Charles McDonald’s other draft profiles: Abdul Carter | Shemar Stewart
Football is still a simple game. In a world where skill players are grabbing the headlines and dictating how many people feel about a draft class, linemen still dictate so much of how games are won and lost. The most recent Super Bowl between the Chiefs and the Eagles highlighted that fact in a glaring way as the offseason opened. Kansas City’s offensive line was in such a poor spot that even Patrick Mahomes was completely put into a blender by the Philadelphia’s defense en route to a blowout win. On the flip side, the Eagles rode a dominant offensive line through the regular season and the playoffs, mashing their opponents on the ground while providing pristine protection for quarterback Jalen Hurts.
Every offseason, there are a slew of big contracts and trades along the offensive line, showcasing how desperately teams are searching for a unit to just provide enough competence where they can run an offense. Those needs that weren’t filled when the league year opened will have to be filled in the draft — which, luckily for the league, is filled with blockers that have a chance to be long-term starters. The offensive line talent in this class is strong, which will provide a chance for teams to solidify arguably the hardest position to fill with quality talent.
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The 2025 class doesn’t have too many blue-chip, easily elite talents, but there’s a ton of quality players that will go off the board in the first two days of the draft. While the quarterbacks and skill players will continue to grab the interest of fans, here are a handful of players that can solidify the core function of their offense and potentially be the last pieces for offensive lines that are missing a player or two.
Top of the NFL Draft’s OL class
Armand Membou, OT, Missouri
Will Campbell, OT, LSU
Membou and Campbell should be among the first overall players off the board this year. Campbell has been a starter at left tackle for LSU since his freshman season, immediately establishing himself as a high draft pick from the jump. There’s been some discussion on whether his arm length (33 inches upon pro day re-test) will force him inside or not, but he tested like an elite athlete at the NFL combine and those traits show on tape. Campbell is great at mirroring defenders in pass protection and is an easy mover on the run. Campbell has been on the radar for long that it’s led to some nitpicking, but everything points to him being a player that starts off at left tackle before deciding if it’s necessary to move him elsewhere. Either way, Campbell profiles as a long-term starter at tackle or guard.
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Membou is more of a physical specimen, but he has great technique to go along with being a powerhouse athlete. He’s a flexible player in space, which is incredibly impressive considering he weighs over 330 pounds. He was primarily a right tackle in college, but he’s got the traits to play left tackle as well — kind of like Tristan Wirfs did eventually for the Buccaneers. There are a lot of players that profile to be long-term prospects along the offensive line, but these two appear to be the consensus top offensive linemen in the class, and for good reason.
Next best OL prospects
Kelvin Banks, OL, Texas
Josh Conerly Jr., OT, Oregon
Tyler Booker, G, Alabama
Grey Zabel, OL, North Dakota State
Donovan Jackson, G, Ohio State
Josh Simmons, OT, Ohio State
All of these guys have the potential to be long-term starters from day one in the NFL, but they aren’t viewed quite the same as Membou and Campbell. This is where some of the primarily interior guys will start coming off the board, and there are some damn good ones — Tyler Booker, Grey Zabel and Donovan Jackson will be sought after for a variety of reasons, but they’ll likely settle in as guards in the NFL. Booker is a classic, heavy-handed gap scheme prospect while Zabel is light on his feet and might project better to offenses that lean toward zone runs. Jackson is the wild card because he showed some nice athleticism to do both when he played at left tackle later in the season for Ohio State.
Jackson replaced Josh Simmons in the lineup due to a patellar tendon injury. Simmons who was the starter at left tackle for the majority of the season and may need to ease into his rookie year, but he has the tools to be a strong pass blocking left tackle if he can make a full recovery. Josh Conerly from Oregon is an offensive tackle with sky high upside and strong technical skills, but is young and needs to gain some strength that should come naturally for him. Kelvin Banks is a do-it-all player that looks ready to play any position up front.
Day 2 OL draft options
Aireontae Ersery, OT, Minnesota
Jonah Savaiinaea, OL, Arizona
Marcus Mbow, OL, Purdue
Wyatt Millum, OT, West Virginia
Jared Wilson, C, Georgia
Cameron Williams, OT, Texas
This is a handful of players that will probably need a bit of development before they lock into starting roles, but Aireontae Ersery and Jonah Savaiinaea will likely end up closer to Round 1 than the rest of the group. Outside of those two, most of the guys here will need some seasoning, but they still have the traits to develop into starters sooner rather than later.
There are a lot of options for teams to plug their holes along the offensive line this year and there should be a slew of players flying off the board in the top 100 picks. Offensive linemen may not be sexy picks, but they make an offense capable of being sexy. The best offenses have them and there are plenty of linemen to pick from this year in a variety of flavors.
This news was originally published on this post .
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