Here are the top 10 offensive linemen prospects (with projected round) for the NFL draft, which is set for April 28-30:
1. Evan Neal, Tackle, Alabama, 6-foot-7, 337 pounds (first): Neal started 13 games at left guard as a freshman, 12 games at right tackle as a sophomore and 15 games last season at left tackle. A consensus All-American last season, Neal helped Alabama’s offense average 39.9 points per game last season and 338.2 yards passing.
2. Ikem Ekwonu, T, N.C. State, 6-4, 320 (first): He became the third player from N.C. State to be voted a unanimous All-American. He gave up only three sacks over 476 pass blocking snaps last season.
3. Charles Cross, T, Mississippi State, 6-5, 310 (first): Very polished pass blocker. Has entered the draft as a third-year sophomore.
4. Trevor Penning, T, Northern Iowa, 6-7, 330 (first): “Penning initially may be a right tackle,” ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper said. “If you coach him up quickly, he certainly maybe a left tackle. He’s as aggressive as they come. He’s super talented.”
5. Tyler Linderbaum, Center, Iowa, 6-3, 290 (first): “He’s not that big at 295, in that area,” Kiper said. “Not as big as some teams would prefer. He doesn’t have the arm-length that necessarily teams would prefer, but he’s a great player.”
6. Kenyon Green, Guard, Texas A&M, 6-4, 325 (first): Athletically gifted for a big man. His mother, Shalonda, played volleyball at UCLA and his dad, Henry, played guard at Grambling State.
7. Jamaree Salyer, G, Georgia, 6-3, 321 (first/second): He started 20 games at left tackle over the past two seasons, but projects as a guard in the NFL. He was named second-team All-SEC by AP and the coaches.
8. Zion Johnson, G, Boston College, 6-3, 316 (first/second): He bench-pressed 225 pounds 32 times and has a 32-inch vertical jump. He was named first-team AP All-American after starting 11 games at left guard and one game at left tackle for the Eagles.
9. Bernhard Raimann, T, Central Michigan (first/second): Started his career as a tight end, but was moved to tackle after two seasons. He’s a native of Austria.
10. Daniel Faalele, T, Minnesota, 6-8, 387 (second): A native of Australia, Faalele has been playing football only since 2017. He’s pretty nimble for such a massive human.
Best of the rest: Georgia guard Justin Shaffer, Boston College center Alec Lindstrom, Washington State tackle Abraham Lucas, Memphis guard Dylan Parham, Kentucky guard Darian Kinnard, Chattanooga guard Cole Strange and Nebraska center Cam Jurgens.
Teams in need: Bengals, Seahawks, Falcons, Saints, Jets and Giants.
Need area for Falcons: Yes, the Falcons allowed former quarterback Matt Ryan to be sacked 40 times or more over each of the past four seasons, and the running game was ranked 31st last season.
AJC’S 2022 POSITION-BY-POSITION SERIES
WIDE RECEIVERS – Falcons need to upgrade weapons | Top 10 WRs
RUNNING BACKS – Position has become devalued in draft | Top 10 RBs
TIGHT ENDS – Chigoziem Okonkwo survived heart condition | Top 10 TEs
OFFENSIVE LINE – Saturday
QUARTERBACKS – Malik Willis now top QB prospect for NFL draft | Top 10 QBs
DEFENSIVE LINE – Monday
LINEBACKERS – Tuesday
CORNERBACKS – Wednesday, April 20
SAFETIES – Thursday, April 21
SPECIAL TEAMS – Friday, April 22
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