2021 NFL Draft Class: Top Ten Offensive Tackles

This offensive tackle class is really good. While all of the attention has been on the star-filled quarterback and wide receiver classes, offensive tackle this year deserves more attention. With a few potential superstars and some really good potential starters, this is the year to get your franchise quarterback some protection, I’m looking at you Chargers and Colts. Here are the top ten offensive tackles in the 2021 NFL Draft.

Honorable Mention

Walker Little, Stanford

Walker Little is talented on tape. He has the ability to be a starting offensive tackle, but he hasn’t played in nearly two years. There’s a ton of upside from the former highly touted recruit, but with his last meaningful tape coming from 2018 there’s a ton of risk in Little.

1. Penei Sewell, Oregon

Don’t let Penei Sewell opting out of the 2020 college football season let you forget that he is still the best offensive lineman in the class. The potential problem every player that opted out faces is other players becoming the new shiny thing in their absence. It’s important to remember that Penei Sewell was the guy coming into this season, and he should 100% still be the guy leading an absolutely loaded offensive tackle class. That is not a knock on any of the nine guys below him, Sewell just has a special talent and potential.

There are so many building blocks that you get with Penei Sewell. Even as a true sophomore, Sewell looked huge. Standing 6’6 325, Sewell looked like a man amongst boys, despite being younger than most of his competition. He isn’t even close to his physical peak yet.

Sewell does not move like a man his size. He gets to his target in a hurry, with the first step of a man 50 pounds less than him. He is phenomenal when reach blocking, and he gets to the 2nd level swiftly. 

What’s even more impressive is that he packs the power of a player his size. In Sewell you have a rare combination of athleticism and power, a combination that opposing defenses have had no answer for in both the run and pass games. He has a few technical issues that he’ll have to clean up, but there’s superstar potential in Sewell.

2. Rashawn Slater, Northwestern

Do not forget about Rashawn Slater either. The Northwestern tackle opted out of the 2020 college season after doing the one thing no one else did in 2019: neutralize Chase Young. While Young went on a rampage, beating any and every offensive tackle in the NCAA, Rashawn Slater did better than anyone else.

Rashawn Slater will be able to start immediately in the NFL. He has the best technique in the class. He makes up for shorter arms with the best hand placement you’ll find this year. His hands immediately go where they’re supposed to be, and he rarely misses. He has great footwork and great overall athleticism. He is able to get to the 2nd level in a hurry and does well in space. He has great strength, moving defenders in the run game. Slater is going to be a really good starter in the NFL immediately. His potential might not be as high as Sewells, but Slater has star potential in his own right.

3. Teven Jenkins, Oklahoma State

Do you like big powerful offensive linemen? Do you like tone setters that don’t just get the job done, but punish opponents? Meet Teven Jenkins. He might not look like it off the field, but Teven Jenkins is one of the nastiest players in football. His tape is full of him pushing defenders into the dirt, whether it’s defensive ends or poor linebackers.

Jenkins has the heaviest hands in the offensive tackle class. When he hits defenders, it’s like they’ve been hit with a sledgehammer. He is super strong, and he uses his hands really well too, rarely missing. He has good patience and timing, despite his aggressiveness. His footwork is pretty clean as well. He isn’t the best athlete, and might not have the absolute fastest feet, but if you run a ton of power schemes make Jenkins your star right tackle of the next decade.

4. Christian Darrisaw, Virginia Tech

There’s so much potential in Christian Darrisaw. Darrisaw ticks off all of the boxes that you look for in a franchise left tackle. He has great size. He has great length. He has great mobility. There are absolutely special plays that Christian Darrisaw makes. He is a terror in the run game, using his size to push defenders off of the line of scrimmage. He has the ability to get into open space and make blocks 10+ yards down the field in the screen game. He has great strength and can bully defenders with ease. His flashes are some of the best in the class.

Darrisaw is still developing. His technique is not quite where you want it to be yet. He has the tools but just needs to continue to refine them. A big thing that will unlock Darrisaw is being more active with his hands, not just relying on his size and strength. He improved every year he played, showing that he is very coachable and willing to improve. He has an extremely high ceiling and shouldn’t have to wait too long on day one to hear his name called.

5. Dillon Radunz, North Dakota State

Dillon Radunz is one of the most underrated players in the entire draft. There’s a good chance that you the reader have him too low on your board, don’t worry there’s still time to change that. Radunz dominated at North Dakota State, and then shattered any level of competition concerns by dominating at the Senior Bowl. How dominant was he in Mobile, oh he was just named the Overall Practice Player-of-the-Week.

Dillon Radunz is a versatile lineman that can play either tackle or guard at a high. He needs to get bigger overall, adding more weight and overall play strength, but he already has NFL caliber strength in his hands. Radunz is one of those “If he gets hands on you, you’re done” type of guys. There are many times in his film where you see Radunz stop edge rushers dead in their tracks. He has nice clean pass sets and has some of the best balance in the entire class. He has the athleticism and feet in the passing game, but then the nastiness in the run game. Once he gets on an NFL strength and conditioning program, Radunz will be the long-term solution for a franchise on the left side of the line. 

6. Samuel Cosmi, Texas

Samuel Cosmi and Dillon Radunz are two extremely similar prospects, to the point where it’s hard to put one over the other. Both have high-level starting potential, and can both make a push to be taken in the first round. Neither should have to wait too long into the 2nd round to hear their names called.

There is a lot to love about Sam Cosmi’s game. He plays a lot like Tennesse Titan Taylor Lewan. He is one of the most athletic offensive lineman ever to enter the draft, only matched by Lewan and another tackle on this list. Cosmi plays extremely nasty, always looking to drive his opponent into the ground. He needs to add more weight and play strength as a whole, but the finishing ability is there already for Cosmi. There are a few technical issues he has to work out. He has to clean up his pass sets and work on his hand placement a bit, but if Cosmi fixes his issues he’ll be a standout offensive tackle for a long time. 

7. Jalen Mayfield, Michigan

Jalen Mayfield is one of the riskier prospects in this year's draft. He has not played much, entering the draft with 15 starts to his name. Most of those starts came from 2019, and only two in 2020. Mayfield’s 2019 tape needed a good amount of improvement in 2020… and a good amount of improvement we would get. Though he only played two games this past season, he looked like a future star.

First of all, Jalen Mayfield does not move like a man his size. Listed at 6’5 319, Mayfield offers plenty of mobility. I feel for the poor defenders that see Mayfield charging at them. Mayfield is a fantastic run blocker. He fires out of his stance with great violence. He uses his burst and great power to propel defenders backward. He keeps his legs churning until either the defender’s out of the picture or the whistle blows. He is comfortable working his way up and meeting defenders at the second level. 

Mayfield does need to work a good amount on his pass protection. He doesn’t quite have the hand technique yet to be successful in the NFL, and definitely needs to better learn leverage. While a good athlete, he still needs to work on his pass sets. He might struggle, especially early on, with really good speed rushers. Mayfield might be best starting as a good guard, before moving to right tackle once he progresses in the technical aspects of the position. Mayfield’s ceiling is as high as anyone’s.

8. Alex Leatherwood, Alabama

It feels like we’ve been waiting forever for Alex Leatherwood to declare for the draft. One of the most highly touted recruits at offensive tackle over the past decade, Leatherwood has been playing all over the offensive line for Alabama the past four years. Finally settling in at left tackle the past two years, Leatherwood enters the draft as the 2020 Outland winner.

Leatherwood certainly looks the part of a top offensive tackle. Standing 6’5 312, Leatherwood checks off nearly every box for a franchise left tackle. He’s physically imposing but is an incredible athlete. He tore up his pro day, posting numbers reminiscent of Trent Williams. The athleticism shows on tape too, with Leatherwood extremely mobile in the run game. He’s as comfortable as anyone at reach blocking and at meeting linebackers at the second level. He does well in the run game to seal off blockers, creating lanes for his back. He works well double-teaming, this is where most of his pancakes will come from. He does well in the passing game to minimize pressure, though some stiffness in his lower half can give him trouble against twitched-up speed rushers.

Alex Leatherwood looks to be a good starter in the league, but I want a bit more. I want him to move people a bit more in the run game and I want him to clean up some technical issues in the passing game. If he can improve on that, he’ll be a really good tackle for a long time in this league.

9. Liam Eichenberg, Notre Dame

If you need a day one starter at offensive tackle then look no further than Notre Dame’s Liam Eichenberg. Eichenberg has been playing in South Bend for what seems to be forever, with three years of starting experience at left tackle for the Fighting Irish. Eichenberg has been one of the best left tackles in the game over the past two years, not allowing a single sack per PFF.

Liam Eichenberg plays a lot like you’d expect a Notre Dame offensive lineman would. He wins a lot with technique and is a mauler in the run game where he is at his best. He gets hands on the defender first and establishes great leverage early. He moves people around, is able to finish blocks, and is a nightmare double-teaming alongside left guard Aaron Banks. In the passing game, he wins with good technique. His pass sets are clean and he has pretty good hand technique, though he can keep working on his timing and accuracy of course.

There are physical limitations though with Eichenberg. He is not the best athlete in the world. His footwork is not the lightest in the world, and there are certainly more agile guys in this class. Speed rushers can give him trouble. He’s more of a floor guy than a ceiling guy due to his limitations, and he might be best suited moving to right tackle where his great run blocking can be highlighted. Make no mistake though, that floor is a pretty high floor. 

10. Spencer Brown, Northern Iowa

Spencer Brown will be one of the biggest projects in the draft. There are some things going against him. He’s coming from lower-level competition, he was up and down at the Senior Bowl, and he needs a lot of work on the technical side of things. He is extremely risky and it’s going to be a while before he pans out as a good starter if he ever does.
I am willing to take the risk on Brown though. There are certain things about him that you just can’t teach. You can teach technique, so please get him a good offensive line coach of course, but you can’t teach size. Brown is huge, standing 6’8 311. He also has some of the longest arms you’ll find. With his size and length, watching Brown take up space on the right side is almost like watching Boston Bruins legend Zdeno Chara on the football field. Brown is also one of the most athletic linemen to ever enter the league. He’s big, he’s athletic, and he’s mean. Those are all things you can’t teach. He might be a boom or bust prospect, but the boom could be something special.

Writer

-By: Jacob Keppen