Bob McGinn's series on OL (This is the 2nd part of a 9 part series). Part one includes WRs and TEs. I posted the TEs in the General Draft discussion thread. Didn't feel it was necessary to start a TE thread.
I broke this down into 4 posts (Tackles, Guards, Centers and the Skinny). This is based on McGinn's insider connection with scouting departments around the league.
TACKLES
1. ANDREW THOMAS, Georgia (6-5, 315, 5.17, 1): Thomas started at RT as a true freshman and at LT the past two seasons. “I thought he was the most natural and productive of all these guys,” one scout said. “He rarely gets beat. Has long arms (36 1/8 inches), and he plays with ‘em. Redirects well.” Thomas is a three-sport athlete from Lithonia, Ga. “Never have an issue with him,” another scout said. “This kid will pick up the system immediately. Cannot say enough good stuff about him. He’s a legit starter right away.” Scored 28 on the 12-minute, 50-question Wonderlic intelligence test. “Would like to see a more aggressive finish,” a third scout said. “Doesn’t move defenders with power. Considering his athleticism, he’s on the ground a little more than I expected. Will need to get stronger in his drive blocks. I have questions about his skill set.” Some scouts say his feet are more than adequate for a LT. Others disagree. “Struggles against speed,” a fourth scout said. “Some of the pass-pro deficiencies make you want to think he’s more of a right tackle. What keeps you in the boat with Andrew is that everyone at Georgia really says high things about his football makeup and character. It’s an intangible-based position. At minimum, you’ll have a really good, solid starter because he’ll do all the right things.”
2. MEKHI BECTON, Louisville (6-7 ½, 357, 5.11, 1): Started at RT as a true freshman and at LT the past two seasons. “He has the highest ceiling,” said one scout. “You shouldn’t have the initial lateral quickness at that size that this guy has. There’s some rawness there (but) he could be a perennial Pro Bowl type.” That personnel man tabbed Becton as the No. 1 lineman in the draft. So did this scout, who said, “You know what? You can’t get around him. He’s athletic enough to block DBs in space. He can bend his lower body. He has strong hands. One concern I had was he was knock-kneed. You can’t say he’s Trent Williams. He’s like Orlando Brown (6-8, 340, 5.68) of the Ravens.” Another scout compared him to former Viking LT Bryant McKinnie (6-8, 343, 5.38), the seventh pick in 2002. “But he’s tougher than McKinnie,” the scout said. “He doesn’t play hard all the time…but he takes care of business. He’s been as high as 388, as low as 350. Will fatigue a little bit. Trustworthy. A teddy bear. He’s a pretty squared-away guy.” He matured significantly as a player and learned to play through injury in 2019. “He’s not one of those overweight, lazy guys,” a third scout said. “He can move and he competes. He’s what everybody’s looking for.” He posted a Wonderlic score of 15, and his arms were 35 5/8, hands were 10 ¾. “Know why I have him fifth (on his vote)?” said a fourth scout. “Because he loves to cook and eat more than he loves frigging football…He can be a freak now. You could hit on him. You know what he is? He’s Trent Brown (6-8 ½, 353, 5.26).” Becton is from Highland Springs, Va.
3. JEDRICK WILLS, Alabama (6-4, 312, 5.06, 1): Wills, from Lexington, Ky., improved as much if not more than any player in the draft last season, according to one scout. “He’s got feet, he’s got flexibility and he competes really hard,” said another scout. “Really good with his drive block. Square pass protection. Runs and pulls with ease. Really light on his feet. Pretty good in space. His height is OK.” The third-year junior played RT only, protecting Tua Tagovailoa’s blind side. “I think he does have left-tackle feet but I don’t think he’s a left tackle,” said a third scout. “You may try to kick him to left but people don’t know how hard that is, especially when you haven’t done it.” Two-year starter. “I like Wills as a right tackle or guard because he’s tough and plays hard, but he’s not a left tackle,” another scout said. “He needed extra time there.” Scored 9 on his first attempt at the Wonderlic, which teams traditionally have regarded as the most telling score, but he scored 23 on his second try. “We interviewed him twice,” said one scout. “He wouldn’t scare you off. I would say it (the Wonderlic) is not (a big concern).” He produced the best vertical jump (34 ½) of the tackles. “I don’t get the whole excitement with him, and I’ve watched a ton of tape,” another scout said. “I don’t think he plays very athletically. He’s not a finisher. He doesn’t redirect very well. Not a strong, tough guy. He worked out well. I just don’t see the movement, finish, talent of a first-round guy.”
4. AUSTIN JACKSON, USC (6-5, 322, 5.08, 1-2): Jackson is a third-year junior with two seasons as the starter at LT. “As far as the way he looks – the frame, the long arms, the bubble, the bend – you’re, like, ‘OK, this guy’s going to be really good,’” said one scout. “But he’s a hands-outside guy, which is kind of hard to fix. With his hands going outside and bending at the waist, he had a terrible outing against (A.J.) Epenesa in the bowl game. He’s the boom-or-bust of this group. He’s either going to hit big and be a starter for a long time, or he’ll bust out and people will say, ‘He wasn’t any different than I thought.’ Very, very inconsistent.’” In July, he became a bone marrow donor for his sister Autumn. “He basically saved her life,” another scout said. “They corkscrewed into his hip, twice on the left and once on the right, to get the marrow out. When he recovered his hip flexibility was not what it used to be. He lost like 25 pounds. If you look at the early tape you go, ‘What the hell? This guy is thinking about coming out?’ He was getting beat on the edges because he couldn’t move laterally. It wasn’t until the seventh or eighth game where he was starting to feel normal. His best football is ahead of him. Awesome kid.” He posted a 25 on the Wonderlic and his broad jump of 9-7 led tackles. “He makes run and pass look easy,” another scout said. “Guy doesn’t work up a sweat. Has the feet to play left tackle. Needs a little work.” Added another executive: “One thing to think about, he missed all last offseason and now he’s going to miss this whole offseason. So the idea he’s got to get stronger … well, when? Next year?” Jackson is from Phoenix. His grandfather, Mel, started at RG for Green Bay in 1977-’78.
5. ISAIAH WILSON, Georgia (6-6 ½, 350, 5.37, 1-2): Wilson is a third-year sophomore with 24 starts at RT. “He’s just gigantic,” said one scout. “Size is his best friend. He is so big. Not top-flight foot movement but good enough for being that big. He’s strong and he’s tough. I doubt that (first round). That would shock me.” He played opposite Thomas, giving the Bulldogs possibly the nation’s heaviest line. “Like him,” another scout said. “He’s massive. He moves good. He’s got great length. I think he’s a starting right tackle and will play for a while.” Arms were 35 ½, hands were 10 ¼. “He is one tough, nasty guy,” said a third scout. “I guess you could play him on the left side and get by with him.” He posted a 28 on the Wonderlic. “He wasn’t ready to come out,” said a fourth scout. “He needed another year. He’s really susceptible to a good bull rush. For being such a big human being there’s some functional lightness to that guy. He looks like a big mountain of a man but he doesn’t play real heavy. You can take him down the middle.” Wilson is from Brooklyn, N.Y. Added a fifth scout: “He is big but he’s so bad technique. He ducks his head, he bends at the waist. But that (guy) is big. He could be a star or bust.”
6. EZRA CLEVELAND, Boise State (6-6, 311, 4.97, 1-2): Cleveland is a three-year starter at LT. “He’s a really good athlete,” said one scout. “He’ll be a solid pass protector. I think he’s steady. He tested out really well. He’ll be close to the first (round). Tackles go.” Lightly recruited out of Spanaway, Wash. “He reminds me of some of the guys Green Bay has had over the years,” said a second scout. “(Bryan) Bulaga, (David) Bakhtiari, guys that kind of are just functional and get the job done. They’re not spectacular, just steady … if Cleveland didn’t have to interview people would really like him. But his interview was so low energy and just kind of flat line that it kind of just scared people. He’s so Steady Eddie. It’s not that he’s a bad guy at all. Cleveland … he’s Boise, he’s a junior, he’s got to get stronger. But he is athletic.” He played most of 2019 with turf toe injury. Led tackles in five categories: the 40, Wonderlic (30), bench press (30), short shuttle (4.46) and 3-cone (7.26). Arms were just 33 3/8, hands were a tiny 9. “Everybody’s high on him,” said another scout. “Why am I not that high on him? There’s a degree of tightness in his hips. Has balance issues. I question his lower-body strength. Not going to beat point-of-attack defenders. Finesse guy that uses his size. Size defenders knock him around. I question his lateral adjust. But guys like him.
7. JOSH JONES, Houston (6-5, 319, 5.28, 2): Spent five years with the Cougars, starting at LT from 2016-’19. “He almost left Houston as a grad transfer,” one scout said. “He was fed up with all the coaching changes and no continuity or stability. He stayed one more year and it paid off for him. He’s a basketball-background guy. This was his real year of production and got on the radar of people. He’s athletic. Sort of technique-flawed. It’ll take him a little time to get it all buttoned up. He’s a serviceable, functional NFL tackle. You can get by with him, I think.” He posted a Wonderlic score of 14 and his arms were 33 7/8, hands were 10 1/8. “Understands how to use his hands in pass pro,” said a second scout. “Struggles to move guys at the point of attack. Inconsistent.” Didn’t start playing football until his sophomore year of high school in Richmond, Texas. “He’s not a kid you want to sign off on completely,” a third scout said. “He definitely showed flashes of talent. He’s a little bit inconsistent. Pass pro’s his thing. His run blocking is a little iffy.”
8. MATT PEART, Connecticut (6-6 ½, 318, 4.10, 2-3): He should be a starter in his second season, according to one scout. “He really surprised me,” said one scout. “I haven’t watched them (Connecticut) in years. They may be the worst program in the country. But he has great feet. He’s a natural left tackle. No punch as a run blocker. Better tenacity than strength. Heck of a pass blocker.” Born in Jamaica, Peart emigrated to the U.S. in 2002. “There’s good and bad with him,” a second scout said. “Probably the longest guy (36 5/8 arms) in the draft. He’s got a big basketball player’s build. But he doesn’t have any strength. He’s not a throwaway. If somebody gets him in a good strength program … He’s got interests outside of football, which isn’t typical for an offensive lineman. He’s not a bad kid; you just want to make sure he’s committed. He has developmental starter ability.” He started at RT in 2016-’17 and at LT in 2018-’19. “Name me an offensive lineman for UConn in the last 25 years,” said a third scout. “Just name one.” Peart posted a Wonderlic of 20.
9. PRINCE TEGA WANOGHO, Auburn (6-5, 305, no 40, 2-3): Their calling card is the ability to negate the up-field rush, according to one scout, but struggles mightily against counter moves inside. “He’ll be a second-round pick,” another scout said. “He’s close to the first. He’s real quick. He’s got short arms (33 ½), which is concerning. Good agility, good movement, good effort.”He came to the U.S. from Nigeria in August 2014 to play basketball in Montgomery, Ala. “He doesn’t know that much about football,” said another scout. “He’s going to (need) some reps. He’s not ready to play right now. He’s not going to be an instant asset to you, but he will become a starter. I’d take a chance on him in the second round.” Teams expressed concern about an injury history that includes a tibia-fibula fracture in 2015 and arthroscopic knee surgery in January. Spent five years at Auburn, starting 32 games at LT. “Doesn’t play with urgency,” said another scout. “Constantly late out of his stance. Has issues at the second level. He’s got a little work to do.”
10. LUCAS NIANG, TCU (6-6, 315, no 40, 4): Niang made 27 starts at RT over the past three seasons. “He’s a big, talented guy, but he’s inconsistent,” one scout said. “You would like a guy as big as him to be a little more dominant. I don’t want to go so far as to say he’s not tough, but he’s not as tough as he should be for as big as he is. That plays into who the kid is. He comes from money. He doesn’t have to have football. Some of these guys are living for it. I don’t know if that’s the case with him. He does have starter talent.” Regarded as a distinct medical concern for several teams because of a labrum tear in his hip that required surgery in October. “He’s a strong, very physical right tackle,” another scout said. “He’s an adequate pass blocker but doesn’t have the feet to play left tackle. He’s the type of guy that plays.” From New Canaan, Conn, he’s lived in Switzerland and is fluent in French.
OTHERS, in order: Saahdiq Charles, LSU; Jack Driscoll, Auburn; Yasir Durant, Missouri; Charlie Heck, North Carolina; Alex Taylor, South Carolina State; Colton McKivitz, West Virginia; Trey Adams, Washington; Tyre Phillips, Mississippi State; Terence Steele, Texas Tech; Blake Brandel, Oregon State; Anthony McKinney, TCU; Drew Richmond, USC.