By John Sarianides

The 2017 offensive tackle class is not as good as we have seen in recent years but there is still enough talent in this group that four to five starters could emerge from the group.

1. Garrett Bolles, Utah, 6-5 297, NFL Comparison: Anthony Castanzo
-Bolles is athletic and can get to the second level and seal linebackers with ease.

-Moves well laterally and is effective on run reach blocks and scoop blocks. Moves well enough to skip pull and get up the hole.

-Sets up quickly and has a nice, smooth kick set that allows him to cut off a speed rusher’s angle.

-Has quick hands. He can set, punch and re-adjust to a counter move back inside.

-Moves well laterally as a pass blocker. Can punch, recoil and adjust. Does a good job of identifying blitzes and picking them up in B gap and C gap.

Weaknesses
-Light. Has a hard time anchoring down against bull rushers.

-Doesn’t play with strength at the point of attack in the run. Blocks high and exposes his chest.

-Narrow hips and a flat bottom. Has thin ankles which impact his power points in hips and lower half.

-Doesn’t play with great balance. Even in his pass set, he sits high. Not a natural bender.

-Older. Bolles will be 25 when the season starts.

Final Thoughts: Bolles is athletic and plays with confidence. He is the best all around offensive tackle in a weak class. He should go off the board withing the first 15 picks and start at left tackle as a rookie.

 

2. Ryan Ramczyk, Wisconsin, 6-6 310, Joe Staley
Strengths
-Mauler in the run game. Plays with a good pad level and balance when he fits into blocks. Strong hands. Gets good extension and movement.

– Plays with a nasty streak. Wants to finish blocks and plays beyond the whistle.

-Has athletic feet and can get to the second level off of a vertical double team or a scoop block.

-Moves well laterally. Has the ability to consistently punch, recoil and adjust to double moves.

-Does a good job re-setting hands and getting inside hand placement. Can cut the edge off of a speed rusher and force him back inside.

Weaknesses
-A bit heavy legged. He is athletic but can be sluggish at times.

-Short armed. Ramczyk will struggle against speed rushers with length that use a stab technique and attack his outside shoulder.

-Plays with too much forward lean as a run blocker. Needs to balance out his shoulders more and play within his base.

-Can be slow out of his stance and give up the edge quickly. Doesn’t have ideal extension in his kick step.

-Injury prone. Missed the combine because of a torn labrum in his hip. Has a lot of wear and tear on his body from all of those years of run blocking.

Final Thoughts: Ramczyk is your prototypical Wisconsin offensive lineman. He is physical, nasty and technically sound. He does have some short comings athletically but he can be a solid starting tackle whether it is on the right or left side.

 

3. Cam Robinson, Alabama, 6-6 322, NFL Comparison: Ereck Flowers
Strengths
-Physical at the point of attack in the run. Gets inside position, runs his feet and can detach a defensive tackle or end off the line.

-Effective one on one blocks. Can cover up a defender on drive blocks and moves well enough laterally to get leverage on reach blocks.

-Moves well vertically. Can get hip to hip on a vertical defender and root out the first level defender. Moves well enough along the line of scrimmage to get movement on scoop blocks.

-Balanced in his two point stance. Can kick out cleanly and is athletic enough to force a speed rusher to plant and re-direct inside.

-Has long arms and uses them to his advantage in pass pro. Can extend and lock out on a speed rusher. Holds his own versus longer, nine technique type defensive ends.

Weaknesses
-Robinson must control his weight. He has done it thus far but he has a tendency of letting himself go at times.

-Plays with too much forward lean and is not a natural bender as a run blocker.

-Doesn’t sustain blocks. Defenders slip off of him way too easily. Needs to learn to control defenders when they are in his grasp. He doesn’t have strong hands.

-Can hold up versus a bull rush he struggles to adjust to a secondary move like a rip or swim off of it.

-Needs to play with higher hands in pass set. He doesn’t have quick enough hands to engage a defender from the waist up.

Final Thoughts: Robinson was the number one tackle heading into the 2016 season but problems with the law and inconsistent play knocked off the top of this list. He needs to prove to teams that he can control his weight and play at a high level. If he does, he could be a solid pro.

 

4. Roderick Johnson, Florida State, 6-7 298, NFL Comparison: George Fant
Strengths
-Johnson is long and athletic. He has the footwork and the body posture to be an effective pass blocker against speed rushers.

-Johnson uses his long arms to his advantage both as a run blocker and as a pass blocker. Gets good extension and can control defenders one on one.

-A finisher. He plays to the whistle, especially as a run blocker. A high effort guy who maximizes his ability.

-Plays well in space and can I.D pressure and where it is coming from. Does a good job of working off of double teams both as a pass blocker and as a run blocker.

-Has the feet to compete with speed rushers. Does a good job of warding off the stab move by a defensive end and pinning him outside.

Weaknesses
-Another undersized, tight hipped tackle who doesn’t play with a great base. Especially as a run blocker.

-Johnson struggles against pass rushers who can get inside hand position and extend.

-As athletic as he is, Johnson can appear to be stiff at times in pass pro because his hands and feet aren’t working together.

-Needs to put weight on. Can easily add another 20 pounds and still play at a high level.

-Plays with poor balance. Johnson is a natural bender but because he is so slender and tight hipped, his balance is off.

Final Thoughts: Johnson has a lot of work to do. He is a project at this point of his career. The talent is there but which ever team drafts him and develops him, they could get a terrific player two years from now.

 

5. Taylor Moten, Western Michgan, 6-5 319, NFL Comparison: Derek Newton
Strengths
-Moton is a big boy. He has a wide frame and is thickly built. Looks the part without his pads on.

-Fundamentally sound. Plays like he was well coached. Doesn’t waste motion both as a run blocker and as a pass blocker.

-Moton has strong hands and does a good job of getting inside hand position. Runs his feet on contact and can finish past the whistle.

-Moves well laterally. Can pull and get up the hole on counter plays. Gets gets good push and movement on vertical double teams and scoop blocks.

-Effective short area pass blocker. Has good feet and can set and kick with ease. Does a good job of cutting speed rushers off at the point.

Weaknesses
-Can be stiff at times. Moton is definitely a left tackle but he doesn’t always play like it.

-Needs to play with higher hands. Sets them too low and exposes his chest.

-Too wide with his base, especially in pass pro. Needs to tight up his base and play with his feet under his arm pits.

-Not a great athlete. Average athleticism especially on second and third level blocks.

-Long term, he might more of a guard. It is where Moton played in 2015.

Final Thoughts: Moton is versatile in that he can play guard and tackle. He will start off as a tackle but could end moving to guard eventually. He would be a solid day two value in either the second or early third round.

 

Next Five
6. Antonio Garcia, Troy, 6-6 302, NFL Comparison: Ricky Wagner
Garcia is long, lean and athletic. gets off the ball quickly and can engage a defender and get movement. Moves well laterally and has shown the ability to pull and work down the line. Garcia is athletic enough that he can come off of a double and seal a flowing linebacker. A thinish upper body leads to him struggling against bull rushers. Doesn’t play with a lot of power despite the fact that he can bend naturally.

7.Chad Wheeler, USC, 6-7 306, NFL Comparison: Ty Sambrailo
Another long and lean tackle who moves effortlessly and can play in space. Moves well laterally and is a plus pass blocker. Has the footwork and the hand quickness to get outside on his kick set and cut off a speed rusher. Plays with good balance and footwork and does a good job of cutting off defenders on run reach and cut off blocks. Wheeler is athletic enough that he can consistently get to the second level on double teams and scoop blocks. Has an injury history. Comes out of his stance high and leans. Needs to play with more body control.

8. Adam Bisnowaty, Pitt, 6-6 304, NFL Comparison: Luke Joeckel
Bisnowaty is a good athlete who is smooth in his pass drop and can handle a speed rusher. Moves well in all four directions and has shown a consistent ability to get to the second level and seal. Has pulled in the past so he can be effective on counter plays. Shows an ability to punch, recoil and take away a counter move. Injury prone. Struggles to bend. May end up moving inside to guard.

9. Will Holden, Vanderbilt, 6-7 311, NFL Comparison: Eric Winston
Holden plays with good bend and balance. Once he engages a defender, he doesn’t let go. Has strong hands. An effective drive blocker. Holden is technically sound as a pass blocker. Is athletic enough to cut off the speed rush angle and force the re-direct. Holden is not overly athletic. Maybe better suited to play right tackle.

10. David Sharpe, Florida, 6-6 343, NFL Comparison: Marcus Gilbert
Sharpe is a mauler at the point of attack in the run game. Has big hands and once he latches on, he gets movement. Sharpe has a strong upper body and has long arms that he uses to his advantage. Moves well in all four directions and despite his size, he can be effective on pulls. Good short area pass blocker. Sharpe will struggle against speed rusher who can jump the edge. Might be better suited at guard because of his lateral movement skills.

Next Ten
11. Avery Gennesy, Texas A&M, 6-3 310
12. Erik Magnuson, Michigan, 6-5 305
13. Julie’n Davenport, Bucknell, 6-6 315
14. Conor McDermott, 6-7 310 UCLA
15. Dan Skipper, 6-8 330, Arkansas
16. Dieugot Joseph, 6-6 300, Florida International
17. J.J Dielamn, 6-5 300, Utah
18. Storm Norton, 6-7 307, Toledo
19. Jerry Ugowke, 6-7 321, William & Mary
20. Levon Myers, Northern Illinois, 6-5 310