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2015 Interior Offensive Lineman Rankings

deljzc

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Interior Offensive Lineman

1. A.J. Cann, South Carolina (6026, 313#)
Noticeably short on film but is a very good guard. Consistently finds his target at the 2nd level in run blocking and makes solid contact. Not the best in pass protection and limited physically but effort and footwork is there and mirrors well and maintains balance. His movement skills are very good. Round 2

2. Ali Marpet, Hobart & William Smith (6037, 307#)
Small school prospect that did extremely well at combine. No film to scout. His speed and change of direction for a guy his size is very, very good (4.98, 4.47, 7.33). With those raw tools it’s understandable he’s rising a lot on draft boards. Might take a while to coach him up to the NFL game, but the skills are there. Round 2-3

3. Mark Glowinski, West Virginia (6043, 307#)
Lack of pedigree but has worked his way up through Lackawanna College to WVU and into a decent pro prospect. Good athleticism and move skills. Well proportioned, not fat and good weight room work ethic. Prototypical size and length for interior work (33” arms). Still learning guard work (was a tackle in high school and D-II). Thought his tape vs. Oklahoma was decent. Round 3-4

4. Arie Kouandijo, Alabama (6046, 310#)
Similar SEC player to Jackson and is another very slow footed guard prospect. Not much ability to get to 2nd level or pull effectively. Excellent at initial pass set up and sets and uses height/reach extremely well but can’t hold blocks for long and his feet can’t keep up with better, quicker interior defenders. A team will give him a shot, but he’s not nearly as good as the program he’s from or his name recognition. Round 4

5. Josue Matias, Florida State (6054, 309#)
Similar to Kouandijo in that his ability to drive block is good and he uses his length and size very effectively in pass protection. Not a pulling/2nd level type of player but shows better footwork than workouts indicated. Might be okay in stretch/zones and isn’t afraid to cut block. Work in an NFL system helps and had to hold blocks longer than many prospects. Round 4

6. Tre’ Jackson, Florida State (6036, 330#)
Big mauling RG that does most of his damage in the box. Huge bubble/size more than strong. When he fires into people he’s tough to handle and shows some good plus attributes at short pulls and ability to turn and wall off guys. He does not do well at the 2nd level and misses a lot or loses balance. Not great in pass protection and once “set” stops moving feet and reaches in protection too much. Limited to right system. Round 4

7. Laken Tomlinson, Duke (6033, 323#)
Fires well but looks like a straight line player. Movement skills are very suspect. Never saw him pull on film. Can lose balance and get on the ground. Not sure I see why he’s so highly rated as a prospect. Round 4

8. Hroniss Grasu, Oregon (6030, 297#)
Very experienced and highly touted center for Oregon (50 starts) that finally started to show some wear and tear in 2014 (two minor injuries that needs some minor surgery). Needs to pass medical. As with many of Oregon’s lineman he’s a bit smaller and more cardio oriented that your average prospect. Not really set up to handle large NT’s and is much more a move center that pulls and gets to the 2nd level. Pass protection at Oregon is for very short amount of times and is often in a help role. I think he will struggle transitioning to an NFL offense both in size and strength. Round 4

9. Reese Dismukes, Auburn (6026, 296#)
His tape shows he can hold up vs. SEC talent and he plays tougher and anchors better than his size would indicate. Still, he’s a bit undersize and lacks great footwork and might struggle at guard. Not sure I see so much talent at center to warrant high pick investment for just a center. Round 4-5

10. B. J. Finney, Kansas State (6036, 318#)
NFL size for the center position but probably needs a bit more work in the weight room. Was not impressed with 20 reps and 32” arms for an interior player. His size allows for acceptable work at guard however and that will help stock as a potential G/C swing man. His shotgun snaps are a bit low and fast for my taste. Round 4-5

11. Jamir Douglas, Arizona State (6040, 304#)
Recruited as a TE, played LG and moved to LT as a senior. Very good weight room work ethic and built himself up in college. Decent move skills but not really elite at anything. Can look bad on some plays and good on others. Will likely never be a great pro, but his versatility and athleticism are good qualities. Round 5

12. Mitch Morse, Missouri (6053, 305#)
Very athletic/skinnier left tackle that will have to move inside due to short arms (32 ¼”). Combine was very, very good with exceptional move skills and impressive weight room ethic (36 reps). I can’t find any offensive Missouri film so question will be whether he can transition inside and probably is best suited for a move/zone system and he’ll have to embrace cut blocking a bit. I suspect he’s top-heavy and lacks natural bubble/base/bend to hold up vs. power pass protection. Might be a “tweener” that struggles to find a position despite athleticism. Maybe a nice center project? Round 5

13. John Miller, Louisville (6024, 303#)
I was expecting more move skills (pulling, getting to next level) for an undersized guard like this and didn’t see it. Not bad in the screen game and can pull but not very good at either and can miss targets in open field a lot. Pass protection is very lacking and gets knocked backwards 2 yards in his initial set often. Effort is there and doesn’t give up but he is really going to struggle against NFL caliber interior defenders. Round 7

14. Shaquille Mason, Georgia Tech (6016, 304#)
15. Andy Gallik, Boston College (6023, 306#)
16. Max Garcia, Florida
Third tier centers that could possibly be swing interior backups at the next level. Garcia has the best pedigree, program and size but his change of direction is a bit lacking. The other two are smaller and might struggle at guard but have some quicks that work well in move run games. All are in the round 5-6 range.

17. Cody Wichmann, Fresno State (6052, 319#)
Well acclaimed WAC lineman that was snubbed to the combine. Had a very impressive pro day but does not play with that type of athleticism. A bit slow out of his stance and passive. Would like to see more of a mean streak and more physicality. Round 6-7

18. Quinton Spain, West Virginia (6041, 330#)
Very big bubble and lower half. Not a combine invite. Good pro day that got him some notice. I thought the tape on Glowinski was noticeably better but saw some things in Spain that might get him drafted mostly just how big he was on tape and his raw power on man blocking. Round 7
 
this does not sound like a great draft class for linemen
 
this does not sound like a great draft class for linemen

No. I thought this is one of the worst interior lineman classed I've scouted.

That said, if you consider both Scherff and Collins as guards than maybe it's not as bad (but then the tackle class gets weaker).
 
I am in violent agreement there Del. Even if you are looking at them as potential linemen they are not great players either, good, maybe even very good. I don't see a Dawson, Flozell Adams, Gandy, M Smith, A Faneca, type player in this draft. From what I have read this is a down year for linemen in general. Do you see things any differently?:logo2:
 
Not really.

I don't see an offensive lineman player worth a top-15 pick. That's pretty rare in itself.

So then you have a bunch of late 1st/early 2nd round guys that are nice players but you can't expect multiple pro-bowls like some top-10 guys (and let's face it that's not a guarantee either).

I don't want to play down Scherff as a very good guard prospect with an outside chance of being a good tackle. He's got the nasty streak and talent do become a dominant player in this league and some scouts love him.

And I still expect 1-2 offensive lineman to come off the board before we pick (hopefully). Might be 3 if it works out great.

I ALWAYS find value in the offensive line group in round 4. I just think that's a great round to draft offensive lineman. To me that's when you can get guys that have NFL talent but might need to just see NFL speed and have a good weight room to become very good starters in the league.

I'm always thinking not where a prospect is right now, for game 1 of the season he's drafted. I am always thinking what is this player going to look like in game 1 of his 2nd year in the league. To me anything you get out of a kid year 1 in the NFL is kind of a bonus (not that you can't expect something). But I really want the pick to live up to my expectations in years 2-4.
 
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