Here is my initial list of the top offensive linemen for the 2022 NFL Draft.
The number in parentheses represents the ranking for the top overall players in the draft.
Click here to check out that list…ORDER 66
Click here to check out our QB list…QUARTERBACKS
Click here to check out our RB list…RUNNINGBACKS
Click here to check out our WR list…WIDERECEIVERS
Click here to check out our TE list…TIGHTENDS
This list will be updated following all-star week performances from the East/West Shrine Bowl (1/28 – 2/3) and the Senior Bowl (2/1 – 2/5) as well as individual player pro days and the NFL Combine (3/1 – 3/7).
RANKINGS
TACKLES
1 (3) Evan Neal, Alabama (Jr.) Elite size at 6-7, 350; 5-Star recruit; 2021 All-American and 2021 1st-team SEC; equally good in the run and pass game; started at left guard in 2019, right tackle in 2020 and left tackle in 2021; excellent athlete for his size; as good a left tackle prospect to come out in years; team captain.
2 (16) Ikem “Ickey” Ekwonu, NC State (3rd-year So.) 6-4, 320; 2021 1st-team ACC; first consensus All-American at NC State since Bradley Chubb in 2017; was a decent player rotating from guard to tackle over the first two seasons and then made the switch full-time to tackle in 2021 and became an elite-level talent; dominant in the run game showing a nasty side; very smart; received offers to play at Harvard and Yale.
3 (20) Charles Cross, Mississippi State (RS So.) 6-5-310; 5-Star recruit; 2021 1st-team SEC; made 10 starts as a freshman in 2020 and then blossomed in 2021 as an upper-level blocker against both the run and pass; only a two-year starter so he is still a little raw.
4 (34) Bernhard Raimann, Central Michigan (Jr.) Elite length at 6-7, 305; was an Austrian exchange student in high school; also lettered in wrestling and track; began his college career as a tight end; broke out in 2021 earning 1st-team MAC; has the tools for a bright future.
5 (47) Darian “DK” Kinnard, Kentucky (Sr.) Good size at 6-5, 345; 3rd team AA in 2020; 2021 1st-Team All-American and 2021 1st-team SEC; has demonstrated good blocking skills for three seasons now against the run and pass but a bit more advanced in the run game; might have to switch inside to guard at the next level; related to Dolly Parton.
6 (51) Trevor Penning, No. Iowa (Jr.) Excellent size at 6-7, 320; old-school, physical lineman who is extremely nasty on the field; loves the game; elite football IQ; will need to prove his technique is up to competing with the best; lettered in basketball and track in high school.
7 (54) Thayer Munford, Ohio State (Sr.) Good size at 6-6, 321; 2020 and 2021 1st-team Big 10; 2021 2nd-Team All American; played left tackle for three seasons and switched to guard in 2021 to show his versatility; has back issues that need to be checked out; ran track in high school.
GUARDS
1 (53) Jamaree Salyer, Georgia (Jr.) 6-4, 325; 5-Star recruit; 2nd-team SEC in 2021 playing left tackle; expected to move inside to guard in the NFL; a foot injury forced him to miss the last four games in the 2021 regular season; versatile; has played all five positions in college.
CENTERS
1 (4) Tyler Linderbaum, Iowa (Jr.) 6-3, 290; 2020 2nd-team AA; 2021 1st-team All-American and 2021 Rimington Award winner, given to the nation’s top offensive lineman; clearly the best center in the nation and top center prospect to come along in years; has been highly effective since becoming a starter in 2019 (switched from defensive tackle in 2018); has been an elite player for two seasons now; I believe Linderbaum should be taken in the top-10 this season; if he is, the last center to be taken in the top-10 was Bob Johnson by the Bengals who was taken second overall in 1968 as Cincinnati’s first ever selection.
By Greg DePalma
The Draft Apprentice and Executive Producer of the Ourlads’ Football Network at Ourlads.com.