Before we get into this particular list, I would like to state this for the record: The fact that I have just five offensive tackle prospects here, when I’ve had at least eight prospects on every other position list for the 2023 NFL draft, is not based on laziness.
It’s based entirely on volatility.
After comprehensive tape study, there were five college tackles in this class that I felt were slam-dunk next-level players at their positions in the NFL, and that’s taking into account a few fixes for each player.
Three college tackles — Georgia’s Broderick Jones, Northwestern’s Peter Skoronski, and North Dakota State’s Cody Mauch — could be decent-to very good outside, but I tend to think that each of them will work better inside.
To be even more clear, I’m not always in favor of the “Oh, just move a guy inside when you have questions about him” thing. When Rashawn Slater, Skoronski’s predecessor at Northwestern, came out for the 2021 draft, a lot of people looked at his measurables and insisted that he should kick inside. I could not have possibly disagreed more. Slater had the look of a left tackle, and that’s proven out during his time with the Chargers when he’s been healthy.
It’s not a default thing for me, but it’s why the next prospect list, covering interior offensive linemen, will be relatively loaded.
There are other tackles, such as Syracuse’s Matthew Bergeron and Maryland’s Jaelyn Duncan, who may be able to stay outside, but not without a ton of work. In these cases, we may be talking about multi-year projects.
So. With all that said, if you need an offensive tackle in this draft class, and you want him to play pretty quickly outside, here are the five best such prospects for that particular scenario. It’s not the best class for such a need — not by far — but the guys at the top each have a lot to offer, albeit in radically different ways.
(All advanced metrics courtesy of Pro Football Focus, Sports Info Solutions, and Football Outsiders unless otherwise indicated).
(All prospect measurement percentiles courtesy of MockDraftable.com).
2023 NFL Draft: The top 9 safeties
2023 NFL Draft: The top 11 cornerbacks
2023 NFL Draft: The top 8 linebackers
2023 NFL Draft: The top 8 interior defensive linemen
2023 NFL Draft: The top 8 edge defenders
1. Darnell Wright, Tennessee
Height: 6′ 5⅛” (44th percentile) Weight: 333 (89th)
40-Yard Dash: 5.01 (90th)
10-Yard Split: 1.81 (32nd)
Bench Press: N/A
Vertical Jump: 29″ (61st)
Broad Jump: 114″ (94th)
3-Cone Drill: N/A
20-Yard Shuttle: N/A
Wingspan: N/A
Arm Length: 33 3/4″ (33rd)
Hand Size: 9″ (1st)
Bio: A five-star recruit out of Huntington High in Huntington, West Virginia, Wright was the No. 2 offensive tackle prospect in his 2019 class, behind only Evan Neal, who went to Alabama and was selected by the Giants with the seventh pick in the 2022 NFL draft. He made the SEC All-Freshman team in 2019 with 11 games and seven starts at right tackle and right guard, expanded that to 10 games and nine starts at right tackle in 2020, flipped to the left tackle position in 2021, and moved back to the right side in 2022. Last season, he allowed no sacks, two quarterback hits, and six quarterback hurries in 507 pass-blocking reps.
Stat to Know: Wright had the lowest blown block rate (0.0%) on run plays of any player on this list, and the lowest in the nation versus his high run play rate (45.9%). Wright also had the highest Points Above Average (15.34) overall among all blockers in the nation, minimum 500 snaps. (Per Sports Info Solutions, Points Above Average is the total of a player’s EPA responsibility while blocking using the Total Points system that distributes credit among all players on the field for a given play. For blockers, this includes accounting for blown blocks, yards before contact on running plays, and performance given the defenders in the box).
Strengths: NFL teams will obviously look at strength of opponent when evaluating players at any position, and Wright’s 2022 tape allows him to brag about quite a bit in that regard. He has multiple and consistent examples in which he just buries Alabama’s Will Anderson Jr., Clemson’s Bryan Bresee, and LSU’s BJ Ojulari, which is nice work if you can get it.
Bresee was the third-ranked interior defensive lineman on our list, he reminds me of Darnell Dockett, and not a lot of dudes just walked him back like this. Wright gets his hands on you and starts walking you back… well, it’s not going to be nice.
At the scouting combine, Wright went into chapter and verse when I asked him how he dealt with Anderson, the top edge defender on our board (and most others).
Anderson is a speed-to-power end, which made Wright’s game plan pretty clear. At first, he didn’t want to reveal how that worked (“I might have to face him again”), but he eventually warmed up to the idea.
“During the week, I was just breaking him down, and I picked up on some things I might be able to do on each play. Pretty standard, like an inside-out set. I knew I could take it very simple. When you break down a guy like Anderson, you know he’s mostly going to be… so, you have categories [for edge-rushers]. You have speed, you have power, and you have finesse. Very rarely do you have someone who’s going to hit all of those categories. So Anderson, he’s speed and power. With him, it’s just different.”
Anderson tried more than speed-to-power against Wright — there was this euro-step early in the first quarter — and Wright countered it with a quick set, his own quick feet, and his long arms. Eventually, Anderson was going to have to rush, and that’s where Wright had him.
There were also instances in which Wright had to deal with more than just Anderson — on this play, it was Anderson at first, and then, edge-rusher Dallas Turner. Either way, neither guy was getting near Hendon Hooker.
As for the speed-to-power stuff, those inside-out moves prevented Anderson from getting into the pocket.
Ojulari, with his speed and bend to the pocket, required different techniques, and Wright was up to the challenge.
“Ojulari, you give him speed and finesse. Going into [the game against] BJ. like in practice, it wasn’t a good thing to do, but I would over-set — we don’t have a BJ Ojulari on scout team, obviously — but I would over-set just because I know that BJ Ojulari makes all his money on the edge. That’s mostly what he’s good at. His counter move isn’t as effective. So, going into it, when you’re setting, you want to stay inside-out. But for this game specifically, in practice and leading up to it, I would go inside, but I was baiting him into [the outside].
This rep with 23 seconds left in the first half showed how Wright would feign vulnerability to Ohulari’s inside counter, and then move outside to manhandle him before Ojulari could start pressing the edge.
And here, you can see Wright appearing to over-step as he said to keep Ojulari from beating him with his quickness.
By the way, if you’re a lighter edge-rusher, and you don’t give Wright enough power, he’ll just throw you aside and sit on you. That seems like an unpleasant experience.
Weaknesses: Bresee was able to get back at Wright on this rep with a nice inside counter, and Wright will need to work on his mirror and recovery skills at the next level. Wright’s playing weight was probably 20 pounds more than what he showed at the combine, so keeping that weight down will be important.
Wright will also need to work on picking up stunts and games, especially when he hits an NFL that has been doing more of that in more ways of late.
Conclusion: I would probably keep Wright on the right side of the offensive line were I in charge of his NFL team based on his 2021 reps on the left side, but Wright is also coming into a league in which the different in importance between left and right tackles have bridged to a pretty decent degree. Wright played in a spread/Air Raid/veer offense, but he’s all about pure power and setting the tone for his offense, and given his ability to take tape study to the field at a very high level already, his prospects for NFL success seem high.
NFL Comparison: Kareem McKenzie. Selected in the third round of the 2001 draft out of Penn State by the Jets, the 6-foot-6, 330-pound McKenzie brought serious run-blocking attitude and eventually elevated technique to the right tackle position for the Jets and Giants through the 2011 season. Wright may not be your top choice if you’re into athletic, graceful blockers, but if you want a true earthdog who can announce his presence with authority, he’s the best offensive lineman in this class.
2. Paris Johnson Jr., Ohio State
Height: 6′ 6⅜” (74th percentile) Weight: 313 (49th)
40-Yard Dash: N/A
10-Yard Split: N/A
Bench Press: 29 reps (82nd)
Vertical Jump: N/A
Broad Jump: 110″ (84th)
3-Cone Drill: N/A
20-Yard Shuttle:
Wingspan: 85⅛” (95th)
Arm Length: 36⅛” (96th)
Hand Size: 9½” (13th)
Bio: Johnson moved from St. Xavier to Princeton High in the Cincinnati area, and started working out with former Bengals and Ravens tackle Willie Anderson while still in high school. To bring up another former Bengals tackle, Johnson was awarded the Anthony Muñoz Lineman of the Year honor in 2019, given the best high school offensive lineman in the country. The five-star recruit and No. 1 offensive lineman in the nation committed to Ohio State, but rescinded that commitment when Urban Meyer left. Johnson visited multiple schools in the interim, but re-committed to the Buckeyes. He started all 13 games at right guard in 2021, moving to left tackle for the 2022 campaign.
Stat to Know: Johnson allowed two sacks and 14 total pressures in his first season as Ohio State’s left tackle. Both sacks and eight total pressures came in True Pass Sets — PFF’s pass-blocking metric which excludes plays with less than 4 rushers, play action, screens, short dropbacks and time-to-throws under 2 seconds.
Strengths: At his best as a pass-protector, Johnson combines his impressive wingspan with a strong base and good technique. On snaps like this, and protecting a mostly pocket-bound quarterback in C.J. Stroud (little did we know until the Georgia game), Johnson is perfectly capable of erasing opponents who are trying to get to his quarterback.
As a run-blocker, Johnson hits the second level not only with aggressive intent, but also a nice sense of hitting and negating his target. He did just that here to Iowa’s Jack Campbell, who placed second on our list of draftable linebackers.
Weaknesses: Power can be a problem for Johnson at times. Iowa’s Lukas Van Ness (No. 8 in our edge defender rankings) presented issues for him by putting his hands on his chest and just pushing him back. Johnson will need to watch his timing in his pass sets to avoid these kinds of things in the NFL.
Johnson’s relative inexperience overall at left tackle shows up when he’s asked to pick up stunts, deal with rushers by foiling them with independent hand usage, and get his feet quiet to present his best possible counters to opponents.
Conclusion: Johnson looks every bit the ideal left tackle, and with more experience at the position, he will likely make that ideation a reality. He combines power, technique, and agility into a very appealing package, and if he’s the first offensive lineman taken in the 2023 draft, it would come as a surprise to nobody.
NFL Comparison: D’Brickashaw Ferguson. Selected fourth overall by the Jets in the 2006 draft out of Virginia, Ferguson combined athletic ability with developed power to make three Pro Bowls in his 10-year career. Ferguson occasionally dealt with bouts of iffy protection, but overall, he availed himself well in the run and pass games. Johnson could rise to that level over time.
3. Anton Harrison, Oklahoma
Height: 6′ 4¼” (14th percentile) Weight: 315 (56th)
40-Yard Dash: 4.98 (93rd)
10-Yard Split: 1.77 (60th)
Bench Press: N/A
Vertical Jump: 28½” (53rd)
Broad Jump: 105″ (62nd)
3-Cone Drill: N/A
20-Yard Shuttle: N/A
Wingspan: N/A
Arm Length: 34⅛” (55th)
Hand Size: 9¼” (5th)
Bio: The son of Andre Harrison, who played on Ole Miss’ defensive line in the 1990s, Anton Harrison started his athletic life as a basketball player, and moved to football when he enrolled at Archbishop Carroll High in Washington D.C. The four-year letterman and four-star recruit chose the Sooners over Maryland, Michigan, Penn State, Ohio State, and Ole Miss. He put up 23 starts at left tackle and one at right tackle over the last two seasons for Oklahoma. In 2022, he allowed one sack, no quarterback hits, and eight quarterback hurries in 424 pass-blocking snaps.
Stat to Know: Harrison helped his running backs gain 3.8 yards per contact to his gap per attempt in 2022, tied with Florida’s Richard Gouraige for the best in the nation among draft-eligible tackles.
Strengths: With any offensive lineman, you want to see how they recover from those reps that start out in potentially disastrous fashion. Harrison has the overall technique soundness to recover from getting beaten, and he has a good sense of how to make the most of early-in-the-down blips. It’s not always pretty, but he gets the job done for the most part when he’s pushed back or countered.
When he’s on point with his technique, Harrison effectively deals with stunts and games — he’s aware and doesn’t get overwhelmed most of the time, and there’s generally a nice finishing kick to his play style, especially when it’s time to run the ball.
Harrison’s “peripheral ability” is also clear in the passing game, and he blocked very well on most of Oklahoma’s deep passing attempts last season.
Weaknesses: As technically precise as he can be most of the time, Harrison will just lose his bearings occasionally. He will overextend, he’s not always exact with his hands, and he’ll lose power and placement when he’s guessing and flailing.
Conclusion: It sounds strange to say, but when you think of an offensive tackle as “boring.” it’s really a compliment. You want consistency above all at the position, and most coaches would take that over amazing, piledriving plays alternated with plays in which you’re not quite sure what the player is doing. Yes, Harrison has blips where he’ll unwrap himself in ways you’d prefer he didn’t, but overall, he’s probably the most underrated tackle in this class. Consistency is a big part of that.
NFL Comparison: David Bakhtiari. The fourth-round pick of the Packers in the 2013 draft is one of my automatic comps for any smaller offensive lineman who can transcend that and make it look easy at the NFL level, and Harrison will come off the bus to his first minicamp with that capacity. If he can stay within himself and make the most of his estimable athletic traits, he could very well be the best pass-blocker in this class.
4. Dawand Jones, Ohio State
Height: 6′ 8¼” (97th percentile) Weight: 374 (98th)
40-Yard Dash: 5.35 (30th)
10-Yard Split: 1.92 (4th)
Bench Press: N/A
Vertical Jump: N/A
Broad Jump: N/A
3-Cone Drill: N/A
20-Yard Shuttle: N/A
Wingspan: 87⅞” (97th)
Arm Length: 36⅜” (97th)
Hand Size: 11⅝” (98th)
Bio: Jones was primarily a basketball star at Ben Davis High
School in Indianapolis; he didn’t really focus on football until he was a senior. Still, he was a three-star recruit, and waited out several scholarships from his first favorite sport until he was able to choose the Buckeyes from a list that included Florida, Indiana, Penn State and USC. He wasn’t a full-time starter in college until 2021, when he became a fixture at right tackle.
Stat to Know: Jones allowed the fewest total pressures last season — no sacks, no quarterback hits, and five quarterback hurries — of any offensive tackle in his draft class, and he did so in 419 pass-blocking reps. He allowed just two quarterback hurries in 152 True Pass Set snaps.
Strengths: Jones’ movement skills for a man his size are rare. He gets to the second level quickly and efficiently, and when he gets there, he can turn on the power.
Of course, what you want if you’re putting a guy this big on your roster is the ability to just demolish everybody in the run game, and there are multiple snaps in which Jones proves eager and adept when it’s time to get nasty.
Jones’ size shows up as a positive when he’s able to just eclipse defensive linemen after he throws them out of the club with his ridiculous wingspan. Georgia’s Jalen Carter, the best defensive lineman (and perhaps the best overall player) in this class found it out on this rep, when Jones got his hands out, and Carter just couldn’t get anywhere near C.J. Stroud. If you come straight ahead at Jones… well, you’d best not miss.
Weaknesses: Jones will lose to defenders who can get to either side of him in a hurry; he’s not always as agile as you’d like in space. Not that the aforementioned Jalen Carter is an easy matchup for any offensive lineman, but you can see here how Jones struggles with quick movement at times.
Jones’ relative lack of lateral agility is evident from time to time when he needs to link with his fellow linemen in slide protection situations. He’ll get leaky when he shouldn’t.
Conclusion: Bigger offensive tackles have the ability to succeed in the NFL as long as they have plus movement skills, and Jones checks all the boxes there. His lateral issues can be coached up to a point, and managed with the right playing weight. He’s not a perfect fit for every NFL offense, but if you’re in charge of an offensive line where gap power is the point of the exercise, and you’re running a lot of quick game, Jones could be a great fit at the next level.
NFL Comparison: Orlando Brown Jr. The 6-foot-8, 363-pound Brown was selected by the Ravens in the third round of the 2018 draft out of Oklahoma. Brown was able to succeed in Baltimore’s heavy gap scheme at right tackle, and he subbed in on the left side for Ronnie Stanley when Stanley was hurt. That led to his trade to the Chiefs, in which Brown became a starting left tackle at a size you wouldn’t normally expect. Brown, who signed a major deal this offseason to be the Bengals’ left tackle, will lose edge-rushers around the arc, but like Jones, he’s great in quick-game pass pro, and there’s enough size and technique to make things work.
5. Blake Freeland, BYU
Height: 6′ 7⅞” (92nd percentile) Weight: 302 (12th)
40-Yard Dash: 4.98 (93rd)
10-Yard Split: 1.68 (92nd)
Bench Press: N/A
Vertical Jump: 37″ (99th)
Broad Jump: 120″ (98th)
3-Cone Drill: 7.46 (84th)
20-Yard Shuttle: 4.71 (55th)
Wingspan: N/A
Arm Length: 33⅞” (37th)
Hand Size: 10″ (45th)
Bio: Freeland was an athletic wonder at Herriman High School in Herriman, Utah, excelling at basketball and track as well as football. He played quarterback and tight end in high school, committing to BYU as a three-star recruit. He was a four-year starter for the Cougars — the first two seasons at right tackle, and the last two on the left side. In 2022, he allowed no sacks, three quarterback hits, and four quarterback hurries in 462 pass-blocking reps.
Stat to Know: Freeland had blown blocks on just 0.3% of his run snaps last season. Only Tennessee’s Darnell Wright (0.0%) had a lower rate among tackles on this list.
Strengths: Freeland is impressively quick and nimble for a tackle with his height — he comes off the ball immediately, and has the technique and agility to match with defenders in space.
When asked to pick up lateral defenders one-on-one and in stunt situations, Freeland has all the lateral movement skills you’d want at the position. He’s just an easy mover all over the place.
Weaknesses: Freeland’s obvious issue is a need for more play strength and weight at the NFL level. He’ll need to learn to bend more naturally into his leverage and power. While there are reps of drive-blocking on his tape, he’s more a dotter of I’s than a pure assassin when he’s hitting people in space, and that’s not going to work at the next level.
And it’s too easy for opposing defenders to get in Freeland’s kitchen and just push him back. Along with strength and weight developments, Freeland must be more consistently aggressive with his hands to strike the first blow, and keep “power pigs” from blowing him right back into the pocket.
Conclusion: The extent to which Freeland has developed his technique and athletic potential might have him as an early-to-middle Day 2 pick. The extent to which NFL teams are scared off by his relative lack of physical dominance could complicate that equation. The good news is that when you have a player with 92nd percentile height and 12th percentile weight for his position, the primary fix is obvious, and I don’t think Freeland’s movement abilities will be negatively affected by an additional 15-20 pounds. He’s a bit of a project in that regard, but the upside, and the existing tape, will have some NFL team betting with enthusiasm on what he could be.
NFL Comparison: Brian O’Neill. The Vikings took O’Neill out of Pitt with the 62nd overall pick in the 2018 draft knowing what he had on the ball in an athletic and technical sense, and hoping that the power would come together. That happened well enough for Minnesota to reward O’Neill with a five-year, $92.5 million contract extension with $49 million guaranteed in 2021. I’m not saying that Freeland will reach those heights, but I’ll certainly be keeping an eye out for how he looks after some time in an NFL strength program.
