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Offensive Line
There is plenty of talent along the offensive line in this year's draft, and a whole lot of teams at the top of the draft who direly need it. The Combine isn't always a great barometer for judging an offensive line prospect, seeing as there isn't a whole lot to gain from watching a 330 pound behemoth waddle down the lane for a 40-yard dash. However, drills like the shuttles, cone drills, broad jumps and bench press give an indicator of a linemen's lower and upper body strength, how nimble they are within space, and how well they can recover; all of which are absolutely crucial in being a successful NFL lineman.
Wisconsin's Joe Thomas 
- You have to start at the top with, well, the top player at the position. Wisconsin's Joe Thomas, fully recovered from the nasty knee injury he suffered last season, is easily the #1 offensive line prospect and has been penciled in to the Detroit Lions as the #2 pick in the draft for months. Despite all of that, Thomas wasn't going to sit back and rest on his laurels, and decided to participate in every single drill. At a little over 6'6" and 310 pounds, the mountainous Thomas ran a 4.90 which served as one of the best 40-yard dash times of any offensive linemen, which while impressive is somewhat irrelevant for the position. The areas he really impressed in were things like his 9'2" broad jump, 33" vertical leap, and 28 reps of 225 pounds on the bench press. Joe Thomas has always been recognized as a masterful technician who could step in and start for an NFL team from day 1, but he's never been the type of highlight reel mauler that will pancake every guy he goes up against with his raw power. But with his work outs, he did more than enough to prove he has the same elite athleticism that pure-maulers of the past like Robert Gallery had; he's just a far better technician, and thats what matters in the NFL.
- Boston College has a lineage of producing highly drafted offensive tackles, and that trend might continue with BC's James Marten. At nearly 6'8" and 309 pounds he measured in as one of the largest players at the Combine, which is sometimes viewed as a negative for offensive linemen. When some players are that tall their natural approach to playing at the game is to bend at the waist, making them play stiff and exposing them to speed rushers and swim moves. However, while Marten fared pretty well in the agility drills, the area that he really shined was in the positional drills. There is a drill at the Combine called the "Mirror Drill," which is more or less one offensive lineman going at it in a confined space against another offensive lineman who acts like a defensive end. It was here that Marten displayed the kind of kick-step and knee bending that you don't often find in a man of his size, and showed that he most definitely can play the Left Tackle spot at the next level. James Marten might now follow in the large footsteps of former teammate Jeremy Trueblood by getting chosen in the 2nd round of the draft.
- As emphasized previously, I feel there is nothing more important in an offensive lineman than fundamentals. And as good as Joe Thomas is in that regard, there is no better technician in this draft than USC Center Ryan Kalil. A four-year starter for the power house Trojans, Kalil has been an integral piece in the success of offenses that have produced stars like Carson Palmer, Matt Leinart, and Reggie Bush. The strength in Kalil's game resides in his ability to zone-block, using his hands excellently to seal the trench block before using his athleticism to sweep out and make a second level block. He has the rare kind of athleticism that is intensely desired by zone-running NFL teams like Denver and Atlanta. Oddly enough, Kalil showed up at the Combine at a little over 300 pounds(about 8 pounds heavier than his playing weight), but justified the weight gain by proving he lost little to no quickness, and throwing up a very impressive 34 reps on the benchpress. It is not often that a "pure" Center is chosen in the first round, but Ryan Kalil has all the entangibles and could very well deservedly be chosen there.
- One of my favorite players to watch along the trenches the last few years has been Texas' Justin Blalock, the uber-versatile player who has started games at every position except Center during his 4-year tenure with the Long Horns. The 6'3", 320 pound road grader has made his biggest impact on the right side of the line, where he's able to use his rare agility and great lower body strength to get under his opponents and drive them out of the play. He could play Right Tackle in the pro's, but I feel he projects best at Right Guard where he could be utilized as often as possible on sweeps and counter plays. His 40 repetitions of 225 pounds on the bench press tied for the best among all offensive players, demonstrating the kind of unbelievable strength he flashed while mauling opposing defensive linemen in the Big-12. Blalock was already drawing a fair amount of interest from a lot of teams picking in the top-20 prior to the Combine, but his impressive workout will do nothing but help. Experience and versatility are very valuable commodities that should help Justin Blalock become a top-20 pick in the Draft.
- There are so many faccets of this post-season marathon that can cause a player's draft stock to go up, down, back up and even back down again. Someone who has been a victim of this is Arkansas OT Tony Ugoh. Relatively un-hyped heading into his senior season, Ugoh was a star for Arkansas' Track and Field squad and it was not until his Senior year that he decided to focus solely on football. He was therefore able to enjoy the success that came with his Arkansas Razorbacks surprising the nation and making it all the way to the SEC Title Game. As time went on scouts focused more and more on Ugoh and saw the kind of raw power that could make him a dominant player at the next level. Then, Senior Bowl week came. Ugoh was put through the rigors of pro-style practices and was continually critiqued and ridiculed for his poor technique when it came to pass protection. This wasn't too shocking seeing as the Arkansas offense is comprised of 90% running plays, but it lead to Tony Ugoh's stock falling back down to obscurity. Now comes the Combine, a chance for retribution, and Ugoh did the best he could to knock his stock right back up. He was tremendous in the agility drills before slightly tweaking his hamstring, and he put up an impressive 32 reps on the bench press. Impressive numbers indeed for someone who is 6'5" and 301 pounds, but the early perception of Ugoh's skills still remain; he has a lot of raw potential, but in order to ever play the left side of the line in the NFL he'll need to work on his footwork, mechanics, and develop a little bit of a meanstreak. He is likely a late 2nd or early 3rd round pick at this point.
- Almost annually, the University of Hawaii sends a mammoth, strong offensive line prospect to the NFL. This year it is OG/OC Samson Satele, whose roots run deep in the game of football, having two brothers as teammates(Hercules Satele and Melila Purcell) and an uncle who played in the NFL(Alvis Satele). The 6'3", 300 pound Satele is a little larger than your typical Center but projects best there nonetheless. He has experience at Tackle, Guard and Center and plays nasty and with the type of mean streak you want in one of your Hogs up front. He has somewhat short arms which hampered him in space and prompted the switch to Center, but he showed during the Senior Bowl week as well as the Combine that he made the transition very smoothly and has more than enough graceful agility to be effective in that role. The center position is pretty much on lockdown by USC's Ryan Kalil, but Samson Satele's near-flawless off-season participation has earned him the right to be considered the clear #2 player at the position and potentially a 2nd round pick.
- The offensive line tends to be the easiest position for a Division-2 or small school prospect to make the transition to the NFL, as they're usually the most intelligent and schematically aware players on the field and are thusly able to quickly adapt to the mental aspect of the NFL. That is why every year the term "sleeper" is thrown around early and often regarding offensive line prospects, and come Draft day it usually tends to pan out. One of these players to watch this year is Missouri Southern State's Allen Barbre. The 6'4", 300 pound Barbre has arms almost as long as the accolades he piled up in his Division-2 career, and the natural athleticism that most offensive linemen could only dream of having. His college coaches felt they were not capitalizing enough on his athleticism by simply playing him at Tackle, and decided to play him on special teams where he made several coverage tackles and even returned a few kicks. He is a raw prospect, but with Combine numbers like a 4.84 40, 28 bench reps, and a 32" vertical leap it will be hard for a team to let him fall any further than the 4th round.
UT's Sears Looking to stay healthy
-Injuries can never come at a good time for athletes, but they're especially unfortunate if they occur right before the combine. This was the case of Tennessee OG/OT Arron Sears, another versatile lineman that many analysts had poised to be the top Guard prospect off of the board. However, his nagging ankle injuries limited him in the Senior Bowl week and forced him out of any physical drills at the Combine. He showed up a little heavier than his college playing weight, and only managed a below-average 21 reps on the bench press. Injury or not, other players have taken this opportunity to pass Arron Sears on draft boards, and it will be crucial for Sears to be healthy and effective at Tennessee's Pro Day on March 15th. |
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