NFL Draft: 2015 Senior Bowl Preview – Offense

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Offensive Tackle

There is a deep group of NFL tackle prospects this season and even more so now with strong performances from a number of tackles who had mid-to-late round grades coming into Senior Bowl week.

UP – Rob Havenstein, Wisconsin (6’7 | 332 | 5.39): Polished right tackle prospect with very few holes in his game. Havenstein consistently dominated in 1-1 drills and showed better feet than expected. He should be able to step in and start on the right side as a rookie.

UP – Donovan Smith, Penn St (6’6 | 341 | 5.12): Solid all around performance this week in both run and pass drills. Smith has great size, moves his feet well, and competed hard all week. Day 2 prospect with good upside.

DOWN – T.J. Clemmings, Pittsburgh (6’5 | 307 | 5.14): Looked impressive at the weigh-in with very little body fat, but struggled from that point on. Clemmings struggled in pass pro at left tackle and looked very raw. He’s only played tackle for two seasons after switching from D-line so it’s understandable that he’s not polished, but talk of him being a left tackle are premature and he is strictly a right-side prospect in the short term.

DOWN – Ty Sambrailo, Colorado St (6’6 | 309 | 5.27): Has great feet for a big guy, but was dominated physically in 1-1 drills. I think he’s a starting LT tackle eventually, but he needs a year or two of strength training before seeing the field.

Offensive Guard

There wasn’t considered to be much high-end guard talent in the draft this year, but a few guards improved their stock this week in Mobile to jump into the day 2 consideration.

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UP – Laken Tomlinson, Duke (6’3 | 323 | 5.23): Might be the only O-lineman who got the better of Washington DT Danny Shelton all week, which is a significant accomplishment. Tomlinson is very strong, showed better feet than expected and consistently won his 1-1 battles. The Lane Tech & Duke alum is also very smart and looks like the total package at guard.

UP – Ali Marpet, Hobart (6’4 | 307 | 4.92): I had never heard of DIII Hobart before this week, but Marpet put it on the map with a surprisingly good performance in Mobile. A tackle in college, Marpet moved inside to guard during practices and more than held his own against more accomplished players. He didn’t back down from anyone all week and is a solid middle round prospect.

UP – Shaq Mason, Georgia Tech (6’2 | 310 | 5.27): Mason barely pass blocked in college due to Georgia Teach’s run heavy scheme, but after struggling on day 1 Mason showed the ability to anchor in pass pro and hold his ground against bigger DTs. He’s already a powerful run blocker and the ability to hold his own in pass pro will bump his draft stock a round or two.

Center

UP – Maz Garcia, Florida (6’5 | 305 | 5.24): Tall for a center, but Garica was consistently solid during practices this week and even held his own against Washington DT Danny Shelton who was the litmus test for O-lineman all week. Garcia showed good power, light feet, and the ability to keep a low pad level despite his height.

DOWN – Reese Dismukes, Auburn (6’3 | 295 | 5.27): Arguably the top-rated center coming into the game, Dismukes was overpowered physically in 1-1 blocking drills. Dismukes looks like he will need a year or two to bulk up before he can start at the NFL level.