Way-too-early top-5 offensive tackles in 2025 NFL Draft class

Is it ever too early for a little 2025 NFL Draft offensive tackle rankings?

Sep 30, 2023; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; LSU Tigers offensive linemen Emery Jones Jr. (50) blocks / Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports

Way-too-early top-5 offensive tackles in 2025 NFL Draft class

1. 5. Fernando Carmona Jr., Arkansas
2. 4. Josh Conerly Jr., Oregon
3. 3. Kelvin Banks Jr., Texas
4. 2. Will Campbell, LSU
5. 1. Emery Jones Jr., LSU

Everybody knows about the LSU duo of Will Campbell and Emery Jones Jr., but who are the other standout offensive tackles from the 2025 NFL Draft class?

Overall, this class of offensive tackles is getting more hype than it deserves. Outside of Jones Jr. and Campbell, there is not another offensive tackle that I would consider in the first round. There is a pretty steep drop-off after those two. But again, it's early! Players can improve! Others can emerge! There may be a sleeper buried on my watchlist that I haven't seen yet! This list is meant to be a fluid one.

Regardless, as it sits today, here are my top-five 2025 NFL Draft offensive tackles as summer scouting gets underway:

5. Fernando Carmona Jr., Arkansas

Set to play in the SEC in his senior season, Fernando Carmona Jr. is leaving San Jose State behind after three dominant seasons at left tackle. While some think he is better suited to kick inside at the NFL level, he has the length and the pass protection prowess to hang at offensive tackle.

His biggest question mark is the level of competition he has faced, but those questions will be answered this year. Carmona Jr. is a smooth setter with a massive punch. He generates a ton of movement when he gets into the chest of the man across from him.

Almost comical how Fernando Carmona Jr. just envelopes people. https://t.co/0S7pYOETbu pic.twitter.com/xFx2iOI7Ii

— Cory (@fakecorykinnan) May 5, 2024

Carmona Jr. has plenty of room to improve his body of work in the run game, however, as there are a lot of whiffs in space as he climbs to the second level or looks to get toward the boundary. A bigger dude, he is a bit stiff as well who doesn't always handle speed well. But that is a common theme among offensive tackles in this class.

4. Josh Conerly Jr., Oregon

Josh Conerly Jr. has a sky-high ceiling, but right now he is all traits.

Conerly Jr. is such a fluid mover who redirects effortlessly, gets to the boundary with ease, and has no issues working in space. He packs the perfect body type as well as he has the length to keep edge rushers at bay. However, his physical play strength is a bit on the weak side, and his hands are in need of a total reconstruction as he enters his true junior season with the Ducks.

However, he was a first year starter a year ago with plenty of room to grow into his frame physically and into his role technically. Summer scouting is the time to bet on traits, and that's just what we are doing here. Currently with a high third round grade, Conerly Jr. has legit first round potential if he can put it all together.

3. Kelvin Banks Jr., Texas

Texas left tackle Kelvin Banks Jr. has been the biggest cause of difference between most big boards at the earliest part of the summer. Some have Banks Jr. as the best offensive tackle in the class and a sure-fire top-five pick. However, I have a drop-off into a different tier from the LSU guys to Banks.

There are traits to love about Banks Jr. He is a brute. There is no use trying to bullrush him or work through his chest. It's not going to work. This translates into the run game as well, as he can provide generous movement off of the line of scrimmage as he helps his ball carriers out. In pass protection, Banks Jr. plays with a solid base in pass protection as well, which gives him a strong and natural anchor to work with.

However, I have concerns about the kind of athlete Banks Jr. is. On tape, he is routinely beat to the spot when looking to climb to the second level or get wide toward the boundary to find work. Most of his pass sets are jump sets as well, which allow for him to get his hands on opposing pass rushers as soon as possible. However, can he set wide or vertically comfortably? There is plenty of evidence of speed giving his outside shoulder fits.

In the run game as well, Banks Jr. tends to throw his hands early, leading to him thrusting his weight out over his waist. This compromises his balance as he looks to generate movement off the line of scrimmage.

One other question I have about Banks Jr. is his ability to counter back when a pass rusher initially works through his hands. When Banks Jr. is able to jump set a guy and latch he has great success. However, when he is hit with a pass rush move, an area for improvement is for him to find a way to fight back and work his hands back into the chest of the man across from him.

All-in-all, I have Banks Jr. closer to Conerly Jr. at OT4 than I do the next guy at OT2.

2. Will Campbell, LSU

While consensus tends to have Will Campbell as the top tackle in the class, I don't think Campbell is even the best tackle on his own team. And that is not a slight to Campbell but a badge of honor for Jones Jr. to wear.

There is a lot to love about what Campbell brings to the table, however. First and foremost, he is as strong as an ox. Good luck working through the chest of Campbell; it is a futile endeavor. His feet are also calmly paced and crisp as well. Playing with a great base, Campbell is hardly ever caught out over his waist. In a phone booth, nobody is better. When he gets his hands on defenders, Campbell possesses elite grip strength. He has brute force on the football field and knows how to generate movement off the line of scrimmage in the run game.

He will, however, get the same treatment that Jonah Williams got in 2019 when he came out of Alabama. Campbell presents with length issues on tape as he mans his left tackle post for the Tigers. There have been plenty of moments on tape where he has been out-leveraged by the man across from him due to a lack of arm length.

He is also a bit stiff when it comes to protecting his outside shoulder from speed and flexible pass rushers like No. 17 overall pick Dallas Turner. His counterpart Jones Jr. had better reps against Turner even when the former Alabama pass rusher threw his most successful moves at him.

1. Emery Jones Jr., LSU

Point blank: Emery Jones Jr. is a freak.

While some do not think he has the length to hang at tackle, there is a reason to believe that he actually has more length than his counterpart in Campbell. Could he be a dominant guard? Sure, but why take a dominant tackle and kick him inside if you do not have to?

His foot speed is explosive, Jones Jr. has no issues getting into space and finding work. He plays through the whistle consistently, and looks to bury the man across from him every opportunity he gets. What is most impressive, however, is his core strength and flexibility.

Playing quite a bit like Dallas Cowboys' Pro Bowl offensive lineman Tyler Smith did at Tulsa when he came out, Jones Jr. has the core strength and flexibility to drop his anchor and not give up any ground in some of the funkiest looking positions on the field. This flexibility also comes into play when taking a look at his knee bend as well as Jones Jr. has the tremendous ability to mirror and lock down even the most explosive and bendy edge rushers across from him.

Emery Jones Jr. has some Tyler Smith to his game in the way he uses his flexibility and core strength to help him get out of some funky positions. pic.twitter.com/cirIritK9y

— Cory (@fakecorykinnan) May 3, 2024

Betting on traits, but also not discrediting all of the technical things that Jones Jr. already does well, he is my top offensive tackle in the 2025 NFL Draft class as we get into summer scouting.