OFFENSIVE LINE

Grey Zabel   C/G/OT   North Dakota St

Grey reminds me a lot of former Eagles Center Jason Kelce. Grey is bigger at 6’5” 316 lbs compared to Jason who is 6’2” 280 lbs. The big difference is that Grey can play all five positions on the offensive line compared to Jason who was a center/guard and obviously, undersized. Those of you who have followed me over the years know that I consider the skill positions on offense to be QB, LT, and Center and not QB, RB, and WR. Grey can play two of my skilled positions at the next level, at a high level and that is unique. He proved it at the Senior Bowl so this is not an opinion, it is a fact. As a left tackle, he might not have the arm-length teams look for to play that position but he has such quick feet and lateral agility that he more than compensates. When he plays left tackle, Grey can mirror his opponent’s movements as if he were John Travolta using those smooth dancing moves in the movie “Michael” so, he doesn’t need long arms. He explodes out of his stance getting to the second level with the suddenness and quickness of a sidewinder rattlesnake, and he doesn't miss his blocks.  Some teams will not be as high on him as I am because he played in the FCS, but that is a smoke screen because he proved in one-on- one’s at the Senior Bowl practices, that he could have easily played in the SEC. I believe Grey has top-ten talent but that's just me. If I needed a Left Tackle or a Center, I would think selecting the top offensive lineman in this draft might be a smart move but once again...that’s just me. Teams drafting every year early are screaming for help on their offensive lines and most years those teams pass on selecting the top offensive line players in the top five of a draft. Well, Grey is a player who can legitimately play all five positions on the offensive line, let’s see where he gets selected.  Talent Grade: 1.43

Will Campbell   OT   LSU           

Will reminds me of former Bengals/Rams OT Andrew Whitworth. He is extremely smart, understanding angles when pass blocking, leverage when run blocking, and in working with his linemates on stunts.  For a big person he moves his feet well with solid lateral agility but his intelligence is what allows him to play on the outside as a tackle.  Will does a solid job moving to the second level and sealing the end on sweeps and screens but I would not use him much as a pulling tackle or expect him to be consistent in getting out in space and down the field blocking. He is a pure tackle and most likely could play on either side because of his high football IQ. In Drew’s rules, I have always told you that if you don’t have an excellent QB, LT, and center…you will not have a successful offense.  Those are the skilled positions as far as I’m concerned and teams looking for impact players at those three positions will be selecting them early in a draft. I suspect, most teams will believe that Will is one of those early selecting players. Will is not the most athletic player or lineman and he stands as tall as the Empire State Building on the field and that might turn some teams off him.  That being said, he knows how to play the position, and plays it at a high level and that’s really all that matters.

Talent Grade: 1.50  

Armand Membou   OT/OG   Missouri  

Armand is an efficient, smart, and the most consistent technique-wise offensive lineman in this draft. His body type and lower body strength scream out for him to be a natural guard but his techniques and quick feet allow him to play tackle at a very high level. Armand has the quick twitch lateral agility to mirror bigger Defensive Linemen and his ability to reset quickly, anchor, or when needed, flip his hips to drive his opponent up the field, is the best I have seen since former Cowboys guard Zack Martin. Armand has short arms and this will be an issue for some teams if they are looking for an Offensive Tackle.  Nevertheless, because of his athleticism and quick twitch-reset agility, Armand should be able to play Tackle in some offensive systems. The reason he can play Tackle is that he has the athletic talent to play out in space, is smart, and is consistent in using the techniques needed to minimize an opponent who has long arms. In this draft looking for pure Offensive Tackles with long arms seems to be missing but I think finding Offensive linemen with plug-and-play abilities at Guard or Tackle and the athletic talent to play in space, just might change some team’s minds. By the way, Armand is an excellent run blocker and as far as going to the second level or picking up stunts, and working in sync with his linemates...he does all those things at a Pro Bowl level as a tackle. Think about it.   Talent Grade: 1.64  

Josh Simmons   OL   Ohio St  

Josh reminds me a lot of the Bills' LT Dion Dawkins. He is very athletic, with quick feet that allow him to minimize his lack of arm length that most scouts and offensive line coaches look for to play the offensive tackle position. Josh is an excellent run blocker using his size quickness and strength to dominate and finish his blocks. When pass-blocking at Left Tackle, he can be surprised by other players' quickness and will get beat, much like Dion when he came out in his draft. Josh needs to gain more confidence when pass-blocking. Josh could be a plug-and-play left guard the day after you select him.  He also could develop into a Pro Bowl Left Tackle given the repetitions and coaching, on how to use his size and quick feet to his advantage just like Dion has after he was selected in the 2^nd round of his draft. Deciding if Josh will be a guard or Tackle by teams will affect Josh’s draft status.  If a team believes he can play tackle he most likely will be selected early. If teams only see him as a guard, then later because Josh is also coming off an injury. I see him as a Left Tackle, just give him some time to gain more confidence and coach him to use his quickness and short arms to his advantage when pass blocking, and he will be excellent. My theory about pass blocking...arm length isn’t everything, moving you dam feet is.   Talent Grade: 1.75  

Josh Conerly Jr.   OT/OG   Oregon  

Josh is the type of offensive lineman who is as solid as they come. He has the athletic talent and quick feet to play Tackle or Guard. Right now, Josh might be considered as a tweener because he lacks the strength to be a guard and lacks the lateral quickness to be a tackle. That being said, he could play both positions because the talent to get quicker is obvious, and the ability to add strength should not be an issue. You can see the ability to be an excellent offensive tackle in the Penn St game when Josh went up against the consensus top-ten edge rusher in this draft. In that game, you can see how much quicker Josh is compared to some other games. He is not lazy, but he does seem to play up to the challenge and talent across the line against him. I guess what I’m trying to communicate when I watch film of Josh is that he lacks consistent aggressiveness from game to game. Because of his athletic talent, the game comes easy to him unless he is challenged. Josh has played a lot of snaps at Left Tackle, and I feel there are plenty of reasons to think that Josh will be one of the top Left Tackles in the NFL for the team that selects him.  Nevertheless, he will need to get stronger, handle the bull rush better, and be consistently quick on every snap of the ball. I have no doubt he will do just that.  

Talent grade 1.97   

Aireontae Ersery   OL   Minnesota  

Aireontae is big and strong and has enough “athleticism” to play Offensive tackle but I’m not convinced he’s athletic enough. His workout numbers are fine but when you put on the film you see him off-balance when pass protecting at the snap of the ball. His athleticism allows him to be competitive at the college level but I think moving him inside to guard is in his near future for the next level. Nevertheless, I do see him developing into a pretty good Right Tackle making Aireontae more valuable and in this draft, weak at the tackle position, being selected earlier than I have him rated in this draft. He does a good job going to the second level and is a good run blocker overall.  If Aireontae can stop bending at the waist and unlock his hips when pass blocking, he has the foot agility to mirror and become a much better pass blocker. If he loses some weight, he will improve his balance off the snap and his natural foot agility will come more into play. When this happens, he will open the door to being able to play either tackle position. Otherwise, if he stays at his weight, he most likely will be moved inside to a guard position. Of course, this is just my opinion and I’m not an offensive line coach so take this for what it is. Aireontae has a future as a starting offensive lineman for sure, it’s just a matter of what position will be best for him, and the team that selects him. If teams see him as an Offensive Tackle he will be selected early.

Talent Grade: 2.39   

Tyler Booker   OL   Alabama  

Tyler is a guard and a guard he shall be. He has the size, bulk, and strength that teams look for in a run-blocking nightmare guard, against those big, strong Defensive Lines. Tyler has excellent pad level and leverage coming off the snap when running-blocking. He works well with his teammates and does a solid job going out to the second level to make blocks. Tyler is a good pulling guard despite his lack of foot speed. When Tyler stays on balance, he is a very good pass-blocker. That being said, off the snap, he sometimes is on heels, loses his balance, and confidence, and panics, forgetting to trust his techniques to recover. Tyler has the talent to be an excellent pass-blocking guard, given the time to gain more confidence and trust. There is much to like about Tyler’s overall game and I believe becoming a Pro Bowl guard, is very much in his future.   Talent Grade 2.53

Kelvin Banks   OT/OG   Texas           

Kelvin has the athletic talent to play more than one position on the offensive line. He shows on film the ability to mirror his opponent when pass blocking.  He has the ability to be used as a pulling guard and does a good job going to the second level to make his blocks. Kelvin can be used on sweeps and screens because of the athleticism and lateral agility he shows when pass blocking. The problems Kelvin has is a lack of consistency, passion, and overall strength, and those three issues are the worst issues for an offensive lineman to have. Sometimes he has lazy feet, and sometimes he gets overpowered. Sometimes he doesn’t fire out when run blocking and will let defenders slip off blocks and doesn’t make enough of an effort to reengage. That being said, he has Pro Bowl talent and if gets stronger and in NFL shape, I think the passion and the aggression to become an outstanding offensive guard or tackle will be discovered. I like him as a guard until he can improve and show that he can be trusted to give the same effort in every down and distance situation. There is no real reason why in the future he can’t play tackle and that’s why he most likely will be selected earlier than I have him graded. But if I’m right about his lack of consistency, then Kelvin won’t be a 1st round pick. 

Talent Grade: 3.89