Thor Nystrom’s 2023 NFL Draft Primer: OT

In addition to this article about offensive tackles, you can check out my deep dives on positions below, starting with quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers, tight ends and inside offensive linemen. I’ll continue to provide 2023 NFL Draft coverage, culminating in my top-500 NFL Draft rankings and big board ahead of the first pick being announced later this month.

• Thor Nystrom’s 2023 NFL Draft Primer: Quarterbacks | Running Backs | Wide Receivers | Tight Ends | Inside Offensive Linemen
• NFL Draft Needs for Every Team
• Latest Big Board
• NFL Draft Prop Bet Cards: Freedman | Weyrauch | Erickson
• 2023 NFL Draft Scouting Reports & Prospect Profiles

Thor Nystrom’s 2023 NFL Draft OT Rankings

1. Paris Johnson Jr. | Ohio State | 6063/313 | RAS: N/A

Player comparison: D’Brickashaw Ferguson

Bio

Paris Johnson Jr. is a former five-star recruit who checks all the boxes. He started for two years in Columbus before declaring for the Draft. He took over at RG as a true sophomore, then kicked out to LT as a junior last season.

Johnson Jr. has a built-in-a-lab frame for an NFL OT. There doesn’t look to be a pound of unnatural fat on him. He’s blessed with fabulous length, with one of the longest wingspans in this class (85 1/8″).

Strengths

Johnson Jr. is a very sleek athlete for the position. My favorite thing about his game is his feet. They are so dang smooth, shuffling the arc. He gives speed rushers a fit, gaining depth, keeping them on the outside and hanging step-for-step with them around the arc.

Currently, with only a year of tackle experience under his belt, Johnson Jr.’s punch accuracy is hit-or-miss. When he hits, it’s really hard to battle back on him in a rep. But when he throws and misses, he can compromise his balance.

Outside of those instances, take it as a given that Johnson Jr.’s weight is perfectly distributed. He remains agile, even with that wide base under him in pass-pro, allowing him to quickly and efficiently execute counter-move fires.

Johnson Jr. is an underrated run blocker. That’s an area he shined in during his season at guard. He shoots out of the blocks like a sprinter and consistently wins the early interaction advantage.

He has a feistiness to him, wanting to stack pancakes on his stat-sheet plate. Johnson Jr. uses the run game to set a tone early. He doesn’t have any problems with defenders, as he’s stronger than them. But we’ve seen instances of power-edge defenders getting under his pads and stopping his feet.

Weaknesses

Johnson Jr. has the frame to add more weight. He’s a young player who will get stronger in the trunk. But he’s naturally high-cut with good-but-not-great play strength. Johnson Jr.’s lack of lower-body horsepower can show when he doesn’t gain the early advantage in the run game via explosion, positioning and footwork.

I wonder if this is what explains his bad habit of sometimes bending at the waist and lunging into contact – trying to load up for more pop at the contact point to dislodge, so his athleticism and length can finish the job.

The problem is that this strategy compromises his base, depriving him of the power and balance he needs to finish if his man weathers his initial storm. NFL defenders will take advantage of this peccadillo more than Big 10 ones could. Correcting this habit will be near the top of his next offensive line coach’s priority list this summer.

2. Broderick Jones | Georgia | 6053/311 | RAS: 9.58

Player comparison: Tyron Smith

Bio

Paris Johnson Jr. was the No. 1 offensive tackle in the 2020 recruiting class. Broderick Jones was No. 2. Score one for the recruiting gurus. Like Johnson Jr, he is a high-end athlete. Broderick Jones was a multi-sport prep athlete who excelled as a high school hoopster.

At Georgia, he spent the past season-and-a-half at left tackle (Jamaree Salyer’s injury opened the door for him in mid-2021). Broderick Jones protected Stetson Bennett’s blind side in each of the past two National Championships.

Strengths

Broderick Jones’ feet may not be as smooth as Johnson’s, but they’re quicker. His explosion stands out. He’s springy off the snap, and in the run game, he has an engineer’s bent for converting speed into power. His north-south propulsion and nimble feet give him a great run-game starter kit.

Weaknesses

However, he needs to clean up his approach. Broderick Jones reaches second-level defenders with eye-opening haste, but he sometimes wants to be a battering ram instead of simply ensuring his man is sealed off from the play. This habit allowed more fish off the hook than should have been possible in the SEC.

And in a phonebooth, the head-start Broderick Jones wins in reps with explosion can be mitigated by haphazard hand usage. In most cases, simply gaining control of his man by getting his hands inside his pads while keeping his feet busy would finish the job. But his compensatory mechanism of occasionally lunging into contact gives defenders second chances.

Broderick Jones’ style can sometimes be too frenetic, with his hands coming in wide for that initial jolt. This exposes his chest to the defender. The hunter becomes the hunted when that defender accepts the gift he’s been handed by latching onto his chest plate.

In pass-pro, He has knockout-punch power in his hands. Well-placed punches stall the engine of defenders, forcing them to collect and restart. His next project will be improving the consistency of that usage, ala the run game.

Broderick Jones’ natural pop will play up all the more when he is consistently hitting the target. But when he doesn’t mind his technique, he throws wild, trying to be the bully, in the process hiccuping his mobility while opening windows for his man to bridge the length gap.

Broderick Jones has a decent frame, but he isn’t as linear or long as Johnson Jr. is – standing a half-inch beneath 6-foot-6 with an 82 3/4″ wingspan. Johnson Jr. is smoother and more technically refined, a bit further along the developmental line right now.

That makes his floor lower than Johnson Jr.’s. But Broderick Jones might have the higher ceiling. He’s more north-south explosive and has that nifty combination of defibrillator hands and quick feet.

His game is a few technical tweaks away from taking off. But with only 19 college starts under his belt, Broderick Jones’ NFL franchise will have to be patient early while that work is underway.

3. Darnell Wright | Tennessee | 6051/342 | RAS: 9.68

Player comparison: Brandon Shell

Bio

Darnell Wright has been a fast riser during the Draft process, whose stock is surging at the right time. Like Johnson Jr. and Broderick Jones, Wright was a five-star recruit – a top-10 overall recruit in the 2019 class. Broderick Jones started 19 games in college. Johnson Jr. started 26 (13 apiece at RG and LT). Wright is the grizzled vet of the trio, with 42 career starts.

With our increased exposure to him, you might wonder how Wright flew into this process more under the radar. That goes back to Wright’s first 29 starts over his first three years as a Vol. Wright wasn’t ready to be in the lineup as a true freshman. His 39.0 PFF grade in 2019 ranked No. 334 out of 337 qualifying FBS offensive tackles.

Wright took a step forward in 2020 but was still a below-average starting tackle, logging a 53.5 PFF grade. By then, Wright was beginning to learn how to use his natural strength in the run game, but he still hadn’t figured out the pass-pro side of things, allowing five sacks and 19 pressures over 10 games (nine starts).

In 2021, Wright continued his upward trajectory. He improved enough to be an average P5 starter that year, logging a 62.7 PFF grade while seeing gains in both pass-pro (three sacks and 17 pressures) and the run game.

Wright is going to be a first-round pick because of the way he flipped the script over the past eight months. After giving up eight sacks over 22 starts between 2020-2021, Wright finished No. 3 among all FBS offensive tackles by giving up a pressure on a mere 1.7% of his pass-blocking snaps in 2022. Wright slashed his pressures allowed from 17 to eight while giving up zero sacks.

Then Wright went out and dominated pre-Draft testing, proving he was more than just a power tackle. Wright’s 40-yard dash, 10 and 20-yard splits and broad jump were all 90th-percentile-or-better. His short shuttle was 63rd-percentile, while his vertical was 70th (Wright skipped the 3-cone).

Strengths

Wright is a power tackle – always has been and always will be. He profiles to shut down NFL power rushers with ease. He stops bull-rushers in their tracks with an enormous anchor. It’s darn near impossible to rock Wright backward.

Earlier in Wright’s career, explosive rushers with the ability to counter gave him fits. The sudden movement would put Wright on a teeter-totter. But in 2022, those players discovered they no longer had a free pass. Just ask Alabama’s Will Anderson.

Patriots beat writer Evan Lazar did just that at the NFL Combine, Tweeting from Anderson’s podium session: “[Anderson] says that Tennessee’s Wright is the best OT he faced in college. Anderson mentioned how much better Wright got year-to-year. Pointed to his ability to mirror rushers and anchor at his size.”

Wright could always do the latter. The former was a new addition to his repertoire in 2022. Anderson’s matchup against Wright last season was the first time he’d posted a PFF pass-rushing game grade under 60.0 over a full game since the 2021 opener.

Weaknesses

Wright will never be the most fleet-footed tackle. But with his homerun power, he doesn’t have to be. Cleaning up his footwork made a world of difference. There’s still work to do. Wright’s hand usage is still coming along, for instance.

In the run game, Wright’s natural power plays down when he doesn’t get the meat hooks set. In pass-pro, he needs to keep his hands inside and improve his accuracy. But as with everything else in Wright’s game, that aspect of his game has improved by leaps and bounds.

How you see Wright probably has more to do with you than Wright. Do you see the cup half-full? Do you see a former top-10 recruit who improved in every metric all four seasons in college coming off a high-end campaign for a dominant offense? Do you see a prospect with one elite trait (power) who then went into the pre-Draft process and proved he was a better athlete than he was given credit for?

Or do you see the cup half-empty? Do you see a one-year wonder who wasn’t an above-average FBS starter until his fourth year on campus? Do you see a heavy-footed one-trick pony who may not be able to hack it on the outside in the NFL?

Evaluation isn’t about knowing the future – that’s impossible. It’s about accurately gauging the full band of outcomes and the percentage chance the given prospect has to hit them. Wright’s 2022 suggested an enticing ceiling. His floor is pretty high, too. If he fails at tackle, his brute-force power will play inside.

4. Anton Harrison | Oklahoma | 6042/315 | RAS: 8.57

Player comparison: Charles Cross

Bio

Anton Harrison is the opposite sort of prospect from Wright. Harrison wins with athleticism and footwork, not power. Harrison’s developmental curve on campus wasn’t as pronounced as Wright’s, mostly because he was far better when thrown to the wolves as a true freshman (69.1 PFF grade in 2020). But like Wright, Harrison is a toolsy prospect who showed consistent improvement.

Harrison’s special-sauce movement ensured that he never embarrassed himself on the field. But Harrison leaned heavily on that athleticism earlier in his career to win him reps. Over the past two years, Harrison has worked extensively on his pass-pro setup and technique.

Strengths

Always quick-footed, Harrison has gotten better at polishing his footwork to ensure his lower half is always working for him. That lower half is amongst the most pliable in this class.

And while Harrison still has work to do with his hand usage, they’ve made big strides from his early-season work. Harrison doesn’t make unforced errors. He’s patient and doesn’t throw his hands unless he knows he’s going to land.

The developmental gains in those areas were huge for his NFL projection. Last season, Harrison, who had never before received all-conference accommodation, was an easy choice for First-Team All-Big 12.

Over 425 pass-pro reps last year, Harrison was rock-solid, allowing zero QB hits and only one sack. Combine his pass-pro work over the past two seasons and Harrison’s 86.6 PFF pass-block grade ranked No. 10 in the FBS.

Weaknesses

Harrison projects as a rock-solid pass-protector at the next level so long as his technique continues along the same developmental trajectory it’s been riding. But it simply must because Harrison doesn’t have the extra bullet that Wright does in being able to fall back on converting to guard if the OT thing doesn’t work out.

Harrison’s finesse, movement-based game is bereft of power. Power rushers with length can turn the tables on Harrison. Harrison’s ability to absorb force by sinking into his hips and digging his cleats in gives him a stronger anchor than his mediocre play-power would dictate. But that trick doesn’t work against the strongest war-daddy power rushers, who remove Harrison’s cleats from the ground and rock him backward.

Harrison’s fealty to technique can waver in these fire-fight instances. This might be a function of youth and inexperience, but he tends to panic when at risk of being overwhelmed. This is when you’ll see him get grabby. He drew 14 flags over the past two seasons.

Harrison’s quicks off the snap, leverage-minded ethos and angle-shark paths keep him on schedule in the run game early. But he shares a tendency that Broderick Jones and Johnson Jr. do in loading up extra at the contact point, trading a stable base post-contact for a bit more pop during it.

Harrison will never be a mauler – he lacks the strength to be a road-grader. But his run-blocking – the area of his game lagging behind at present – could improve at the next level between weight-room work and more discipline into contact.

Harrison is the riskiest prospect in my top five. But his pass-pro work in college speaks for itself, and there are only so many 315-plus-pounders who move this fluidly.

If Harrison hits, he’ll keep the quarterback’s blind side clean for years. If he misses, it will be because his lack of length and play strength affected his movement advantage. You can bet that one organization will roll the dice somewhere between picks 20-40.

5. Dawand Jones | Ohio State | 6081/375 | RAS: N/A

Player comparison: Orlando Brown Jr.

Bio

I told a story on a recent FantasyPros NFL Draft Special Podcast episode about how I found myself standing near Dawand Jones in the tunnel inside Hancock Whitney Stadium during Senior Bowl Week. I had a Sam Neal-removing-his-sunglasses in Jurassic Park moment – in awe of his sheer size.

Not only is he a ridiculously large human being, but his dimensions seem to have been hand-cut to tailor to the professional work he’s about to embark upon. It wasn’t just the hulking frame that took your breath away.

It’s that the fingers of a man that enormous were nearly touching his knees as he stood upright. Dawand Jones’ wingspan (87 7/8″) was the second-longest ever recorded at the NFL Combine. That’s a 7-foot-4 wingspan.

Amongst this year’s OL class, Dawand Jones also was the tallest (6’8 ⅛”) and heaviest (374 pounds), with the biggest hands (11 5/8″) and the longest arms (34 3/4″). He was 39 pounds bigger than the second-heaviest player at the NFL Combine, Baylor DT Siaki Ika.

We only got to see him for one day at the Senior Bowl. Over the ensuing 90 minutes, he was utterly dominant. It was a cat-and-mouse affair in one-on-one drills. Dawand Jones was simply too long and strong. He proved all he needed to during that session, so he opted out of the rest of the event.

It’s been a fairly quiet process for him ever since. During pre-Draft testing, Dawand Jones – perhaps learning a lesson from the player I comp him to, Orlando Brown Jr., whose horrific testing erroneously led to him falling in the Draft – opted out of every test except for the 40-yard dash. His 5.35 was only 38th percentile, but a respectable showing considering his size.

Strengths

On the field, Dawand Jones is lighter on his feet than you would assume. He’s certainly not fleet-of-foot, but he isn’t a cement-footed plodder. He’s an efficient mover who plays under control. This almost assuredly comes from his basketball background. He excelled as a high school hoopster before turning his attention full-time to the gridiron.

It goes without saying that you aren’t beating Dawand Jones power-on-power. You can almost hear him laughing during the rare instances he encounters a defender with the temerity to try a bull rush. His pass-pro work has been upper-tier for two years running.

Last season, over 419 pass-pro snaps, his man did not touch the quarterback once. It wasn’t just that – Dawand Jones was No. 1 amongst all FBS tackles with a 1.3% pressure rate allowed.

Weaknesses

Your options for beating him are either taking the long way. Exploding off the snap and pushing the outside envelope immediately due to his ludicrous length and ability to gobble up real estate with his distended, efficient arc shuffle. Or you can beat him with a counter so sudden it throws off his balance and nullifies his easy reach and power advantages.

The latter is the most viable option – and will be most interesting to follow in the NFL. When he is confronted by a sudden change of direction from his opponent, we’ve seen him lose the control he usually plays under.

He’ll lunge to try to get his hands on the defender before he crosses his face. Twitchier pro rushers will make him prove it by forcing him to keep his balance through rapid weight distribution to his other side.

Dawand Jones profiles as an elite run-blocker at the next level. He was a top-10 FBS OT in this area each of the past two seasons, per PFF grading. But he is scheme-specific in this regard, relegated to a phone booth. He’s not the player you’re sending in space to pick off linebackers. It’s too easy for fleeter-footed defenders to side-step him in space.

For how big he is, you get this assumption that Dawand Jones is “The Mountain” from “Game of Thrones,” a blood-thirsty bone-crusher. However, his propensity to play high – an occupational hazard at his size – and to rest on his laurels after gaining the play-side seal can afford second chances to defenders.

Dawand Jones is the tackle whose physical tools could demoralize opponents in this area if he prioritized finishing these interactions violently. Too often in college, his run-blocking harkened back to his basketball days, when momentary control got you the rebound.

Best of the rest…

6. Matthew Bergeron | Syracuse | 6047/323 | RAS: 8.72 | Comp: Jermon Bushrod
7. Blake Freeland | BYU | 6074/312 | RAS: 9.88 | Comp: Kaleb McGary

8. Tyler Steen | Alabama | 6054/325 | RAS: 9.47 | Comp: Luke Petitgout
9. Wanya Morris | Oklahoma | 6047/317 | RAS: 8.35 | Comp: Kenyatta Walker
10. Nick Saldiveri | Old Dominion | 6060/311 | RAS: 9.48 | Comp: Paul McQuistan
11. Jaelyn Duncan | Maryland | 6054/298 | RAS: 9.02 | Comp: Tony Ugoh
12. Warren McClendon Jr. | Georgia | 6040/290 | RAS: N/A | Comp: Martinas Rankin
13. Carter Warren | Pittsburgh | 6053/323 | RAS: N/A | Comp: Cedric Ogbuehi
14. Earl Bostick Jr. | Kansas | 6055/311 | RAS: 9.42 | Comp: Will Beatty

Check out all of our 2023 NFL Draft Scouting Reports & Prospect Profiles

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