2021 NFL Draft OG rankings: Wyatt Davis and Alijah Vera-Tucker top list
By John Blair
The offensive guard group in the 2021 NFL Draft class is led by two prospects who will likely become NFL starters as rookies in Ohio State’s Wyatt Davis and USC’s Alijah Vera-Tucker. While this is not an overly strong position in the 2021 NFL Draft it does offer some possible sleepers including Robert Hainsey of Notre Dame and Kendrick Green of Illinois. A small school prospect to watch on day three is Kion Smith of Fayetteville State.
#1. Wyatt Davis, Ohio State
6-foot-4, 315 pounds
2021 NFL Draft grade: Second round
One of the best linemen in the Big Ten in recent history is Ohio State’s Wyatt Davis. While he did not see much time early in his career as he redshirted in 2017, and only started two games in 2018, his career took off when he entered the starting lineup in 2019. He started all 14 games for Ohio State during the 2019 season and was named first-team All-American. He also had a strong 2020 season when he was named the Big Ten Offensive Linemen of the Year.
Davis has a nice combination of quickness and power which makes him effective as both a run and pass blocker. As a run blocker, he shows great aggression and is one of the more physical linemen in the 2021 NFL Draft. He also shows nice mobility in this area, especially for someone 315 pounds. In pass protection, he slides his feet well and has the power to match up with the defensive tackles he will see in the NFL. A positive stat for him in this area is he has only given up four sacks over the past two seasons.
One of the bigger issues with Davis is his overall balance. He sometimes has trouble blocking in space as he can get off balance. This could be an issue when he is asked to block linebackers in the NFL. Another concern with him is that he showed some inconsistencies in 2020.
Overall, Davis carries a late first-round to early second-round draft grade. He could be a good fit for a team like Kansas City at the end of day one or he could reunite with his old college coach Urban Meyer in Jacksonville on day two of the 2021 NFL Draft.