NFL 2021 Draft Prospects: Part IV: Linemen
Now we discuss the Big Dudes in the Trenches. Gotta have good fat boys if you want to win at the next level. The artists formerly known as the Washington Redskins won three Super Bowls with three different quarterbacks but they had The Hogs. The 2007 Patriots won all but one game with Matt Light, Logan Mankins, Dan Koppen, Steve Neal, and Nick Kaczur. With Anthony Munoz and company the Cincinnati Bengals ran for over 2000 yards each season from 1985 to 1990. Someone at the NFL archives should strip the rushing title from Emmitt Smith and hand it over to The Great Wall of Dallas. Art Shell and Highway 63 himself Gene Upshaw helped John Madden and The Autumn Wind simply Just Win Baby. Back to back Super Bowl runs by Denver were pretty much led by Mark Schlereth, Tom Nalen, and company. So as you can see, there’s been no shortage of great line play on some of the best teams ever assembled. The do everything from making running lanes a little wider for running backs to give quarterbacks just a little bit more time to throw, allowing for better accuracy and more yards per carry.
For the last 10 years we’ve seen on average 13 linemen go in the 1st round each year. Of course it’s not only the offensive lines that that are responsible for all the Ws. This year we saw the Washington Football Team win their division with a 7-9 record and many like myself would argue that it was the quartet of 1st rounders in Daron Payne, Jonathan Allen, Montez Sweat, and Chase Young that led the charge. The Fearsome Foursome had two guys that now have golden jackets in Deacon Jones and Merlin Olsen. The New York Sack Exchange with Mark Gastineau and Joe Klecko. Ed Jones and Randy White have to get some credit for The Doomsday Defense. How good was that late 80s to early 90s Eagles defense without Jerome Brown, Mike Pitts, Clyde Simmons, and Reggie White? From The Purple People Eaters, to The Steel Curtain, to The Monsters of Midway there’s nearly a dozen of Hall of Famers to choose from and about a half dozen Lombardis and nine Super Bowl appearances.
So now let’s take the opportunity to dive right in to the trenches, shall we?
Penei Sewell didn’t play this past season for the Oregon Ducks since he opted out. However there’s no question he was far and away the highest ranked prospect for this draft based off his 2019 campaign alone. His strength is in pass protection so anyone needing a guy on the blind side drafting near the top isn’t likely to pass on the guy as he is about as close to elite in that category as one can be entering the draft. Bengals anyone?
Christian Darrisaw has been a mammoth at left tackle for the Virginia Tech Hokies the last two seasons. He’s got size and strong movement capabilities. He should be a day one starter at left tackle for whoever picks him… ahem Washington. Alijah Vera-Tucker is another player who has shot up the draft board with his strong play at left tackle however due to his size and strength it’s likely we see him moved to gaurd. Samuel Cosmi, Jalen Mayfield, and Alex Leatherwood are some other guys I’d look to remember the names of as I believe most will become very wealthy men at the next level. There’s been an average of 4 offensive tackles taken each season in the 1st round the last 10 years, and I don’t think 2021 will buck that trend.
| Penei Sewell | OT | 6’6″ | 330 | Oregon |
| Christian Darrisaw | OT | 6’5″ | 314 | Virginia Tech |
| Teven Jenkins | OT | 6’6½” | 320 | Oklahoma State |
| Samuel Cosmi | OT | 6’7″ | 313 | Texas |
| Spencer Brown | OT | 6’7½” | 319 | Northern Iowa |
| Dillon Radunz | OT | 6’5″ | 299 | North Dakota State |
| Walker Little | OT | 6’7″ | 315 | Stanford |
| Jalen Mayfield | OT | 6’5″ | 319 | Michigan |
| Liam Eichenberg | OT | 6’5½” | 305 | Notre Dame |
| Josh Ball | OT | 6’7⅝” | 304 | Marshall |
| Greg Eiland | OT | 6’8½” | 339 | Mississippi State |
| Myron Cunningham | OT | 6’7½” | 299 | Arkansas |
| Brenden Jaimes | OT | 6’5″ | 330 | Nebraska |
Wyatt Davis is coming out of Ohio State. If our memory serves us correctly, they’ve produced a ton of yards from the running game the last few years, so it shouldn’t be a shock to see him at the top of most draft boards. He is going to be an absolute mauler in the run game at the next level. Deonte Brown is a big bad man. Looking to run the guard trap… look no further. He’s not exactly the guy you ask to pull for the Counter Trey but he’s going to win the battle of Power O 10/10.
| Wyatt Davis | OG | 6’3½” | 315 | Ohio State |
| Trey Smith | OG | 6’5″ | 333 | Tennessee |
| Alijah Vera-Tucker | OG | 6’4″ | 315 | USC |
| Alex Leatherwood | OG | 6’4⅝” | 313 | Alabama |
| Tommy Doyle | OG | 6’7½” | 320 | Miami (OH) |
| Kayode Awosika | OG | 6’4″ | 309 | Buffalo |
| Deonte Brown | OG | 6’2⅝” | 360 | Alabama |
| Dareuan Parker | OG | 6’4″ | 330 | Mississippi State |
| Scott Lashley | OG | 6’6″ | 308 | Mississippi State |
| LaQuinston Sharp | OG | 6’3″ | 315 | Mississippi State |
| Jack Anderson | OG | 6’5″ | 320 | Texas Tech |
| Zion Johnson | OG | 6’3½” | 304 | Boston College |
| Rashawn Slater | C | 6’4⅛” | 308 | Northwestern |
| Landon Dickerson | C | 6’5⅜” | 344 | Alabama |
| Creed Humphrey | C | 6’4″ | 315 | Oklahoma |
| Josh Myers | C | 6’5″ | 312 | Ohio State |
| Michal Menet | C | 6’4″ | 309 | Penn State |
| Jimmy Morrissey | C | 6’2½” | 304 | Pittsburgh |
| Doug Kramer | C | 6’2″ | 308 | Illinois |
Gregory Rousseau is almost a lock to be the first pass rusher off the board. He had 15.5 sacks in 2019 and it’s a damn shame we didn’t get to see him in 2020. The fact that he played receiver and safety in high school tells me I totally expect him to be the new Mike Vrable. Oh, and his teammate Jaelan Phillips ain’t bad either.
| Gregory Rousseau | DE | 6’7″ | 253 | Miami | 90 |
| Joe Tryon | DE | 6’5″ | 252 | Washington | 89 |
| Jaelan Phillips | DE | 6’5″ | 266 | Miami | 88 |
| Kwity Paye | DE | 6’3″ | 270 | Michigan | 87 |
| Carlos Basham Jr | DE | 6’3½” | 274 | Wake Forest | 86 |
| Patrick Jones II | DE | 6’4½” | 264 | Pittsburgh | 85 |
| Aidan Hutchinson | DE | 6’6″ | 269 | Michigan | 81 |
| Adetokunbo Ogundeji | DE | 6’4″ | 255 | Notre Dame | 79 |
| Daelin Hayes | DE | 6’3¼” | 266 | Notre Dame | 77 |
| Rashad Weaver | DE | 6’5½” | 274 | Pittsburgh | 74 |
| Payton Turner | DE | 6’5½” | 289 | Houston | 71 |
| Xavier Thomas | DE | 6’2″ | 265 | Clemson | 68 |
| Dayo Odeyingbo | DE | 6’5¼” | 279 | Vanderbilt | 67 |
| Shaka Toney | DE | 6’3″ | 244 | Penn State | 59 |
| William Bradley-King | DE | 6’3¾” | 254 | Baylor | 58 |
| Tariqious Tisdale | DE | 6’5½” | 294 | Ole Miss | 49 |
| Quincy Roche | DE | 6’3″ | 239 | Miami | 48 |
| Marquiss Spencer | DE | 6’4½” | 289 | Mississippi State | 30 |
| Chauncey Golston | DE | 6’5″ | 274 | Iowa | 30 |
| Malik Herring | DE | 6’3½” | 284 | Georgia | 30 |
Christian Barmore… Alabama… power, power, and more power. Say hello to the next poor man’s Aaron Donald. This guy is 3 Technique city. Daviyon Nixon out of Iowa isn’t exactly what I’d consider a participation trophy either.
| Daviyon Nixon | DT | 6’3″ | 305 | Iowa |
| Christian Barmore | DT | 6’5″ | 310 | Alabama |
| Levi Onwuzurike | DT | 6’3½” | 294 | Washington |
| Jaylen Twyman | DT | 6’2″ | 290 | Pittsburgh |
| Osa Odighizuwa | DT | 6’2½” | 279 | UCLA |
| Jay Tufele | DT | 6’2½” | 305 | USC |
| Tyler Shelvin | DT | 6’3″ | 346 | LSU |
| Marvin Wilson | DT | 6’3¾” | 310 | Florida State |
| LaBryan Ray | DT | 6’4½” | 292 | Alabama |
| Quinton Bohanna | DT | 6’5″ | 364 | Kentucky |
| Devonte Wyatt | DT | 6’3″ | 324 | Georgia |
| Forrest Merrill | DT | 6’0⅝” | 349 | Arkansas State |
| Austin Faoliu | DT | 6’2¾” | 292 | Oregon |
| Matthew Butler | DT | 6’4″ | 294 | Tennessee |
Does your team need a fat boy or two? It’s A Football World, we’re all just passing through.
Next up: Linebackers and Secondary
Feature Photo credit: 247
