Part 1 of the Top 50 trench players entering 2022 (26-50)

Featuring audio insights from the people that know them best

Last year was the first full off-season I had this newsletter, and I combined the offensive and defensive line into a top 50 overall list broken down into tiers leading up to the regular season. This helped me take inventory of trench play entering the year, helped build out who to study each week and separated linemen into buckets that crystallize where certain guys fall in the pecking order relative to their peers.

Since I already wrote deep dives into the individual players in my top 15 offensive line at each position (top 75) along with my top 25 edge-rushers and top 15 interior defensive linemen (top 40) entering the 2022 NFL season, I wanted to present this in a different way.

In an attempt to avoid being repetitive in my analysis, I either borrowed a few lines from the aforementioned articles or wrote a new one-liner for each player.

In addition to this basic framework, I will utilize a new audio feature that Substack recently unveiled that allows me to embed audio clips into certain areas of an article. I interviewed over 30 (14 for this portion) teammates, opponents, coaches, writers and more asking them to provide insight into specific guys on this list to help enrich and explain each player’s journey, what makes them special and their overall impact.

Tier 1 - Unique

Tier 2 - Elite

Tier 3 - Very good/trending up

Tier 4 - Very good/trending down

*Age* = Week 1 of the 2021 season

Tier 3 - Very good/Trending up

Many of these players have elite elements to their games and are either very good now and likely to remain in this tier (ex: Joel Bitonio, Laremy Tunsil, Arik Armstead, etc.) or very good now and likely to ascend into the elite tier in 2022 (ex: Creed Humphrey, Maxx Crosby, etc.).

26. Laremy Tunsil - LT - Texans - Year 7 - 28-years old

Tunsil is a top 5-7 left tackle with high-end movement skills, the ability to play with patience and remain square in his pass sets and length to allow him to thrive on an island against premier edge-rushers while also being a plus run-blocker.

NFL.com draft analyst Lance Zierlein on the specific area of Tunsil’s game that makes him one of the best blindside protectors in the NFL

27. Von Miller - Edge - Bills - Year 12 - 33-years old

Miller finished the 2021 season with just 50 pressures, which tied for 23rd with Jadeveon Clowney, but on third and fourth downs he ranked 12th in pressures with 24 (two behind Nick Bosa and Micah Parsons). Miller was a terror in the playoffs, finishing with 22 pressures and four sacks in four games.

While Miller has taken a slight step down from his peak, he is still an elite performer in high-leverage situations, a plus run-defender and can end games from either side of the line of scrimmage.

Defensive line master trainer and former All-Pro NFL defensive end Chuck Smith on working with Miller and sharing unique insights on what makes him a future Hall of Famer

28. Joel Bitonio - LG - Browns - Year 9 - 30-years old

Bitonio has had an incredible run over the last five seasons without a single missed start or snap, plus four Pro Bowl and All-Pro selections (three Second-Team, one First-Team). Bitonio has gradually morphed into one of the game’s top technicians at the position with a game founded on high-level athletic ability. The result is a very good pass-protector and run-blocker with the ability to fill in at left tackle in a pinch

Future Hall of Fame LT Joe Thomas on what his former teammate does so well as a player

29. Danielle Hunter - Edge - Vikings - Year 8 - 27-years old

When healthy, Hunter belongs in the ‘elite’ conversation thanks to his special blend of athletic ability, length and incredible explosiveness. After Chandler Jones, Hunter is the next most unorthodox edge-rusher in the NFL. With similar length as Jones, Hunter wins with moves that are unique to him as a player.

30. Arik Armstead - DL - 49ers - Year 8 - 28-years old

Gradual improvements each year in the NFL combined with the hiring of legendary line coach Kris Kocurek have unlocked Armstead’s game and made him one of the most well-rounded defensive lineman in the NFL.

Football Outsiders and Bleacher Report analyst Derrick Klassen giving an overview on Armstead’s developmental journey and skill-set

31. Maxx Crosby - Edge - Raiders - Year 4 - 25-years old

Crosby is a very good edge-rusher who is exceptionally athletic, shifty and has a keen understanding of how to set blockers up to win inside or out with an increasingly expansive collection of moves.

Defensive line and pass-rush coach and trainer Aaron Day on being around Crosby at Von Miller’s pass-rush summit and what he admires about his game

32. Rashan Gary - Edge - Packers - Year 4 - 24-years old

Gary is a freakish athlete and potent power-rusher coming off his first full season as a starter in 2021. Gary primarily wins from a wide-9 alignment with a quick first step to stress the range of tackles on an island. This can lead to the occasional win around the corner but oftentimes is used to set up his assortment of power moves (forklift, long-arm, hump). If Gary can continue to refine these moves while adding a little more speed to offset them, he has the tools to creep into the elite tier this season.

33. Joe Thuney - LG - Chiefs - Year 7 - 29-years old

Thuney broke his hand in Week 5 this past season but went out the next week against Commanders Pro Bowl DT Jonathan Allen and played as good of a game as any guard ever has against him. Thuney also slid out to left tackle for a game last season, played center the year before and has taken snaps at right tackle in the past. Some guys seemingly have an inherent understanding of how to utilize leverage to their advantage to get defenders blocked, and Thuney is one of them.

34. Elgton Jenkins - OL - Packers - Year 4 - 26-years old

The term “positional versatility” gets thrown around far too often with linemen, but Jenkins is the ideal example of what that really means. At just 26-years old, Jenkins has started at four of the five positions on the line.

Executive Director of the Reese’s Senior Bowl and former NFL scout Jim Nagy on scouting Jenkins and what made him a unique prospect coming out of Mississippi State

35. Creed Humphrey - C - Chiefs - Year 2 - 23-years old

Humphrey put together a phenomenal rookie season where his skill-set rooted in efficiency, play strength and power at Oklahoma made a seamless transition to the pro game. Humphrey’s stoutness in the middle of the Chiefs line has been a boon for QB Patrick Mahomes, and there really isn’t a significant weakness in his game.

Oklahoma offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh on Humphrey's career at Oklahoma and the traits that makes him great