NFL Draft
12/27/24
12 min read
Guard Or Tackle? 2025 NFL Draft Offensive Line Blurs Line For Many
The 2025 NFL Draft’s offensive tackle talent pool is not necessarily at the same level as last season, but that doesn’t mean we won’t still see an infusion of talented offensive line starters enter the league this spring.
The 2024 NFL Draft boasted five tackles in the first 20 selections and another in the first round’s final eight picks. That, plus promising second-round talents like Roger Rosengarten (Baltimore), Blake Fisher (Houston), and Patrick Paul (Miami), make 2024 a tough act to follow.
It would not be a surprise to see similar numbers go in the first two rounds — although some more of the names called in this cycle could be destined for life inside at the NFL level vs. a continued opportunity at tackle.
This is an annual affair: sorting through the offensive linemen eligible for the draft and examining their physical attributes, arm length, foot speed, instincts in space, and so on while trying to decipher who would be best served as a tackle versus a guard or center.
Even last year’s draft, as good as it was at tackle, saw two college tackles drafted in the first round and promptly asked to play elsewhere. Those players were Duke’s Graham Barton and Arizona’s Jordan Morgan. Barton (at center) and Morgan (at both guard spots) have endured the expected ups and downs of a positional transition compounded by a leap in level of competition.
The 2023 draft saw this scenario play out with Peter Skoronski, who took over for his predecessor, Rashawn Slater, at Northwestern. Both were subjected to the debate of tackle or guard discourse. Slater has thrived at left tackle, whereas Skoronski is over 1,800 snaps into his pro career and has only played left guard.
These roots seep into Day 2 as well, where former Kansas State lineman Cooper Beebe was drafted by the Cowboys and promptly converted to the ONLY position he didn’t play in college (center).
The profiles of these players make for a fascinating discussion of who is really a center, a guard, or a tackle. The discourse will continue with a 2025 class filled with talents who all could play tackle; but may not land there for a myriad of reasons.
Which prospects should stay outside, and which should be looking forward to a future home inside?
Where Should 2025 NFL Draft's Top OL Play?
Will Campbell, LSU Tigers 
Lingering Question: Campbell's played more than 2,500 snaps at LSU as a three-year starter, and none of them have come anywhere other than tackle. However, when you observe Campbell's profile, you notice that his foot speed and functional length linger as a questionable projection to the NFL level. South Carolina tested Campbell in pass protection with his ability to consistently hit deeper set points. So, too, did Texas A&M. Those teams boast a pair of star pass rushers — ones you can't hide from.
Campbell's athleticism and length are enough to play tackle in the pros; typically, a 32.5" arm length threshold is considered "acceptable." But for a player who shines in close quarters and with brute strength, a future inside at guard should be considered a "better" home for him to maximize what he does best.
I see his profile similarly to Peter Skoronski's. He boasted great explosiveness in linear opportunities and good functional strength but lacked the length and agility that could shine in protection on the edge.
Most Important Pre-Draft Test: Short shuttle. Illustrating dynamic lateral mobility would help ease the concerns with pre-documented modest length.
Early Verdict: He's a guard who can play tackle in a pinch.
Will Campbell's Full Scouting Report, Pro Comp
Kelvin Banks, Texas
Lingering Question: His athleticism is not so much the question here as his balance. Banks has shown some tendency to lean once engaged with blockers, inviting savvy defenders to pull him off his spot and break down his base. Longer-arm pass rushers have, at times, too, shown the ability to get into his frame. But these issues feel more like technical flaws than they do a physical ceiling.
Most Important Pre-Draft Test: Wingspan. The movement skills and foot speed are here. But does he have the length to unlock new layers to his game as he refines his technique?
Early Verdict: He's a tackle with more room for growth in order to become a more scheme-diverse talent. That said, he can play inside at guard with his stature if necessary to get him on the field.
Kelvin Banks' Full Scouting Report, Pro Comp
Josh Simmons, Ohio State
Lingering Question: Simmons was recruited to San Diego State and classified as a guard. His college resume boasts 1,930 snaps split between left (1,130) and right (800) tackle, though.
Simmons enjoyed an explosive coming-out party in the first half of 2024 before a season-ending injury cut his time in Columbus short. The good news? If you're projecting him forward, this is a tackle. The foot speed, pass set variety, and mirror skills are tailor-made for playing on the edge.
Most Important Pre-Draft Test: Medicals will dictate his draft stock much more than anything else.
Early Verdict: Tackle, no questions asked.
Josh Simmons' Full Scouting Report, Pro Comp
Aireontae Ersery, Minnesota
Lingering Question: At 6-foot-6 and 330 pounds, this fifth-year senior is a mauler in the run game that some could see as an appealing option to play inside. Ersery, as a heavier, power player, doesn't have the kind of quick twitch and short-area agility that shines in protection.
Two things bode well for life on the outside, regardless. He has prototypical length and knows how to use it, for starters. Ersery has enough mass and width to his frame to force steep angles on the edge. Additionally, his grip strength and upper-body power can stalemate smaller rushers that enter his area and minimize their agility advantage.
Most Important Pre-Draft Test: 3-cone drill. Agility is much more of a question for Ersery than explosiveness or his frame.
Early Verdict: He's a power tackle. Ersery's height and need for hand refinement don't suggest a promising blend for playing inside.
Aireontae Ersery's Full Scouting Report, Pro Comp
Cameron Williams, Texas
Lingering Question: If you built a custom Madden player and maxed out the traits, it may look like Cameron Williams. The best case for Williams playing tackle is that he's still so raw as effectively a one-year starter; who knows how high the ceiling goes.
Williams' ugly reps game underscores an inconvenient truth — Williams isn't particularly agile despite cutting significant weight before 2024, and his best reps come from opportunities to engulf defenders in close quarters. He's got all the length needed to play on the edge but still appears to need significant technique work.
Most Important Pre-Draft Test: On-field workouts. Williams will have the chance to show how well he takes to coaching and if he can quickly apply coaching points on the fly as a raw, one-year starter.
Early Verdict: The prospect of putting an erratic puncher inside can be scary, but Williams' wide frame, grip strength, and vertical run game ability likely project cleaner inside and afford him more schemes to succeed in. I'd play him at guard.
Cameron Williams' Full Scouting Report, Pro Comp
Wyatt Milum, West Virginia
Lingering Question: Milum, with nearly 3,000 snaps to his name, has taken one inside at guard as a freshman in 2021. His resume of playing time is much coming up "tackle." This is a nasty finisher in the run game who brings a great attitude to the front, but there's fine print.
He's reportedly sporting 32" arms, which could be a non-starter for some teams at tackle. His lack of length shows up with how well he sustains blocks and speed rushers have tested his edges and forced him to recovery mode in protection as a result. He appears to be a good athlete, but to survive on the edge with a limited reach and influence, he needs to be a great athlete.
Most Important Pre-Draft Test: The jumps. Milum's ability to convert power will be more based on his ability to generate ground force since he is less likely to out-reach and land first punches on opponents.
Early Verdict: He's likely a zone scheme guard. Teams can reserve their right to test him outside but don't be surprised if the fallback plan arises and he's a guard before too long.
A tall frame but short arms is a tough draw, but we've seen it to varying degrees of success in recent years with names like Liam Eichenberg, Cody Mauch, and David Edwards.
Wyatt Milum's Full Scouting Report, Pro Comp
Josh Conerly Jr., Oregon
Lingering Question: Aside from some late development throughout the 2024 season, Conerly Jr. boasts one of the cleanest resumes to playing tackle at the NFL level. He's explosive, agile, and illustrates good body control in space. Plus, he's rounding into form with his footwork and hand technique.
This is a two-year starter for the Ducks at left tackle who converted from running back as a sophomore in high school — the late blooming development is understandable. He appears to check thresholds for strength, foot speed, and length.
Most Important Pre-Draft Test: Interviews. Conerly Jr. should have teams content with his physical profile. The interviews could make them fall in love.
Early Verdict: This is a tackle. That said, if a team acquiring him had starters in place and wanted to get him on the field, his ability to pull and his athleticism to win first contact could offer an opportunity to play inside at guard.
Josh Conerly Jr.'s Full Scouting Report, Pro Comp
Jonah Savaiinaea, Arizona 
Lingering Question: Savaiinaea's athleticism in space is secondary to the power he brings to the position. This powerhouse can generate vertical run game displacement and strong wash in gap and counter schemes.
His pass protection at tackle is sturdy, but it isn't a coincidence he conceded the fewest pressures and quarterback hits of any season while he played exclusively at right guard. He lacks the hip flexibility, length, and foot speed to shine at tackle as he can shine inside.
Most Important Pre-Draft Test: The 10-yard split. Does Savaiinaea have the first-step quickness to generate depth and protect his outside as a tackle in pass protection?
Early Verdict: As the saying goes. If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it's probably a duck. Savaiinaea plays like a guard. He's built like a guard. As such, he's probably a guard.
Jonah Savaiinaea's Full Scouting Report, Pro Comp
Armand Membou, Missouri
Lingering Question: Some will see the powerful presence in the run game and look to tether him to an interior spot, which is understandable. This is a point-of-attack winner who actually illustrates surprising body control, flexibility, and light feet.
In build, he's stocky but possesses the threshold length of a tackle. In demeanor, he feels destined for close-quarters combat. His biggest area of growth will be the punch timing and placement that sometimes leaves him vulnerable on the outside and forces him to lean and overextend to try to ride rushers past the turn.
Most Important Pre-Draft Test: Interviews. This is a member of Bruce Feldman's annual Freak's List. Don't be surprised when the reported 1.63s 10-yard split and 32" vertical jump show up in Indy.
Early Verdict: The ceiling here may vary depending on the landing spot. He feels like a universal talent as a guard and a developmental starter at tackle. What's more important to your team: getting positional value or maximizing the talent? Every answer could be a little different.
Armand Membou's Full Scouting Report, Pro Comp
Marcus Mbow, Purdue
Lingering Question: Functional strength vs. speed to power looms large over Mbow's profile. The good news is he's lived inside at guard before; he was a starter in 2022 at right guard for the Boilermakers, and there's some proof of concept with his ability to live on the inside vs. having to tackle the degree of difficulty of set points, playing with angles and anticipation in space, and so on.
Mbow has elite foot speed and shines with his aggressiveness as a player — but the patience and precision necessary to thrive outside at tackle have eluded him thus far. He's a little light in the truck to absorb power rushes from dynamic edge players who are given a runway to build up speed, too, leaving him ideally in a position to add some mass and refine his hand usage and pass set technique.
Most Important Pre-Draft Test: On-field workouts. Will he get a look at center? If he does, he could blow the doors off a staff.
Early Verdict: Hear me out. This might be a center. The center position is slightly less predicated on functional strength — as they're often relegated as turning towards a potential second-level threat in pass protection or, alternatively, involved with some zone assignment combined with the guard before securing their hands.
Centers can be charged with free releases up to the second level or playing as an outside-the-core weapon when they have elite athleticism like Mbow. He's rough around the edges, but this athleticism is begging to be fully unleashed and maximized at center.
Marcus Mbow's Full Scouting Report, Pro Comp
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