Rival Views: Who should finish as the No. 1 offensive tackle?
MAKING THE CASE: Which 2019 QBs should finish as five-stars?
Darnell Wright and Evan Neal, the top two offensive tackles in the Rivals100, were on the same team at the Under Armour All-America Game and it gave everybody an excellent chance to compare the two elite prospects. Who should be the No. 1 offensive tackle in the final 2019 rankings? Rivals.com experts Adam Friedman and Rob Cassidy debate the subject here.
ADAM'S VIEW: DARNELL WRIGHT
At 6-foot-6 and more than 300-pounds, Wright has the perfect frame to be an elite offensive lineman at the next level. He has exceptional athletic gifts for a player that size and the aggressiveness he plays with is just outstanding. Wright has a couple technical issues to fix before becoming a regular contributor in college but those issues won't take long to overcome. Like most offensive linemen, Wright will need to shed bad weight but the strength and conditioning staff at the school he chooses shouldn't have a problem making that happen quickly. Wright is one of the very few offensive linemen in this recruiting class that could see playing time his freshman year. Tennessee is the favorite to land his commitment but programs like North Carolina, West Virginia and Georgia have a chance.
ROB'S VIEW: EVAN NEAL
Prospects built like Evan Neal don’t come around often. The five-star tackle is all of 6-foot-7 and carries much less bad weight than the other options at the position. He will slim down further once he arrives in Alabama’s conditioning program and has legit first-round potential. Neal moves incredibly well for a man of his size, making him seem like a can’t-miss prospect. Unless something goes horribly wrong, Neal has a pro future. The upside is just too massive to ignore in this case. And, if we’re being totally honest, I’m not sure any other tackle in this class is even in the same league as the IMG Academy star.
