Top 10 OL Units in the NFL

[Ozzy]

My top 10 OL units in the NFL potentially, considering depth and talent level combined.  A few interesting units but not as easy to find good groups across the board, OL play is a bit down in the league without as many elite level talents.

 

 

 

 

1 Philadelphia Eagles: They do not have the depth as years past but with the best OL coach in the NFL sure some guys will develop.  Missing a guard but Jurgens could step in and take over easily.  Best tackle duo in the NFL with one of the best centers, solid group and no surprise about it, they do need a backup tackle to develop and Driscoll could be the guy and Steen has potential as well at guard or tackle.  

OT Jordan Mailata/ Roderick Johnson
OG Landon Dickerson/ Sua Opeta
C Jason Kelce/ Cameron Tom
OG Cam Jurgens/ Tyler Steen
OT Lane Johnson/ Jack Driscoll/ Dennis Kelly

 

 

 

2 Houston Texans:  Hard to believe but I think they are super depth and a really solid group of five starters this year, especially with Scruggs at center who could be very good.  I have always liked Mason and Tunsil is one of the best at his position and so is Green at times.  Greg Little should provide much needed OT depth and I like the interior guys of Deiter and Patterson who has a lot of upside.  

OT Laremy Tunsil/ Charlie Heck
OG Kenyon Green/ Michael Deiter
C Juice Scruggs/ Jimmy Morrissey
OG Shaq Mason/ Jarrett Patterson
OT Tytus Howard/ Josh Jones/ George Fant

 

 

 

3 Cincinnati Bengals:  Got pushed around last year at times but if Cappa can stay healthy that will help a lot and Williams as the RT and not LT should help also.  Have great versatility as well if that does not work with Collins who could play guard or tackle and same can be said for Carman as well.  Orlando Brown Jr is a high level tackle and his toughness will really help and I feel he is motivated to prove himself even more this year.

OT Orlando Brown Jr/ Hakeem Adeniji
OG Cordell Volson/ Max Scharping/Jaxson Kirkland
C Ted Karras/ Trey Hill
OG Alex Cappa/ Jackson Carman/ Cody Ford
OT Jonah Williams/ La'el Collins

 

 

 

4 Chicago Bears:  I really like the group and they have solid depth as well at all positions.  Leatherwood is super versatile and can play tackle or guard as a backup.  Wright should be a super star RT in the league and Nate Davis is a big improvement at guard, Jenkins should be better and Jones was surprisingly good last year.  Overall solid group and the likes of even Collins and Diesch as backups, both showed well and are fine athletes at tackle, this group will surprise people no question.

OT Braxton Jones/ Larry Borom
OG Teven Jenkins/ Alex Leatherwood
C Cody Whitehair/ Doug Kramer
OG Nate Davis/ Ja'Tyre Carter/ Logan Stenberg
OT Darnell Wright/ Aviante Collins/ Kellen Diesch

 

 

 

5 Kansas City Chiefs:  I think they will miss Brown Jr more than they put on, even with his bad season if Donovan Smith goes down they could be in some trouble.  Their backup OT spot needs to be improved, maybe Wanogho or Niang can be a fine player but they have not shown that yet, same with Kinnard.   Maybe Morris can develop but even he was super raw in college and never quite took that next step.  The starting interior three is the best in the NFL which will keep them doing well no question.  Will be interesting how those tackles do though that is for sure.

OT Donovan Smith/ Prince Tega Wanogho/ Wanya Morris
OG Joe Thuney/ Nick Allegretti
C Creed Humphrey/ Austin Reiter
OG Trey Smith/ Darian Kinnard
OT Jawaan Taylor/ Lucas Niang

 

 

 

 

6 New York Giants:  Liked them last year and they will be even better this year with Michael Schmitz at center who should be really good.  Thomas and Neal are two of the better tackle pairs in the NFL and Neal I feel will be a lot better this season.  Solid and guard also and Andrew Thomas has a fine season last year, really good group overall.  Could be higher if everything comes together for them, and Phillips could provide some much needed depth at OT or OG.

OT Andrew Thomas/ Matt Peart
OG Ben Bredeson/ Shane Lemieux
C John Michael Schmitz/ JC Hassenauer
OG Mark Glowinski/ Marcus McKethan
OT Evan Neal/ Tyre Phillips

 

 

 

 

7 Green Bay Packers:  Very deep group and they have solid starters and Nijman if he can take over the RT spot, he or Tom that will help keep Jenkins at guard his better position I feel.  Really solid starting group with fine depth and experience.

OT David Bakhtiari/ Rasheed Walker
OG Elgton Jenkins/ Zach Tom
C Josh Myers/ Jake Hanson
OG Jon Runyan/ Royce Newman
OT Yosh Nijman/ Sean Rhyan/ Caleb Jones

 

 

 

8 Cleveland Browns:  They could be higher, have such great depth just depends on who shows out.  Wills does need to get back to being an elite LT, and Dawand Jones provides super depth at RT and even at center they got options and one of them needs to show out.  Really deep and talented group that could mold into an awesome unit if Wills takes his game to another level and they get that center spot taken care of, that along with being injury free.

OT Jedrick Wills Jr/ James Hudson/ Tyrone Wheatley Jr
OG Joel Bitonio/ Michael Dunn
C Ethan Pocic/ Nick Harris/ Luke Wypler
OG Wyatt Teller/ Colby Gossett
OT Jack Conklin/ Dawand Jones

 

 

 

9 Jacksonville Jaguars:  A little question with Shatley and where he is at health wise and Cam Robinson with that suspension that could be an issue as well.  Lucky for them they got Harrison who should make that a lot easier without Robinson.  When all healthy and in there they could easily be higher but those question marks do keep them down for now.  Will be interesting how it all plays out and what they look like when everyone is back in the lineup.

OT Cam Robinson/ Josh Wells
OG Ben Bartch/ Blake Hance
C Luke Fortner/ Darryl Williams
OG Brandon Scherff/ Tyler Shatley
OT Walker Little/ Anton Harrison

 

 

 

10 Buffalo Bills:  In terms of depth they are as good as any, arguably have some of the best OG depth in the NFL and it could be needed because not sure they are sold on Bates yet. They do need some guys to be elite though and take over those starting jobs.  Brown needs to take a step as the RT and same with Bates at guard.  McGovern coming over should help and if not they got replacement guys.  Overall super deep and they seem committed to play more power football now.

OT Dion Dawkins/ Tommy Doyle
OG Connor McGovern/ David Edwards/ Nick Broeker
C Mitch Morse/ Greg Mancz
OG Ryan Bates/ O'Cyrus Torrence/ Ike Boettger
OT Spencer Brown/ Richard Gouraige  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Honorable mention:

 

 

Detroit Lions:  I forgot about them originally, and it is hard to get past their lack of depth at OG and C.  Not sold on any of them as backups yet outside of Glasgow.  Maybe Ifedi could kick inside if they need.  The backup OT spot is a little stronger.  No question the starters are right up there with any of them but the depth could be an issue if and went guys go down.  I am not ready to anoint them just yet, Sewell and Ragnow are stars, and I really like Jackson, never have been a super fan of Decker but he is solid and Vaitai is good just not sure how great he is.

OT Taylor Decker/ Matt Nelson/ Obinna Eze
OG Jonah Jackson
C Frank Ragnow
OG Halapoulivaati Vaitai/ Graham Glasgow
OT Penei Sewell/ Germain Ifedi

 

 

 

New Orleans Saints:  Will depend a ton on Penning and if he can play and be an elite player.  Their backup tackle situation could be a mess without him because they do not have much in terms of backups, that is what keeps them out of the top 10 for me.  The interior is super solid but again injuries have hurt Peat at times and you take out those starting five they could have issues.  We will see how they do and if another player can develop as a replacement for multiple positions.  

OT Trevor Penning/ Landon Young
OG Andrus Peat/ James Hurst/ Tommy Kraemer
C Erik McCoy/ Max Garcia
OG Cesar Ruiz/ Calvin Throckmorton
OT Ryan Ramczyk/ Scott Lashley

 

 

 

Seattle Seahawks:  With those young tackles hard to not like them, the guards when healthy are solid and the addition of Bradford will help the depth as well a ton.  The big issue is center, I feel Olu will take it over but if not it is still a question of who is the center and how good is he.  They get that figured out they will be poised and on the way to one of the best units in the league.

OT Charles Cross/ Stone Forsythe
OG Damien Lewis/ Anthony Bradford
C Olu Oluwatimi/ Evan Brown
OG Phil Haynes/ Greg Eiland
OT Abraham Lucas/ Jake Curhan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited August 24, 2023 by Ozzy

[SmittyBacall]

Dude, no disrespect, because these are tough to do and appreciated posts for discussion, but what the heck is that top 5? Houston 2, Bengals 3, Bears 4?! Huh!

[DawgX]

Yeah, weird list.

As for Cleveland, Wills is the biggest question mark. He's not bad, but certainly hasn't lived up to being a top 10 pick.

At center, Pocic was terrific last year and we really missed him when he missed time with an injury. Hopefully he keeps it up.

[SmittyBacall]

12 minutes ago, SmittyBacall said:

Dude, no disrespect, because these are tough to do and appreciated posts for discussion, but what the heck is that top 5? Houston 2, Bengals 3, Bears 4?! Huh!

Having said that:

1. Philadelphia Eagles

2. Cleveland Browns

3. Detroit Lions

4. Kansas City Chiefs

5. Dallas Cowboys

6. Baltimore Ravens

7. Green Bay Packers

8. LA Chargers

9. New England Patriots

10. Atlanta Falcons

 

[minutemancl]

I appreciate OP for putting these together, and there is obviously a lot of thought behind their rankings, but I wholly disagree with this one almost entirely.

1. Eagles

2. Lions

3. Chiefs

4. Cowboys

5. Falcons

6. Saints

7. Browns

8. Ravens

9. Packers

10. Texans

I think some teams you have in the top-10, Bengals, Bears, Giants, Bills, have bottom half OLs. The Lions and Eagles are cream of the crop. Both have a solid to great starting 5, and both have solid depth. The Chiefs OL is very good, but is definitely elevated by how good Mahomes is in and out of the pocket. Cowboys, Falcons, Saints all have very good OLs as well and are probably the last of any teams with 'great' OLs, comparatively. The Browns are good, but they can seesaw a bit. Same with the Ravens. The Packers are all health dependent, mainly with Bakh, who is still probably one of the best LTs in football when he is healthy. The Texans ooze potential; Tunsil is one of the top LTs in football, but Green, Howard, and Scruggs are all younger guys who have a ton of potential. They could move up to #3 potentially this year, honestly.

The Bengals look good on paper, but don't perform to what they should. The Bears OL is bad on paper and worse on the field. The Giants are kind of like a Texans-lite right now. One stud at LT, then a bunch of potential elsewhere. I'd be willing to consider them in this conversation only if Evan Neal improves mightily this year (possible, and he was a very high pick for a reason) and JMS comes firing out of the gate and has a Creed Humphrey like impact that some have predicted (unlikely, but again possible, I guess). I'm not sure the Bills have even 1 above average starter.

[scar988]

Falcons should definitely be in the top 10:

LT Jake Matthews

LG Matt Bergeron

C Drew Dalman

RG Chris Lindstrom

RT Kaleb McGary

Matthews and Lindstrom are Pro Bowl or better caliber. McGary is above average. Dalman is average and while Bergeron is a rookie, he's a perfect fit at LG in the same way Rodger Saffold was.

They were a top 10 offensive line last year in both pass and run blocking by PFF as well.

[ReadyToThump]

Hard for me to take a list seriously that includes the Chicago Bears at #4, when they're the pretty clear #4 in the NFC North and one that doesn't include the Detroit Lions at all.

 

[Ozzy]

6 hours ago, minutemancl said:

I appreciate OP for putting these together, and there is obviously a lot of thought behind their rankings, but I wholly disagree with this one almost entirely.

1. Eagles

2. Lions

3. Chiefs

4. Cowboys

5. Falcons

6. Saints

7. Browns

8. Ravens

9. Packers

10. Texans

I think some teams you have in the top-10, Bengals, Bears, Giants, Bills, have bottom half OLs. The Lions and Eagles are cream of the crop. Both have a solid to great starting 5, and both have solid depth. The Chiefs OL is very good, but is definitely elevated by how good Mahomes is in and out of the pocket. Cowboys, Falcons, Saints all have very good OLs as well and are probably the last of any teams with 'great' OLs, comparatively. The Browns are good, but they can seesaw a bit. Same with the Ravens. The Packers are all health dependent, mainly with Bakh, who is still probably one of the best LTs in football when he is healthy. The Texans ooze potential; Tunsil is one of the top LTs in football, but Green, Howard, and Scruggs are all younger guys who have a ton of potential. They could move up to #3 potentially this year, honestly.

The Bengals look good on paper, but don't perform to what they should. The Bears OL is bad on paper and worse on the field. The Giants are kind of like a Texans-lite right now. One stud at LT, then a bunch of potential elsewhere. I'd be willing to consider them in this conversation only if Evan Neal improves mightily this year (possible, and he was a very high pick for a reason) and JMS comes firing out of the gate and has a Creed Humphrey like impact that some have predicted (unlikely, but again possible, I guess). I'm not sure the Bills have even 1 above average starter.

 

The Lions as a starting five group sure they are top 10 but their depth is pretty damn questionable especially in regards to the OG and C positions.  Glasgow is it for center or guard depth so they damn better hope no one on the inside get hurt.  I like their starting guards and Sewell is a monster and they do have good solid OT depth that is for sure.  That is an omission my mistake on that I will say, sorry but doing these are not that easy and then making your own sure is simple when it is basically all laid out for you to simple just say team names in order....

 

The Bears are going to be a damn good OL and have very solid depth, and Wright should be a super pro and that will help the unit greatly and the add of Nate Davis needs to get more attention especially to a power run team like they are.

 

1 hour ago, ReadyToThump said:

Hard for me to take a list seriously that includes the Chicago Bears at #4, when they're the pretty clear #4 in the NFC North and one that doesn't include the Detroit Lions at all.

 

True I did forget about them, but again in terms of OG and C depth they are super weak arguably one of the weakest in the NFL.  Sure all the matters are the starters but guys get hurt a lot and one key guy goes out can completely change an entire OL if they do not have depth.  It is hard to go through all the rosters and not miss anything, but some are just looking at recent Pro Bowls, who has multiple guys on the Pro Bowl or All Pro teams and put them high because of that.  I looked more at depth than most would and or do.  But sure the 2rd or 3th tackle does not really matter much in most cases.

[Ozzy]

6 hours ago, SmittyBacall said:

Having said that:

1. Philadelphia Eagles

2. Cleveland Browns

3. Detroit Lions

4. Kansas City Chiefs

5. Dallas Cowboys

6. Baltimore Ravens

7. Green Bay Packers

8. LA Chargers

9. New England Patriots

10. Atlanta Falcons

 

So you do not even have the Bengals in the top 10?   Yeah Volson was terrible at times last year but I assume he will be better and if Cappa can stay healthy or if they move Collins to guard which I think he could succeed or even Carman who was ok there at times.  Jonah I assume will be better at RT and less pressure on him and again if he does not turn out they still have Collins.  Just have tons of versatility and Orlando Brown Jr, Joe Burrow will love that dude and I feel he is motivated to have a great season this year.  I would be surprised if they are not a really solid group.

 

As for the Ravens, Stanley with the injuries he had previously not sure how healthy he is and Moses is he good to go, I assume not.  I would like for them to transition to Faalele at RT, that kid is a beast.  OG seems to be a huge issue if Aumavae-Laulu starts as a 6th round pick, Simpson maybe and is Cleveland that bad to not even start opposite Zeitler?  Linderbaum is awesome though but there are some big question marks to me at more than one spot for them.  Vorhees could be a total steal for them and help them greatly at guard, but outside of Faalele their backup OT situation is kind of a mess.

 

The Chiefs are easy to say will be great with that interior, but will Donovan Smith be elite and healthy I do not know and if not they could be in trouble unless they move Taylor to LT but then who is the RT.  Wanogho, Nianng, Kinnard and Morris are all very unproven and not sure any of them is some future elite level OT and now and long term that could be an issue.  

[Ozzy]

7 hours ago, minutemancl said:

I'm not sure the Bills have even 1 above average starter.

Dion Dawkins is well above an average starter.  Since when is being a Pro Bowler just average?  What the hell?

 

Mitch Morse has started 109 of 109 games played in his 8 year career.  Not sure he is some garbage center but sure they could use some more depth behind him but usually he is not out of the lineup.  I would say he is above average at center especially with his consistency as a starter.

 

Spencer Brown has started 24 out of 27 games played at RT and even though it was in a Pro Day setting, has the highest RAS score ever recorded for a OT.  The dude has talent and upside and I assume he will be better this year than last year.  Cannot imagine he will get worse and his career is just over having played only two years.

 

Connor McGovern has started only 29 of 45 games but did start 15 out of 15 last year for the Cowboys.  I do believe he will be an improvement at guard and again if he is not they have replacements who could do well also.  McGovern is tough and will improve the power run game as well, is a very underrated signing in my book with a player on his way up.

 

Ryan Bates, first time as a full time starter in the NFL last year.  Not sure he was amazing but that would be why they got insurance plans for him in Edwards and Torrence if things do not workout with Bates who still does have ability at the position.

 

David Edwards had 45 starts out of 53 games played with the Rams in four years.  He is listed as a backup but is pretty damn nice to have him just sitting around in case something does not workout with a starter. 

 

Brandon Shell has started 72 out of 83 games played in his 7 year NFL career, he as well is a backup RT and just in case. Is not amazing but has tons of experience and provides a perfect backup if a tackle goes down, really nice to have in place and something they did not have really last year.

 

O'Cyrus Torrence is a bull of a guard and can really move guys around and could potentially be a fine run blocking for a team in great need of improved run blocking.  Huge dude and can be a force, not sure how that is not considered a massive improvement and great pickup in the draft.

 

Tommy Doyle, has not started yet for the team but the guy is super talented and wildly athletic for a man 6-8 320.  How one would not see him as super promising down the road I do not know.  Dude has skills potentially that is for sure.  

 

Nick Broeker, I liked him a ton out of Ole Miss, and he did play tackle at times.  Versatile OG who can move dudes and is again a fine run blocker with good solid athletic ability.  Yet another guard who could play if they have issues at that position.  

 

David Quessenberry, not a huge fan of his but he does have OT/OG versatility but could easily not make the roster potentially with bringing in Edwards and Shell.  Was a full time starter for the Titans at tackle in 2021 but only started 3 times last year.  Most likely cut but yet again another option potentially.

 

Ike Boettger, is just a backup guard with 5 years of NFL experience, he might end up being cut with the depth they have got at OG.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sure they are not wall to wall Pro Bowlers but the potential is there to be a much improved OL and looks like a team that is far more committed to running the football with some power.

 

[SmittyBacall]

21 hours ago, Ozzy said:

So you do not even have the Bengals in the top 10? 

Top half of the league? Maybe. Top 10? Too soon.

21 hours ago, Ozzy said:

Yeah Volson was terrible at times last year

I think everyone is expecting improvement there. He was OK, if that, as a rookie. Guards take time to develop.

21 hours ago, Ozzy said:

if Cappa can stay healthy

Cappa is awesome. Very underrated. Borderline Pro Bowler last year.

21 hours ago, Ozzy said:

move Collins to guard

Collins won't likely be healthy until the later half of the year, likely a PUP stash. But when he returns that's as good of a swing tackle as you can ask for, and for reasonably cheap.

21 hours ago, Ozzy said:

Carman who was ok there at times

Carman has never looked anything but terrible at guard or right tackle. He did look surprisingly OK at left tackle for like a 1 game stretch last year (his natural position), but other than that it's been bad, all bad. He was utterly abysmal in his first preseason game, already lost the RT job to Jonah, and is a cut candidate right now. It's that bad. D'Ante Smith and Hakeem Adeniji have both looked better and more deserving of a spot.

21 hours ago, Ozzy said:

Jonah I assume will be better at RT and less pressure on him and again if he does not turn out they still have Collins.

I would be happy if Jonah was a league average RT. He seems to be transitioning comfortably in camp, so we'll see.

All things considered, Brown, Cappa, and probably Karras make up three well-above average starters. The hope is that Volson and Williams can give at least league average play, hopefully making this a respectable group. Burrow will do the rest. Ranking them top 10 is a stretch, but top 3 is bananas.

[Daniel]

Texans at 2 is a hell of a choice.

[VonKarman]

 

[Ozzy]

2 hours ago, VonKarman said:

 

Stats can be useful at times, but take the Texans, that LG is a 7?  Shaq Mason or Kenyon Green?  They are the lowest rated positional starter on this list?  Not sure I buy that one, nt sure either one of those dudes are that bad, both are pretty solid I would say.  And the center Scruggs sure could be bad but my guess is he becomes a very stable starter in the league.  And if he does not workout they have two or three other options at center potentially to go with.  

 

Also the Ravens, so Linderbaum is a 18?  How is that, I consider him a very solid center and he will be even better this year.

 

Does highlight apparent weaknesses in the line but those are already pretty obvious across the board, and depth at those weak spots becomes very important.  And I am not going to sit and pretend Cross and Lucas will not be better after their solid rookie years.  Where they are as far as I can recall the only rookie tackles that have started pretty much the entire season on the same team, that simply does not happen in the NFL so to me that is a big accomplishment for both.  It happened once that I found awhile back with injuries that happened on Arizona but Cross and Lucas those dudes were pretty much starters from the get go and did pretty well I thought.  

 

They seem to rate Taylor Decker pretty high, not sure I agree with that, he has never been an All Pro or Pro Bowler, sure he is a decent LT but I would not call him an elite LT.  

[scar988]

2 hours ago, VonKarman said:

 

If this is in true pass sets, maybe they're right on RT for Atlanta, but McGary actually graded positively as a pass blocker last year in all passing plays. Falcons run a lot of play action (over 50%) so McGary won't see a lot of true pass sets like that. Also, Dalman is the same kind of guy. Not saying they're great as pass blockers (they are great run blockers), but they should be at least 50s on here.