Next up in our positional rankings ahead of the 2023 NFL draft is the very talented offensive tackle group.
As always, prior to getting started, I want to go over my grading process once again for first-time readers who don’t have any idea of how my grading system works.
These explanations could get repetitive once you’ve read them a few times, therefore feel free to keep scrolling and jump right into the rankings.
Overall, this has been a tedious yet exciting process. It will be interesting to see how everything plays out over the coming weeks, months, and years.
Truthfully, no one will know how good or bad these projections will age, but that’s part of the fun when it comes to grading prospects.
At the end of the day, grading prospects for the NFL draft really is an inexact science. Nobody bats 1.000, no matter how hard some try to sell their opinions as facts.
The best thing you can do is try to consume as much information as you can on a prospect so you can eventually come up with an educated opinion on each individual.
Over the last couple of months, I have studied and graded over 150 players in total. In order to do a proper evaluation, I watch a minimum of three games for each prospect before coming up with my opinions/grades.
However, more often than not, I watched at least five or six contests for each prospect before doing my evaluations.
Unfortunately, there were some cases where I had trouble getting certain all-22 tapes, so I had to make do with what I had.
I essentially individually evaluated each game that I watched, and then I averaged those grades into one final film grade worth a total of 20 points.
Example: blue-chip prospects (90 percent or higher) received anywhere from 18-20 points in all likelihood.
Game tape is the only criterion that is worth 20 points on my grading scale, while other areas, such as analytics, athletic score, ceiling/floor, etc., are worth a maximum of 10 points.
Today, we are looking at my top 10 offensive tackle prospects, and I’ll work my way around to each position in the days and weeks ahead. I will also be updating these rankings on the morning of the draft (April 27th).
Last season, Tennessee’s offense dealt with a disaster in the trenches, so let’s see which prospects the Titans could possibly look at to ensure they don’t go through that ever again.
No. 1: Paris Johnson Jr., Ohio State
Quick analysis: Athletic lineman who possesses rare length (36-inch arms) and fluid movement skills. PJJ has legitimate franchise left tackle potential.
Grade: 89.8
Ceiling projection: Top-10 pick
Floor projection: Mid-first round
No. 2: Peter Skoronski, Northwestern
Quick analysis: Fluid technician who would’ve been universally
considered a top-five prospect if he had the prototypical
length for a LT (32 ¼-inch arms).
Grade: 91.4
Ceiling projection: Top-10 pick
Floor projection: Mid-first round
No. 3: Darnell Wright, Tennessee
Quick analysis: Reliable force on the right side of the line who can start
on Day 1.
Grade: 82.3
Ceiling projection: Mid–first round
Floor projection: Mid-second round
No. 4: Broderick Jones, Georgia
Quick analysis: Arguably the biggest boom-or-bust prospect among all the top offensive tackles.
Grade: 81.1
Ceiling projection: Mid-first round
Floor projection: Early second round
No. 5 Anton Harrison, Oklahoma
- Quick analysis: Possesses an ideal combination of prototypical build, sufficient athleticism, and smooth movement skills.
- Grade: 80.4
- Ceiling projection: Mid-first round
- Floor projection: Mid-second round
No. 6: Dawand Jones, Ohio State
Quick analysis: Massive right tackle who is more of a mauler than a technician. He overcompensates for his athletic limitations with a
towering frame (6-foot-8, 374 pounds) and pummeling power.
Grade: 77.1
Ceiling projection: Late first round
Floor projection: Late second round
No. 7: Matthew Bergeron, Syracuse
Quick analysis: Versatile and physical offensive lineman who excels as a run-blocker. Is capable of playing inside or outside.
Grade: 68.4
Ceiling projection: Early second round
Floor projection: Late third round
No. 8: Blake Freeland, BYU
Quick analysis: Athletic and long offensive tackle who has the potential to eventually develop into a starter on either side once he gets more consistent with his pad level and technique.
Grade: 66.9
Ceiling projection: Late second round
Floor projection: Late third round
No. 9: Jaelyn Duncan, Maryland
Quick analysis: Experienced and athletic lineman who has real long-term upside if he can polish his technique once he gets around NFL coaching.
Grade: 64.7
Ceiling projection: Early third round
Floor projection: Late fourth round
No. 10: Wanya Morris, Oklahoma
Quick analysis: Smooth-moving lineman who has an ideal blend of size and length. He steadily improved as a pass-blocker every year.
Grade: 61.1
Ceiling projection: Late third round
Floor projection: Early fifth round
Shaun Calderon's scouting reports
Shaun Calderon's position rankings
History of Titans' 2023 draft picks
