The interior of the offensive line might not be the flashiest spot on the football field, but it is the engine room of any offense. This year’s class isn’t the deepest, but does offer some top tier talent, including perhaps the best center prospect in the last decade. Here are my top ten interior offensive linemen in the 2022 NFL Draft.
1. Tyler Linderbaum – Iowa (6-2, 296, rs-Junior)
Pros: Outstanding athlete who moves more like a tight end in space. Natural zone scheme blocker, with excellent lateral quickness to win reach blocks and cut off defenders. Great at the second level too, with the quick feet to locate blockers and latch. Smooth feet extend to his pass protection and he is comfortable redirecting and reacting to counters. Some of the best hand usage you will find in a center prospect, with near-perfect timing and placement. Allowed just 19 pressures on 1,201 career pass blocking snaps.
Cons: Lacks ideal size in pretty much every department. Ranked in the sixth percentile or below in height, weight, wingspan and arm length. The latter two rank in the first percentile. Struggles against longer limbed rushers as a result. Play strength and power are good, but not great, and he is likely only going to be a fit in a zone-heavy scheme. Needs to add more mass to reach his potential in the NFL. Center only.
Projection: 1st round
2. Kenyon Green – Texas A&M (6-3, 323, Junior)
Pros: Big and physical guard who has immensely powerful hands. Makes displacing defenders in the running game look effortless and is comfortable uprooting bigger defensive linemen to create wide open running lanes. Grip strength is immense and he is difficult to dislodge. Has a good combination of size and athleticism and moves very well in space. Keeps a nice wide base in pass protection and is excellent at absorbing contact. Has experience of playing both tackle and guard spots in college.
Cons: Hand usage needs plenty of work, particularly when it comes to placement. Far too often finds himself getting wide and outside the frame of his opponent. This caused a number of holding calls in college and will have the same effect in the NFL. Timing of his punches is also erratic and he is often too late. Not particularly quick to reset either and gets in bad situations as a result. Has a bad habit of leaning into blocks.
Projection: 1st round
3. Zion Johnson – Boston College (6-2, 312, rs-Senior)
Pros: Powerful lineman who is able to generate a tonne of movement in the running game. Has very good length for a guard too and knows how to use it to his advantage. Possesses natural leverage which allows him to get under opponents and move them off the line of scrimmage. Anchor is outstanding in pass protection and he will sink easily vs bull rushes, whilst also showing the redirect ability to respond to counters. Hasn’t missed a single game with injury in five years and has starting experience at guard and tackle.
Cons: Smooth mover, but not a particularly impressive athlete, which is part of the reason he will be a guard in the NFL. Showed up when asked to execute reach blocks and he can struggle to cross the face of his opponents and win the positional battle. You will also see him stop his feet on contact and he will need to address this in the NFL. Balance was also an issue at times.
Projection: 1st round
4. Darian Kinnard – Kentucky (6-5, 322, Senior)
Pros: Outstanding size that will be imposing even by NFL standards. Played in the 340 lbs range during his time at Kentucky but carried the weight very well. Was born to be a people mover and is outstanding at controlling defenders and getting them off their spot. Brings the nasty streak you want too. Hands are hugely powerful and he is incredibly difficult to dislodge once he is inside his opponent’s frame. Great anchor in pass protection. Also shows good eyes and awareness to pick up stunts.
Cons: Only ever played tackle in college, so a move to the interior is a pure projection at this point. Kentucky’s offense didn’t ask him to execute a tonne of vertical pass sets, but when they did he displayed limitations with his lateral agility. Not a particularly impressive athlete either and might struggle if asked to work in a wide zone offense. Hand usage is a work in progress, with a reliance on two hand punches and poor placement.
Projection: 2nd round
5. Dylan Parham – Memphis (6-2, 311, rs-Senior)
Pros: Outstanding mover who showed himself to be an asset in space and climbing to the second level. Can also he hugely effective as a puller. Plays with excellent bend and knows how to win with leverage. Footwork in pass protection is clean and crisp and he is capable of matching twitchier defensive linemen. Can be relied upon in the passing game, allowing a single sack in 1,047 pass blocking snaps over the past two seasons. Started every game for four years and has starting experience at both guard spots, as well as right tackle.
Cons: Slender build and will want to add mass to translate effectively to the NFL level. Doesn’t have the desired lower body power, which limits his ability to anchor effectively against power rushers in pass protection. He also had issues flipping his hips and resetting his base on reach blocks, causing him to get pushed backwards towards the ball carrier. The level of competition he faced at Memphis is an obvious concern.
Projection: 3rd round
6. Jamaree Salyer – Georgia (6-3, 321, Senior)
Pros: Powerful player who will bully his opponents. A bigger lineman who carries his weight very well and showcases good footwork. Capable of driving defenders off the line with ease and will be difficult to move in pass protection. Balance and hand usage are both very solid. Gave up just one sack in his college career, despite spending most of it at left tackle. Offers genuine versatility, having seen playing time at all five positions along the offensive line.
Cons: Has a habit of bending at the waist which leads to issues against more savvy defensive linemen. Base isn’t always consistent and can get a little narrow at times. Not a hugely impressive athlete and is limited when asked to climb to the second level and locate defenders in space. Hand placement is frustratingly inconsistent. Lacks the size to stick at tackle in the NFL.
Projection: 3rd round
7. Cole Strange – Chattanooga (6-4, 307, rs-Senior)
Pros: Hugely impressive athlete with outstanding movement skills. Great quickness out of his stance which allows him to gain the upper hand on his opponent. Very good lateral agility to be an asset on wide zone runs. Hand usage is good, with consistent placement to get inside the frame of his opponent and control the block. Strong finisher with the nasty streak to be a tough competitor in the NFL. Very smart player with notable academic success off the field too.
Cons: Has a lean build. Isn’t the most powerful player and could stand to add more strength to his lower half. Did have some issues when presented with bull rushers and this is only likely to worsen in the NFL. Lack of core strength limits his ability to consistently displace defenders in the running game. Level of competition concerns are legitimate, with just one game against FBS opponents in two years. An older prospect, turning 24 as a rookie.
Projection: 3rd round
8. Luke Goedeke – Central Michigan (6-5, 312, rs-Senior)
Pros: Good play strength that allows him to create plenty of movement in the running game. Pairs this with some impressive hand usage, with good timing and placement to get inside the frame of opponents. Nice balance and movement skills, with the quick feet to react to counters. Comfortable climbing to the second level and engaging with defenders in space. Had some nasty finishes on his tape. Smart player who is comfortable reacting to blitzes and stunts in pass protection.
Cons: Lacks ideal length and struggles against bigger defensive linemen who are able to get inside his frame and control the rep. Needs to add lower body bulk to have success on the interior. Prone to holding and will get flagged in the NFL. An older prospect who will turn 24 as a rookie but who has just two seasons of starting experience along the offensive line, missing one year due to a transfer and another due to injury. No experience along the interior.
Projection: 3rd round
9. Cam Jurgens – Nebraska (6-2, 303, rs-Junior)
Pros: One of the freakiest athletes in this year’s offensive line class. His 9.94 Relative Athletic Score ranks fourth amongst all centers since 1987. Outstanding mover who has the short area quickness you want along the interior. Pairs this with great lateral agility to redirect in pass protection and pick up counters and additional rushers. Plays with very good leverage and is an accomplished pass protector, allowing just one sack on 1,016 career pass blocking snaps.
Cons: Wouldn’t say he’s overly powerful and he can struggle if asked to create movement against bigger bodied defensive tackles. Needs to work on his technique engaging with blockers, often lowering his head into contact. Not overly effective at resetting his anchor when opponents get inside his chest in pass protection. Gets overaggressive at times and would do well to play with a little more consideration when engaging.
Projection: 3rd round
10. Luke Fortner – Kentucky (6-4, 307, rs-Senior)
Pros: Good core strength to win the battle and move defenders off the line of scrimmage. Showcases some nice hand usage, with a quick strike and good hand placement to consistently get inside the frame of the defender. Has good latch strength to maintain blocks and take defenders out of plays. Smart player, who is excellent at recognising stunts and passing off defenders. Academic star, with two masters degrees. Has experience playing and starting at all three interior positions.
Cons: Does have issues when it comes to his pad level and you would like to see him play with better leverage. Not a special athlete by any means and will struggle against twitchier defenders. Foot quickness is below what you would like and he isn’t particularly agile when working in space. Slow to pass off combo blocks and climb to the second level. An older prospect, turning 24 as a rookie.
Projection: 4th round
