1. Russell Okung, Oklahoma State - Okung is a durable player. He carries a streak of 34 straight starts going into his senior season, and he started as a true freshman. Okung is considered by many as the top offensive lineman in the upcoming 2010 NFL draft. He is a good athlete, with good lateral mobility which allows him to be a very good pass protector. He has quick feet and fluid movement, and also possesses a mean streak that scouts look for in offensive linemen. Coming from the spread offense that Oklahoma State runs, Okung will need to improve as a run blocker. He also needs to get stronger in the weight room.
2. Trent Williams, Oklahoma - Last season Williams was voted All-Big 12 first team by the coaches, and honorable mention by the AP. He started all 14 games, the first at left tackle and the remaining 13 at right tackle. Williams is a very good athlete who has good size and strength. He has good feet, is agile for a big man, and plays with good pad level. What NFL scouts want to see out of Williams is consistency in both his run and pass blocking.
3. Selvish Caper, West Virginia - Caper is a very good athlete at 6-5 295 and will be perfect for the zone-blocking scheme at the next level. He is one of the most underrated offensive linemen going into the 2009 season, and might be a little bit underrate on this list as well. The question mark for Caper is how well of a run blocker will he be in the NFL. He has very good feet and is a good pass blocker blocker, but with the way West Virginia run the spread it doesn’t allow to get a good read on how good he will project run blocking at the next level and that is the question mark with him.
4. Ciron Black, LSU - LSU is happy that Black decided to come back for his senior season because their where thoughts that he was going to leave early and if he did he would have been a first round pick. Black has great size at 6-5 320, and is very nimble and is extremely light on his feet, to go along with be very quick and agile with good balance. He has a powerful initial punch and has terrific range to pull and get to the second level. With a good senior season and being more consistent, you could see Black rise to the type of level that Jason Smith had and Smith was selected with the second overall pick by the Rams in this year’s draft. Smith is a better overall athlete then Black is but I think Black could have a better football career when it is all said and done.
5. Charles Brown, Southern California - Brown is a good overall athlete who has good feet and can move. He has the height of tackle at 6-5, but is a little light at only 285 pounds. He does well in pass blocking, but because of he lack of weight, and strength, he doesn’t dominate in the running game and needs to improve in that area to become a complete tackle. But he has a lot of upside, and skills to grow into a very good left tackle at the next level.
6. Sam Young, Notre Dame - Young is almost 6-8 and weight 325 pounds and has some nastiest in his game, and will go after defensive linemen. He has started at Notre Dame since he was a freshman and has been a consistent performer for them over his time in South Bend. He is an ok overall athlete and might be a better fit as a right tackle then a left tackle in the NFL, because of his lack of athleticism.
7. Kyle Calloway, Iowa - Calloway is a player that is moving up the draft boards with NFL teams, the 6-6 318 tackle sometime is over looked because of his teammate Bryan Bulaga who plays left tackle and many consider him the best junior tackle and a possible player who could leave early after his junior season. Calloway plays the right tackle position and that is what he projects at the next level, he is a strong player who is better run blocking then he is pass blocking. He is a good athlete who can move and pull in the running game, and just needs to improve some of his pass sets, but is a very good offensive line prospect.
8. Tony Washington, Abilene Christian - Some might be surprised to see Washington from Abilene Christian ranked this high, but they won’t be thinking that when April comes around. Washington is a 6-6 300 athletic tackle, who some teams have as high as their number three overall senior tackle in next April’s draft. He does a good job being light on his feet and show good pass blocking blocking skills. The biggest question with Washington is that he plays a lower level of competition and that is what really holds him back from everyone truly believing that he could be a starting tackle in the NFL. The biggest thing that will help Washington draft stock will be the All-Star games when he will be able to show his talent against players from Division one.
9. Adam Ulatoski, Texas - They say everything is bigger in Texas and Ulatoski certainly does his best to prove that correct at 6-8, 300-plus pounds. Ulatoski is a fifth-year lineman who has played in 36 games at offensive tackle, starting 30 of them. Last season he started all 13 games at left tackle after starting at right tackle the previous two seasons. Ulatoski is a smart player on and off the field—he graduated in December 2008, and was a two-time first-team Academic All-Big 12 selection. He is a powerful offensive tackle with good feet and the ability to play left tackle in the NFL. However, he seems better suited for the right tackle position because he is a good athlete, but not a great athlete, and is a better run blocker then he is a pass blocker.
10. Casey Knips, South Dakota State - Knips is a massive man standing a legit 6-8 and weighing 310 pounds, and he is another player that many people won’t be talking about until we get closer to the NFL Draft, but one team has him ranked as their number five overall senior tackle for the NFL Draft. He plays left tackle right now, but projects as a right tackle at the next level. He needs to work on his pass blocking and do better in his pass set to improve his draft stock. His level of competition will be called into question and he needs to show well at the All-Star games to raise his draft stock because of that.
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