NFL Draft Prospect Breakdown - Offensive Line

The 2024 NFL Draft is stacked with starting-caliber offensive line prospects, and with the importance of the position only increasing into today’s NFL, there should be no shortage of first-round selections.

Alt stands 6’8”, 322 lbs, and is the consensus number-one tackle in the draft despite only playing offensive line for three seasons. He began his college career as a tight end but was swiftly moved to tackle and hasn’t looked back since.

Alt’s size is a huge plus point, and, as Rob Rang points out, so is his experience in a Pro-Style offense. He is a fluid mover who could hold more weight on his lean frame if needed. His punch is super strong, but he can lose players if a play extends. Still, he looks every bit a Pro Bowl tackle for the next decade.

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Fashanu has caused some debates amongst scouts and offensive line gurus, with some (NFL Draft Buzz) ranking him just behind Alt, while others (Fox Sports, PFF) have far lower. His 6’6”, 312 lbs frame is prototypical for left tackles, but a down year in 2023 has sparked some concerns.

As Pro Football Focus writes, “He is the type of athlete in the trenches you draft in the first round,” his size belies a gracefulness that is reminiscent of some of the best left tackles in football, but he can be beaten by pure strength at times. He is super young so should improve in time, but may not be the impact player others in this draft class could be.

6’4”, 317 lbs, Fautanu started at left tackle for Washington and only gave up three sacks in 2.5 years, per Fox Sports, suggesting he is the real deal. Some are calling for him to slide inside to guard given his height and arm length could fit better in the NFL, but with this much starting experience on the outside, he projects well at tackle too.

Fautanu is known for his incredible strength and dedication to the weight room (Fox Sports) and it shows on tape. He hits like a freight train when run-blocking and rarely gets beaten in pass protection when he can get front-on. Despite his college career, he could well slip inside to guard, which lessens his positional value slightly.

Latham is a behemoth in a land of giants. At 6’6” and 360 lbs, he is best suited to right tackle where he can dominate in the run game, or as Rob Rang puts it, “rag-doll” opponents. Latham was a five-star recruit coming out of the prestigious IMG Academy and lived up to that potential during his career at Bama. There’s nothing to suggest he won’t continue that level of play in the NFL.

PFF put it well when they write, “Latham is a first-round trench player due to his rare combination of size, speed and refinement.” Having received top-level coaching since high school, he is already well-developed in the technical aspects of playing offensive tackle. His size does lead to some slowness at times, but once he gets moving, he’s as quick as anyone.

At 6’6” and 332 lbs, Fuaga is another monster who projects to right tackle. Per PFF, he never gave up a sack during his college career and won the National Team’s Offensive Linemen of the Week award at the Senior Bowl. He’s a polished player who could slide inside to guard if required, but we think he looks good enough at tackle to give him a shot there first.

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NFL Draft Buzz notes Fuaga’s incredible hand strength and explosiveness as two of Fuaga’s main strengths. Given his frame, he is hard to miss, especially when he is mauling opposing defenders in the run game. Scouts and evaluators have noted his hips are stiff, which suggests he could get beaten by elite speed-rushers in the NFL, hence the possible move inside.

Mims played a key role in two National Championships while enrolled at UGA, but his sparse playing time has caused some in NFL Draft circles to be a little concerned about his experience. Still, 6’6”, 340 lbs tackles don’t come around too often, especially ones as lean and athletic as Mims is.

As noted above, he only managed eight career starts for the Bulldogs, which is a knock, however, as Rob Rang notes he could present as a left tackle in the NFL, which is something we didn’t see in college. Unlike others on this list, he is too lean and lanky to play as a guard in the NFL, but with time, he could easily develop into a long-term starter at either left or right tackle.

Barton is the offensive lineman’s offensive lineman. Standing 6’5” and 314 lbs, he’s got the body to play almost anywhere along the offensive front. Some teams are reportedly thinking of switching him to center if they take him (where he played as a freshman), per Fox Sports, while for others he could play tackle in a pinch.

A series of undisclosed injuries during the 2023 season and the pre-draft process have knocked Barton slightly. That, plus his lack of obvious position in the NFL make this a hard evaluation (he played center and LT while at Duke), but as Rob Rang writes for Fox Sports, “Barton ranks as one of the more pro-ready prospects in this class,” suggesting any concerns shouldn’t be an issue.

As we previously mentioned, this draft is loaded with quality offensive linemen (this is just a sample of the top prospects) all with the potential to become stalwarts in the NFL. If you were picking one for your favorite NFL team, who would it be?

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