Liam Eichenberg is a stable 2021 NFL Draft prospect who will rise

Offensive tackle Liam Eichenberg is a safe 2021 NFL Draft prospect who will rise throughout the process.

Oregon’s Penei Sewell is clearly the top offensive tackle prospect in the 2021 NFL Draft class. He is a premier prospect at the position who is virtually guaranteed to be a top-five selection next April. However, there is not much of a consensus behind him at the position.

Samuel Cosmi out of Texas is my next offensive tackle on the board. His raw athleticism is obvious and gives him a ton of natural upside as a pass protector at the next level. However, Cosmi is a bit of a project player who teams may not want to take such a chance on in the first. If it is stability that NFL teams want, they should look no further than Notre Dame offensive tackle Liam Eichenberg.

Eichenberg is in the middle of his third season as the starting left tackle for the Irish and is having another successful year at the position. Eichenberg did not allow a single sack all of last season and has yet to allow one this year. He continues to be a stable presence on the Notre Dame offensive line and should be taken seriously as a high-level 2021 NFL Draft prospect going forward.

Eichenberg is a stable prospect who deserves more attention

Eichenberg is not an athletic freak of an offensive tackle prospect who is going to impress with his testing numbers at the combine. However, he is a better athlete than he is typically given credit for, snapping back into his pass sets quickly and showing the quickness needed to reach the second level in the run game.

His relatively limited athleticism may cause Eichenberg to struggle against elite speed rushers at the next level. But let’s be honest, most NFL offensive tackles struggle against elite NFL speed rushers anyway. He has shown the ability to consistently hold his own on the edge in college and his combination of solid quickness and impressive raw power should translate well to the next level.

Simply put, Eichenberg is a rock-solid offensive tackle prospect who has a safe floor at the next level. He is unlikely to grow into a perennial All-Pro or anything like that, but Eichenberg will likely be an immediate contributor and solid starter up front for a long time.