The college football season and Senior Bowl are finished and the NFL Scouting Combine is coming up before the NFL Draft. Here is our look in order at the top 10 offensive tackles available and a look back at their ranking and recruitment along with an opinion of each from Rivals.com National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell.
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Ranking: The Lake City (Fla.) Columbia recruit was a five-star prospect and the top-rated offensive tackle in the 2013 class. Tunsil was No. 14 overall and second in the Florida state rankings.
Recruiting: Alabama and Georgia were Tunsil's favorites for a long time, but his final official visit to Ole Miss convinced him that the Rebels were the right team. Tunsil was part of the five-star triumvirate with Robert Nkemdiche and Laquon Treadwell in Ole Miss' stellar 2013 class.
Overview: The Rebels averaged more than five yards per rush, nearly 518 yards per game and almost 41 points per outing this season. Tunsil missed seven games because of an NCAA investigation, but played a big role late in the season.
Farrell’s take: Tunsil is an elite talent and I fully expected him to rebound from his injury and have a huge year. The seven-game suspension limited his film evaluation from this past season, but what we saw was off the charts. He was an elite talent out of high school showing good arm extension, excellent footwork and the ability to be effective in pass protection as well as a road-grader. There was little doubt he was going to be a star if he continued to develop and it’s been fun to watch that happen, unless you’re a Georgia fan as he was a lock for the Dawgs for a while. He’s potentially the No. 1 pick if the Titans don’t trade down. He’s that special.
Ranking: The former Las Vegas (Nev.) Bishop Gorman star was rated as the No. 15 offensive tackle and No. 176 overall in the 2012 class by Rivals.com. He was the top prospect in the Nevada state rankings.
Recruiting: Stanley picked Notre Dame over finalists Arkansas and Nebraska in mid-December.
Overview: The Irish averaged more than 34 points per game and 5.6 yards per rush this season.
Farrell’s take: Coming back for an extra year helped him a lot and Stanley is technically the best offensive lineman in the country, but not as athletic as Tunsil. I like his pass sets and he gets good leverage in the run game, although he needs to ride guys to the outside rather than anchor and stuff them in pass protection. Playing for a powerhouse like Bishop Gorman was a good thing -- he certainly played the top competition at the high school level -- and he has exceeded our projections. He’s more physical than he was in high school so maybe that will continue to be on the upswing.
Ranking: The Vandalia (Ohio) Butler prospect was a four-star rated No. 23 at offensive tackle and No. 221 in the 2012 class. Decker was listed at 6-foot-8 and 313 pounds in high school.
Recruiting: Decker had been committed to Notre Dame but after Ohio State hired Urban Meyer, the four-star became a top priority of the Buckeyes. In mid-December, Decker was sticking with the Irish. By early January, his status was unclear and by mid-January, Decker made the flip to the Buckeyes.
Overview: Ohio State averaged nearly 36 points per game and also 5.6 yards per carry this season.
Farrell’s take: Decker could have been a mid- to late first-rounder had he left early last year, but he came back for another title run and to improve that draft stock. However, his stock has slid a bit as he hasn’t improved his pad level or knee bend as expected. Decker was thought to be around the third- or fourth-best offensive lineman in his home state of Ohio out of high school, but has clearly destroyed that theory so far and exceeded expectations. He’s physical and likes to hit and when he extends his arms he’s hard to get around.
Ranking: From Olive Branch, Miss., Coleman was a five-star prospect, the third-best offensive tackle and No. 22 in the 2010 class.
Recruiting: Alabama tried to make a late run at Coleman and Arkansas, Miami and others were involved but Coleman ended up sticking with his Auburn pledge which he made in April before his senior season.
Overview: It was not a fantastic offensive year for Auburn, which averaged just 27.5 points per game and 4.3 yards per rush, less than its opponents.
Farrell’s take: Coleman was a five-star out of high school with an amazing frame and solid feet who needed some power and a little more anger to his game. His recovery from cancer has been inspiring and he overcame a natural lack of athleticism with good length, a solid punch and playing with good leverage out of high school. The question mark now is whether he can handle speed rushers to the outside, but that wasn’t an issue for us out of high school. He could also play guard in the NFL.
Ranking: Spriggs was rated as a three-star tight end out of Elkhart (Ind.) Concord Community.
Recruiting: The three-star picked Indiana, his only Big Ten offer, over offers from Buffalo, Eastern Michigan, Miami (Ohio), Northern Illinois, Toledo and Western Michigan in the summer before his senior season.
Overview: The Hoosiers averaged 36.5 points per game and 4.6 yards per rush led by two 1,000-yard rushers Jordan Howard and Devine Redding.
Farrell’s take: Spriggs was ranked as a tight end out of high school but there was always a chance he could grow into a tackle with his 6-foot-6, 265-pound frame. Athleticism was there as a huge tight end, but he wasn’t an elite pass catcher or a downfield threat so his ranking reflected those limitations. Now as a tackle, he’s a big kid with good technique and feet as a pass protector, but it was hard to see such a great development from him back in the day.
Ranking: The three-star from Baldwin (La.) West St. Mary School was rated as the No. 42 offensive tackle in the 2012 class.
Recruiting: Hawkins committed to LSU over Arizona State, Pittsburgh, Texas A&M and others in May before his senior season.
Overview: LSU averaged nearly 33 points per game and 6.1 yards per rush led by one of college football’s best backs, Leonard Fournette, who had 1,953 yards and 22 rushing TDs this season.
Farrell’s take: Hawkins was a bit of a project to us coming out of high school, which is why he wasn’t a four-star. He was a really good athlete, there was no questioning that, and he could have played offense or defense in college, but he got by on his athleticism and length more than power or technique at the high school level. That same question mark, especially power and strength, is being asked by NFL scouts now, but we like him a bit more than some others do for his long-term potential.
Ranking: From Cedar Park, Texas, Drango was a four-star prospect, the No. 23 offensive tackle and No. 211 overall in the 2011 class.
Recruiting: Drango committed to Baylor in the summer before his senior season over offers from Arkansas, LSU, Stanford, Texas and many others.
Overview: Baylor averaged more than 48 points and nearly 327 rushing yards per outing, an average of 5.9 yards per carry.
Farrell’s take: Drango has been up and down this year and gets in the way more than he dominates the man in front of him more often than should be the case. However, he finished strongly. A four-star kid out of high school, he is one of only a handful of 2011 prospects high on draft boards and he had all the physical talent you wanted coming out with long arms, good feet and a great frame. But he wasn’t that physical and didn’t knock you in the teeth. He’s better at that now, but overall athleticism and that physical nature can be questioned.
Ranking: The Houston (Texas) Westside prospect was rated as a three-star and the No. 28 offensive guard in the 2012 class.
Recruiting: Ifedi picked Texas A&M midway through his senior season over offers from Arkansas, Arizona, Missouri, Oklahoma State and Mississippi State.
Overview: The Aggies averaged just under 28 points per game and only 169 rushing yards per outing, far behind Texas A&M’s opponents’ numbers.
Farrell’s take: Ifedi was a big, raw prospect coming out of high school who has emerged as the next A&M star along the offensive line who should do well in the NFL. The Aggies staff does as good a job as anyone in the nation at developing high-end linemen and Ifedi, who moved up at the end of the 2012 rankings cycle, is the latest example. He could be one of the sleepers in the draft.
Ranking: The San Clemente, Calif., recruit was rated as a five-star, the third-best offensive tackle and No. 19 overall in the 2012 class.
Recruiting: Murphy committed to Stanford over USC on National Signing Day.
Overview: Stanford averaged nearly 38 points per game and rushed for 3,132 yards this season. That’s an average of 5.1 yards per touch.
Farrell’s take: Murphy had it all coming out of high school except the bulk and power he now has. He had a great frame to fill out, exceptional feet and was part of an amazing Stanford offensive line class in 2012 where he and Andrus Peat (NFL first-rounder) and Joshua Garnett (who will be on interior line list) were featured. He's been an exceptional run blocker and his pass set has always been strong and I don’t think he gets the respect he deserves as an NFL talent.
Ranking: Beavers was rated as a three-star defensive tackle out of Lathrup Village (Mich.) Lathrup.
Recruiting: Beavers originally committed to Illinois but when the Illini signed too many players his offer was rescinded and Beavers ended up at Western Michigan.
Overview: Western Michigan averaged 36 points per outing and rushed for five yards per carry.
Farrell’s take: We liked Beavers’ size, length and athletic ability coming out of high school and felt he could grow into a serviceable tackle down the line and he did have a solid mean streak having played both offense and defense. However, we felt he was a bit limited and raw because he was a bit of an “all-or-nothing” guy who could look great one play and whiff the next. The inconsistency didn’t overshadow the positive traits however which is why he was a three-star kid and the same can be said now as he’s an intriguing prospect on the rise for NFL scouts.
