Scouting Notebook: Recapping the Draft from an O-line Perspective

Now that the draft is in the books, I wanted to take a step back and break it down from both a wide and tight angle view. First, I will give a broad overview then get into how my personal board of 58 graded offensive linemen compared to the draft results in terms of grade and draft slot. Next, I will list out my top individual values/reaches, favorite team drafts for the O-line and finish by identifying some day three picks that have the best chance of earning a starting job this season.

Quick overview

• 49 total O-linemen were drafted compared to 46 in 2021.

  • 20 total OL went in rounds 1-3

    • This is three less than last year’s class, which had 23 OL go in the first three rounds (most since at least 2011).

    • 18 is the average number of OL drafted in rounds 1-3 over the last five drafts, so this year’s class was slightly above average.

  • Nine OL went in round 1, the most since the 2013 draft.

  • Three OL went in round 2, seven less than last year’s class.

  • Eight OL went in round 3, same as last year and slightly above the five year average of 6.8.

    • This tells me that the NFL saw this class as having more immediate starters than last year, but nowhere near as many ‘potential’ starters on day two.

• All 25 of the OL from the Senior Bowl and eight OL from the Shrine Bowl were drafted.

• 11 OL were drafted from both the SEC and Big Ten, the most of all conferences. The ACC produced the third most with seven.

• Seven FCS OL were drafted, including Cole Strange from UT Chattanooga in the first round.

This data will become more interesting once we’re able to compare and contrast it over time as I track more information in future drafts. I haven’t solidified anything yet, but over the summer I do want to dig more into draft history along the OL from year’s past in hopes of having something more thorough to share with you all.

How my board compared to the draft

Here is the link to my full O-line draft board ordered “OL1-OL58” with their corresponding round grade alongside of the order and round they were drafted. I was significantly higher on several linemen in this class and thought a bunch of teams got tremendous value in the later rounds. I will be very interested to see which of them will stick and how their careers play out. Many of them are listed below.

10 biggest values

1. Cardinals LG Marquis Hayes - Round 7/48th OL drafted

   • Hayes was my tenth overall OL with an early third round grade and the player I differed most on from the consensus heading into the draft. I expected him to go lower than my ranking, but the seventh round caught me by surprise. The Cardinals have Justin Pugh and Will Hernandez penciled in as the starters entering camp, but expect Hayes to earn a backup role and see the field if an injury occurs. Hayes is a tone-setting presence with excellent length who knows how to balance his aggressiveness with poise when needed.

2. Chargers G Jamaree Sayler - Round 6/34th OL drafted

   • Salyer was my 11th overall OL with a third round grade and he slid all the way to the sixth round. I heard that a significant reason for his fall was due to medical concerns, but the Chargers got excellent value that late in the draft. Salyer is best suited inside at guard in the NFL long-term, but has an opening to compete for a job at right tackle due to the lack of a quality starter on the roster in Los Angeles.

3. Colts OL Bernhard Raimann - Round 3/17th OL drafted

   • My sixth overall OL went in the third round to the Colts and will compete with Matt Pryor for the starting left tackle job. Raimann should have a very good chance of winning that competition.

4. Packers OL Rasheed Walker - Round 7/47th OL drafted

   • Walker was my 16th overall OL in the draft with a third round grade. There were clearly technical deficiencies in Walker’s game on film, but his play strength, power and physicality were evident and are an enticing blend of traits to build off of. Part of Walker’s drop was likely due to some maturity and potential football character concerns, but he is going to a perfect spot in Green Bay, one of the best franchises in the NFL at developing talent along the OL. Expect Walker to compete for a backup role at tackle or guard.

5. Cardinals IOL Lecitus Smith - Round 6/41st OL drafted

   • Smith was my 17th overall OL with a third round grade due to his above average grip strength, leg drive and finishing ability in the run game. With shades of Titans RG Nate Davis in his game, I expect Smith to compete for a backup role early in Arizona across the interior with upside to start in the future.

6. Ravens T Daniel Faalele - Round 4/21st OL drafted

   • Faalele was my 9th overall OL with a late second round grade. Baltimore used one of their half dozen fourth round picks in this draft to select a mammoth tackle who is a refined, well-versed run-blocker. Faalele must keep his weight down and improve his tendency to overset rushers on drop back passes to stay on the field, but if he can learn to more consistently stay inside-out on defenders to force them to go around his enormous frame, he can become a long-term functional starter. The Ravens develop players at a high rate and had similar success with another poor testing, gigantic tackle prospect in Orlando Brown Jr. when he came out of Oklahoma in 2018. Baltimore likely envisioned a similar dynamic with Faalele and used a modest asset to try it again.

7. 49ers C Dohnovan West - Undrafted

   • West was my 23rd ranked OL in the draft with a fourth round grade. The 49ers’ current starting center Alex Mack turns 37-years old in November and is in the twilight of his career. West provides the team with an athletic center prospect with guard experience who understands how to manipulate leverage and sustain blocks at a high-level. Think Kendrick Green coming out of Illinois last year but with longer arms. West was my top-rated undrafted player and his best chance of sticking long-term is in Shanahan’s zone-based run scheme.

8. Dolphins OL Kellen Diesch - Undrafted

   • Diesch was my 26th ranked OL with a fourth round grade. He wins with athletic ability, body control and quickness. Diesch does a nice job locating targets on the move as a run-blocker, latching inside of defenders with solid grip strength and staying on his feet through contact. He has extremely short arms for a tackle and is one of the oldest OL prospects in the class, but has the skills to earn a role as a backup somewhere on the Miami line.

9. Bengals IOL Ben Brown - Undrafted

   • Brown was my 37th ranked OL with a sixth round grade. The Bengals will likely have a heated competition for their left guard spot and center to a lesser extent. Brown plays with a wide, strong base, solid quickness and utilizes excellent length to press and keep defenders at his fingertips. He also brings guard/center versatility. I expect him to be a dark horse to make the roster and worst case stick around on the practice squad until another opportunity arises.

10. Panthers OL Cade Mays - Round 6/35th OL drafted

    • Mays was my 27th overall OL with a fourth round grade. With snaps at all five positions and starts at both tackle and guard spots, Mays plays with a tone-setting demeanor and has strong, skilled hands to keep defenders guessing with the power to create torque and open lanes in the run game. I expect him to entrench himself as a quality backup on this unit with a solid shot at earning a starting job within his first contract.