed, allowing him to run speed rushers around the pocket consistently. Keeping a wide base with great knee bend, Cross stays on balance and can recover quickly because of it. His reactive quickness to mirror in pass protection is excellent. Anchoring at an above-average level, he uses his base to maximize his strength. A very good positional blocker in the run game, Cross utilizes his quickness off the ball and athleticism to establish angles and leverage. His speed allows him to be a factor on screens to the perimeter and when climbing to the second level.
Trevor Penning, Northern Iowa
Measureables: 6-7 1/8, 325. 34 1/4 arms. 4.89 40, 4.62 shuttle, 28 bench.
Analytical stats: Penning started 33 games during his final three seasons, with 31 of those at left tackle. He was a first-team FCS All-American as a senior. According to the Pro Football Focus draft preview, he allowed one sack in each of his final two seasons. His pass-blocking efficiency in 2021 would have tied for 11th if thrown in with the FBS players.
Personal touch: Playing on the offensive line isn’t quite the same as a game of paddycake. Penning relishes that mean-on-Sunday style.
“Teams that want that kind of nasty edge? It's a huge part of my game," Penning said at the Scouting Combine. “You want to make the defender across from you feel it. You want him at the end of the day to be exhausted. He wants to get on that flight, get the hell out of there.
“I think it's just a switch you've got to have to play football. Especially the offensive line. Playing very nasty, I believe, is how O-line has to be played. You want to make that guy across from you hate to go against you. You want to see the fear in his eyes.”
How did one of the great prospects in the draft end up playing FCS ball? A native of Clear Lake, Iowa, he tipped the scaled at 210 pounds as a high school junior. “I’ve looked back at some pictures and, wow, I was a twig. I was just tall, skinny, no muscle on me. By my senior year, I started to bulk up a little bit, but by then Iowa and Iowa State had pretty much locked up their recruiting class. Just under the radar, really, and went from there. It was disappointing at first.”
One of his mentors has been Bryce Paup, UNI’s defensive line coach and a former Packers standout. “It was super-awesome to have that kind of guy there, very knowledgeable of the game, very smart individual,” Penning said. “We did some leadership meetings with him, he wanted to prepare us to be leaders of our football team. We did that over COVID, we did it over Zoom calls and learned different leadership strategies and that was super-awesome, him sharing the knowledge he has about football and just life in general.”
Northern Iowa has never produced a first-round pick. Penning figures to make some history. His position coach, Ryan Clanton, coached at Oregon, so he knows what a No. 1 pick looks like. He’s got no doubt about Penning’s credentials.
“I’ve been around a lot of top ten draft picks playing and coaching and he is by far the most physically and mentally geared for the NFL,” Clanton told The Globe Gazette. “He’s one of the nastiest linemen I’ve ever seen in my life. I’d put him up with any NFL offensive lineman on the nasty scale...Trevor doesn’t force that, it’s just who he is. It’s how he plays the game, but he’s the nicest guy ever off the field and the whole team loves him.”
NFL Draft Bible Scouting Report: Penning was put on the map last year, playing alongside former third-round pick Spencer Brown. He is known for his size, length and raw power as a blocker. He shows unreal flexibility for a guy of his stature. In pass protection, he possesses the required first step and length to deal with pass rushers around the edge. He must work on playing with a more consistent play-to-play platform to improve balance and anchor ability. As a run blocker, he has a never-ending motor that can drive defenders up and out of his gap assignment.
Bernhard Raimann
Measureables: 6-6 1/8, 303. 32 7/8 arms. 5.05 40, 4.32 shuttle, 20 bench.
Analytical stats: Raimann caught 20 passes in two seasons at tight end before moving to left tackle, where he started all 18 appearances during his final two years. In PFF’s pass-blocking efficiency, he ranked fifth and allowed one sack. He was terrific in the running game. According to Sports Info Solutions, runs to his gap gained 3.8 yards before contact, tied for second-best. On runs designed to go to his gap, the back bounced the run 13 percent of the time, the lowest rate in the class.
Personal touch: Just like most athletic kids in Austria, Raimann grew up watching and playing soccer. That all changed when he watched “Friday Night Lights.” Raimann was hooked on American football and joined the Vienna Vikings at age 14. From there, he signed up to be a foreign-exchange student. That sent him to Delton, Mich.
“For me back (in Austria), it was like high school football was going to be huge,” he told MLive.com at the Senior Bowl. “At that time, it was like, ‘This is awesome. This is the goal. I want to play it. I love the sport.’ But then coming over here and actually watching college football games, I was like, ‘Whoa, this is even better than high school football. You kidding me? OK, now this is what I want to do.’”
He spent his first two seasons at Central Michigan playing tight end before moving to left tackle. The transition required about 40 extra pounds.
“It was fun,” he said at the Combine. “I was playing tight end the first two years and then coach asked me to transition in the spring of 2020. I was a little hesitant at first, but I was just trying to give it up for the team because we didn't have anyone at the position. Got to the first practice and ended up loving it. I just felt like I was involved in every game and could really make an impact on every single play out there and ended up loving it.”
Having served his mandatory military requirement, he will turn 25 early in his rookie season. “It was awesome,” he said. “Finishing up high school in May of 2017, I started off in military service a couple days after that for six months. It was an awesome experience. Obviously, physically, I wasn't in shape before that, I always tried my best to stay in shape for that.
“The whole mental aspect of waking up in the middle of the night, packing your stuff, being on time all the time, working as a team, having the discipline to clean your boots every day, have your bed check every day, is something that I took away from that the most because that discipline – you still make your bed when your mom wants you to, but once you do it with the military, it becomes a whole different mindset of getting ready for the day, finishing your first tasks, then looking forward to being productive.”
NFL Draft Bible Scouting Report: Raimann has great functional strength and maintains his balance throughout each rep, no matter what the task at hand is. He has very good foot quickness and length to protect the pocket. Anchor is very solid to maintain his balance and hold off edge rushers consistently. Impressive, but not surprising, straight-line speed when advancing up the second level seeking linebackers to block at the second level. Demonstrates explosion and power as a vertical run blocker.
Abraham Lucas, Washington State
Measureables: 6-6 3/8, 315. 33 7/8 arms. 4.92 40, 4.40 shuttle, 24 bench.
Analytical stats: Lucas started 42 games at right tackle in four seasons, earning all-conference accolades each time. In PFF’s pass-blocking efficiency, he ranked third and was one of seven players to not allow a sack. He was flagged once for holding. In SIS’s blown-block percentage on runs, Lucas ranked 22nd out of 24. However, WSU backs gained 3.1 yards before contact, good for seventh.
Personal touch: Lucas went back to college in hopes of bolstering his draft stock. Mission accomplished. “I just felt like I wasn’t ready. I felt like there was more I could learn. Physically, I’m a big guy and all that, but it’s about what you do between your ears that’ll take you far and I don’t have all the pieces I want to have yet,” he told The Seattle Times. “I figured this year would be great to hit the film harder than I ever had, especially this summer. That’s going to be my point of emphasis.”
Lucas ended his career with 42 consecutive starts. He played in Air Raid and run-and-shoot systems. Learning from a new coach will be nothing new. He played under three basketball coaches in high school and three line coaches at WSU.
“I’m used to it. I kind of went through the same thing in high school when I was playing basketball,” Lucas told The Union-Bulletin. “I had three different coaches and a couple of them weren’t all that great. Coming into something where you have three coaches, or coach after coach after coach, it’s just the nature of the business and I was taught that my freshman year. There’s people who kind of jump ship and that’s not always a bad thing. They move on to different opportunities. They’re looking out for their family, that’s fine. Same with college kids who transfer and stuff like that to be closer home and all that. It’s their choice, it’s their opportunity and they’re going to take it and they’ve got to live with the decision they make. That’s their thing. I’m here, I’ve been here, I’m here for the long haul. Ready for whatever comes.”
In high school, his Archbishop Murphy team was so good that five of its 14 wins in 2016 came by forfeit.
NFL Draft Bible Scouting Report: His straight-line speed and lateral movement will likely keep him on the right side, but he takes a patient approach with a good understanding of the advantages his size and length give him. He’s currently more advanced in pass protection than he is as a run blocker, and his pad level must improve in all facets of his game. He likely fits better in a gap-heavy scheme than a zone-heavy one because of his limited range as an athlete. Still, he has a chance to earn a starting role very early in his career, and with further development, Lucas could be a long-term starter in the NFL.
Tyler Smith, Tulsa
Measureables: 6-4 5/8, 324. 34 arms. 5.02 40, 4.65 shuttle, 25 bench.
Analytical stats: Smith started 21 games at left tackle during his final two seasons. In PFF’s pass-blocking efficiency, he ranked sixth and allowed two sacks. According to Sports Info Solutions, he was flagged 12 times for holding. That’s more than the next two prospects combined. Runs to his gap gained 2.9 yards before contact, good for 10th out of SIS’s top 24 tackles, though the positive-run rate ranked only 20th.
Personal touch: From his University of Tulsa bio: If there were one person he could meet, dead or alive, would be it Hannibal Barca, the Carthaginian general considered to be one of the greatest military commanders in world history. He was born in 247 BC. The one word he uses to best describe himself is “comedian.”
Smith didn’t move to the offensive line until his junior year of high school, so his game lacks a bit of polish. About those penalties? “I've talked about it with teams,” he said at the Combine. “They've brought it to my attention. They understand although it's part of my play style, I always make sure I'm affirmative with them and that I'm continually working on that stuff, polishing stuff, so we can kind of bring that down, just kind of make it to where I don't have to get into those positions where that happens.”
NFL Draft Bible Scouting Report: Smith’s game is predicated on his power and above-average movement skills. His persistent leg drive into and through contact calls upon his lower body strength to create space in the run game. Once he lands hands on a defender’s frame, Smith controls them with notable grip and core strength. What’s more, he has the finishing mentality to put his opponents on the ground. In pass protection, the Texas native displays an easy anchor that will only improve as he refines his technique. The tackle’s dominant strength and surprising agility help him recover from poor positioning caused by improper angles.
Spencer Burford, Texas-San Antonio
Measureables: 6-4 1/8, 304. 34 3/4 arms. 5.19 40, 4.73 shuttle, 25 bench.
Analytical stats: Burford started 43 games during his career, with 21 at left guard, 20 at left tackle and two at right tackle. All 12 starts as a senior came at left tackle. In PFF’s pass-blocking efficiency, he ranked 24th and allowed two sacks. On runs to his gap, the back bounced it elsewhere 15 percent of the time, fourth-best of SIS’s top 24 prospects. Backs gained 3.3 yards before contact, fifth-best.
Personal touch: The highest-ranked recruit in the decade-old program’s history, Burford put it all on the line at the Scouting Combine. “We did all of this training for career milestones and you have to think about it like all of the things we’re fixing to do add up to a minute,” Burford told The Express News. “All of these seconds in between that you trained your whole life for, it’ll all be over — and it’s not even worth 60 seconds.”
He always wanted to play football. “I tried to start when I was 3. They said I was too small, so I was like, ‘Cool.’ So, I came back, starting age was like 5 or 6, but then I was big enough when I got to 4, so they slid me in on a flag team. Ever since then, football has taken off, camps, games, it’s been a blessing. I love this game,” Burford told The Paisano. He plays the drums and rides horses. “I picked up a stick before I picked up a ball. I got my first drum set when I was three…I play off ear, I really can’t read music. I just play it natural. I can listen to a song and play it, but I just can’t read the notes to save my life.”
A couple cousins, LaAdrian Waddle and Sam Hurd, had lengthy NFL careers.
NFL Draft Bible Scouting Report: The UTSA football program had an incredible 2021 season behind its dynamic rushing attack. One key factor in the team’s success was Spencer Burford, the Roadrunners’ first-ever four-star recruit. The Texas native is an explosive and fast mover out of his stance. He can be used extremely creatively in the run game and on screens. The four-year starter plays through the whistle and regularly puts defenders on the ground. His punches have grown more direct, accurate and powerful with experience. In pass protection, Burford is patient and has the awareness to handle blitzers. He mirrors speed rushes and inside moves with change of direction and agility.
Max Mitchell, Louisiana
Measureables: 6-6 1/4, 307. 33 1/2 arms. 5.32 40, 4.65 shuttle, 21 bench.
Analytical stats: Of Mitchell’s 37 career starts, 29 came at right tackle, seven at left tackle and one at left guard. He started all 13 games at right tackle as a senior. In PFF’s pass-blocking efficiency, he ranked 25th and allowed three sacks. He was not flagged for holding. On runs to his gap, the back bounced it elsewhere 33 percent of the time, fourth-worst of SIS’s top 24 prospects. However, the backs averaged 3.3 yards before contact, fifth-best.
Personal touch: Louisiana was Mitchell’s only FBS-level offer. He played frequently as a true freshman in 2018, then started all but one game the final three years (more on that one game in a bit). He’s gone from a “goofy-looking guy” to a “beast.” He arrived on campus at about 245 pounds. He played at 290 as a senior. He added almost 20 more pounds for the Combine.
“My offensive line coach, Coach [Rob] Sale, kind of helped me realize that I had the potential and talent to [get drafted],” Mitchell said at the Combine. “Probably sophomore year. I took a big step after freshman year. Started having the picture down the road that I can definitely do this. Senior year [it] kind of became a reality. Agents started calling you. You started reading about yourself a little bit, but it’s surreal.”
One of his toughest moments came in 2020, when he was pulled off the practice field for COVID contact tracing. “Oh, it was frustrating to say the least,” he said at the Combine. “Never tested positive for COVID. To be pulled off, you know, oh my god. I think it was a Wednesday or in the middle of prep, you know, in the thick of practice, was definitely frustrating and to spend two weeks in isolation even though I felt fine. You’ve been sick before, but you’d have your mom or your grandmother could take care of you or something like that. To have nobody and when you feel fine, it was just kind of like, I felt guilty almost in a sense of just having to stay alone.”
NFL Draft Bible Scouting Report: Mitchell is a very good athlete with impressive foot speed which he uses to gain depth and run speed rushers around the pocket. He always keeps his feet moving in pass protection and possesses good bend. Timing his punch well, he is patient when he needs to be. Quick and precise hands allow him to chop long arms and replace his hands quickly. Mitchell flashes the ability to reach and seal defensive linemen.
Braxton Jones, Southern Utah
Measureables: 6-5 1/4, 310. 35 3/8 arms. 4.97 40, 4.74 shuttle, 26 bench.
Analytical stats: Jones was a two-time first-team FCS All-American. During his final three seasons, he started all 28 games at left tackle. According to PFF’s draft guide, he allowed zero sacks as a sophomore, one as a junior and two as a senior. If thrown in with the FBS players, he would have ranked 21st in PFF’s pass-blocking efficiency.
Personal touch: Jones didn’t have a single scholarship offer until his senior year – and that was from Southern Utah, an FCS school. And even that happened by chance. “My first contact with a Southern Utah recruiter came last summer, purely be accident,” he told his hometown Murray Journal. “I was at Lake Powell with friends, when someone asked if I played football. That turned out to be their wide receiver coach and recruiter Jared Ursua.”
A strong Senior Bowl and Combine raised his draft stock.
“I’m athletic, agile; I think I can move very well,” Jones told Draft Wire. “You can see my speed through whatever the 40 is or just being able to move in space. But with all that, a lot of guys, I feel like in the league, can get this thing…maybe they’re highly drafted or they’re being paid a lot of money, and they’ve become not coachable. That’s something that I’ve always been. When I was an upperclassman at Southern Utah, just being able to be coachable, and then hear what the coach is saying, even though you might have a different thought of what you think you should be doing, but hear that, being able to communicate with the coach, and so I think I have so much growth within that. Then obviously, within my technique as well, there’s just so much growth with that, but being coachable is just going to help everything else.”
NFL Draft Bible Scouting Report: Jones offers size and length as a bookend tackle who excels in pass protection. As a fairly balanced athlete, he can protect the pocket with consistency. His lower half strength and balance propels him to success in that area of his game. Where he suffers, in pass protection, is his habit of oversetting to his left which leaves a wide open gap for pass rushers to attack the B gap. As a run blocker, he has improved throughout his career. His soft blows make it hard for him to completely transcend that part of his game.
Rasheed Walker, Penn State
Measureables: 6-5 5/8, 313. 33 5/8 arms. DNP testing.
Analytical stats: Walker started 32 games at left tackle the last three seasons. In PFF’s pass-blocking efficiency, he ranked 56th and allowed four sacks. Moreover, backs gained 1.1 yards before contact on runs to his gap, easily the worst of SIS’s top 24 tackle prospects. He and Cross had the highest blown-block percentages, too. He’s a boom-or-bust player, NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah said.
Personal touch: At age 8, Walker wore a size-10.5 shoe. Many weekends, he was deemed too big to play in the Pop Warner games. “I had several coaches look at Rasheed, point to him and say, ‘Look at your boy. Look at his hands. Look at his feet. He’s too big for my boys to move. He cannot play,’” his father, Alfred, told The Athletic. “Rasheed would stand there and he would cry.”
While he never fought in a match, Walker took up boxing as a kid. "I was always tripping over my feet. But I started boxing and I really noticed a difference with my balance and footwork,” Walker told Penn Live.
Athleticism and footwork, not production, will get him into the NFL. “That’s really a big part of my game, my athletic capabilities,” Walker said at the Combine. “I feel like I’m one of the most athletic guys in this draft. I can say that with confidence. ... Y’all will see.” He writes with his left hand but throws with his right. “One of my biggest strong suits is my mentality and my competitive spirit,” Walker said. “I’m going to go out and compete, give my all every play and every game.”
NFL Draft Bible Scouting Report: Walker has all the talent in the world to end up as a franchise left tackle in the NFL. He has displayed really good film as a redshirt freshman and redshirt sophomore. He has excellent size and long arms. His footwork is so natural in pass protection, and all of his natural traits show a player who can be elite in that area. His run blocking is fantastic as well. At his best in the run game, Walker can easily put defenders in the dirt or create holes for ball carriers to run through. He just isn’t consistent enough at this point.
Matt Waletzko, North Dakota
Measureables: 6-7 5/8, 312. 36 1/8 arms. 5.03 40, 4.59 shuttle, 28 bench.
Analytical stats: Waletzko started 29 games at left tackle during his four seasons, including 10 in 2021, when he was a second-team FCS All-American. PFF did not charge him with a sack during his final three seasons.
Personal touch: Waletzko received only one Division I offer, and that was to North Dakota. He had suffered a broken foot during the basketball season so, as he visited college campuses, he had beefed up to 350 pounds. He “sweat off” about 25 pounds during his first fall camp with North Dakota.
He missed half of the 2019 season with a torn ACL. “I think getting through that was motivation for me because you really have one of two options,” he told Pro Football Network. “You can either look at the injury as an opportunity to get better at things that maybe you’re not good at, or you can just feel bad for yourself. So I think I really used it as an opportunity to kind of grow my leadership style. I used that time to help other guys, use my voice, and do whatever I could to benefit the team in the long run.”
The last North Dakota player to be drafted was guard Chris Kuper by Denver in 2006. The Packers selected linebacker Dean Witkowski in the ninth round in 1991. A native of Cold Spring, Minn., he’d like to be drafted his home-state Vikings. But, as he said at pro day, “Any team that gives me an opportunity, I'd be more than blessed.”
NFL Draft Bible Scouting Report: Waletzko has your prototypical tall and long build for an offensive tackle. Pre-snap, he shows good flexibility in his knee bend. As a run blocker, he shows extremely good power and leg drive to make good contact at the point of attack and continue his blocking path upfield or seal the gap. He shows fair athleticism, being able to swing outside or move fairly naturally into the second level. He uses a wide stance that has strength extending from his base.
Kellen Diesch
Measureables: 6-7 1/8, 303. 32 1/4 arms. 4.89 40, 4.43 shuttle, 25 bench.
Analytical stats: After playing off the bench at Texas A&M, Diesch started 17 times at left tackle in his two seasons at Arizona State, including all 13 games as a fifth-year senior. In PFF’s pass-blocking efficiency, he ranked sixth and allowed two sacks. On runs to his gap, the back bounced it elsewhere 17 percent of the time, fifth-best of SIS’s top 24 prospects. Backs gained 3.4 yards before contact, fourth-best.
Personal touch: Having redshirted in 2016 and played as a reserve in 22 games the next three seasons, Diesch took his business degree to Arizona State for the 2020 season. “I just wanted to start,” Diesch said at pro day. “That’s all I cared about, playing the game I love. … I’m just glad I finally got a chance to show people.”
A defensive end and tight end for most of his high school career, Diesch was second-team all-conference in 2021. “I just love playing football and getting better in practices, focusing on working on my technique and getting better each day even though I wasn't starting at Texas A&M. I just stayed patient, learned and got better from it,” Diesch said at the Scouting Combine.
NFL Draft Bible Scouting Report: Diesch has starting potential in the NFL. He boasts notable movement skills and lateral quickness. His flexible hips allow him to hinge and mirror inside or outside rushers. In pass protection, Diesch is patient and avoids overextending. He mirrors well both before and after contact and is capable of washing defenders out of plays when necessary. In the run game, he gets to space as needed and can be tasked with pulling from the back side, lead blocking after a long pull, reaching and sealing. Diesch displays leg drive and sufficient-plus power to create room for the ballcarrier.
Ryan Van Demark, Connecticut
Measureables: 6-6 1/2, 307. 35 3/4 arms. 5.26 40, 4.54 shuttle, 24 bench.
Analytical stats: Van Demark started nine games at right tackle as a freshman and 34 games at left tackle the last three seasons. In PFF’s pass-blocking efficiency, he ranked 63rd and allowed six sacks. Those are the worst figures from anyone in our tackle rankings. He was flagged once for holding. Moreover, runs to his gap gained 1.5 yards before contact, next-to-last out of SIS’s top 24 prospects. His draft prospects are almost solely based on traits.
Personal touch: Van Demark was headed to an FCS program until he grew 4 or 5 inches between his junior and senior years of high school. He then spent a year at prep school, which he parlayed into his one and only FBS offer. “I grew around probably five inches and I had to grow into my,” he told NJ.com. His mom “burst into tears” when he got the scholarship offer.
He started as a 265-pound freshman. “Everybody is going to be bigger and stronger than me,” Van Demark told The Hartford Courant. “That’s obvious. But playing against seniors and juniors has definitely helped me for the coming years. It was a struggle at first. The SMU game was a struggle for me. Virginia was a struggle. But I got better, and I’m just excited for what next year brings. As the season went on, confidence built and I like where I’m at right now.”
His father played basketball at Lehigh.
NFL Draft Bible Scouting Report: A lean, strong, blindside protector Van Demark has been a staple of consistency for the Huskies as a four-year starter, including the past three years at left tackle. A relentless worker who spent the offseason developing his body, diet and conditioning. Van Demark creates a strong push in run game and shows a sound understanding of angles to assist with his great power in paving holes for his running backs. While his footwork is sound, he needs to work on staying lower more consistently in pass protection and work on his bend/flexibility.
Logan Bruss, Wisconsin
Measureables: 6-5, 309. 33 1/8 arms. 5.32 50, 4.55 shuttle, DNP bench.
Analytical stats: Bruss started 35 games in his career, with 26 at right tackle, six at right guard and three at tight end (extra blocker). All 10 starts as a senior came at right tackle. In PFF’s pass-blocking efficiency, he ranked 15th even while not allowing any sacks. He was not flagged for holding. On runs designed to go behind him, the 34 percent positive run rate was the worst in the class.
Personal touch: Bruss played his high school ball at nearby powerhouse Kimberly. The Papermakers won 56 consecutive games and four state titles during Bruss’ prep career.
"I just think the career I’ve had, it’s been everything I could ask for," Bruss told BadgerBlitz.com. "Obviously, things didn't end the way that we wanted them to, but just the things you remember is all those experiences you had with the guys. You don't really remember the scores of the games. You kind of remember the people that you were around, and it's been a great group of guys.
"The older guys when I came in and were already here, now to the younger guys that I kind of helped mentor, I think it's just been great to kind of seeing it coming full circle like that.”
Playing at Wisconsin was a dream come true. Maybe he’ll stay in Wisconsin with the Packers. “I thought I did a pretty good job of taking it one day at a time,” Bruss said at pro day. “My first goal was just getting a chance to come here and play, then after that it’s just getting on the field and just kind of keep making goals as you reach them. I ended up here and it’s pretty surreal to look back on all the things I’ve accomplished and, obviously, I want to accomplish a lot more.”
NFL Draft Bible Scouting Report: An impressive mover with excellent short-area quickness, the Wisconsin native should offer coaches nearly uninhibited usage in the run game. He can pull, climb and reach block. What’s more, he is very efficient engaging in space. He routinely reaches to hinge and seal at the second level. His movement skills make him an effective down blocker. His clean change of direction ability enables him to mirror both before and after contact.
Zach Thomas, San Diego State
Measureables: 6-4 7/8, 308 pounds. 33 7/8 arms. 4.96 40, 4.65 shuttle, 21 bench.
Analytical stats: Thomas started 17 games at right tackle in 2019 and 2020 before shifting to left tackle for 12 starts as a sixth-year senior. In PFF’s pass-blocking efficiency, he ranked 27th and allowed three sacks. He was flagged once for holding. Runs to his gap gained 1.7 yards before contact, third-to-last out of SIS’s top 24 prospects, and the positive run rate of 38 percent was at the bottom of the pecking order.
Personal touch: Thomas and his brother, Cameron, were teammates at San Diego State and both figure to be drafted.
“I’m lucky to have a brother who’s going through this as well,” Cameron, an offensive lineman, told The Coast News. “I talk with him every single day. It’s really nice to talk to someone going through it. My parents … have been very instrumental in everything I’ve done. To give them this, it means a lot to me.”
Who wins those frequently battles on the practice field? “I think I win most of them,” Zach said with a laugh to the San Diego Union Tribune. “I like that answer. But I think word for word, he’d come up with the exact same answer.” Plus, they can share the tricks of the trade. “I played with my brother (at Ball State),” Aztecs coach Brady Hoke said. “… It was fun. Now, we both played on defense. This is even more fun because Zach, being a left tackle, and Cam … I have a great time getting after whichever one of them that their little brother beat ’em or their big brother’s whoopin’ their butt.”
It's all warm and fuzzy now. Not so much when they were growing up. “If there’s something we could fight over, we’d do it,” Cam told The Union Tribune. “Pretty much everything,” Zach interjected. “Food, toys, who was first. We were always competing.”
Chris Paul, Tulsa
Measureables: 6-3 7/8, 323 pounds. 33 5/8 arms. 4.89 40, 4.83 shuttle, 26 bench.
Analytical stats: Paul started games at four of five positions, with 17 at right tackle, 12 at left guard, eight at right guard and one at left tackle. Right tackle was his home his final two seasons. In PFF’s pass-blocking efficiency, he ranked 45th and allowed two sacks. Feast-or-famine as a run blocker, the positive run rate was a solid 52 percent; the bounce rate of 39 percent was terrible.
Personal touch: In July, Paul became one of two student-athletes named to the Division I Football Oversight Committee, which includes administrators and coaches. It was another step in leadership for Paul, who was his high school’s class president. He also is on student-athlete advisory committees for the American Athletic Conference and the NCAA, acting as the AAC’s representative at the national level.
“I really don’t know how it happened, but I do know that I do have a lot of passions and I want to follow those,” Paul told The Tulsa World. “One of my biggest fears coming out of high school and into college was that I would have to leave that sort of element of involvement.”
His goal is to become Secretary of Defense.
His younger brother, Patrick Paul, bounced back from a season-ending injury to earn first-team all-conference at left tackle for Houston. An older brother played at Northeast Oklahoma State. His parents are from Nigeria.
“I was born in Houston and lived in Nigeria for three years, from second through grade, ages 7-9,” he said in a Q&A. “It was important to our parents to give us a taste, sort of, of our culture and allow us to see a different part of the world and how things operate. I'm glad that I was able to get that perspective, because it's helped mold me into who I am today.”
NFL Draft Bible Scouting Report: Chris Paul has experience at right tackle, right guard and left guard with great size, arm length and solid athletic ability to project at right tackle. He is a strong pass protector with great mirroring and anchoring skills who can become a very good pass protector by cleaning up his kick step. Overall, he is good at positioning himself for blocks in the run game but must finish better. He will excel in an offense that allows him to quick-set often and utilizes his size in a gap/power run scheme. Paul can be a backup tackle from day one and progress into a starter in the right system.
Devin Cochran, Georgia Tech
Measureables: 6-7 1/8, 306. 35 3/8 arms. 5.07 40, 4.71 shuttle, 23 bench.
Analytical stats: Cochran started 32 games for Vanderbilt before transferring to Georgia Tech for his final season. Of his 44 career starts, 23 were at right tackle and 21 were at left tackle (including all 12 games as a senior). In PFF’s pass-blocking efficiency, he ranked 15th and allowed zero sacks.
Personal touch: Cochran left Vanderbilt after the 2019 season to join the Yellow Jackets. That didn’t happen immediately, though. A year later, the graduate transfer joined the team and joined the starting lineup.
After pro day, he said, “I was confident. Obviously, this morning, you wake up and it’s kind of like, ‘It’s actually here now.’ And that was definitely a weird feeling, but once we finally started and could do some of the drills – really, from the time we did the Wonderlic (test) – it was like, ‘OK, we finally started.’ And then once vertical (jump) happened, it was just like, ‘OK, we’re in the mix, it’s time to just keep on going.’”
NFL Draft Bible Scouting Report: In pass protection, Cochran regularly recognizes and picks up stunts. He has the movement skills and hips to mirror; he takes a clean power step against inside rush attempts. In the run game, the former Vanderbilt starter uses opponents’ momentum and manufactures power with leg drive. He gets to the second and third levels easily, reaches and seals on zone runs, pulls to lead block in the frontside B and C gaps, and even works to the field side numbers on some outside runs.
Cordell Volson, North Dakota State
Measureables: 6-6 1/8, 315. 33 7/8 arms. 5.27 40, 4.64 shuttle, 25 bench.
Analytical stats: Volson was a first-team FCS All-American as a junior (10 starts split between right tackle and the guard spots) and senior (15 starts at right tackle). Of his 41 career starts, 37 came at right tackle. PFF did not charge him with a sack during his final three seasons and only six total pressures as a senior.
Personal touch: Volson is from Balfour, N.D., which had a population of 20 in 2020. Drake High School handles a group of communities with a combined population of 528. They play nine-man football. Volson was really good at it. He was a five-year starter who played on both lines, tight end, fullback, linebacker, kicker, punter and blocked 14 kicks.
“Along the way, there’s been a lot of people that tell you can’t do this or that because you’re from Drake or you play nine-man or there are 15 kids on your team or you come from a high school of 80 people,” Volson told Bison Illustrated. “A lot of people are telling you that they’re going to find kids in Texas or places that are big. I came in here at 250 pounds, it’s a developmental program and I definitely had to overcome some obstacles.”
Volson played in an NCAA-record 65 games, thanks to a fifth-year of eligibility and the Bison’s annual runs in the FCS playoffs. His brother, Tanner, was an All-American at North Dakota State who got a shot in the NFL.
NFL Draft Bible Scouting Report: Versatile offensive lineman who has started at both guard and both tackle spots. Volson possesses good size and length for the tackle position. An aggressive run blocker, he has good leg drive while keeping his feet moving to drive and finish opponents. He creates movement as a downblocker with a powerful strike and drive. Volson uproots and finishes lower-level competitors
