2024 NFL Draft: 14 Interior Offensive Linemen Prospects to Watch

With the college football season approaching, it’s time to take a deeper look at some of the top NFL Draft-eligible players at each position. This will help us assemble an early list of prospects to watch this fall.

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2024 NFL Draft: Interior Offensive Line Prospects to Watch

Below are 14 Draft-eligible interior offensive linemen who I’ll be keeping an eye on this coming season.

Isaiah Adams (Illinois)

The 6’5″, 315-pound Adams transferred to Illinois from Garden City Community College last year, immediately stepping into the starting left guard role and holding his own against a much higher level of competition. He has relatively quick feet and solid functional strength for the interior, with good churn after contact and the ability to reach second-level defenders. He can be a little bit of a leaner at times, and allowed four sacks in pass protection last year, so continuing to improve there will be a priority this season.

Cooper Beebe (Kansas State)

One of the most versatile linemen in the class, Beebee has started sixteen games at left guard (including all of last season), plus thirteen at left tackle (2021) and six at right tackle (2020). The 6’4″, 322-pounder helped pave the way for Deuce Vaughn and the Wildcats’ gap-heavy run scheme last year and has the skillset you’d expect given his frame, with a very thick build, the ability to grind down opponents in a phone booth, and plenty of power in his hands. He hasn’t allowed a sack since the three he gave up back in 2020 and projects as one of the top interior lineman available.

Javion Cohen (Miami)

Having spent the first three seasons of his career at Alabama, starting the last two campaigns at left guard, Cohen will suit up for the Hurricanes in 2023 after seeing his snap count cut in half last year. He shows controlled footwork and balance in pass protection, with the ability to pull and work in space in the run game. At Miami, what I’d most like to see is an improved ability to play within his frame and line up opponents when operating in space, where he can get outside his frame and overrun his spots.

Connor Colby (Iowa)

Colby held Iowa’s starting right guard job in 2022, then spent last season moving around, starting the first six games at right tackle and the last six at left guard, with a right guard start sandwiched in the middle. The former four-star tackle recruit has good size at 6’6″, 308, and is a good athlete who can move and execute zone blocking assignments. However, he’s had struggles in pass protection, especially at right tackle, despite his quick feet. He can struggle to anticipate and get depth with his kick slide, leading to blown blocks. At this point, he’s more of a developmental swing reserve for a zone-heavy team.

Zach Frazier (West Virginia)

One of the top center prospects in the country, Frazier actually began his career with eight starts at left guard back in 2020 (one at center) before taking over the pivot full-time in 2021. He’s bigger than your typical college center at 6’3″, 306, and shows a solid understanding of technique and positioning, playing within his frame and showing good hand placement and grip strength. While he’s not the longest or most athletic player, his IQ and polish has allowed him to succeed in the Mountaineers’ balanced offense.

Joshua Gray (Oregon State)

Is it cheating to list Gray, a three-year starter at left tackle, as an interior prospect? He’s allowed just four sacks over thirty-three starts, but at 6’4″ and 288 pounds, his pro future could come on the inside. His experience shines through in his pass sets, where he shows good balance and knee bend, and his lateral quickness allows him to defend against speedier opponents. His pad level can be slightly high in the run game, and his functional strength closer to average, but he makes up for it with his hand placement, grip strength, and understanding of positioning. He’s an interesting tackle/guard ‘tweener for 2024.

Christian Haynes (Connecticut)

Haynes has started at right guard for the past three seasons for the Huskies (they canceled their 2020 season) and has been one of the more consistent guards in college football over that span. He allowed five sacks in 2019, two in 2021, and none last year, so his development trajectory is favorable. He lacks ideal size at 6’3″, 305, but has a very powerful lower body, strength in his hands to sustain and generate torque, and does a good job of playing with physicality through the whistle. I’d like to see him clean up his hand placement to take the next step forward, as he was flagged nine times last year.

Donovan Jackson (Ohio State)

A five-star recruit and the top guard prospect in his class, Jackson functioned as a swing reserve in 2021 before taking over the starting left guard job last season. His talent jumps out on tape, with very impressive movement skills to reach opponents in space and the ability to overwhelm on contact. He can jolt opponents with his punch, but becoming more consistent on passing downs is a priority; he can struggle to anticipate and occasionally gets too flat-footed. There are more efficient interior linemen in the class, but Jackson could be one of the first picked with a strong 2023 based on his rare tools.

Beaux Limmer (Arkansas)

Arkansas head coach Sam Pittman is an offensive-line guru who has coached several high-end prospects. Limmer has been his full-time right guard since 2021 after a 2020 campaign in which he totaled 310 snaps and is also in the mix to be among the first handful of interior linemen picked in 2024. Few players in the class have his killer instinct, effort, and grip to sustain through the whistle and impressive churn to drive opponents off of their spot. He projects as a nasty, scheme-versatile guard with a high floor.

Christian Mahogany (Boston College)

Although he missed the 2022 season with a torn ACL, Mahogany is in the mix to be one of the first guards taken in next year’s draft. He spent 2020 at left guard next to eventual first-rounder Zion Johnson before sliding to right guard in 2021 when Johnson moved back inside. At 6’3″, 335 pounds, Mahogany is perhaps the thickest top guard prospect in the class and has the phone-booth power you’d expect, but is actually surprisingly nimble and coordinated in his pass sets, with impressive lateral quickness for his size. Getting back onto the field and showing that he’s fully recovered will go a long way.

Tate Ratledge (Georgia)

A five-star tackle recruit from the class of 2020, Ratledge settled in as Georgia’s starting right guard last year and allowed just one sack. He’s 6’6″ but fires out low, showing impressive knee bend to compete in the leverage battle, and is one of the more flexible interior prospects in the class overall. In terms of technique, I’d like to see more consistent churn after contact in the run game, and he can drop his head and lose track of opponents at times. Still, his solid 2022 campaign and high-end tools make him one of the more interesting interior linemen in this year’s class.

Layden Robinson (Texas A&M)

Robinson makes this list because it’ll be interesting to see whether the Aggies right guard can recover his 2021 form after a disappointing season last year. At 6’4″, 330 pounds, he’s one of the biggest guards in the class and combines impressive power in his hands with surprising short-area quickness to engage multiple defenders on a single snap in the run game. At times, he can struggle to anticipate, and it’s relatively common to see him lunging or dropping his head into contact. With another season like 2021, he could be among the first handful of guards off the board.

Sedrick Van Pran (Georgia)

I was a little bit surprised that Van Pan decided to return to school, as he already has thirty starts under his belt. He’s bigger than your typical center at 6’4″, 310, but the traits which really stand out are his athleticism and flexibility. He works hard to get in space and line up opponents and shows impressive lateral quickness and lower-body strength in pass protection. His ability to sustain is closer to average and has some technical kinks to work out in order to improve his consistency, mostly related to balance and hand placement, but his tools are good enough to make him one of the top interior prospects in the class.

Zak Zinter (Michigan)

Zinter took over Michigan’s starting right guard spot in week 10 of the 2020 season and hasn’t looked back. He’s what a Wolverines lineman should be: big, tough, and rugged. While he’s not the most athletic guard prospect, he has been able to line up opponents when pulling in the run game and is strong enough to jolt on contact. In pass protection, he drops an early anchor, fires his hands out aggressively, and does a nice job of resetting accurately. The 6’6″, 315-pounder should appeal to no-nonsense, gap-based offenses.