Top 30 Offensive Tackle Prospects for the 2012 NFL Draft

Updated January 2012:

1. Matt Kalil, USC
2. Riley Reiff, Iowa
3. Jonathan Martin, Stanford
4. Mike Adams, Ohio State
5. Kelechi Osemele (RT), Iowa State
6. Zebrie Sanders, Florida State
7. Levy Adcock, Oklahoma State
8. Bobbie Massie, Ole Miss
9. Nate Potter, Boise State
10. Andre Datko, Florida State
11. Jeff Allen, Illinois
12. Matt Reynolds, BYU
13. Matt McCants, UAB
14. Brandon Mosley, Auburn
15. Tom Compton, South Dakota
16. Tony Bergstrom, Utah
17. Markus Zusevics, Iowa
18. Mitchell Schwartz, Cal
19. Marcel Jones, Nebraska
20. Elvis Fisher, Missouri
21. Jeff Adams, Columbia
22. Bradley Sowell, Ole Miss
23. Blake DeChristopher, Virginia Tech
24. Josh Oglesby, Wisconsin
25. Al Netter, Northwestern

Update: 11/21/2011

Sayre and I racked our brains together to come up with a most recent rankings  for the offensive tackles for the 2012 NFL draft  class. I just listed them here, you can read our previous top thirty to get a description of the players or go to our scouting report page to get a more indepth break-down. For right now we went 16 deep

1. Kalil

2. Reiff

3. Martin

4. D.J. Fluker

5. Barret Jones

6. Mike Adams

7. Zebrie Sanders

8. Oday Aboushi

9. Ricky Wagner

10. Andrew Datko

11. Nate Potter

12. Matt Reynolds

13. Levy Adock

14. Bobbie Massie

15. Tanner Hawkinson

16. Xavier Nixon

Initial preseason rankings (30 deep)

1. Matt Kalil, USC, 6’7” 295 (Junior)

Kalil is a redshirt junior and is considered the best tackle prospect for the 2012 draft. He’s got great size coming in at 6 ft 7, 295 pounds. He uses his hands well and has good upper body strength. He also has good footwork. He has all the tools to be a starting left tackle in the NFL. Now, Kalil is not a perfect prospect. He would do well by following in the footsteps of former teammate Tyron Smith and bulking up. He needs to work on his pad level as he will lose leverage the longer a play continues. Matt is not the only player in his family to be a successful football player. His father played center in the NFL and his brother Ryan is an all pro center for the Carolina Panthers. Kalil has the potential to be a top 10 pick if he has a good year

2. Jonathan Martin, Stanford, 6’6” 297 (Junior)

Big offensive tackle prospect who will undoubtedly be on the radar as one of the top finalist candidates for the Lombardi award, as well as on All-American radar. This is a guy whose game projects very well to the NFL level. He excels in both the running game as well as the passing game, where Stanford averaged over 211 yards rushing in 2010, and allowed the 2nd fewest amount of sacks in the nation. He is a big athletic guy with a ton of upside. The question is whether or not he will leave school early for the NFL Draft, and if he keeps this pace up, it might be hard to turn down the opportunity. He is already being regarded as a potential top 10 pick next year.

3. Riley Reiff, Iowa, 6’6” 300 (Junior)

Perhaps even more so than the tight end position, the University of Iowa is an absolute offensive lineman factory. Kirk Ferentz is a former NFL offensive line coach, and the Hawkeyes have one of the best strength and conditioning programs in all the land. Riley Reiff was a 250 pound defensive end when he came to Iowa, and with one year of strength, conditioning, and a change in diet, the Hawkeyes got him up to 300 pounds and in two years have developed him into a first round offensive tackle. Reiff will likely be an All Big Ten performer in 2011 and if he stays healthy, could be a top 15 pick in the draft. A great athlete with a blue-collar style of play, and a name to keep an eye on.

4. Nate Potter, Boise State, 6’6” 300 (Senior)

Potter is an All-American and All-WAC first team offensive tackle, and one of the best senior offensive linemen in the entire country. What’s interesting to me about Potter is that the Boise State coaching staff moved him to left guard two years ago because they felt it was the best fit for him, so you have to wonder if he will be better fit for that position at the NFL level. He’s a big, strong offensive lineman who has the athletic ability to play tackle or guard at the NFL level. Boise State fans seemed a bit lukewarm on Potter at the start of last season, wondering whether or not he would be the next Clady or the next Daryn Colledge. Potter is an academic All American, but because of the uncertainty of whether or not he will be a tackle or guard in the NFL, I’m glad that he’s coming back to school for another season to validate his draft status. Still, some are more high on Potter than others. Gil Brandt of NFL.com has him rated as the fourth best player in the entire class of players, underclassmen included. He is one of five pre-season All-Americans coming out of BSU, and he has been the anchor of an offensive line that ranked second in the nation in total offense and scoring.

5. Matt Reynolds, BYU, 6’6” 322 (Senior)

**No scouting report yet available**
6. Mike Adams, Ohio State, 6’8” 300 (Senior)

After two pretty weak years where he struggled with injuries and inconsistency, Adams applied himself off the field and has become one of the top offensive tackle prospects in the country. After a season where he showed great talent and improvement, Adams made one of the worst mistakes of his football career by being part of the scandal of selling Rose Bowl rings and memorabilia. One bad instance does not define a player forever, but it certainly raises some red flags. As a result of his actions, Adams will face a five game suspension at the start of the season, and has likely lowered his draft stock considerably.

7. Blake DeChristopher, Virginia Tech, 6’5” 312 (Senior)

A four-year starter at right tackle who seems to have not realized his full potential (hence no move over to the left side). A mauler in the run game, but can get beat badly by speed rushers. A guard in a tackle’s body, he will be much more attractive to NFL teams if he moves inside. Uses his size to collapse the line on run plays. Major contributor (thanks to lack of depth that VT trusts) and didn’t rotate out often. Mainly known for having the best beard on the team.
8. Xavier Nixon, Florida, 6’5” 300 (Junior)

**No scouting report yet available**

9. Ricky Wagner, Wisconsin, 6’6″ 322 (RS Junior)

Wisconsin grows them big, and they grow them in big, big quantities. Wagner is just one of many Badgers who will be playing offensive line in the NFL someday soon, and he could be a top of the line prospect for the 2012 NFL Draft. The name of the game is power for the Wisconsin offensive line, and I’m not sure he’s as good a player as Joe Thomas was, but he will be a good one. It’s hard to gauge just how good these guys are individually, because as a whole, they are probably the best overall offensive line in the nation right now. Wagner will come into the NFL well versed in zone running as well as power running. He has great size, and is capable of playing either tackle or guard position.

10. Andrew Datko, Florida State, 6’6” 311 (Senior)

Big offensive tackle who started 25 straight games to start his collegiate career, and suffered a couple of nagging injuries in 2010, limiting his development. I think he likely could have come out this year and been a late first or early second round pick had he not had the injuries, but that is just the way the game goes sometimes. Big, strong offensive tackle with a work ethic that coaches love. He should have a long, successful NFL career if he can stay healthy, and I would expect him to be in the first round discussion until proven otherwise.