Nitpicking potential OTs in 2021 NFL draft

Chicago Bears fans want the team to go offensive line, and rightfully so. However, in this particular year with the depth of the offensive line in the class, the team may be able to find some of the better prospects in the middle rounds. There are a few no-brainer prospects in this class, and if any of them fall to pick 20, the Chicago Bears should take them.

However, after the first few, it does get to a point where each prospect has enough questions where you have to debate their draft slot, first-year value, and long term. Beyond that, in such a deep tackle class you have to ask yourself if you can find a player with similar, or fewer questions later on.

When looking at the consensus ranking of offensive tackles in the 2021 NFL draft, the following would have to be taken at pick 20. They are just too good of a value.

Penei Sewell, Rashawn Slater, Christian Darrisaw, Teven Jenkins, Alijah Vera-Tucker

If none of these players are on the board, the rest of the class is deep, but sorting through the rest means weighing serious questions.

Alex Leatherwood, Alabama

Alex Leatherwood is the next prospect on almost all boards. He is rather clean as a prospect with experience at both guard and tackles at Alabama. Physically, he checks every box you want and has the athleticism needed.

However, many scouts across the NFL view Leatherwood as a guard who played left tackle in college. The profile on Leatherwood is that he is a mauler in the run game. When you get him running downhill, you have serious power.

His issues come in pass protection, though. He is slow and does not have the technique to follow speed rushers around the edge. This was shown on video in struggles against Azeez Ojulari, as well as against K’Lavion Chaisson. You can say that these are great prospects, but Chaisson had a poor rookie season, and Ojulari has questions about his pass rush upside in the NFL.

If Leatherwood is going to be a top 20 pick, he should win those reps. Beyond that, he struggled in the Senior Bowl against mid-round picks such as Quincy Roche, and Jordan Smith.

It is the same issue every time and the book is out on him. He was not tested enough by speed and was in an offense where the ball was out of his QBs hands so quick that his value in the run game overshadowed all issues. That will not pass in the NFL.

Do not get this twisted, Alex Leatherwood is going to be a stud in the run game as a guard. he does not have to drop in the same manner and has a length that will dominate against bigger interior foes. Leatherwood is going have a long career in the NFL as a well-respected guard. The issue is that you want a future anchor at left tackle in round one, and Leatherwood may not bring it. If he fell to round two, it would change his story.

Jalen Mayfield, Michigan

Many rate Jalen Mayfield as the next best tackle prospect. However, he is very likely to be considered a guard as well. To start with the positive Mayfield is one of the youngest players in the draft class, and coming from Michigan was refined as a run blocker. He also got on the field early which is hard to do at Michigan, where pros are often produced.

The issue with Mayfield is a lot of everything else. To start, you can see his physical profile below and it does not wow.

93% of all offensive tackles to get measured at the combine had longer length. You cannot find a starting tackle in the NFL today with shorter arms than Jalen Mayfield. Beyond that, it does not appear he has the athleticism to make up for it. He is below average in almost every category.

This does not mean a death sentence for Mayfield as a prospect. However, it does likely push him into a guard in the NFL and makes him a reach in the first couple of rounds.

Liam Eichenberg, Notre Dame

We wrote about the concerns that come with Eichenberg here. He is another player who is dropping due to his length, and when you watch his tape, it is tough to say that he can overcome it. Once again, we have a player who will excel at guard, but would be an outlier if he found his way at tackle. His best physical comparison is Joe Thuney, who played tackle in college and kicked inside to thrive at guard. This is the path for Eichenberg.

Samuel Cosmi, Texas

If Cosmi fell to 52, it would be hard to gripe. The issue with him is whether he would fall that far, and if not, would 20 be a reach. His length is not great but passes the test and athletically he is excellent in every measurement. His upside is insane. However, the issue with him was consistency. You would not see the same player snap in and snap out. He showed upside one snap and would fall over his feet the next. You could go either way on him, but he would be a lot safer in round two.

Here is our draft profile exploring his pros and cons more in-depth

Brady Christensen, BYU

Christensen has a few questions from his profile, starting with his age. He is 24 and will be 25 as a rookie. There is a little long-term upside, and the big question is that last year he dominated on players who were five years younger than him. Those years 18-24 are the biggest years for male physical development. Christensen was fully developed beating up on kids who were growing into their bodies. Beyond that, their best competition was Coastal Carolina.

Christensen also does not have the length and would be a complete outlier if he made it at tackle with his size. There are a lot of legitimate gripes with his prospect status.

Walker Little, Stanford

Walker Little is rather easy to poke holes in. He has not played in two years. He tore his ACL and opted out. Little tested well at his pro day showing that he did not sit around in his time off. Still, where do you take a player with such little tape?

Dillon Radunz, North Dakota State

Radunz checks a lot of Ryan Pace boxes but would be much better in round two than round one. Radunz did not play in 2020, and his 2019 tape was not as dominant as you would want from a small school player. He answered a lot of questions at the Senior Bowl but has questions with core strength and his ability to anchor.

Jackson Carman, Clemson

Carman is with too many of these linemen that his tape is good, but his length brings legitimate concerns. He is well below 33″ which is normal for a guard, but not for a tackle.

Overall, these can be minor issues for some, and in the case of Radunz and Cosmi, they have an upside at tackle. However, a lot of these players are great prospects but will fit better in the NFL at guard than tackle. That brings a lot of questions into their value, especially to a tackle-hungry team like Chicago.

Players who do not have length, or athleticism questions, and dominated their competition despite playing at a lower level include

Tommy Doyle, Spencer Brown, Jaylon Moore. These players are falling with the big names ahead of them, but as prospects are more suited to fit the NFL at tackle.

Another player to keep an eye on is Stone Forsythe. He comes from the SEC, has adequate size and athleticism, and is better in pass protection than he is as a run blocker. That is the type of player the NFL values more than college and draft media. With all of the questions around other prospects, there is a chance that Forsythe, Doyle, and Brown are better fits at tackle and would cost a lot less.