Once again, there looks to be plenty of talent in this year’s tackle class. Penei Sewell looks to be the best prospect at the position in over a decade and I have five players with first round grades. The depth of this class is also noteworthy and there are a number of potential starters likely to be available well into the second round. Here are my top ten tackles in the 2021 NFL Draft.
1. Penei Sewell – Oregon
Pros: Sewell has the combination of size and athletic ability that you want in an offensive tackle prospect. Despite standing at 6’5″ and 331 lbs, Sewell has the movement skills you might expect from a tight end. This helps to make him an exceptional pass protector and he allowed just 15 pressures on his 706 career pass blocking snaps. His anchor is particularly strong and you rarely see him beaten by power. Sewell is also an elite run blocker, with great power at the point of attack. He does a great job of working combo blocks and getting up to the second level and his 95.7 PFF run blocking grade was the best in the country in 2019. Sewell was dominant as a 19 year old sophomore, a feat rarely accomplished by offensive tackle prospects.
Cons: Whilst Sewell has been excellent in college, he could still refine his technique, particularly in pass protection. His physical tools bailed him out on numerous occasions in college but this won’t work in the NFL. He can sometimes be a little bit over-aggressive with his hand usage and that leaves him vulnerable to smarter defensive linemen. The other concerns are fairly minor. Some will have questions about the level of competition that Sewell faced in the Pac-12. Another issue will be Oregon’s offense. The Ducks run a tonne of screens and RPOs, limiting true one-on-one opportunities for Sewell. In total he logged just 220 true pass sets throughout his college career.
Projection: 1st round (top five)
2. Christian Darrisaw – Virginia Tech
Pros: Darrisaw is an incredibly powerful lineman and his best work comes in the running game. He does a great job of using his strength to create movement at the line of scrimmage and is the definition of a ‘people-mover’. He is a good athlete too and excelled when asked to move up to the second level and engage with defenders. His 94.5 PFF run blocking grade led all Power Five offensive linemen. As a pass protector Darrisaw is calm and collected and held his own against some top talent in the ACC in 2020. This season he allowed just six pressures on 293 pass blocking snaps. He is a great mover for his size and there were some nice reps on screens where he worked as the lead blocker.
Cons: Darrisaw can struggle against speed off the edge and has a habit of opening up his hips too quickly. This is likely to be even more of an issue at the next level against quicker defenders. His hand usage could certainly improve too. He tends to keep them wide, rather than getting inside the frame of his opponent. Darrisaw doesn’t always have the urgency you want in a tackle and despite his size and strength he could show more of a mean streak to his game. He also has had just one year of standout production and Virginia Tech’s offense didn’t ask him to play a tonne of true pass sets.
Projection: 1st round
3. Rashawn Slater – Northwestern
Pros: Slater tested as one of the most athletic tackles in recent years and is shows on tape. He is quick out of his stance and has no problem dealing with speed off the edge. He has quick feet and is comfortable adjusting to react to inside counters. Slater showcases independent hand usage and consistently gets inside the frame of his opponent. His football intelligence is another strong point and he is comfortable reacting to stunts and blitzes. His best performances came against top talent and against Chase Young and Ohio State he didn’t allow a single pressure. Slater also has experience playing at both left and right tackle at Northwestern.
Cons: Slater is on the smaller end of the spectrum for offensive tackles. He is 6’4″ and 304 lbs, which rank in the 14th and 18th percentile respectively. He also lacks ideal length with 33″ arms. This has led to some analysts viewing him as a potential guard at the next level, but as things stand he lacks the power to play on the interior. Slater often struggles against longer and more powerful edge rushers and his anchor isn’t as strong as you would like. He is a solid run blocker, although he lacks ideal power at the point of attack.
Projection: 1st round
4. Teven Jenkins – Oklahoma State
Pros: Jenkins is one of the strongest tackles in the class and is a mauler in the running game. He has great power at the point of attack and showcases the independent hand usage you want in a tackle prospect. There were a tonne of reps on tape where he would get hold of an opponent and take them for a ride. He is a nasty finisher too and teams will like his tough attitude. In pass protection he is solid, allowing just 11 pressures on 623 pass blocking snaps since the start of 2019. Jenkins is comfortable working against stunts and blitzes and has split his time between left and right tackle at Oklahoma State.
Cons: Jenkins isn’t the most dynamic athlete. He can struggle to get depth out of his stance on vertical sets and this leaves him vulnerable to quicker edge rushers. Despite being one of the strongest tackle prospects in the class, his lower half isn’t as powerful as you would like and he can have issues anchoring against power. Oklahoma State’s Air Raid offense didn’t ask him to play anywhere near as many vertical sets as he will in the NFL and rarely left him one-on-one with an edge. By virtue of playing in the Big 12 he didn’t face much in terms of top edge rushing talent either.
Projection: 1st round
5. Samuel Cosmi – Texas
Pros: Cosmi is an incredible athlete and moves like a tight end in space. Texas even used him as a receiver on a screen pass for a touchdown back in 2019. He is a polished pass protector and has allowed just 47 pressures on his 1,529 pass blocking snaps. His 90.7 PFF pass blocking grade ranked third amongst all college football tackles in 2020. He has the movement skills to handle speed off the edge and does a great job of opening his hips and taking rushers around the pocket. He is a pretty solid run blocker too, with good power at the point of attack and the movement skills to get up to the second level.
Cons: At 6’6″, Cosmi is one of the taller tackles in the class and he often struggles to stay low in pass protection. His pad level could certainly improve and it often leaves him vulnerable to the bull rush. He isn’t as strong as you might like, particularly as a run blocker, but he has the size to add more weight to his frame. Cosmi can sometimes rely too much on opening his hips and taking pass rushers around the pocket and as a result he can be beaten by inside counters. Despite his height, he doesn’t possess ideal tackle length, with just 33″ arms.
Projection: 1st round
6. Dillon Radunz – North Dakota State
Pros: Radunz is one of the most accomplished run blockers in this class. His technique is excellent, and he he showcases consistently solid hand placement. He is a tough finisher and has the athletic ability to get up to the second level and take on defenders. Radunz shows good short area quickness and this helps him in pass protection too, where he gets good depth out of his stance. His hand usage is excellent here too and he has the intelligence to read and react to to stunts and blitzes. He impressed at the Senior Bowl against top competition and offers the versatility to play tackle or guard in the NFL.
Cons: The biggest concern with Radunz is the level of competition he faced in the FCS. His performances at the Senior Bowl should help answer that, but we still haven’t seen any real in-game experience against NFL-level talent. The Bisons’ run heavy offense meant that Radunz didn’t need to do a tonne as a pass protector but when he did there were certainly areas for improvement. He has a tendency to bend at the waist and he lacks the strength that you ideally want in an offensive tackle prospect.
Projection: 2nd round
7. Walker Little – Stanford
Pros: At 6’8″ and 313 lbs, Little is a huge tackle who is polished in pass protection. He possesses exceptional athletic ability for the position and does a great job of getting depth out of his stance. He combines this with great strength and anchor ability and rarely gets beaten by power. His pass protection improved substantially throughout his time at Stanford and he allowed just one pressure through his final seven games. Once he has his hands inside the frame of an opponent, Little can take them around the pocket and out of the rep entirely.
Cons: Little is a difficult prospect to project given his limited sample size. A knee injury saw him miss the 2019 season and he opted out in 2020. In total, he has played just 72 snaps over the last two years. It is difficult to assess if and how he has developed in that time and there is a tonne of projection involved. In terms of his on the field performance, Little has issues in the running game and it is an area in need of improvement. He has problems maintaining his balance and often falls off blocks. Given his size he can also struggle to get low and play with leverage in the running game.
Projection: 2nd round
8. Liam Eichenberg – Notre Dame
Pros: Despite not being the biggest tackle at 6’6″ and 302 lbs, Eichenberg plays with power. He has the necessary strength to be a handful as a run blocker and is capable of creating movement at the line of scrimmage. In pass protection he has a solid anchor and a vice-like grip if he is able to establish first contact. Eichenberg played in a pro-style scheme at Notre Dame and was an accomplished pass protector on vertical sets. He allowed just 27 pressures on 951 pass blocking snaps since 2019 and didn’t allow a single sack in that period. He is a smart player who is comfortable diagnosing and reacting to stunts and blitzes.
Cons: Eichenberg is an average athlete and this could cause problems when translating to the NFL. He also has 32 3/8″ arms, the shortest on this list. For context, only one starting NFL tackle in 2020 had arms shorter than 33″. As a result, Eichenberg struggles against bigger edge rushers who get inside his frame with a long arm move. Whilst his technique is pretty polished, his hand usage requires some refinement. He has a frustrating tendency to employ a two-hand punch. When this doesn’t work it leaves him completely off balance.
Projection: 2nd round
9. Alex Leatherwood – Alabama
Pros: Leatherwood possesses ideal size and length to play as a tackle at the next level. He is a good athlete too, testing in the 96th percentile or above in all of his pro day drills except the bench press. He does a nice job of getting depth out of his stance in pass protection and has good footwork. Leatherwood has a notably strong anchor and is excellent when faced with power off the edge. He uses this lower body strength to great effect in the running game and is one of the best run blockers in the class. His 85.4 PFF run blocking grade ranked fifth amongst draft-eligible tackles. He also offers positional versatility, having played tackle and guard at Alabama.
Cons: Most of Leatherwood’s issues come in pass protection. He has stiff hips and lacks ideal change of direction ability. As a result he often struggles against stunts and blitzes with rushers crossing his face. Perhaps the biggest worry is his issue against speed. Leatherwood has a habit of opening up his hips in pass protection and letting rushers beat him to the edge. This will be even more of a problem in the NFL, where edges are quicker and more athletic. Another concern is his tendency to overextend and lunge at opponents, which leaves him off balance.
Projection: 2nd round
10. Jackson Carman – Clemson
Pros: At 6’5″ and 345 lbs, Carman is a huge offensive tackle. It will come as no surprise that he is an excellent run blocker and is adept at creating movement off the line of scrimmage. His strength is a major plus point and he does a great job of uprooting defenders and creating open running lanes. His hands are strong and he has shown the ability to use them independently. Despite his size, Carman is a smooth mover and is great at taking on defenders in space. In pass protection he has a strong anchor and won’t be beaten by power rushers.
Cons: With 32 1/2″ arms, Carman lacks the length you want from an offensive tackle prospect. He also has issues when faced with speed rushers. Carman has a tendency to open his hips and this allows opponents to get to the edge. His footwork is not as polished as you would like and he struggles to get depth out of his stance. Lateral movement is not his strong point and Carman has problems when faced with inside counters. Some teams will have concerns about this and may look to move him inside to guard as a result.
Projection: 3rd round
