Texas A&M’s Kenyon Green and Iowa’s Tyler Linderbaum headline the interior offensive line class in the 2022 NFL Draft.
The interior offensive line isn’t often the position that gets a lot of headlines in the draft, but it’s produced some excellent players in recent years. The 2018 draft had Quenton Nelson and Frank Ragnow. Elgton Jenkins and Erik McCoy have been very good from 2019, and even this past draft featured two talented centers in London Dickerson and Creed Humphrey. For the 2022 NFL Draft, another pair of linemen sit atop the rankings. Let’s get right to it.
Previous Rankings:
1. Kenyon Green, G, Texas A&M
Kenyon Green tops the preseason interior offensive line rankings, and likely will find himself in the top 10 of the next big board here at NFL Mocks. Green has played fantastic at the guard spot to this point for the Aggies.
He’s got great power and pop in his hands, and has great hand usage to recover when his feet lag a bit working laterally in pass protection. His hands stay active and he has a fantastic anchor and rarely ever gives up ground to keep the pocket clean. Green has great vision and recognition when it comes to stunts, and is aggressive to attack when the defender loops around. In the run game, Green has good initial quicks, good explosion when pulling, and flashes the ability to turn defenders wide. He’s good at climbing to the second level and has the finisher mentality.
It will be interesting to see how Green handles moving to left tackle this year and what that does for his 2022 NFL Draft stock.
2. Tyler Linderbaum, C, Iowa
Tyler Linderbaum has been firmly on the radar for a couple seasons now after moving to center from the defensive line at Iowa. It’s hard to believe how natural center looks for him.
Zone teams in the NFL will love his skill set. Linderbaum’s initial quicks, explosion, and excellent athleticism play into his great angles in the run game, and gives him the advantage to establish leverage quickly. He’s an excellent reach blocker, getting to the outside shoulder of defenders with ease. His vision is great to peel back to get second level defenders out of the play when he’s leading the charge in space. In pass protection, Linderbaum can give up some ground at times, but has the anchor and strength to recover.
Linderbaum has some things to work on, like overextending a bit at the point of attack and getting more consistent with hand placement, but his talent is unbelievable and another season should only improve his stock for the 2022 NFL Draft.
3. Darian Kinnard, G, Kentucky
Darian Kinnard lands on the IOL rankings despite playing plenty of snaps at right tackle in his career with Kentucky. Still, he projects a bit better on the inside.
Kinnard has good initial quickness and explosion out of his stance, and flashes good work to the second level. He’s able to cross the face of 3-techniques and turn them outside, and has a good finishing mentality in the run game. He’s shown solid vertical sets at tackle, and has great size, grip strength, and power to not give up much room in pass pro.
Improvement with hand placement and lateral movement skills would help, but a move to guard could help out with the latter.
4. Ikem Ekwonu, G, North Carolina State
Ikem Ekwonu is another with tackle experience that likely kicks inside at the next level. Ekwonu has incredible explosiveness for the position, and generates enough power to reset the line of scrimmage. He’s hyper-aggressive and is looking to bury opponents when he gets the chance. His length gives him an edge in pass protection and has sufficient footwork.
Ekwonu’s aggressiveness can get him into trouble, as he struggles staying patient and square at times. Still, he’s a really good looking guard prospect in the 2022 NFL Draft.
5. Zion Johnson, G, Boston College
Zion Johnson may not be as aggressive as the others above him, but he’s yet another guy in these IOL rankings with guard and tackle experience. Nelson had excellent guard tape in 2019, having heavy hands and great core strength to displace defenders. He was patient but looked for work when necessary, and was a smooth operator in space when asked.
Speed to power and pass sets gave him trouble at tackle, and moving back inside will be great for him in 2021.
6. Jarrett Patterson, Notre Dame
Jarrett Patterson is the second center on the list so far in these interior offensive line rankings, and he plays with great control for the Fighting Irish. He’s got great extension and balance at the point of attack, and takes efficient angles in the run game. His awareness gives him the edge in pass protection, and he’s a great fit in a multiple run game, showing reach block ability and power.
Working to the second level consistently will be important for Patterson to work on this fall, as consistently sealing off defenders at that level will improve the run game, along with his stock.
7. Ricky Stromberg, C, Arkansas
Yet another center with great control finds his way onto the interior offensive line rankings. Ricky Stromberg (in addition to Treylon Burks of course) makes the Arkansas offense an interesting one to watch in 2021.
Stromberg’s control is very good in both aspects of the game. He stays patient when looking for work and lets potential pressure get to him and no further. Stromberg has a good anchor, active hands, and his effort is off the charts. His initial quickness also flashes. Improving his ability to climb to the second level and sustain blocks will be important this season.
8. Ed Ingram, G, LSU
Ed Ingram is another powerful mauler on the interior and does great work in a phone booth and in space. He’s got incredible power and explosion out of his stance, and does exceptional work in space when asked to pull, reaching his spot and delivering punishing blows.
His movement skills, in a lateral sense, need work and recovering is tough for him in pass protection, but he’s got power scheme written all over his game.
9. Tyrese Robinson, G, Oklahoma
Tyrese Robinson, like Ingram, has a well-developed power profile and is one of the best in the 2022 NFL Draft at it. He is a brick wall in pass protection and plays with very good leverage. He will dominate man-to-man battles and is ready for a power scheme.
His space blocking, linear, speed, and foot quickness is a struggle for Robinson, and the move to tackle this year will be an interesting one. Still, he’s got the ability for guard at the next level.
10. Emil Ekiyor Jr., G, Alabama
Emil Ekiyor Jr. rounds out the preliminary interior offensive line rankings for the 2022 NFL Draft, and won’t be the only Alabama lineman in these rankings.
Ekiyor has a well-timed initial punch and uses that to maintain early leverage, and has sufficient power to hold the line. His functional athleticism is his calling card, showing great ability to get out in space quickly and move laterally in pass protection.
Ekiyor gets into trouble in pass pro, as he waist bends at times leading to a loss of leverage and balance. His anchor isn’t the best either, and when his hands get wide, that combo gets him into trouble. Still, he’s in a good position to improve for the 2022 NFL Draft.
Honorable Mention: Dohnovan West (Arizona State), Thayer Munford (Ohio State)***