Top Offensive Tackles in NFL Draft: Best of the Rest

Boise State’s Ezra Cleveland, TCU’s Lucas Niang and UConn’s Matt Peart highlight the next group of offensive tackle prospects in the NFL Draft.

Boise State’s Ezra Cleveland, TCU’s Lucas Niang and UConn’s Matt Peart highlight the next group of offensive tackle prospects in the NFL Draft.

No. 7: Ezra Cleveland, Boise State (6-6, 311; 33 3/8-inch arms): Cleveland was a three-year starter, including first-team all-Mountain West Conference honors at left tackle as a sophomore and junior. According to Pro Football Focus, he allowed three sacks and 14 total pressures; his pressure rate of 2.4 percent tying for eighth among our top 16 offensive tackles. He dealt with turf toe for most of the season, which clearly impacted his play.

With quality play and a superb Scouting Combine (4.93 in the 40 and a sizzling 4.46 in the 20-yard shuttle), he’ll be highly coveted, especially among teams that run a zone scheme. In fact, his ability to block on the move makes him right out of Zone Scheme Central Casting. According to Sports Info Solutions, runs behind Cleveland were successful 55 percent of the time, a rate that trailed only Alabama’s Jedrick Wills in this draft class. Play strength was an issue at times, though he got away with it against lesser competition. His 30 reps on the bench press provide some hope that he can get more movement in the run game. He lacks the killer mind-set of some of the other top prospects.

Cleveland was 11 pounds at birth despite being born three weeks early and spending 11 days in a hospital because his lungs weren’t fully developed. He’s highly competitive. “I feel like my dad’s pretty competitive. He rides motorcycles and stuff and is always racing. My mom played junior-college basketball, so it definitely comes from my parents. I’m not a guy who likes losing. When I do lose, I do everything in my power to not lose again.” Before his final season, he studied David Bakhtiari. “He sets vertical off the line with his pass pros. I’m more an angle setter, and (offensive line coach Brad) Bedell wanted me to implement that into my game more. I feel like I was able to do that by watching David.”

No. 8: Lucas Niang, TCU (6-6, 315; 34 1/4-inch arms): Niang missed the second half of his senior season with a hip injury that required surgery. Niang didn’t test at the Scouting Combine but planned to at TCU’s pro day; alas, the pandemic wiped out pro days. “I tore my hip going into fall camp junior year, 2018,” he said at the Scouting Combine. “Played through it. Found out it was torn in the offseason. I didn't want to get surgery so I tried to figure that out. I just played as long as I could play. … I’m damn nearly fully healthy. I've been sprinting.”

Niang started for most of his final three seasons at right tackle. Amazingly, according to Pro Football Focus, Niang didn’t allow a sack in 975 pass-protecting snaps during that time. That included a 2018 game against Ohio State’s Nick Bosa and Chase Young. During his abbreviated final season, he allowed six total pressures for a pressure rate of 3.1 percent that ranked only 12th among our top 16 tackles. His run blocking – most of which took place in a zone scheme – took a solid step in the right direction in 2019. Like most college linemen, he’ll need to get stronger. “I’d say calmness under pressure” is the strength to his game. “Pressure makes me play better. I always keep a cool head. I'm levelheaded. I feel like that helps me a lot on the football field.”

The injury forced him to take some unorthodox approaches so there will be a learning curve. “I'd say 2019 run blocker, 2018 pass blocker,” he said when asked if he’s better in the pass game or run game. “I pride myself on my pass protection. As y’all know, I haven't given up a sack. But 2019 my goal was -- people said I wasn't a dominant run blocker. How am I going to fix that?”

No. 9: Matt Peart, Connecticut (6-6 5/8, 318; 36 5/8-inch arms): Peart was a four-year starter with 48 career starts at both tackle spots. Lining up at right tackle as a senior, he was first-team all-AAC and first-team all-New England. According to Pro Football Focus, he allowed two sacks and seven total pressures, his pressure rate of 1.7 percent ranking fourth in our top 16. However, he was a penalty machine with three holds and four false starts, according to Sports Info Solutions. He’ll obviously face a big jump in competition in the NFL. “I feel I have decent technique but, whenever you transcend to another level, there is always a learning curve. The game is just that much faster. From that standpoint, I definitely understand there are definitely things I need to learn. The game is faster. That is something I really look forward to honing in on when I make that next step.”

Peart was born in Kingston, Jamaica, and moved to the Bronx when he was 4. Football wasn’t part of his plans. “I started taking football seriously my junior year. My high school coach, Joe O'Leary, saw me in the dining hall and said, ‘Hey, kid, what are you playing?’ I was actually going to do dance to get more flexible for basketball. He ended up saying, ‘No, you’re playing football.' That was pretty much the crux of it. I played football.” At UConn, he played with two head coaches, five offensive coordinators and four line coaches. “It was a challenge, because every time you have a new scheme, different technique relative to your O-line coach and offensive coordinator,” he said at the Combine. “In that regard, I feel like just buying into what my coach believed. Every coach has their own way of coaching.” Peart’s trump cards are his arms – the longest in this year’s draft class. It’s a huge advantage to, one, keep pass rushers at bay and, two, to steer them around the quarterback. “Being a tackle having long arms, shoot that’s honestly awesome, cause it gives you that extra edge. It’s a tool that you can definitely use.” It’s a key tool for him because his 4.92 in the shuttle was slower than some teams prefer.

No. 10: Prince Tega Wanogho, Auburn (6-5, 308; 33 1/2-inch arms): Wanogho started 32 games at left tackle, earning all-SEC second-team honors as a senior. In 2019, he did not allow a sack, though his 3.4 percent pressure rate ranked 14th among our top 16 offensive tackles.

Video: Prince Tega Wanogho at the Combine

Wanogho is from Warri, Nigeria. As you might imagine, he has an incredible path to the draft. He participated in a basketball camp several hours from his home. The film caught the eye of Todd Taylor, an assistant basketball coach at Edgewood Academy in Montgomery, Ala. Wanogho was offered a scholarship to Edgewood and moved to the United States and into Taylor’s home for what would be his senior year of high school.

“It’s the United States!” he said at the Scouting Combine when asked why he moved across the world. “If you grew up in Africa, you can understand every kid’s dream in Africa as a whole -- not just Africa, all over the world -- you want to come to the United States. You see movies and just sounded I like I wanted to be able to do that. I wanted to go there and see all of that. So, that’s pretty much what it is: getting a better life, not just for me, but also for my family back home and the people around me. That’s a dream come true. That was a blessing for me.”

The dream, however, was basketball. The football coach at Edgewood encouraged Wanogho to try the sport, if for no other reason than it would get him in shape for the upcoming basketball season.

“When I came to the United States, I really didn't know it was football season,” he said. “I was trying to stay in shape, so, that’s why I started playing. Believe it or not, I thought I was going to be the next LeBron James. I told people that every time I was playing. But I really thought I had a shot to do that. But I just did that to stay in shape. It turns out I was OK at that.”

With barely any experience, scholarship offers began flooding in from numerous big-time football programs. When he broke his leg playing basketball in January, the choice in sports for college essentially had been made.

“Pretty much say I was” a natural, he said. “At the same time, I've still got to learn the technique and all of that. But athletics, I was pretty much able to do because I was athletic. But just to catch up and learn the plays and the technique that's something that I actually had to do, too.” He didn’t test at the Combine because of a knee injury; when he was a 230-pound basketball player, he ran a 40 in 4.61. Once he’s up and moving, he’s got the goods athletically.

No. 11: Jack Driscoll, Auburn (6-4 5/8, 306; 33-inch arms): After starting 20 games at UMass and earning his degree in just three years, Driscoll was a graduate transfer who started 25 more games at right tackle at Auburn. As a senior, he allowed one sack and 10 total pressures, his pressure rate of 2.3 percent ranking seventh among our top 16 tackles.

Video: Jack Driscoll at the Combine

A native of Madison, Conn., he also played lacrosse. His father, John Driscoll, played on the offensive line for New Hampshire and spent a year with the Buffalo Bills. “My junior year (of high school), I was a 205-pound offensive tackle,” Driscoll said at the Scouting Combine. “My dad was here at the Combine way back in ’88, so it’s something I always grew up watching. One day, it was my goal to be here. I really didn’t have a lot of offers coming out of high school, but it’s understanding you’ve got to enjoy the process if you want to get here.” Driscoll arrived at the UMass tipping the scales at 240 pounds. A year later, as a redshirt freshman, he was up to 295. “A lot of peanut butter and jellies,” he said. “For a while, I couldn’t even smell them anymore without being sick. Just a lot of eating and really working with the dietician and strength coach and understanding what time of day to eat, because that’s one of the most important parts. Eating a lot before I went to bed. I was really lanky, so our strength coach at UMass and Auburn did a tremendous job of helping me build a plan where I could gain weight and be the size I needed to be to play offensive line. As you know, there’s probably not too many 205-pound offensive linemen in the NFL.”

The 33-inch arms could necessitate a move to guard, but his performance in the SEC, athleticism and ability to succeed in a zone scheme should merit a chance at tackle, first. Scouts will forever be concerned about linemen who have to work so hard to maintain weight. He needs to add some horsepower for the run game.

No. 12: Saahdiq Charles, LSU (6-4 1/8, 321; 33-inch arms): Charles started 28 games in three seasons, with 26 of those starts coming at left tackle. In 2019, he missed six games for a violation of team rules. He was back for the end of the season and was one of the coaches’ top-graded players in wins over Georgia in the SEC title game and Oklahoma in the playoffs. “It was just a mistake,” he said at the Scouting Combine, declining to talk in specifics. “It’s not a part of my life anymore, whatever I went through that led to the suspensions. It was selfish and a stupid mistake, honestly. I moved forward from it. … Everyone makes mistakes, but judge me — the whole me — not just the mistake. I am a good guy. A great guy. Everything they learned from me is that I was a great guy who just made some mistakes in college.”

Charles played at 295 pounds at LSU but was up to 312 at the Combine. His final season was not impressive. He allowed two sacks and 20 total pressures – the most pressures among the draftable tackles, even with a suspension. His pressure rate of 4.8 percent was by far the worst of our top 16. The 33-inch arms are a concern, too. “I am a fast-twitch player. I can play out in space. Physical. I can finish. In college, I played left tackle for the majority of my career. I also had starts at right tackle, left guard and also played a little right guard, too.” His 5.05 in the 40 at the Combine speaks to his potential, and his leverage in the run game is impressive. Runs behind him had a 55 percent success rate, tied for second-best in the draft class, according to Sports Info Solutions.

Charles bounced around after Hurricane Katrina from north Louisiana, Houston, Georgia and Montgomery, Ala., before finally settling in Madison, Miss. They rode out the storm in the hospital where his mom worked. “It was pretty crazy. We didn’t evacuate immediately. My mom worked at the hospital and had to work. It was just me and my mom. Crazy thing is, I remember them feeding us like two or three sandwiches and some chips. My mom would give me the food, not really take it herself. After that, they loaded us up on some buses or 18-wheelers or something like that. Me and my mom, we kind of bounced around from Georgia to Alabama to Mississippi around fourth grade.”

No. 13: Alex Taylor, South Carolina State (6-8 3/8, 308; 36 1/8-inch arms): Taylor was a first-team all-MEAC selection as a senior in helping the Bulldogs to a share of the conference title. He was named the league’s offensive lineman of the week five times. He allowed two sacks and nine total pressures, his pressure rate of 2.6 percent ranking 11th among our top 16. With long arms and a basketball background, he is all upside. “I’m pretty good at pass blocking,” he said of what scouts have told him. “I’ve got some stuff to work on in terms of run blocking – keeping my pad level down. I’m a developmental-type guy. Only playing five years of football, I definitely agree. I haven’t played my best football yet. I can’t wait to see it.” That’s a long way from happening – his struggles at the Senior Bowl made that clear – but he has the raw materials.

About those five years: At Moncks Corner (S.C.) High School, Taylor was a basketball player. He didn’t play football until his junior year at Moncks Corner. He played in only 17 games in his high school career. In 2015, he redshirted at Appalachian State. When his position coach left, Taylor left, too. He went to South Carolina State – and returned to basketball. In the 2017-18 season, he played off the bench in 28 games. He switched to football for good for the 2018 season. “Basketball is what I knew but I ended up going back to football because I knew there was something there that I was missing and I wanted to really exploit myself. There’s been no looking back. Basketball, I don’t even play it anymore in my free time.”

No. 14: Hakeem Adeniji, Kansas (6-4 3/8, 302; 33 3/4-inch arms): Adeniji ended his career with 48 consecutive starts. Over his final three seasons, 35 of those came at left tackle. The streak is especially impressive considering he had surgery on both labrums following his sophomore year. He earned all-Big 12 accolades all four seasons, including honorable mention as a senior. He allowed three sacks and nine total pressures, his 2.0 percent pressure rate ranking fifth among out top 16. However, runs behind him earned a 41 percent success rate, one of the worst in the draft class, according to Sports Info Solutions. He was guilty of 11 holds in four seasons, including two as a senior. He showed explosive athleticism at the Combine with a 34-inch vertical. Now, he just has to use it on a play-to-play basis.

Coach Les Miles enjoyed giving Adeniji his Senior Bowl invitation. Certainly I’m the older guy, and they could call me a senior, but I don’t think that this is for me,” Miles said, via KUSports, while holding an invitation to the Reese’s Senior Bowl. “I think this is for you. I think it’s got your name on it.” Adeniji initially was headed to Air Force, where an older brother played on the offensive line. However, just before heading to campus for the start of his first fall camp, the offer was pulled. Why? When he was 10, he learned he was allergic to cashews. Sixteen days later, he found a home at Kansas. “For me, it was always about moving on,” Adeniji told KansasCity.com, “and trying to make the most out of the next opportunity that I got.”

No. 15: Isaiah Wilson, Georgia (6-7, 340): Wilson turned pro following his redshirt sophomore year. He was a two-year starter at right tackle, earning Freshman All-American honors in 2018 and second-team all-SEC in 2019. He allowed one sack and nine total pressures, according to PFF, that 2.5 percent pressure rate ranking 10th out of our top 16. His 20-yard shuttle time of 5.07 seconds was horrendous, which almost certainly will take him off Green Bay’s board. Other teams won’t care nearly as much.

“I studied Trent Brown a lot because I want to be like him,” he said at the Scouting Combine. “The punch he has, it’s a vicious punch. Tyrone Smith is another one. He’s a monster out there; fast athletic strong. I watched Joe Thomas when I was younger growing up. I always tried to emulate him and the athletic kick that he had. That was special. I’d like to know how he does it. I'm gonna have to ask him if I ever meet him. It’s special to watch Ronnie Stanley, it’s fun to watch Orlando Browns. It’s fun to watch all the big ballers, all the big athletic guys. I definitely look up to people like that.”

No. 16: Cameron Clark, Charlotte (6-4 1/2, 308; 34 1/8-inch arms): Clark was a three-year starter and two-year captain for the 49ers. Clark was the team’s offensive MVP as a sophomore and first-team all-conference as a junior and senior. He ended his career with 31 consecutive starts. According to PFF, he allowed zero sacks and four total pressures, his pressure rate of 1.3 percent ranking second among our top 16 tackles – with the obvious caveat of level of competition. His 5.29 in the 40 and 25-inch vertical are troubling.

As coach Will Healy told Panthers.com: “Cam has some size and athletic ability that is hard to find. He's extremely intelligent. He can make adjustments very quickly. He's been durable. He's tough. He's hard-nosed and a really good leader. He provides versatility, whether it's playing tackle, guard or center at the next level. He is a do-it-all guy.” The final game of his career was the Bahamas Bowl. He played in his 49th consecutive game for the 49ers and was allowed to wear the coveted No. 49 jersey. 

Bill Huber’s Offensive Tackle Profiles

No. 1: Louisville’s Mekhi Becton

No. 2: Iowa’s Tristan Wirfs

No. 3: Georgia’s Andrew Thomas

No. 4: Alabama’s Jedrick Wills

No. 5: Louisville’s Josh Jones

No. 6: USC’s Austin Jackson

SI.com: O-Line U