SDOGO

By War Room scouts


Although the 2008 NFL draft class is loaded with promising offensive line prospects, it's unusual that the majority of them are tackles. Usually great young interior linemen are easier to find, but this year all of the elite prospects currently play tackle in college and are expected to stay at that position in the NFL.

Here is a breakdown of 10 offensive tackles to watch as the league's hopeful future for blindside pass protection and stout perimeter run blocking:

1. King Dunlap, Auburn, 6-8 5/8, 309. Dunlap is the lesser known of Auburn's senior NFL prospects as a man on the other side of the line, defensive end Quentin Groves, has received much more national publicity. But Dunlap is definitely the better prospect of the two and will have a better pro career.

Dunlap has great height for a tackle with long arms and good athleticism, which helps him consistently excel at pass protecting against speedy edge rushers and run blocking in the open field. He is unusual in that he is a very consistent college lineman who does not go through many ups and downs on the field, regardless of the difficulty of his blocking assignments. Although Dunlap isn't quite an elite athlete, there is no doubt that he has enough overall talent to play either left or right tackle in the NFL. Big and strong, he has the competitive fire to be a consistent long-term starter.

2. Gosder Cherilus, Boston College, 6-6 3/4, 312. Cherilus is tall with the strength, long arms and competitiveness to consistently eliminate his man from the play once he locks up on him. He isn't a fleet-footed tackle who consistently slides out to the corners to cut off explosive speed rushers, but he knows how to get his hands on pass rushers quickly enough to offset some of his lacking quickness.

Cherilus' size, strength, competitiveness and aggressiveness make him a strong run blocker who consistently gets on defensive linemen quickly, moves well and eliminates his man. Gordon has the tools to become a great NFL right tackle but considering the league's dearth of good left tackles, he has enough ability to be the rare one who significantly helps his team's rushing attack.

3. Tony Hills, Texas, 6-5 5/8, 309. Hills is one of the nation's most athletic linemen with all the tools to vault to the top of the offensive line prospects with a top-notch senior season. As a former tight end who was converted to play on the offensive line during his first year at Texas, he still is learning the position and gets beaten more often than any of the other top offensive tackles. However, his combination of size, quick feet, strength and all-around athleticism are hard to find, and he is dominant on the field when he plays up to his natural ability.

Hills needs to put in much work on his fundamentals and technique, but there is no doubt he will be one of the nation's most closely watched tackles this fall because of the chance he has to fly up teams' boards. Hills will continue his improvement this season to the point where he is included in the conversation about the class' best tackle and should become a great NFL starter.

4. Sam Baker, Southern California, 6-5 3/8, 313. Baker is another great athlete who has the talent to be an elite offensive tackle and a very high pick. However, he must play up to his natural athleticism more consistently. Despite having the ability to bend his knees and block with leverage, he usually blocks straight-legged and upright, which greatly limits his strength and ability to redirect quickly enough to adjust in pass protection. He also doesn't punch aggressively in pass protection, which allows aggressive pass rushers to get into his chest and jolt him backward into the quarterback's lap.

For such a big man, Baker is very light on his feet and can get out and block in open field with remarkable ease, but if he does not play with better leverage and use his hands better, he will struggle to become elite and will be just a good, solid starting left tackle in the NFL.

5. Jake Long, Michigan, 6-7, 325. Long has probably been the most hyped offensive lineman going into the 2007 college season, and he will have a very hard time living up to the hype because he does not have elite talent. He is not a top athlete, which is why he is much better suited to play right tackle (or even guard) in the NFL than left tackle.

As a productive college tackle, he has performed with all the toughness, aggressiveness and competitiveness required for the job. As an upright blocker, Long lacks the quick feet, agility and flexibility to block consistently out in the open field and to change directions quickly enough to handle quick inside pass-rush moves. Long, because of the Michigan offensive pedigree, will be drafted higher than a number of the linemen listed above him here, but because of his lack of elite athleticism, he is limited to having a long career at right tackle. His game is reminiscent of the Browns' Ryan Tucker.

6. Mike McGlynn, Pittsburgh, 6-4 1/8, 315. McGlynn is one of the '08 draft pool's most versatile lineman. He has played tackle for the Panthers, but he has the ability to slide inside to play either guard or center -- which many teams will view as an automatic move because of his lacking ideal height and arm length.

McGlynn is a fine athlete with exceptionally quick feet for a 300-pound-plus man, which helps him slide and shuffle to protect the corner despite being on the shorter side with limited wingspan. He excels at using his hands and is highly competitive, enabling him to consistently eliminate his man once he gets a hold of him. He has the strength and leverage-based blocking skills that sliding inside to play against defensive tackles should not be a major problem. McGlynn's overall size probably makes him more ideally suited for playing the interior in the NFL, but men of his size with his footwork are rare, so he will probably get the chance to prove himself as a tackle before sliding inside.

7. Duane Brown, Virginia Tech, 6-4 1/2, 301. Brown is similar to Hills in that he also is a great athlete for an offensive linemen but gets beaten way too often for a tackle with his talent. Brown also has the quick feet and speed to pull and block effectively out in front of outside runs and adjusts well to moving targets. When he stays balanced and pass blocks with a good base, he can slide out to cut off speedy edge rushers and can lock up on them to eliminate them from plays.

Although Brown lacks the preferred height for tackle, because he lacks aggressiveness as a blocker, he is still better suited to play outside to avoid getting beat up by defensive tackles inside. Brown has a chance to move up draft boards very quickly with a strong senior season, but he will need to get beat much less often to be considered among '08's elite offensive line prospects.

8. Heath Benedict, Newberry, 6-5 3/8, 333. Benedict is the most interesting of the upcoming class' offensive line prospects because he clearly is a top-level athlete with the physical tools to become either a great tackle or a great guard in the NFL. He started his college career at Tennessee but couldn't make the grade and ended up at a small college in South Carolina where he is a man among boys and often is a dominant blocker. Despite being superior athletically and strength-wise to every defensive lineman he goes against in NCAA Division II, he remains highly competitive and blocks with an aggressive, attacking temperament that few offensive linemen use.

Benedict also is raw, especially in pass protection, which is why he does sometimes get beat by players who won't play football after college. He is a very intriguing prospect with whom some team will fall in love because of his natural athleticism and competitive style, but he will need some time to develop and improve before having a chance to be the player his NFL team will hope he will become.

9. Pedro Sosa, Rutgers, 6-3 3/4, 288. Sosa currently plays tackle at Rutgers but as he stands shorter than 6-4 and weighs less than 300, he is destined to slide inside to play either guard or center. He is a super-athletic lineman with the quick feet, flexibility and balance to get out of his stance and set to block very quickly. He also can redirect quickly to adjust laterally in pass protection.

Sosa is a very competitive and smart lineman who consistently handles defensive line stunts and other tricks and has no trouble picking up delayed blitzes. It's obvious he lacks both the bulk and strength to physically dominate NFL defensive linemen, so he will need to bulk up some and need to rely upon his athleticism, competitiveness and technique to block successfully at the next level. Sosa will struggle to get into the upper echelon of '08 offensive line prospects because of his lack of size, but his athleticism, competitiveness and commitment to a team will help him stick and make it as a starting guard or center.

10. Jeff Otah, Pittsburgh, 6-6 5/8, 338. Otah is the opposite of teammate Mike McGlynn in that he is a simply massive lineman who gets by with size, strength and competitiveness despite lacking both good athleticism and experience playing offensive line. Otah has played offensive tackle since only his senior year of high school and still is learning the nuances of the position, which leads to him getting beaten by players he should block easily. However, he has the size and strength to consistently lock up and eliminate his men once he gets a good hold of them.

Otah won't ever be able to slide out in time to cut off explosive edge rushers and will have trouble changing directions quickly enough to handle quick inside-pass rush moves, but he always will be able to physically control a defensive lineman if he can get his hands on him. Otah is bit of a project, but he looks good as a right tackle prospect with the potential to become a solid NFL starter.

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