Here are the top five offensive line prospects at center, guard and tackle (with projected round) for the NFL draft, which is set for April 27-29 in Kansas City, Missouri:
CENTER
1. John Michael Schmitz, Sr., C, Minnesota, 6-foot-3, 306 pounds, Round 1: Helped to lead the Golden Gophers to four consecutive bowl games. He was a first-team All-American in 2022.
2. Joe Tippmann, Jr., C, Wisconsin, 6-5, 317, 2-3: Considered a bruising run blocker and allowed only one sack and five pressures over 338 pass blocking snaps last season.
3. Luke Wypler, So., C, Ohio State, 6-3, 300, 3: He was a 19-game starter for the Buckeyes.
4. Ricky Stromberg, Sr., C, Arkansas, 6-3, 315, 3-4: He started all 12 games last season. He started 25 consecutive games and played in 44. He became the third Razorback to win the SEC’s Jacobs Blocking Trophy, which goes to the conference’s best offensive lineman.
5. Jarrett Patterson, Sr., C, Notre Dame, 6-5, 304, 4-5: Solid interior player for the Fighting Irish. Helped to power rushing attack.
GUARD
1. O’Cyrus Torrence, Sr., G, Florida, 6-5, 337, 1: Started his career at Louisiana-Lafayette. Started 11 games for the Gators last season. He was the only Florida guard to be named a consensus All-American.
2. Cody Mauch, Sr., G, North Dakota State, 6-5, 305, 1: Over his last three seasons, he started 39 consecutive games. He started two at right tackle and 37 at left tackle. He was a two-time FCS All-American and three-time All-Missouri Valley Football Conference honoree.
3. Braeden Daniels, Jr., G, Utah, 6-4, 297, 2: He played in 49 career games and made 43 starts for the Utes. He was a Pac-12 All-Conference first-team in 2022, second-team in 2021.
4. Steve Avila, Sr., G, TCU, 6-3, 331, 2: He was TCU’s first consensus All-American since wide receiver Josh Doctson. He was team captain and helped the Horned Frogs reach the national title game against Georgia.
5. Nick Broeker, Sr., G, Mississippi, 6-4, 305, 2-3: He was a three-year starter and played in 48 games over four seasons. He started 23 games at left tackle and 13 at left guard. He won the Kent Hull Trophy in 2022, an award that goes to the best lineman in the state of Mississippi.
TACKLE
1. Paris Johnson Jr., Jr., OT, Ohio State, 6-6, 310, 1: He was a five-star recruit and lived up to his billing for the Buckeyes. He was a consensus first-team All-American, Lombardi Award finalist and first-team All-Big 10 in 2022.
2. Broderick Jones, So., OT, Georgia, 6-4, 310, 1: Started all 15 games at left tackle last season and was named first-team All-SEC by the Associated Press.
3. Peter Skoronski, Jr., OT, Northwestern, 6-4, 315, 1: Skoronski became Northwestern’s first unanimous All-American last season. His grandfather, Bob Skoronski, played left tackle for the Green Bay Packers from 1956-68.
4. Jaelyn Duncan, Sr., OT, Maryland, 6-6, 298, 2: Started all 12 games he played in last season and was named honorable-mention All-Big Ten. He made 39 starts over his career and participated in the Senior Bowl.
5. Matthew Bergeron, Jr., OT, Syracuse, 6-5, 323, 2: Played four seasons with the Orange and was a two-time All-ACC selection. Finished his career with 39 starts at tackle. Played right tackle in 2019 and left tackle over his final three seasons.
Best of rest: Tackles – Oklahoma’s Anton Harrison, Tennessee’s Darnell Wright and Ohio State’s Dawand Jones. Guards – Georgia’s Warren McClendon, Southern California’s Andrew Vorhees and Clemson’s Jordan McFadden. Centers – Michigan’s Olusequn Oluwatimi, Troy’s Jake Andrews and Iowa State’s Trevor Downing.
Local prospects: Broderick Jones, McClendon and Oklahoma’s Wanya Morris (6-6, 310), who played at Grayson High. He was a five-star recruit and began his college career at Tennessee. He’s played left and right tackle. He was a second-team All-Big 12 selection by Associated Press in 2022. He played in nine games and started eight at right tackle for the Sooners last season.
Teams in need: Bears, Buccaneers, Texans, Chargers, Jaguars and Cowboys.
Need area for the Falcons: Yes. Falcons ranked third in rushing, but still were subpar in pass protection. The Falcons were 26th in sacks per pass attempt percentage (8.92). The left guard position in unsettled.
AJC’S 2023 POSITION-BY-POSITION DRAFT SERIES
WIDE RECEIVERS – Past few drafts have spoiled NFL teams looking for wide receivers | Top 10 WRs
RUNNING BACKS – Running backs Bijan Robinson, Jahmyr Gibbs may have to wait to hear their names called | Top 10 RBs
TIGHT ENDS – Notre Dame’s Michael Mayer heads a dee TE class | Top 10 TEs
QUARTERBACKS – Bryce Young’s small stature no longer an issue in the NFL | Top 10 QBs
OFFENSIVE LINE – Monday
DEFENSIVE LINE – Tuesday
LINEBACKERS – Wednesday
CORNERBACKS – Thursday
SAFETIES – Friday
SPECIAL TEAMS – Saturday
The Bow Tie Chronicles
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