The Triple Take crew of Dale Lolley, Matt Williamson and Mike Prisuta take a look at the top prospects in the upcoming 2025 NFL Draft, which will be held in April. Today, they delve into the interior offensive line positions.
The opinions expressed here are their own and not those of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Dale's Take
Guards and centers don't typically get a lot of love – unless you don't have them. Then, they become a premium.
And in recent offseasons, players at those positions have gotten paid big money. Even heading into this offseason, the Chicago Bears made a pair of pre-emptive strikes heading into free agency, trading for Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson, hoping to shore up the interior part of their offensive line to better protect quarterback Caleb Williams.
Chicago's trades also gave a hint to what the Bears and perhaps the NFL think about the interior offensive linemen available in the draft this year. It's not a stellar group – though a number of the offensive tackle prospects could wind up moving inside at some point.
Compounding issues is the fact the fifth-year option on first-round picks treats interior linemen the same as offensive tackles. There is no delineation between the positions. They're all just considered offensive linemen. As such, first-round interior linemen get paid like tackles if their fifth-year option is picked up.
It's a big reason why only four interior offensive linemen have been selected in the first round of the draft since 2020.
Dale's Rankings
1. Tyler Booker, Alabama, 6-4 ⅝, 321 lbs. - Booker is a masher's masher. He doesn't have great athleticism, but he makes up for some of that with over 34-inch arms and 11-inch hands that he uses like hammers. A two-year starter and 2024 team captain at Alabama, the former top-30 recruit uses excellent technique and power to win. He won't be for teams looking for more athletic guards, but if it's third-and-1, he is going to clear some space.
2. Donovan Jackson, Ohio State, 6-3 ⅝, 315 lbs. - An athletic, powerful guard, Jackson even shifted out to left tackle because of injuries midway through the season in Ohio State's national championship run. Jackson was a three-year starter for the Buckeyes and is a polished prospect. If he were just a little taller, some teams might be convinced he could play tackle in the NFL. As it is, he's a little on the short side for that.
3. Grey Zabel, North Dakota State, 6-5 ⅞, 312 lbs. - At first glance, you'd think Zabel would be a good fit in an offensive tackle-starved league. But his 32-inch arms just aren't long enough to play on the edge in the NFL. That said, he played inside at the Senior Bowl and was one of the best offensive linemen there. Zabel is an easy mover and plus-athlete. He might even shift to center.
4. Marcus Mbow, Purdue, 6-4 ⅛, 303 lbs. - Mbow started at right tackle in 2024, but his previous experience all came at guard, where he'll be in the NFL. He doesn't have outstanding size, but Mbow is a plus-athlete who uses that ability to seal off defenders. Mbow is very quick off the snap and attacks defenders. He should be a good pro.
5. Tate Ratledge, Georgia, 6-6 ½, 308 lbs. - Ratledge is a guard stuck in a tackle's body. But the three-year starter at guard at Georgia is strong and tough. He should be a solid starter in the NFL. He just needs to be coached out of having some forward lean in his game.
Sleeper: Clay Webb, Jacksonville State, 6-3 ¼, 312 lbs. - A big-time recruit at Georgia, Webb had to transfer to Jacksonville State to get a starting chance. Webb lacks the length to be a full-time starting guard, but a shift to center could definitely work for him. He's got the athleticism to stand out in a center class that is seriously lacking in prospects – unlike 2024.
Matt's Take
As Steelers fans are well aware of, last year was an outstanding center class and quite a few players at that position not only went on to become starters in their rookie seasons, but several-including Zach Frazier - were simply outstanding at the pivot as rookies. That is something you just don't see very often.
This group of centers isn't even close to what came out of the college ranks a year ago. That doesn't mean there won't be quality centers entering the league or ones that develop, but teams that are counting on rookie starters could be out of luck.
NFL free agency showed us that the league overall isn't really high on this group of interior offensive linemen. Teams such as the Bears and Vikings were extremely aggressive to fill those interior needs with veteran lineman rather than wait for this draft class for help on the interior. However, as noted with the offensive tackle rankings, several players should enter the league as tackles and eventually make their way to the inside.
Matt's Rankings
1. Grey Zabel, North Dakota State, 6-5 7/8, 312 lbs. - An offensive tackle at North Dakota State - and a dominant one at that - 32-inch arms are going to push Zabel to the interior, either at guard or center. Zabel dominated the Senior Bowl and followed it up with an impressive Combine. He is equally comfortable battling big defensive tackles in a tight area or hitting smaller defenders in space.
2. Tyler Booker, Alabama, 6-4 5/8, 321 lbs. - Booker is considered a great leader at a big-time college program and is a throwback mauler on the field. He is a people mover but lacks ideal foot quickness. Booker has great arm length for a guard, but just doesn't have the movement skills of an offensive tackle. Booker is the type of player you run behind on fourth and one.
3. Donovan Jackson, Ohio State, 6-3 5/8, 315 lbs. - Jackson, a guard by trade, was thrust into Ohio State's left tackle spot when Josh Simmons was lost for the year. And he performed extremely well as an instrumental part of the Buckeyes' National Championship run. He has good length, and some might want to try him out at tackle with the knowledge that he can always bounce back inside.
4. Jonah Savaiinaea, Arizona, 6-4 1/8, 324 lbs. - Savaiinaea is a wide body and has very good length. He is physically imposing with a finisher's mentality and big powerful vice grip hands. While he ran well at the Combine, Savaiinaea isn't real light on his feet or a natural bender.
5. Tate Ratledge, Georgia, 6-6 1/2, 308 lbs. - Ratledge is a big man that showed he can consistently move defensive linemen at the highest level of competition. His arms are short for someone with his height, so he is destined to play guard. Ratledge is rugged and nasty and while he looks like an average athlete on tape, his Combine performance was quite impressive.
Sleeper: Joshua Gray, Oregon State, 6-5 1/8, 299 lbs. - Gray has excellent quickness, is a sudden mover and plays well in space. He is a five-year starter and ultra-reliable, making him an ideal early career swing interior offensive lineman. Gray's arm length is on 31 3/8 inches, so tackle is out of the question although most of his college snaps did come at left tackle. After four years at tackle, he moved inside to guard last season without any issues. His transition to the NFL should be a relatively easy one all things considered.
Mike Take
Tackles get the glamour along the offensive line, and those who don't quite measure up outside in college are often relegated to playing guard or center in the NFL.
But occasionally it works both ways.
The Eagles unleashed trench warfare on the league along the way to winning the most recent Super Bowl. And one of the key components along the offensive trench was none other than guard Mekhi Becton.
That's the same Becton who first entered the NFL as an 11th-overall selection by the New York Jets as an offensive tackle out of Louisville in 2020.
Becton went from a disappointment at left tackle in New York to a find at right guard in Philly.
The drafting of a guard or a center traditionally can lack the buzz associated with the selection of a tackle, but the right players in the right spots at the right time along the interior of the offensive line can more than justify the investment. It takes all five, after all, up front.
Mike's Rankings
1. Grey Zabel, North Dakota State, 6-53/8, 316 lbs. - The NFL should long be over wondering whether players from North Dakota State can play. In the event there were any lingering doubts, Zabel shattered them throughout Senior Bowl Week. The only question about Zabel is whether he's a tackle, guard or center. He might be all three.
2. Tyler Booker, Alabama, 6-45/8, 321 lbs. - His NFL comparison, according to the NFL Network, is Quenton Nelson. Booker, a captain at Alabama, also brings a brand of nasty. NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah also noted he'd heard comparisons to former Crimson Tide edge Will Anderson (third overall, 2023) from people at Alabama in terms of Booker's "leadership, work ethic and competitiveness."
3. Donovan Jackson, Ohio State, 6-4, 320 lbs. - His mid-season switch to tackle out of necessity during the Buckeyes' run to the national championship established Jackson can play outside. But prior to that his bona fides at guard were well established. He's a veteran of 61 career games played and 55 career games started. Find him a spot.
4. Jared Wilson, Georgia, 6-3, 310 lbs. - Wilson didn't participate on the field during Senior Bowl Week, but he's been repeatedly referenced as the best pure center available. And he made up for lost time by lighting up the NFL Scouting Combine when he ran a 4.84 40-yard dash (the second time an offensive lineman ran a sub-4.85 at 300-plus pounds in Combine history). Wilson only started for one season for the Bulldogs, so he's not a finished product.
5. Miles Frazier, LSU, 6-55/8, 317 - Frazier dabbled briefly at tackle in 2024 and worked at the position at the Senior Bowl. He wound up being named his team's offensive line practice player of the week in Mobile, Ala. (in a vote of opposing defensive linemen and linebackers). Frazier started 13 games at right guard in 2024, but his position flexibility includes 27 such assignments at right guard, 11 at left tackle, 10 at left guard and two at right tackle among his 50 career starts.
Sleeper: Jonah Monheim, USC, 6-41/8, 307 lbs. - Another player will experience across the board (18 career starts at right tackle, 12 at left tackle, 12 at center, all last season, and three at right guard from 2021 through 2024). And he reportedly did very well during interviews with NFL teams at the Senior Bowl. "I've been told by coaches he has aced that (meeting room) test," Jeremiah maintained. Monheim isn't flashy, but there's a lot to like.
