Mike's Take ...
Offensive tackle is another one of those positions that's producing a preponderance of prospects ready to play sooner rather than later. Six of them went in the first round in last year's draft, including four in the first 13 selections. The top five offensive tackles drafted played in a combined 74 games and made a combined 71 starts in 2020. Tristan Wirfs, the 13th overall selection out of Iowa, started at left tackle for Tampa Bay in the Super Bowl. Thanks to all of that passing they're doing in college such candidates are out there, it seems, for those in need.
Sleeper - Spencer Brown, Northern Iowa (6-7, 319 lbs.) - Brown held up well at the Senior Bowl, particularly for someone who hadn't been in pads since 2019 (Northern Iowa didn't play last fall). He played eight-man football in high school and arrived at Northern Iowa able to bench press 250 pounds. Before he'd left, a video hit social media of Brown executing a 500-pound bench press. He's big and athletic and he has plenty of upside. ESPN analyst Todd McShay suggested Brown could go as early as Day 2 of the NFL Draft during ESPNU's coverage of Senior Bowl week and compared him to Patriots 2009 second-round pick Sebastien Vollmer.
#5 - Liam Eichenberg, Notre Dame (6-5, 305 lbs.) - Eichenberg made every start at left tackle for the Fighting Irish over the last three seasons, and that's a position at which three first-round picks have been groomed in succession (Zach Martin, 2010-13; Ronnie Stanley, 2014-15; and Mike McGlinchey, 2016-17). So, in theory, at least, if you can make it for Brian Kelly there, you can make it anywhere. Or, at the very least, you can make it in Dallas (Martin went16th overall in 2014), Baltimore (Stanley was taken sixth overall in 2016) or San Francisco (McGlinchey was the ninth-overall pick in 2018). Eichenberg doesn't have quite the same pedigree, so the first-round streak may be in jeopardy. But Eichenberg's status as a highly-regarded prospect is not in question.
#4 - Teven Jenkins, Oklahoma State (6-6 1/2, 320 lbs.) - It's in dispute in some circles as to whether Jenkins is better at run blocking or pass protection, and as to whether he's better on the left or right side. There are no such differences of opinion regarding Jenkins' strength. His head coach at Oklahoma State, Mike Gundy, has called Jenkins "uncharacteristically strong." Gundy has also spoken of watching Jenkins in the weight room, specifically on the bench press. "I think he hit 225 (pounds) like 35 times and they weren't even counting," Gundy has offered. "I mean, he was just doing it."
#3 - Rashan Slater, Northwestern (6-4 1/8, 308 lbs.) - Slater opted out of the 2020 season but after the job he did against eventual No. 2-overall pick Chase Young the previous season, Slater might have done enough in 2019. His relative lack of length isn't ideal for tackle but Slater has the footwork to make up for it. NFL.com draft analyst Lance Zierlein has maintained Slater's combination of strength, athletic ability and quick processing should make him one of the safer offensive line picks in this draft and an early starter for the team that drafts him.
#2 - Christian Darrisaw, Virginia Tech (6-5, 314 lbs.) - Darrisaw was lightly regarded coming out of high school and went to a prep school before eventually landing at Virginia Tech. The three-year starter is no longer lightly regarded. "The thing that gives him a chance to be special is that he's so very intelligent," Hokies head coach Justin Fuente has said. "He just has a really good understanding of what we're trying to accomplish." Big, strong, athletic and smart. Check, check, check and check. Darrisaw is also dedicated to his craft. Rather than opt out in 2020, he used the season to cement his status as a first-round prospect. Mission accomplished.
#1 - Penei Sewell, Oregon (6-6, 330 lbs.) - Whoever hangs those thought-provoking banners in the upper deck at Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati has been thinking about Sewell for a while now, at least since back in December ("Penei For Ur Thoughts"). Fifth overall wouldn't be too high for this guy. Sewell is a massive, hulking presence, and yet he does some of his best work on the move. He won the Outland Trophy the last time he played in 2019. He was a sophomore at Oregon at the time. Sewell has the look of a player who's already a Top 10-caliber selection and one who's going to continue getting better.
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The Triple Take: OTs - Steelers.com - Steelers.com
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