NFL Draft Prospects: Top 5 players at every offensive position

Offensive tackles

1. Christian Darrisaw, Virginia Tech

2. Alex Leatherwood, Alabama

3. Samuel Cosmi, Texas

4. Liam Eichenberg, Notre Dame

5. Brady Christensen, BYU

Just missed the cut: Jackson Carman (Clemson) & Alaric Jackson (Iowa)

With Penei Sewell opting out for the season, the title for the top offensive tackle in college football was kind of up for grabs and I believe Darrisaw has certainly grabbed it. At 6’5”, 310 pounds he has great length and easy movement skills. While he couldn’t really develop a real kick-slide, because the Hokies didn’t use a whole lot of true drop-back pass game in 2019, Darrisaw has already shown some growth in that area, while having the punch to stun rushers and the length to guide the around the corner. He widens the edge on the front-side of zone runs routinely and has the agility to scoop-block form the other end, while having the tight grip to torque bodies. He has been pushing people around in the run game all year and has been really tough to get around in pass-pro.

Leatherwood doesn’t blow me away as much as Darrisaw with his athletic profile, but he has plenty of talent and more than gotten the job done for Alabama at left tackle this last two years. He has a well-coordinated kick-set and doesn’t overreact to rushers, while having the thick, sturdy base to swallow power. While he might not be a road-grader in the run game, he puts that big frame right in front of defenders from snap to whistle and sometimes I feel like his defenders doesn’t even see the ball on zone plays. He will most likely repeat as a first-team All-SEC selection, like he was last year, when he allowed only nine total pressures and on his quarterbacks. One of the things that really stood out to me was how he and Jedrick Wills on the right side completely neutralized those great edge rushers for Michigan in the Citrus Bowl.

One of my favorite watched on the offensive lines has been this kid from Texas. Cosmi started all but his first game for the Longhorns after a redshirt year and could easily gone pro this past April, after being named a second-team All-Big 12 selection. At 6’7”, 310 pounds he may not present the widest frame, but he has outstanding functional athleticism. This guy brings great leg-drive as a run-blocker and he definitely has that finishing mentality. You see him wash down the front- and cut off the back-side of run plays with great success, but what I love to see is how often he beats linebackers to the spot. He excels at knocking down the hands of edge rushers in the pass game and keeps those guys close to his frame, plus when those guys land on the turf, he is on top of them soon after. The problem with his pass-sets is that he literally gets “caught on the wrong foot” and gets too narrow with his base at times, which limits his ability to anchor and is how LSU’s K’Lavon Chaisson beat him a few times in 2019.

Eichenberg has started every game since the beginning of his sophomore year. He jumps out of his stance with his punch ready to fire and he always keeps that post-leg ready in his pass-sets. That is why he hasn’t allowed a single sack since week five of the 2018 season. That’s crazy. In the zone run game he displays appropriate play strength and excellent mobility, which allows him cross-face interior linemen and seal them off at the back-side. You see cut off angles for linebackers routinely and he pushes guys around until the echo of the whistle. However, he gets caught with his feet stopped in the pass game at times to allow rushers to get around him and he has his weight shifted too far over his toes as a run-blocker at times, which leads to him slipping off defenders.

After a redshirt year, Christensen has started all 35 games of his career with the Cougars and has improved every step of the way. In the run game, his understanding of angles and ability to put his body in the right position, thanks in part to the strength in his arms, makes him effective. As a pass-protector, that football IQ he displays is a huge factor as well, in terms of understanding the depth of the pocket and when he can just put guys off the edge past the arc, while adjusting his kicks to the alignment and tendencies of the opposition, and not much room for defenders once he puts those clamps on them. With that being said, he gets too wide with his arms and stands up pretty straight in pass-pro sets, while being vulnerable to some inside counters. Still, he is currently PFF’s highest-graded offensive tackle in college.

Carman is a behemoth at 6’5”, 335 pounds, who can move much better than you would expect and often gets defenders to almost quit, while Jackson actually shed a few pounds this offseason and now gets an even better jump on his pass-sets, but hasn’t lost his mean streak in the run game.