by 2024 NFL Draft coverage is sponsored by Every Step Seniors (www.everystepseniors.com), Lou Grasso Accounting & Tax Services (www.LouGrassoTax.com), Lally’s Handyman Service (www.facebook.com/repair.replace.remodel), Gotcha Covered Avon (www.gotchacovered.com/avon), Mickey Mart (www.mickeythemoose.com) and JBL Roofing & Construction (www.jblrc.com).
Scroll to the end for the top 3 video link
- McKade Mettauer – Oklahoma
Mettauer will be able to serve as either left guard or right guard depth in the NFL. He has plenty of mobility laterally and good balance which may allow him to play some right tackle if needed. Mettauer does okay with gripping and latching, squares up to defenders and anchors and can absorb contact in pass protection. He has plenty of knee bend but is not very fast out in space. Mettauer is not a super strong lineman and can be a bit hesitant with his movements. In pass pro, he likes to push people past the pocket and is not a great run blocker.
Player Comparison: Dieter Eiselen / Greg Van Roten
Projection: UDFA
Best Fits: Seattle, Miami, Dallas (Wild Card – New York Giants)
- Dylan McMahon – NC State
McMahon is a center with enough versatility to play guard. He has a square frame, plays strong and is actually fairly coordinated when moving to the second level. McMahon is fairly aware and latches well when making contact with a defender. He actually has long arms, combined with excellent hand placement and good balance. McMahon lacks stamina and doesn’t finish off blocks at the next level. He can best be characterized as a finesse blocker with a lighter frame and lack of raw power.
Player Comparison: Brian Allen / Drew Dalman
Projection: 6th Round – UDFA
Best Fits: Carolina, Buffalo, Detroit (Wild Card – Las Vegas)
- Aki Ogunbiyi – Texas A&M
Ogunbiyi is a left guard with the ability to quickly recognize where pressure is coming from and react. He does well at sealing off the backside of a play and his football smarts make him a great combo blocker. Ogunbiyi has enough quickness to get out in front of ballcarriers and is rather talented in pass protection. He works with his teammates well but is sloppy when going 1v1. Ogunbiyi is not a violent lineman and his balance is a bit poor. He is a heavy-footed player and tends to bend at the waste rather than moving his feet.
Player Comparison: Ryan Bates / Jamaree Salyer
Projection: UDFA
Best Fits: Dallas, Los Angeles Rams, New York Giants (Wild Card – Washington)
- Hunter Nourzad – Penn State
Nourzad is a versatile center with the ability to fill-in at guard or even tackle. He is rangy and wastes very little motion. Nourzad is understanding as a run blocker, which makes him effective especially as a puller. He is blessed with gifted size, arm length and his heavy hands pack a strong punch. Nourzad needs to improve at keeping his feet moving in pass protection and he does lack true speed in space. When panicked, he does tend to get overly grabby.
Player Comparison: Brock Hoffman / Corey Luciano
Projection: 5th – 7th Round
Best Fits: Philadelphia, Los Angeles Chargers, Buffalo (Wild Card – Tampa Bay)
- Kingsley Eguakun – Florida
Eguakun is a center with nastiness in the run game and strength as a hand fighter. He always plays through the whistle and gets to the second level and finishes. Eguakun takes pride in the run game and that is evident in the way he battles. He is a coordinated lineman with quickness, light feet and no issues with lateral movement. Eguakun can be impatient, often lunging and sometimes leaves the inside of the line too soon. He does need a little technique work and struggles with bull rushes because of a lack of size.
Player Comparison: Jake Brendel / Anderson Hardy
Projection: 6th Round – UDFA
Best Fits: Seattle, Arizona, Chicago (Wild Card – Miami)
- Delmar Glaze – Maryland
Glaze has left and right tackle experience in college but may actually be best when reducing inside to center. He has a rather large frame with plenty of agility for his size. Glaze is coordinated and can consistently get to the second level. He thrives on physicality, gets natural leverage, has plenty of upper body strength and can anchor against the bull rush. Glaze does lack lateral agility which limits his ability on the outside. Sometimes he can be slow to react to twists and stunts as well as lacking a mean streak in his demeanor.
Player Comparison: Steve Avila / Bradley Bozeman
Projection: 4th – 6th Round
Best Fits: San Francisco, Dallas, Las Vegas (Wild Card – Pittsburgh)
- Andrew Raym – Oklahoma
Raym is another center in this class with a very good feel for combo blocks. He is light on his feet, flashes killer instincts and can move big defensive linemen with a strong leg drive. Raym can seal off the backside on reach blocks and he is a natural competitor. He does tend to push blitzers past the pocket rather than anchor due to being a bit of a raw pass protector. In the ground game, Raym does not climb to the second level consistently.
Player Comparison: Alex Forsyth / Mike McAllister
Projection: 5th – 7th Round
Best Fits: Washington, Dallas, Arizona (Wild Card – Miami)
- Tanor Bortolini – Wisconsin
Bortolini can either play center or guard. He displays good hand placement, has above average awareness and optimal balance. Bortolini seals off gaps and reacts fast with adequate lateral movement as well. He has solid run game traits and also shows off some patience in pass protection. Bortolini is a natural knee bender which adds to his technical abilities. He does not have violent hands and can sometimes struggle to stay engaged. Bortolini will likely never be deemed a mauler.
Player Comparison: Cam Jurgens / Mason Cole
Projection: 5th – 7th Round
Best Fits: Pittsburgh, Dallas, Los Angeles Chargers (Wild Card – Green Bay)
- Matthew Jones – Ohio State
Jones was a right guard at Ohio State and would likely still fit best at that spot in the NFL. He does have the ability to align at left guard or even center in a heavy pass pro set. Jones possesses good patience tendencies, gets natural leverage and navigates well in tight spaces. He is a mauler in the run game because he gets his feet moving quickly and continues to drive. Jones doesn’t know the word “quit”. He is limited at getting to the second level effectively and doesn’t clear a ton of space in the run game. Jones needs to learn how to readjust against counters and his measurables are not super impressive.
Player Comparison: Jonah Jackson / Nate Davis
Projection: 6th Round – UDFA
Best Fits: Los Angeles Rams, Los Angeles Chargers, New York Giants (Wild Card – Arizona)
- Trevor Keegan – Michigan
Keegan is a natural left guard with plenty of size, length and strength. He comes from a run heavy system where he showcased his effective run blocking techniques. Keegan is good about keeping his feet sliding and being aware against twist and stunts. He is not only intelligent but has a nasty demeanor as well. Keegan displays good balance in pass protection but does tend to reach on blocks. He has limited range, preventing him from getting to the second level and he does tend to struggle when matchup up against quickness.
Player Comparison: Michael Dunn / Will Tries
Projection: 4th – 6th Round
Best Fits: Tampa Bay, Dallas, Jacksonville (Wild Card – Baltimore)
- Layden Robinson – Texas A&M
Robinson is a right guard with light, quick feet and plenty of balance and natural leverage. When latching as a blocker, he has a strong grip and plays to the whistle. Robinson is fairly patient in pass protection and sets himself with a wide base. He is usually effective as a puller and happens to do well in space. Robinson may be a bit of a work in progress due to the need for consistency, his slowness at the time of the snap and his hesitancy. There may be some growing pains for Robinson, especially against elite talent.
Player Comparison: Dylan Parham / Damien Lewis
Projection: 3rd – 5th Round
Best Fits: Chicago, Washington, Carolina (Wild Card – Arizona)
- Sincere Haynesworth – Tulane
Haynesworth is a center with good burst, speed and athleticism and an understanding of angles and leverage. He is disciplined and intelligent yet plays with tenacity. Haynesworth flashes some good strength combined with his excellent athleticism, allowing him to move around the line if necessary. He is undersized in the run game and when he plays too high, he can be driven back. Haynesworth has the tendency to gather before lunging on cut blocks which will make him miss. He is a fringe starter despite likely going late Saturday or slipping through the entire draft.
Player Comparison: Darryl Williams / Cameron Tom
Projection: 7th Round – UDFA
Best Fits: Seattle, Tampa Bay, Dallas (Wild Card – Tennessee)
- Drake Nugent – Michigan
Nugent is a center with the ability to sustain blocks through the whistle. Not only is he good in tight space, but he is also rather effective in the screen game. Nugent can land blocks on the move due to his high IQ and being fundamentally sound. He has plenty of quickness as a puller, but he is not consistent at moving men. Nugent possesses a smaller frame with short arms, making his range slightly more limited. In pass protection, Nugent will get pushed back some.
Player Comparison: Olu Oluwatimi / Jason Kelce
Projection: 5th – 7th Round
Best Fits: Philadelphia, Washington, Los Angeles Chargers (Wild Card – Miami)
- Christian Mahogany – Boston College
Mahogany could either align at left or right guard. He is an agile mover with a desire to get to the second level as a run blocker. Mahogany manages to use his hands aggressively and lands his initial punches. He has a wide base in pass protection and his natural length and power allows him to be dominant at the point of attack. Mahogany has a mean streak plus knowledge of angles that will make him valuable at the next level. At times he can be a bit shaky in pass protection. Mahogany lacks consistency and his balance is not ideal yet unless he does some serious work this offseason.
Player Comparison: Kyle Hinton / Chris Lindstrom
Projection: 2nd – 4th Round
Best Fits: Chicago, Seattle, Las Vegas (Wild Card – Dallas)
- Beaux Limmer – Arkansas
Limmer is a center that could bump over to right guard if necessary. He is an agile, good mover with natural athleticism. Limmer does well at resetting his anchor and also has pretty quick hands. He is a solid run blocker who gets out of his stance in a hurry. Limmer has a nasty demeanor but can sometimes be undisciplined especially in space. At times he will get sloppy in pass protection and his hands need some more consistency.
Player Comparison: Keith Ismael / Luke Wattenberg
Projection: 3rd – 5th Round
Best Fits: San Francisco, Detroit, Carolina (Wild Card – Pittsburgh)
- Javion Cohen – Miami FL
Cohen is an exceptional left guard at getting out in front of the play as a puller or as the lead blocker on screens. He is usually pretty quick out of his stance at the time of the snap and has plenty of inside reach. Cohen is excellent at walling off defenders and then he lets his power take over and moves them. He is tough at the point of attack thanks to his strong upper body and excellent grip. Cohen does not have the most ideal coordination and his arm length is limited compared to others in this class. He has some struggles against counters and will need to work on that going into camp.
Player Comparison: Lecitus Smith / Cameron Erving
Projection: 3rd – 5th Round
Best Fits: Arizona, Baltimore, Jacksonville (Wild Card – Las Vegas)
- Sedrick Van Pran – Georgia
Van Pran is a center with evident football IQ and reliable instincts. He does quite well when dealing with larger defenders due to his physicality and ability to win at the point of attack. He is a mauler in the run game with the consistent effort to play through the whistle. He is usually fairly quick to react to twists and stunts. Van Pran is actually usually more consistent in pass protection than in the run game. He needs a bit of fine tuning in his game and can play too upright. Van Pran does have limited range, but that hasn’t been a major issue before.
Player Comparison: Robert Hainsey / Ted Karras
Projection: 2nd – 4th Round
Best Fits: Tampa Bay, Pittsburgh, Los Angeles Chargers (Wild Card – Seattle)
- Zak Zinter – Michigan
Zinter is an elite run blocking right guard with a nasty demeanor and killer instincts. He also has good balance in pass protection and his strong hands combined with excellent hand placement give him excellent control. Zinter is violent, long and generates a lot of push. He has a plethora of tools, including impressive footwork which allows him to easily get to the second level. Sometimes Zinter drops his head when he needs to keep it up. He does lack speed and agility which can cause him some to struggle in open space. Zinter is recovering from a season ending injury, but once he recovers, there is potential for him to be a star guard in the NFL.
Player Comparison: Wyatt Teller / Cody Mauch
Projection: 2nd – 4th Round
Best Fits: San Francisco, New York Giants, Chicago (Wild Card – Detroit)
- Christian Haynes – UConn
Haynes is a right guard with high end physical skills and light feet. He plays with plenty of balance and leverage to consistently win in the run game. Haynes gets to the second level after getting moving pretty quickly at the snap. He is a solid hand fighter, shows agility in pass protection and plays physical. Haynes has some struggles in tight space and can slip off of bigger linemen. He has some limitations due to lack of length, yet his skills make up for those limitations usually.
Player Comparison: Emil Ekiyor Jr. / Ed Ingram
Projection: 2nd – 4th Round
Best Fits: Dallas, Las Vegas, Green Bay (Wild Card – Washington)
Watch as Cole unveils the top 3 – highlights included!
