Under the Microscope - Draft Edition: "My guys" in the 2021 Offensive Line Class

After studying and grading about 60 offensive-line prospects over the last four months for Bleacher Report, I have settled on 10 names that I’m calling “My guys” in the 2021 draft.

Reducing this list was NOT an easy process. I can make a strong case for more than a dozen players at different points throughout each of the seven rounds and undrafted period, but I tried to provide a detailed snapshot of a wide range of guys I feel have the best shot at developing into starters from this class.

Film Grade: Round 1

Alabama C/G Landon Dickerson
Height - 6’6”
Weight - 326
Arm - 33 1/4
22-years old until September
No workout

On March 2nd, our initial top 100 big board at Bleacher Report dropped and some people were taken aback when they saw that I had Dickerson with my second highest grade in the OL class —a high-end immediate impact starter grade. I wasn’t expecting it to be that surprising, considering how dominant his film was at Bama. Dickerson routinely imposed his will against the best competition in the country and has elite size, play strength, power and competitive toughness at both center and guard. That alone would be enough for a round-one grade, but it was Dickerson’s mental processing that really solidified my grade and cemented his status as my first ‘draft crush’ of this class.

After doing a film room on Dickerson and sitting down with him to talk through 35 plays from his 2020 season, it became clear that this was a savvy player who understands the nuances of the position and could make snap decisions pre- and post-snap to cover blindspots in a given play.

The point has already been hammered home by others during the process, but Dickerson’s injury history with multiple ACL tears and serious ankle injuries ending four of his five seasons early is a major concern. That said, he has played more football over the last two years than some may realize, starting 24 of 25 possible games during that time (20 at center, four at right guard).

Tapes watched: 2020 - Missouri, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Tennessee, Georgia, LSU. 2019 - LSU, Auburn
Games started: 27; 20 C/11 RG/4 LG/1 LT/1 RT
Best fit: Steelers, Chiefs, Ravens, Dolphins, Giants
Biggest knock: Injuries
One-liner: Elite play strength with cinderblocks for hands paired with a junkyard dog mentality