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 Guards:
Trey Smith, TennesseeQuenton Nelson was the top offensive lineman in college football last year, but the second-best guard in the nation could have been Smith. Considering there were other good guards like Will Hernandez and Braden Smith who were second-round picks in the 2018 NFL Draft, that is really saying something for how Smith played as a freshman. Smith dominated at the point of attack and was extremely impressive when taking on Alabama. The 6-foot-6, 320-pounder looks like he is just scratching the surface of his ability and has the upside to be even better with more experience. Smith played guard and left tackle for the Volunteers last year. It will be interesting to see where they line him up this fall, but if plays at guard, he will probably be the best guard in the nation.
Michael Jordan, Ohio StateJordan could be the top guard in college football during the 2018 season. He has excellent talent around him and play-makers in the backfield to turn his holes at the point of attack into highlight-reel runs. Jordan broke into the starting lineup as a freshman at guard and showed improvement in 2017 as a sophomore. He should keep up the recent tradition of early-round interior line prospects for Ohio State. The 6-foot-6, 312-pounder has good size to go with strength and athleticism. Due to gaining experience and developing, Jordan could dominate as a junior and senior to earn a lot of postseason honors.
Second-Team Guards:
Ross Pierschbacher, AlabamaThe 6-foot-3, 297-pound Pierschbacher is a tough run blocker who opened a lot of holes for Damien Harris, Najee Harris and Jalen Hurts in 2017. Pierschbacher has played left guard and center for the Crimson Tide. He is a plus run blocker and has been a reliable pass protector up front. Pierschbacher should have another big season blocking for Alabama and earn a lot of postseason honors.
Beau Benzschawel, WisconsinBenzschawel had strong sophomore and junior seasons, earning second-team All-Big Ten honors. He is a tough run blocker at the point of attack with size. Improving his pass protection for the NFL would help his draft stock. As a freshman in 2015, Benzschawel started half the games at right tackle and started a few at right guard. The Badgers have a deep offensive line and excellent running back talent to help make Benzschawel look good. Coming from a program with a great reputation for offensive line, he could easily be an All-American candidate for 2018.
Third-Team Guards:
Derwin Gray, MarylandGray was Maryland’s starter at left tackle last season, and he did a solid job on the blind side. Gray has pretty good athleticism for a thick-bodied blocker, and he uses his size to be effective in the ground game. In speaking to team sources, they are projecting Gray to the inside at guard and have him as a candidate to grade in the first four rounds of the 2019 NFL Draft entering the 2018 season. Gray (6-4, 336) could be a better NFL prospect than some of the players who receive higher All-American recognition.
Dru Samia, OklahomaThe 6-foot-5, 297-pound Samia was the Sooners right guard in 2017 and did a good job of opening holes in the ground while while providing steady pass protection for Baker Mayfield. Samia started at right tackle as a freshman before moving to right guard in his sophomore season. He should have a big season blocking against the weak Big XII defensive talent, plus has a very talented running back in Rodney Anderson to help him look good in 2018. With Oklahoma’s point-machine offense, Samia could easily end up being higher on the All-American list at the end of the year.
Honorable Mentions: Boston College’s Chris Linstrom, Notre Dame’s Alex Bars, Louisville’s Lukayus McNeil, Northern Illinois’s Max Scharping, Alabama’s Lester Cotton, Stanford’s Nate Herbig, Oklahoma’s Ben Powers and Harvard’s Larry Allen Jr.
2018 Preseason All-American Projections:
QB | RB | WR | TE | OT | G | C | DE | DT | OLB | ILB | CB | S | K/P
2018 Preseason Postseason Award Projections:
Thorpe Award | Lombardi Award | Biletnikoff Award | Lott IMPACT Trophy | Outland Trophy | Rimington Trophy | Mackey Award | Maxwell Award | Hendricks Award | O'Brien Award | Doak Walker Award | Bednarik Award | Nagurski Award | Hornung Award | Jet Award | Walter Camp Award | Ray Guy Award | Groza Award | Heisman Trophy |
QB | RB | WR | TE | OT | G | C | DE | DT | OLB | ILB | CB | S | K/P
2018 Preseason Postseason Award Projections:
Thorpe Award | Lombardi Award | Biletnikoff Award | Lott IMPACT Trophy | Outland Trophy | Rimington Trophy | Mackey Award | Maxwell Award | Hendricks Award | O'Brien Award | Doak Walker Award | Bednarik Award | Nagurski Award | Hornung Award | Jet Award | Walter Camp Award | Ray Guy Award | Groza Award | Heisman Trophy |
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