Here’s the fifth story of our position-by-position NFL draft series. Today, we’ll look at the top offensive linemen.
NFL teams looking to fortify their offensive lines could look to former Georgia players in tackle Amarius Mims and center Sedrick Van Pran-Granger.
Mims is massive. He measured at 6 foot-7 ¾ and weighed 340 pounds at the NFL scouting combine. Van Pran-Granger is more a technician at his position. The NFL draft is set for April 25-27 in Detroit.
Notre Dame’s Joe Alt is considered the top offensive tackle in the draft.
But Mims’ size makes him perhaps the most intriguing player at the tackle position.
“I think the guy to roll the dice with is Amarius Mims from Georgia,” ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper said. “Had he played more games than eight in his career as a starter, he would have been top 10 and maybe top 5. He’s that gifted.”
NFL teams like Mims’ combination of size and speed. He ran the 40-yard dash in 5.07 seconds, which is moving pretty fast for a big guy.
“The arm length,” Kiper said. “The size. He’s a mountain of a man. He can move. He played really well when he was out there healthy. Another year and you’d been looking a top five, top three guy possibility. Definitely a top 10.”
Perhaps in the middle of the first round a team may call Mims’ name.
“If you are going to roll the dice on talent and take a leap of faith that (you) can coach him and the inexperience isn’t going to be a factor working against him, Amarius Mims from Georgia would be that guy,” Kiper said.
Mims had to wait his turn at Georgia.
“I think right tackle and with the limited amount of opportunities as a starter, but he’s got the skill-set to be a left tackle,” Kiper said. “Again, with him it’s coaching. (Getting him) more experience. The talent is in abundance. When he played, he played really well.”
Mims could slip into the second round.
“I like him, a big talented guy,” said ESPN NFL analyst Mike Tannenbaum, the former general manager of the Jets. “I do worry…he didn’t play a lot there. There were a lot of good players in front of him, so I saw him in the first round because his movement for his size is just rare. It’s not ideal… when you talk about these other guys who have played for at least three years. There is a little bit of a risk.”
Alt’s father, John, was selected in the first-round (21st overall) by the Chiefs back in 1984. He played 13 seasons in the NFL and was named to the Pro Bowl twice.
“Joe Alt really got better from what he was early at Notre Dame and what he was the last two years was a significant improvement,” Kiper said. “He’s a left tackle.”
Van Pran-Granger is projected to go in the third or fourth rounds. Some have compared him to former LSU center Lloyd Cushenberry, who went to the Broncos in the third-round of the 2020 draft. He’s started 57 games over four seasons and signed with the Titans in free agency.
Van Pran-Granger ran the 40-yard dash in 5.2 seconds at the scouting combine.
Oregon’s Jackson Powers-Johnson and West Virginia’s Zach Frazier are the centers rated ahead of Van Pran-Granger.
Frazier suffered a fractured fibula in his leg in a game against Baylor in November.
“Just from the injury standpoint, I was lucky that I just broke the bone,” Frazier said. “I didn’t do any ligament damage. If I did do ligament damage, maybe that would hurt it. The doctors just told me that bones heal and I’ll be all right.”
Frazier plays a physical brand of football.
“My goal is to put people on the ground,” Frazier said. “And then play level-headed. I have to make all the calls and study throughout the week.”
Kiper is high on Duke center Graham Barton.
“He’s a former tackle,” Kiper said. “He played center early on. How did he not get to the Big 10? He’s a Big 10 lineman. He’s ready to go. He’s a plug-and-play center.”
Washington tackle Roger Rosengarten is also highly regarded.
“I think he could be (a later first rounder),” Kiper said. “I think he’s very under-rated. He’s not getting enough publicity for the kind of year that he had. A lot of those projections have him in the second or the third. I had him in the late first all along. We’ll see how that plays out.”
Rosengarten helped the Huskies reach the national championship game last season.
“Overall, he had a pretty good two years as a right tackle, protecting the blindside of (left-handed quarterback) Michael Penix Jr.,” Kiper said.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
AJC’S 2024 POSITION-BY-POSITION DRAFT SERIES
WIDE RECEIVERS -- Don’t sleep on Washington’s Rome Odunze among talented wide receivers | Top 10 WRs
RUNNING BACKS -- ‘Day two is going to be the running back day,’ an analyst says | Top 10 RBs
TIGHT ENDS -- Ex-Georgia standout Brock Bowers is the top tight end | Top 10 TEs
QUARTERBACKS -- After Caleb Williams, is Jayden Daniels or Drake Maye the next quarterback? | Top 10 QBs
DEFENSIVE LINE
LINEBACKERS
CORNERBACKS
SAFETIES
SPECIAL TEAMS
AJC’S 2023 POSITION-BY-POSITION DRAFT SERIES
WIDE RECEIVERS – Past few drafts have spoiled NFL teams looking for wide receivers | Top 10 WRs
RUNNING BACKS – Running backs Bijan Robinson, Jahmyr Gibbs may have to wait to hear their names called | Top 10 RBs
TIGHT ENDS – Notre Dame’s Michael Mayer heads a dee TE class | Top 10 TEs
QUARTERBACKS – Bryce Young’s small stature no longer an issue in the NFL | Top 10 QBs
OFFENSIVE LINE – Skoronski’s short arm length being scrutinized for left tackle | Top 5 C,G, &OTs
DEFENSIVE LINE – Is Jalen Carter the real deal or a potential bust? | Top 5 DTs, DEs
LINEBACKERS – Dutchtown’s Will Anderson expected to go in the top 5 of NFL draft | Top LBs
CORNERBACKS – Former Georgia standout Kelee Ringo one of the top cornerbacks in the NFL draft | Top CBs
SAFETIES – Alabama’s Brian Branch, Jordan Battle are top safeties in the NFL draft | Top FS/SS
SPECIAL TEAMS – Michigan’s Jake Moody hopes to kick way to NFL draft | Top STs
