2018 Preseason All-American Projections: Offensive Tackles

By Charlie Campbell
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Heading into the 2018 college football season WalterFootball.com will debut our projections for the nation’s leaders during the fall. The All-American teams always have some surprises and the stars of next fall could be the headlining players next April in the 2019 NFL Draft.

First-Team Offensive Tackles:

Trey Adams, Washington

Scouting sources say that they think that Adams could emerge as one of the top talents for the 2019 NFL Draft. They compare Adams’ size and athleticism to Taylor Lewan coming out of Michigan, and also that Adams has good technique to go with his impressive skill set. They think that the 6-foot-7, 309-pound Adams is bigger with better range than Williams and more athletic ability than McGlinchey. Another thing that impressed sources was how Adams played against Alabama in the first round of the college football playoff for the 2016 season. They say that Adams shut down the Crimson Tide defenders anytime he was isolated on them. That Alabama defense featured three dangerous pass-rushers in the form of Jonathan Allen, Tim Williams and Ryan Anderson. Adams has a great skill set with a lot of athletic ability. He is the favorite to be the top offensive lineman in college football in 2018.



Jonah Williams, Alabama

Over the past two seasons, Williams has been a quality starter for the Crimson Tide, helping them to establish a dominating rushing attack while also providing good pass protection. Williams has started at right tackle and left tackle, and for 2018, he could remain Crimson Tide’s starter at left tackle or move to center. Williams is a very intelligent blocker who has size, flexibility and mobility. With plenty of media attention on his program, Williams could easily be a First-Team All-American pick after this season.



Second-Team Offensive Tackles:

Michael Deiter, Wisconsin

The reputation of Wisconson’s juggernaut offensive line precedes Deiter and will only help him to rack up postseason honors at the end of his senior year. Deiter was the Badgers’ replacement for Ryan Ramczyk at left tackle in 2017, and Deiter put together a solid season. He has good size with some athleticism, and now that he has a year of starting experience at left tackle, he could be even better in 2018. Deiter has other good talent around him and in the Badgers’ backfield as one could expect. They all will help Deiter to look good, and he could end up getting a lot of postseason honors for his senior year.



Greg Little, Ole Miss

From a physical-talent perspective, Little could be the most gifted player of anyone on this list. The 6-foot-6, 325-pounder had an impressive debut as a freshman starter before having a ho-hum sophomore campaign. Little is going to see a lot of excellent defensive line talent during his 2018 season. There are future first-rounders who he will take on in games against Alabama, Auburn and Mississippi State. If Little plays well as a junior, he will have done it against one of the top schedules in the nation for defensive line talent, and that could make him a First-Team All-American. However, Little could be up-and-down like he was as a sophomore, wgucg would make him more of a Second-Team selection.



Third-Team Offensive Tackles:

Mitch Hyatt, Clemson

Hyatt has not impressed NFL evaluators, but he gets a lot of media hype playing for a top program and being a 4-year starter. After struggling as a junior and getting pushed around, Hyatt was wise to return for his senior year to become stronger with the hope of improving his play before going pro. Still, the national college football media picks players more off of hype and reputation rather than the actual play of the player. Thus, I think Hyatt stands a good chance of being an All-American even though there will probably be much better players who are not as recognized.



Andre Dillard, Washington State

Dilliard goes under the radar nationally, but he is a really good player who was a key cog in Washington State’s aerial offense under Luke Falk. Dillard (6-5, 300) is a good athlete with quick feet and the ability to protect the blind side from speed rushers. If Dillard played at Alabama or Clemson, he would get a ton of media hype as being a top left tackle. Still, Dillard is a very steady blocker and a really good player. He definitely has All-American potential as a senior.

Honorable Mentions: Oklahoma’s Bobby Evans, Washington’s Kaleb McGary, West Virginia’s Yodny Cajuste, Texas’ Calvin Anderson, Boston College’s Chris Linstrom, Florida’s Jawaan Taylor, BYU’s Ului Lapuaho, Ohio State’s Isaiah Prince, Northern Illinois’ Max Scharping, Wisconsin’s David Edwards and Kansas State’s Dalton Risner.











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