Midseason NFL Draft outlook: Offensive line

The college football season continues to churn on, so there’s no better time to take an early look at the top five players position-by-position who are eligible for the NFL Draft as well as two other players to watch.

Today, we move on to the offensive line.

Note: Notre Dame offensive tackle Mike McGlinchey, who would be No. 2 on this list and pushing for No. 1, is not included because he said he intends to return for his senior season.

NFL Draft outlook: Quarterbacks | Running backs | Wide receiver | Tight End

Recruiting: Alabama and LSU battled it out for the nation’s top-rated offensive tackle, and the Crimson Tide won out in early September of Robinson's senior year when he chose them over the in-state Tigers. The top two players in Louisiana that season, RB Leonard Fournette and WR Malachi Dupre, picked LSU.

Stats: The Crimson Tide has already rushed for 1,422 yards and 15 touchdowns this season. Alabama is averaging 5.7 yards per carry and 237 rushing yards per game.

Farrell’s take: The offseason arrest of Robinson on felony charges will be something he’ll need to talk to NFL decision-makers about, but in a weak offensive tackle class he’s still clearly No. 1. This kid was obviously a can’t-miss based on his ranking – despite his raw technique in high school – and he’s the only one who can stop himself from being a star. He’s been erratic at times and other times simply dominant for Alabama this season.

Recruiting: The three-star Feeney committed to Indiana over Illinois and Western Michigan in the summer before his senior season. Northwestern, Wisconsin, Purdue and others were showing interest.

Stats: Operating a pass-heavy offense, the Hoosiers have rushed for 803 yards and just two touchdowns so far this season. Indiana is averaging just under four yards per attempt.

Farrell’s take: Feeney wasn’t heavily recruited and was a mid-three-star prospect mainly because he had excellent technique, knee bend and could pass block and run block equally well. However, he wasn’t an overly athletic kid and his footwork needed some work, as did his agility. He was always a hard worker in high school and continually worked on all aspects of his game and it is clear he’s improved a great deal each year in college. He’s versatile and could play guard or tackle.

Recruiting: The Seminoles always seemed like the frontrunner for the Midwest four-star prospect, but he waited until National Signing Day to make his decision. Ohio State and Alabama were the other serious contenders and Johnson had many other offers including several from the SEC and Big Ten.

Stats: Averaging nearly 38 points per game, the Seminoles have rushed for 1,369 yards (5.1 yards per rush) and 10 touchdowns so far this season. Johnson also helps block for RB Dalvin Cook, who has rushed for 785 yards and seven touchdowns on 134 carries.

Farrell’s take: Johnson was a tall kid with good feet and a great frame who was already filled out a bit, but he didn’t play against the best competition. So it was tough to gauge how he would do against bigger and more physical players. That being said, he was obviously a four-star and in our Rivals250, so he wasn’t missed. There’s something about Missouri linemen over the last decade that should make us pay much more attention to the trenches in that state. Johnson has been frustrating to watch this season, but with few elite tackles with his athleticism, he remains high on the list.

Recruiting: Elflein committed to Ohio State one day after being offered in the summer before his senior season. He mainly picked the Buckeyes over Northwestern and Purdue but had many other offers as well.

Stats: The Buckeyes have already rushed for 1,655 yards with 16 touchdowns averaging 6.4 yards per carry and 323.6 yards per game. Top ball carriers Mike Weber and Curtis Samuel are averaging 6.8 and 8.2 yards per attempt, respectively.

Farrell’s take: This one we didn’t see coming. Elflein was a bit limited in his footwork, wasn’t a terrific or natural athlete at the position and he needed a little bulk. But he liked to brawl and play physical, and he has obviously taken the next step at Ohio State, something many prospects seem to be doing lately. He’s also smart and can be a leader on the line at the next level, something the NFL covets.

Recruiting: Cole called his lean to the Wolverines one of the worst-kept secrets, so when he committed to Michigan in February before his senior season it was no major surprise. Notre Dame, Clemson and Florida State were the other serious contenders.

Stats: Michigan already has 1,530 yards on the ground with 25 rushing touchdowns. The Wolverines average 5.7 yards per attempt and they are getting 255 rushing yards per game. Eight players already have rushing touchdowns.

Farrell’s take: Cole was a Rivals100 prospect for many reasons, but we really liked his versatility, which was on display when he showed he can play guard and tackle at a high level during the U.S. Army Bowl week. He had a great frame to fill out, was technically sound and just needed to add strength to his base and some weight. He’s done all that now and could move up this list easily.

Recruiting: The four-star prospect had narrowed his choices to Pitt and Florida ,and early in his senior season Bisnowaty picked the Panthers. Many other programs had offered, but it was really Pitt or Florida in the end.

Stats: Averaging more than 37 points per game, the Panthers have rushed for 1,465 yards with 17 rushing scores.

Farrell’s Take: Bisnowaty was a huge kid with room to add to his frame and he was physical. The biggest issue was that he was a bit stiff. As a class of 2012 prospect he’s taken some time to develop, and that was expected, but he’s added agility, consistent knee bend and is much more flexible than he was years ago. He is effective in the passing game, although he’s still better in the run game as he was in high school.

Recruiting: Johnson, who ended up as a five-star recruit, committed to Pitt over Ohio State and Virginia Tech in November of his senior season. He had been committed to Penn State earlier in his recruitment.

Stats: Pittsburgh is averaging 5.2 yards per carry and 244.2 rushing yards per outing. The Panthers are led by RB James Conner, who has recorded 441 rushing yards and five TDs on 104 carries.

Farrell’s take: Johnson is also a guy who has taken a while to develop but has been worth the wait. We always liked him as a high four-star, but he earned that fifth star at the end with his impressive work against Robert Nkemdiche at the Under Armour All-America week and showed great feet and an excellent punch. He always had the technique and athleticism to be special, but we saw an aggression we wanted to see at the end. I thine could slide up the board at offensive tackle in a weak year.