There aren’t many positions more important to success in the NFL than offensive tackle. Keeping your quarterback upright is more important than ever in today’s pass-happy league and there are plenty of prospects who can do just that in this year’s draft class. Here are my top ten tackles in the 2022 NFL Draft.
1. Evan Neal – Alabama (6-7, 337, Junior)
Pros: Imposing size yet carrying no bad weight. Outstanding core strength to displace defenders with ease in the running game. Hand are like clubs and have great stopping power on contact. Combines this profile with some rare movement skills for a player of his size. Gets great depth out of his stance and mirrors extremely well. Anchor is outstanding and he has no issues against power. Good awareness in pass protection to pick up blitzers and pass off stunts. Has experience playing both tackle spots and at guard.
Cons: Has serious issues with balance and ends up on the floor an awful lot. Caused problems in the running game where he would overextend and fail to sustain. Sees him get over his toes in pass protection at times and he falls vulnerable to push-pull moves. Wasn’t overly effective when asked to climb to the second level, struggling to locate defenders in space.
Projection: 1st round
2. Ikem Ekwonu – NC State (6-4, 310, Junior)
Pros: Big and physical lineman who has a real nasty streak to his game. Is a people mover in the running game, with outstanding core strength to drive defenders off the line of scrimmage. So many pancake blocks on his tape. At his best on gap scheme runs but also shows excellent lateral agility to execute reach blocks on zone plays. Reliable as a pass protector too, giving up just 13 pressures on 500 pass blocking snaps in 2021. Shows a quick punch and excellent anchor.
Cons: Isn’t the quickest out of his stance and can struggle to mirror quicker edge rushers on vertical sets in pass protection. He’s well aware of this and it often sees him overset as a result, leaving him vulnerable to inside counters. Might be best suited to a scheme that limits vertical sets. His competitive playstyle can sometimes get away from him and resulted in a number of penalties during his college career.
Projection: 1st round
3. Trevor Penning – Northern Iowa (6-7, 325, rs-Senior)
Pros: Excellent size profile, which he pairs with exceptional strength. Looked like a man against boys at times playing in the FCS, with easy displacement skills in the running game. Very impressive athletic profile, with good short area quickness that made him an asset on zone runs. Good quickness out of his stance to handle speed rushers in pass protection and he surrendered just 11 pressures on 435 pass blocking snaps in 2021. Ideal length and latch strength and so difficult to dislodge. The nastiest lineman in the draft.
Cons: He is tall and has natural issues with leverage. This gave him real problems against defenders who play low as they were able to get under his pads and send him backwards. Did have issues with his lateral agility in pass protection, most notably when asked to redirect to cut off inside counters. Nasty streak can go too far at times and he will need to tone things down in the NFL. The level of competition he faced at Northern Iowa will also be an obvious worry.
Projection: 1st round
4. Charles Cross – Mississippi State (6-4, 307, rs-Sophomore)
Pros: Seasoned pass protector, with 1,293 pass blocking snaps in the past two seasons, more than any other draft-eligible tackle. Allowed pressure on just 1.7% of his pass blocking snaps, which ranked 11th in the FBS. Good overall athletic profile and gets very good depth out of his stance. Possesses the quick feet to mirror effectively against speed rushers. Reads the game well, with the awareness to pick up and pass off additional rushers as required.
Cons: Comes from an Air Raid offense that isn’t easily translatable to the NFL. Was rarely asked to perform true vertical sets and just 19.4% of his pass sets were “true pass sets”. He also faced a lot of three man rushes which he won’t see in the NFL. Mississippi State ran an incredibly basic running scheme that didn’t ask much of Cross. He wasn’t overly effective as a run blocker either, lacking ideal power to displace defenders.
Projection: 1st round
5. Bernhard Raimann – Central Michigan (6-6, 303, Senior)
Pros: Started his career at tight end and that athleticism shows up on tape. Is an easy mover and excels when asked to work in space. Great depth out of his sets in pass protection and capable of redirecting laterally to cut off inside counters. He gave up just 10 pressures on 475 pass blocking snaps in 2021. A natural zone blocker, with great quickness out of his stance to execute reach blocks and seal defenders away from the ball carrier. Refined hand usage with outstanding timing and placement.
Cons: Had noticeable issues with his core strength, which had a detrimental impact on his ability to anchor in pass protection. This is only going to be more pronounced in the NFL. Definitely needs to add more mass if he’s to be an effective starter. Needs do be more disciplined in terms of letting go of defenders, having been flagged for holding seven times in 2021 alone. One of the oldest prospects in the draft, turning 25 as a rookie.
Projection: 2nd round
6. Tyler Smith – Tulsa (6-4, 324, rs-Sophomore)
Pros: Ticks all of the boxes when it comes to size, strength and athleticism. Power comes easily and he’s a mauler in the running game, displacing defenders with ease. Hands are amongst the most powerful in the class, with a tonne of pop on contact and outstanding latch strength. This power carries over to his anchor in pass protection which is outstanding, seeing him weather power rushers with ease. Moves very well for his size. Is a tone-setter in the trenches and wants to end his opponents on every play.
Cons: Technique is an absolute nightmare in pass protection. Footwork is disjointed and limits his ability to properly set against quicker edges, whilst also hindering his redirect ability. Hand usage is undisciplined, with a tendency to two hand punch and get outside the frame of his opponent. Far too often gets off balance whilst trying to finish his opponents and was a flag magnet in college, being penalised an astonishing 16 times in just 12 games in 2021.
Projection: 2nd round
7. Abraham Lucas – Washington State (6-6, 315, rs-Senior)
Pros: Has excellent size and is a much more fluid and smooth mover for a player of his size than you might first expect. Showed some nifty footwork when asked to get out in space and block on screens. Seasoned pass protector, with over 2,000 pass blocking snaps throughout his career. Good core strength and comfortable anchoring against power rushers. Offers a tonne of experience, with 42 consecutive starts and earned All-Pac 12 honours in each of his four seasons with the Cougars.
Cons: Played in a very pass-heavy scheme at Washington State which has resulted in limited experience as a run blocker. The rushing concepts they did employ tended to be very simple. Hand placement needs plenty of work in pass protection. Tends to get wide and outside the frame of his opponent, leaving his chest open to bull rushers. Also had issues playing with leverage, allowing opposing pass rushers to get under his pads.
Projection: 3rd round
8. Zach Tom – Wake Forest (6-4, 304, rs-Senior)
Pros: Excellent athlete with quick feet to mirror edge rushers. Gets very good depth out of his stance and possesses the lateral agility to redirect when faced with inside counters. Hand usage is great, showing the ability to work them independently and get inside the frame of defenders. Does a good job resetting if he doesn’t get ideal initial placement. Allowed just 38 pressures on 1,629 career pass blocking snaps. Offers interior versatility, having played two years at center.
Cons: More of a finesse player and won’t give you a tonne in terms of power. Showed up in the running game where he lacks ideal drive in his lower half to consistently drive defenders off the ball. Had issues with his core strength in pass protection too and struggles to anchor against longer limbed power rushers. Needs to add more heft to avoid this becoming an even greater problem in the NFL. On the older side, having turned 23 before the draft.
Projection: 3rd round
9. Nicholas Petit-Frere – Ohio State (6-5, 316, rs-Junior)
Pros: Possesses the ideal tackle frame and genuinely impressive athletic tools. Very quick out of his stance, with good depth in his pass sets. All combines to make him an excellent zone blocker, with the lateral quickness to execute reach blocks and the quick feet to climb to the second level and engage with defenders. Good play strength to create movement off the line in the running game. Has experience playing both tackle spots.
Cons: Wildly inconsistent throughout his career and never seemed to be able to settle at a good baseline of performance. Had some truly terrible games this season when he came up against NFL competition, allowing six pressures against Penn State and eight against Michigan. Hands are a work in progress, with inconsistency in terms of both timing and placement. Struggles to anchor when opponents get inside his frame and pad level shows up as an issue in the running game.
Projection: 3rd round
10. Max Mitchell – Louisiana (6-6, 307, Senior)
Pros: Really excellent mover, with light and quick feet. Refined pass sets, getting good depth out of his sets and mirroring opponents effortlessly. Plays with good knee bend and is comfortable redirecting to address inside counters. Hand usage is excellent, showing the ability to vary approach and bait pass rushers. Tonnes of experience in a zone blocking scheme and is comfortable working out in space and climbing to the second level. Has played both tackle spots in college and started 37 consecutive games.
Cons: Size has been a problem in college and he will need to add more mass to be an effective tackle in the NFL. Anchor is not where you would like it to be and he struggles to reset when opponents get inside his frame. Lack of play strength also shows up the run game when trying to displace defenders. Can often lean into blocks to compensate, causing issues with his balance. Didn’t face much in terms of top tier competition, with only one Power Five opponent in 2021.
Projection: 4th round
