NFL Draft 2019: Midseason look at top OL
MORE: Where QBs stand at season's midpoint | RBs | WRs/TEs
About midway through the college football season is a great time to take stock of offensive linemen who will be eligible for the NFL Draft. Here are two players whose stock is up, steady and down.
STOCK UP
Recruiting: Considered his dream school, Kansas State earned Risner's commitment in March of his junior year. He said he would be cutting off communication with other schools and not taking any other trips. Arizona State, Cal, Colorado and Missouri were some other programs involved in his recruitment.
Stats: The Wildcats have struggled throwing the ball this season as they figure out their quarterback situation, but running back Alex Barnes is one of the best in the Big 12 with 607 yards and five touchdowns on 104 carries.
Farrell’s take: Risner was a highly ranked three-star coming out of high school out of Colorado and a road grader and mauler as a run-blocker. He also had good feet in pass protection and was a guy we liked at a position that’s hard to project. Now’s he rising on the boards of many NFL teams because of his ability to run and pass block and his nasty streak. He wasn’t that big in high school but has added good weight.
Recruiting: Rated as a three-star tight end out of high school, Benzschawel was originally committed to Syracuse but flipped to the Badgers shortly after being offered. Syracuse and Iowa State were his only other Power Five offers.
Stats: A member of one of the best offensive lines nationally, Benzschawel has helped the Badgers average 33.8 points per game so far this season. Star running back Jonathan Taylor has rushed for 849 yards and eight touchdowns on 126 attempts.
Farrell’s take: Benzschawel was ranked as a three-star tight end coming out of high school who was big enough to grow into an offensive lineman, but we never expected this level of accomplishment. He was always an excellent blocker as a tight end but not much of a downfield threat, so his ranking was a bit low. Now he’s developed, as many have before him, as one of the top offensive line prospects in the country after emerging from the tight end position.
STOCK STEADY
Recruiting: Originally from Atlanta, Williams moved to Folsom, Calif., early in high school but heading back to the SEC always seemed like a priority to the five-star offensive tackle. His mother went to Auburn and his dad went to Georgia but Williams picked the Crimson Tide in April of his junior year.
Stats: Averaging 56 points per game, Williams helps protect Heisman front-runner Tua Tagovailoa, who has thrown for 18 touchdowns and no interceptions so far this season. Najee Harris has rushed for 382 yards and Damien Harris has 361 so far. The two have combined for seven rushing touchdowns.
Farrell’s take: Williams was the rare five-star prospect who didn’t attend camps, didn’t care about all-star games and just dominated on the football field with pads and a helmet on. We saw him in game action but never got to see him go against the elite defensive linemen in the country at any events. But it didn’t matter to us, because he was so good in person and on film, and he had that throwback, nasty attitude of the greats of yesteryear. Williams just wanted to destroy the player in front of him and help his team win - he didn’t care about gear, free trips or rankings. He’s clearly showing our faith in his film was warranted. To me he’s a first-rounder.
Recruiting: Little picked Ole Miss over Alabama, his second choice, along with Georgia, Auburn, LSU and others. He was in the same recruiting class as star receiver A.J. Brown and five-star quarterback Shea Patterson, who has since transferred to Michigan.
Stats: The Rebels are averaging more than 42 points per game and running back Scottie Phillips has been one of the biggest surprises in the SEC with 637 rushing yards and eight scores so far this season.
Farrell’s take: Little was a two-time participant at the Five-Star Challenge, making back-to-back solid performances in Baltimore in 2014 and 2015 and always impressed me. He’s a special prospect with light feet, the ability to re-set quickly and a nice punch. I fully expected him to be a star in college and beyond and his improvement from year one to year two at the Five-Star Challenge shows how much he learns from facing top competition. Now he’s improving year to year in college and is easily one of the top offensive linemen for this season. He’s still a potential first-rounder with ease.
STOCK DOWN
Recruiting: Calling Washington his dream school, Adams committed to the Huskies in August before his junior season. There was a coaching change from Steve Sarkisian to Chris Petersen and USC and Oregon got more involved, but Adams stuck with his Huskies’ pledge.
Stats: Adams missed the second half of the 2017 season with a knee injury and now he’s had back surgery that will sideline him for the entire 2018 season. He is even considering a return to Washington for a fifth year.
Farrell’s take: A high three-star out of high school, I never got to see Adams in person because he was from Washington and couldn’t get out to camps nor was he invited to an all-star game. But on film he was tall, angular with a great frame to fill out and a long reach he used very effectively. He was more finesse than he was power back then but he uses a nice combination of both now. However, injuries have hurt his stock quite a bit and he might have to come back to college his stock has dropped so much.
Recruiting: Hyatt committed to Clemson on National Signing Day of his junior year. His uncle played for the Tigers and it was long considered the favorite in his recruitment.
Stats: Clemson is averaging more than 42 points per game and running back Travis Etienne could emerge as a serious Heisman contender if he continues to run the ball so well. So far this season, he has 761 yards and 11 touchdowns averaging 9.2 yards per carry.
Farrell’s take: Hyatt was a longtime five-star, but was downgraded at the end of the process because of concerns regarding his ability to fill out his frame and add strength in his lower body. Oops, I’ll take the blame for that one. His technique and footwork have helped him overcome a frame that is still filling out. Hyatt seemed to get stronger game by game each of his first two years but he hasn’t been as physical as expected this season and has had some bad moments. He is still a second-round prospect, but the first round now seems out of reach.
