NFL Draft Stock Report: Offensive line and defensive line

With the college football season winding down, we take a look at some of the NFL prospects who have helped or hurt their stock for April’s draft and those who remain stock steady. We continue today with the offensive and defensive line.

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Recruiting: Nelson committed to the Irish in May prior to his senior season. Boston College, Ohio State, Penn State and Rutgers were his other finalists.

Stats: The Irish are averaging more than 300 rushing yards per game and Notre Dame has 34 rushing touchdowns.

Farrell’s take: Nelson has become, in my mind at least, the best offensive lineman in this draft, as he has taken the next step this season. I really liked Nelson on film, but when I first saw him in person at our New Jersey RCS Camp I remember being wowed and felt he was a five-star prospect. He was huge, had good feet and was a physical kid. It’s not shocking to see him working inside, but he could play tackle as well, if needed, and could play either guard or tackle in the NFL. He was raw as a prospect out of high school, so he’s come a long way. He was always trying to prove he should be higher ranked as a prep and I would imagine he’s still trying to improve his stock now and his play on the field shows it.

Recruiting: Initially a Tennessee commitment, Brown surprisingly flipped to Oklahoma on National Signing Day. He had taken an official visit to Knoxville but had not taken one to Norman.

Stats: Averaging more than 44 points per outing, the Sooners have 25 rushing touchdowns and have thrown for 3,888 yards so far this season.

Farrell’s take: Brown has had an exceptional season, showing off better pass protecting skill and getting to the second level in the run game. Brown was a massive kid out of high school with great bloodlines (his dad was Orlando “Zeus” Brown, who played 11 seasons in the NFL) but lacked the footwork and discipline to be rated higher than a high three-star. If you told me back then that he’d become an All-American offensive lineman and one of the best in the country, I would have called you crazy, because he was flat out of shape in high school. He’s done a great job putting in the work and making himself better, and deserves all the accolades he’s receiving.

Recruiting: Oregon was thought to be the front-runner in his recruitment, and many other programs were also involved. But Texas offered late and Williams committed to the Longhorns early in his senior season.

Stats: Williams injured his knee early this season in a loss to USC. He avoided surgery and, according to reports, Williams is expected to practice in full pads this week.

Farrell’s take: Williams has missed time this season, but it hasn’t hurt his stock because there aren’t many elite tackles in this draft. Williams was in our Rivals250 but wasn’t ranked as high as perhaps he should have been for a very good reason – he was a tight end until his senior season. A blocking tight end for sure, but he made the transition to tackle one year of high school. The results were good enough to have him ranked so high. It’s clear the athleticism and footwork of playing his previous position, as well as a long frame to fill out, has helped him in college. Williams had emerged as the best offensive lineman in college football heading into the season but has had some struggles and has fallen behind Quinton Nelson, at least to me, because of the injury.

Recruiting: In the summer prior to his final year at Perkinston (Miss.) Gulf Coast C.C., Rankin had a top five of Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Louisville, Kentucky and Oklahoma. He ended up signing with the Bulldogs.

Stats: Rushing for 2,506 yards so far this season, the Bulldogs are averaging 5.3 yards per carry and have scored 22 times on the ground. Running back Aeris Williams and quarterback Nick Fitzgerald both have more than 860 rushing yards.

Farrell’s take: The Alabama game, during which he had all eyes on him, raised his stock a bit, but I’ll keep him at steady because he’s still a question mark for the first round. A JUCO four-star prospect with the ability to play tackle or guard, we loved his athleticism and felt he could contribute right away. He’s become a dominant tackle prospect, and the NFL will love his ability to play any position along the line.

Recruiting: Minutes after taking an unofficial visit during his junior year to South Bend, McGlinchey called the ND coaches to inform them of his decision. He picked the Irish over Wisconsin, Penn State, Virginia, Maryland and others.

Stats: Notre Dame averages 6.7 yards per rush and is scoring 38 points per game, but if there is one criticism of McGlinchey it’s his ability to handle edge rushers.

Farrell’s Take: I’m down on McGlinchey, even though many still have him projected as a first-round guy, because he has trouble with speed. I had a feeling about McGlinchey, even though he was tall and a tad awkward out of high school. His footwork, length and willingness to be physical made me think this could be a five-star and future first-rounder, but I went conservative and now it’s up in the air whether I was right or wrong. This isn’t a strong tackle draft, so he’ll still be in the discussion for the top linemen taken. Some feel his footwork hasn’t progressed to that of an elite left tackle, so time will tell if he can right the ship.

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 the Huskies.

Stats: Adams tore the ACL in his right knee in Washington’s loss to Arizona State in mid-October. He’s expected to miss the remainder of the season.

Farrell’s take: Adams' season-ending injury hurts his stock and will lead to mobility questions. 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, as I can remember. But on film he was tall and angular with a great frame to fill out, and he had 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 - but that injury drops his stock.

Recruiting: Hurst called a Michigan offer a “dream come true,” and when it arrived in the summer before his senior season, it was clear the Wolverines were the leader. Boston College, Michigan State, Nebraska and Ohio State were also involved. His father, who has the same name, played for the New England Patriots.

Stats: In 10 games, Hurst has totaled 50 tackles including 12.5 for loss and 4.5 sacks. He also has two quarterback hurries, a forced fumble and a blocked kick.

Farrell’s take: Hurst has been very active inside this season and has flushed the passer on numerous occasions. I honestly didn't see this one coming. While I liked Hurst enough to have him as a high three-star, I thought he was overplaying his skill level in choosing Michigan and didn’t think he’d see the playing time or develop as he has in Ann Arbor. He was a tad sawed off, but even with that he had a tendency to play high. He did have a great motor and light feet, but I worried about the technique. But the player you see now is not close to what we saw in high school. He’s improved so much when it comes to explosion and pursuit. I was off on this one, it appears.

Recruiting: On National Signing Day, Carter picked Georgia over Alabama, Florida, Florida State and LSU, among others.

Stats: Fourth on the team in tackles, Carter has 35 stops with 6.5 for loss and four sacks. He also leads the Bulldogs with 14 quarterback pressures.

Farrell’s Take: A one-time five-star in our rankings, Carter is emerging as one of the top hybrid prospects in the draft because of his athleticism and versatility. Those are the things we liked about him coming out of high school, although he was just an outside loop guy back then without much of an inside move or the ability to consistently hold the edge. However, we had him as a high four-star based on his potential, speed and length. He’s had a solid career but has really taken things to the next level this season.

Recruiting: Key committed to South Carolina on two separate occasions, only to back off those pledges and pick LSU over the Gamecocks and others in April before his senior season.

Stats: Playing in eight games, Key has accumulated 33 tackles, including 5.5 for loss with four sacks. Key has also added eight quarterback hurries and a forced fumble.

Farrell’s take: Despite missing some time due to injury, Key’s stock has held because the NFL loves hybrid guys. Key was a tall, skinny edge rusher who was a four-star just inside the Rivals250. His frame concerned us a bit, as did as his strength in the run game, but there was never a question about his pass-rushing ability. However, I will admit that he’s been better at the other aspects of the game than I expected. He has developed into one of the elite pass rushers in college football, and his shoulder appears to be OK now, so he could be a top 10 pick.

Recruiting: In April before his senior year, Landry committed to Boston College. In October, Landry backed off that pledge and named Miami, N.C. State and Ohio State as his top three. Shortly after naming his new top three, Landry recommitted to the Eagles.

Stats: Landry has 38 tackles, 8.5 for loss and five sacks in eight games so far this season. He also has two quarterback hurries and two pass breakups.

Farrell’s Take: Landry has had a solid but not spectacular season, but scouts still love him as a hybrid guy and a 3-4 linebacker or 4-3 stand-up edge guy. I remember watching film of defensive tackle Lamont Gaillard (now Georgia's starting center) and seeing this defensive end come off the edge and make play after play. That was Landry, who we made a four-star after that. Landry was undersized but he was strong, quick and had a tremendous shoulder dip. He’s turned into an elite pass rusher in college and has surpassed his rating, even though we had him higher than anyone else in the industry. He could end up with the linebackers before all is said and done.

Recruiting: In November of his senior season, Hand, who had 94 offers, picked Alabama over Michigan and Florida, his two other finalists.

Stats: Hand has played in seven games this season and he’s totaled 16 tackles, including 1.5 for loss and a sack. The former No. 1 overall prospect has also recovered a fumble.

Farrell’s take: The depth at Alabama helped contribute to a pedestrian career for Hand so far, but there are no more excuses now - and his injury this season hasn’t helped. Playing behind Jonathan Allen isn’t easy, and Hand did a solid job moving inside, which doesn’t play to his strengths. But this year he needed to step up and fill the void left by Allen and have a stellar season - and he hasn’t. The DUI arrest doesn’t help either. Hand was an amazing talent coming out of high school, with excellent balance, good technique and off-the-charts athleticism, but he hasn’t lived up to the billing and many of those who slotted him as a possible first-rounder are not looking great.