2024 NFL Draft Position Review: Offensive Tackles

Offensive Tackle Class

Early-round talent: A+
Mid-round: A-
Late-round: A-
Overall grade: A

Merging the 2023 and 2024 prospects

Joe Alt
Paris Johnson Jr.
J.C. Latham
Darnell Wright
Amarius Mims
Olumuyiwa Fashanu
Peter Skoronski
Broderick Jones
Troy Fautanu
Taliese Fuaga
Tyler Guyton
Anton Harrison
Jordan Morgan
Tyler Steen
Wanya Morris
Nick Saldiveri

Just to be clear, this article and series is all my opinion based off my own study and information I’ve gotten from general managers, directors of college scouting, national scouts, area scouts and NFL coaches. They all know way more than I do.

After a few down years, the offensive tackle group rebounded somewhat in 2019 before offering some superb classes in 2020, 2021 and 2022. The 2023 tackle class was decent, but the 2024 NFL Draft features a phenomenal group of tackles. There could be eight offensive tackles taken in Round 1 and even more starting potential players on Day 2. This year could be a legendary class for offensive tackle talent.

If you were to merge the 2023 and 2024 classes together, Alt would be the first tackle off the board. Alt and Paris Johnson are about equal as mid-top-10 prospects. J.C. Latham and Olu Fashanu are about equal to Darnell Wright. Peter Skoronski and Broderick Jones would be rated higher than Troy Fautanu, Taliese Fuaga, Amarius Mims and Tyler Guyton. However, those three are better prospects than Anton Harrison. Harrison would, however, be ahead of Jordan Morgan. Morgan is a better prospect than second-day players from last year like Steen, Morris, and Saldiveri.

Safest Pick: Joe Alt, Notre Dame

Previous Picks:
2023: Peter Skronoski
2022: Charles Cross
2021: Penei Sewell
2020: Andrew Thomas
2019: Cody Ford
2018: Mike McGlinchey
2017: Garett Bolles
2016: Larmey Tunsil
2015: Ereck Flowers
2014: Jake Matthews
2013: Luke Joeckel

While Alt is not an elite prospect like a Penei Sewell, Alt is one of the safest prospects in the 2024 NFL Draft regardless of position. Alt is big, strong, and has developed technique. Whether he is playing left tackle or right tackle, Alt should turn into a quality pro starter.

Biggest Bust Potential: Tyler Guyton, Oklahoma

Previous Picks:
2023: Anton Harrison
2022: Bernhard Raimann
2021: James Hudson
2020: Ezra Cleveland
2019: David Edwards
2018: Connor Williams
2017: Roderick Johnson
2016: Shon Coleman
2015: La’el Collins
2014: Cyrus Kouandjio
2013: D.J. Fluker

This was a difficult decision because no prospect strikes me as having real bust potential. Guyton is a quality athlete with and smooth movement on the edge for such a massive blocker. However, he is inconsistent with his technique and needs a lot of development for the NFL. He is not naturally physical or violent, despite being massive. Of the early-round tackle prospects for the 2024 NFL Draft, Guyton looks like the one with the most bust potential.

Offensive Tackle Rankings by Attributes

Pass Protection:

NFL prototype: Laremy Tunsil, Texans

1. Amarius Mims
2. Joe Alt
3. J.C. Latham
4. Jordan Morgan
5. Olu Fashanu
6. Troy Fautanu
7. Taliese Fuaga
8. Tyler Guyton

Recap: Franchise left tackles have to be rock solid in pass protection. Most teams feature a right-handed quarterback, so the left tackle has to be trusted to shut down pass rushers coming from the blind side.

In pass protection, Mims has shocking quickness for such a big blocker and shows impressive agility to mirror speed rushers coming around the edge. He should be an asset to take on the fast edge rushers because he is quick out of stance, reacts immediately to cut off the corner, and ties them up to keep them from running the loop around the edge. With his quick feet, long arms, and ability to bend at the knee, Mims doesn’t have to reach after rushers and is not a waist bender. He uses his length well to tie up rushers and does a very good job of sustaining his blocks. Mims also has a very strong base to hold up against bull rushes. He is bursting with talent and can make it look easy with how he shuts down good defensive ends. His only real flaw is a lack of experience, but the raw elements of his game should get ironed out after some pro coaching.

Alt has a natural advantage in pass blocking from being so huge that it is hard for defenders to get around him. With his mass and length, it takes extra steps to get past Alt, and that gives his quarterback a split second that can be valuable. Alt has good awareness, is smart, and has developed technique. The technique can be seen in him using his hands well with good placement. Alt’s hand placement, technique, and length make him very good at sustaining blocks. Utilizing that length and mass, he ties up defenders and keeps them from shedding him easily. Team sources said Alt has some stiffness and is not a great bender. That leads to some problems with his anchor, which could be seen in the game against Ohio State when Tyleik Williams gave Alt some problems. Still, Alt is a steady and reliable pass protector.

Latham is naturally built for pass protection, possessing good size, strength, and length to play on the edge. He does a nice job of sinking his weight to stop bull rushes with a good anchor and has the upper body strength to tie up defenders. Latham is quick out of his stance and will use that to rapidly develop some depth in his drop. When Latham keeps his feet moving, he can cut off the corner and give his quarterback the necessary time to get the ball out. Sometimes though, Latham gets into trouble when his feet get stuck in the ground. Latham can works well in tandem blocks with his guard and is adept at handling games up front with his guard. As a junior in 2023, Latham was rock solid in pass protection and only gave up a pressure once in a while. Speed rushers coming around the corner, however, can give Latham some issues every so often. He may not have the feet and smooth movement skills that NFL teams want out of their left tackle, leaving some team sources thinking Latham is only a right tackle for the next level.

Morgan has excellent athleticism to be an asset against fast edge rushers. He is a natural pass blocker who has quick feet that allow him to get depth in his drop and neutralize speed rushs. Morgan is quick out of stance and reacts immediately to cut off the corner and prevent defenders from running the loop around the edge. With his quick feet and ability to bend at the knee, Morgan doesn’t have to reach after rushers and is not a waist bender. He is a very smooth and in-control blocker who glides with rushers and reacts quickly to pass-rushing moves. Morgan uses his athletic ability well and does a good job of sustaining his blocks by staying in front of defenders. Powerful defensive ends, however, can give him problems by powering through him. In the NFL, Morgan could be a very good at protecting his quarterback against fast edge rushers.

As a pass blocker, Fashanu has a quality skill set to be an edge protector. He is not elite in terms of movement, but uses his size and length well to entangle defensive linemen. Fashanu’s natural mass and size lead to a strong base that can negate bull rushes. After sinking his weight, he holds his ground and does not given driven back into the quarterback. There is some stiffness with Fashanu, but not to the point where it is a crushing weakness. Fashanu is not a dominant pass blocker, but he is efficient.

There is no doubt that Fautanu is extremely athletic for an offensive lineman. He is a smooth glider in possession of excellent agility and nimble movement skills. Fautanu is very fast at firing out of his stance and has a burst to the second level. With quick feet and agility, Fautanu is able to stay square on speed rushers and neutralize them running around the edge. Aided by his excellent athleticism, Fautanu is a natural knee bender who does not have to reach after edge rushers because his feet and bending get him in the appropriate position. While Fautanu lacks a little height, he does have 35-inch arms, and that plus length helps him keep pass rushers at bay. Fautanu uses his length to help sustain blocks and tie up defenders. In pass blocking, he can have some mental lapses at times, so he is going to need coaching up to be ready for games that pro defenses are going to throw at him. Fautanu’s anchor to hold up against bull rushes is just okay. Strong NFL defensive ends could have some success with a bull rush riding him backward, so Fautanu is going to need to improve his anchor for the next level.

Fuaga is quick out of his stance in pass protection and gets in position to wall off defenders. When taking on bull rushes, Fuaga gives up little ground and is able to anchor, relying on his lower body strength to keep himself from getting pushed into the quarterback. However, Fuaga has short arms, and his lack of length will be a problem for taking on pro edge rushers. His feet also get heavy sometimes, and he does not have the feet of a left tackle. That could be a problem at the next level because NFL defenses will move their best edge rusher around the front, and Fuaga will see plenty of elite players even if he is at right tackle. His feet and lack of length could be problems for him in the NFL. Hence, he would be better off moving inside to guard.

In pass protection, Guyton makes it very hard on defenders to achieve pressure. His sheer size makes him very difficult for edge rushers to get around. He eats up so much space and has the length to force them take extra steps to get around him. That leads to his quarterback having more time to get the ball out. On top of his overwhelming size and length, Guyton is quick and smooth on the edge. He has lateral quickness and agility for such a massive blocker. Given his ability to play the typewriter with his feet and get depth in his drop, Guyton can neutralize speed rushers. His size and weight can also shut down bull rushes when he does a good job of sinking his weight and anchoring.

Run Blocking:

NFL prototype: Penei Sewell, Lions

1. J.C. Latham
2. Joe Alt
3. Amarius Mims
4. Taliese Fuaga
5. Olu Fashanu
6. Troy Fautanu
7. Jordan Morgan
8. Tyler Guyton

Recap: In the ground game, Latham uses his strong upper body to tie up defenders and push them around. He can knock defenders backward on occasion, and at other times, he will twist, turn and manipulate his defender to keep them away from his running back. Latham also can create a push and straight up blast defensive ends out of their gaps through sheer power. Latham has some real nastiness to him. He blocks through the whistle and is very physical at the point of attack. Due to his mean streak, Latham gets violent with defenders and will finish them off. Latham possesses the quickness to fire to the second level and is athletic enough to hit blocks in space.

Alt is a contributor in the ground game, using his size to tie up defenders. Alt is not a physical force who will overpower and overwhelm defenders, knocking them backwards or rolling them around the field. He is more of a blocker who ties up defenders, stalls them, turns them, and manipulates them out of the play. With his mass and length, defenders can struggle to get free of Alt to get in on a tackle. Alt is a “steady Eddie” to win his blocks in the ground game and get the job done.

Mims can be a dominant run blocker who brings aggression and a mean streak. Finding nasty bullies up front is getting more difficult as the up-tempo and spread offense has changed the game, but Mims is a throwback who blocks through the whistle, pushes defenders around, buries them into the ground, and finishes them off with violence. Mims has developed strength to push defenders out of their gaps and open holes in the ground game. Thanks to his heavy hands, Mims is able to sustain his blocks after shocking defenders backward. He also has the quickness and athleticism to get to the second level. Mims can pull and could fit in either a zone-blocking or power-man scheme. He has special size, strength and athleticism to overwhelm defensive linemen.

In the ground game Fuaga is a load, as he can knock defenders off the ball and ride them out of their gaps. Fuaga engulfs edge defenders and keeps them from flowing to the ball. With his ability to generate movement, Fuaga is an asset in short-yardage and goal-line situations. He is also nasty at the point of attack, where he will get very physical and violent with defenders. Fuaga uses heavy hands to shock defenders and can maul defensive linemen at that point of attack. Fuaga looks to pancake them and is a bully on the field who really beats up opponents. Fuaga moves well for his size and is quick to the second level, acting like a wrecking ball on the perimeter. Fuaga is on a mission to punish defenders in the open field, and he will dish out some violence downfield.

Fashanu is not one to create a big push or toss defenders around in the ground game. He lacks violence and nastiness as the point of attack. There are times when he finishes defensive linemen, but he is not consistently jarring up front. As a pro, Fashanu might be a run blocker who earns more wins by turning, manipulating or stalling defenders.

In the ground game, Fautanu is a good fit for a zone-blocking scheme. With his speed and athleticism, he moves well as part of the moving wall. Fautanu can quickly get to linebackers off the snap or can peel off defensive linemen and then hit a linebacker to help open a hole. While Fautanu blocks hard, he is limited and is not a true bull who can overpower defenders at the line of scrimmage. Fautanu fights, but he is not a people mover to drive defenders backward off the ball because he is not real powerful. His body might be maxed out given his height, so he could be limited in being able to add more power and a better anchor.

Morgan is not a bull as a run blocker. He is not overly strong or physical to blast defenders off the ball and ride them around the field. That being said, Morgan is not a liability as he ties up, twists, turns, and manipulates defensive linemen to keep them from getting to the ball-carrier. Morgan shows some quickness to the second level, has agility to pull, and is skilled at hitting blocks in space. Right now, he would be better off in a zone-blocking system to use his athleticism due to not packing a serious punch at the point of attack. Morgan is a finesse blocker. He is not nasty, and team sources have said Morgan is not a finisher. Teams that want their blockers to have a mean streak will be turned off by Morgan.

Guyton can be effective in run blocking. He has the mass to overwhelm and engulf defenders at the point of attack. Guyton is smooth and not bad athletically for a massive blocker, so he is able to execute zone runs. While Guyton has the size of a monster, he is not naturally physical or violent. Guyton needs to play with more power and show more of a mean streak for the NFL.

Feet:

NFL prototype: Ronnie Stanley, Ravens

1. Jordan Morgan
2. Troy Fautanu
3. Olu Fashanu
4. Joe Alt
5. Amarius Mims
6. Tyler Guyton
7. J.C. Latham
8. Taliese Fuaga

Recap: The best feet in the 2024 NFL Draft could belong to Morgan and Fautanu. Both of them are very light on their feet with the ability to play the typewriter and consistently get themselves in good position. They have quick, smooth feet that are very impressive for large tackles.

Mims has very quick feet and can pick them up and put them down in his backpedal or when firing out of his stance. Fashanu and Alt are quality athletes with quick feet and the ability to kick slide with speed rushers. Mims and Guyton have very good feet for massive edge blockers. Latham and Fuaga possess the feet of starting right tackles in the NFL. They are good enough, but can also get stuck in the ground at times.

Zone-Blocking Scheme:

NFL prototype: Trent Williams, 49ers

1. Troy Fautanu
2. Amarius Mims
3. Olu Fashanu
4. Joe Alt
5. Jordan Morgan
6. Tyler Guyton
7. J.C. Latham
8. Taliese Fuaga

Recap: Most of these tackle prospects could execute in a zone-blocking system. Almost all of them possess the athletic ability and the speed to play it. Fautanu, Mims, Fashanu, Alt and Morgan are all great fits for a zone scheme because they are quick, agile, and very mobile. Each one possesses the ability to block on the move in their offenses. Guyton, Latham and Fuaga are not as fast as those four, but they are quick and athletic enough to run zone plays. Latham and Fuaga could be better fits in a power-man scheme.

Man Scheme:

NFL prototype: Penei Sewell, Lions

1. Amarius Mims
2. J.C. Latham
3. Taliese Fuaga
4. Joe Alt
5. Olu Fashanu
6. Tyler Guyton
7. Troy Fautanu
8. Jordan Morgan

Recap: The top five of Mims, Latham, Fuaga, Alt and Fashanu are good fits in a man-blocking scheme. They sustain their blocks well in the ground game overall and are plus run blockers on the edge. All five also have the quickness to fire to the second level to hit blocks and seal linebackers from the hole. Guyton and Fautanu each have the ability to play in a power-man scheme, but it could help them to develop more of a mean streak. Morgan needs to get stronger and block with more physicality. He would not be a good fit for a man scheme.

Guard/Right Tackle Potential:

NFL prototype: Lane Johnson, Eagles

1. Troy Fautanu
2. Joe Alt
3. Olu Fashanu
4. Amarius Mims
5. Tyler Guyton
6. J.C. Latham
7. Taliese Fuaga
8. Jordan Morgan

Recap: Some teams like to move college tackles inside to guard or over to right tackle. Other roster considerations also cause some tackles to start their careers on the right side or slide in to guard. Having the versatility to be moved around and play a variety of positions adds a lot of value to an offensive lineman.

Fautanu could be the most versatile blocker of the group because he could start at either tackle position as well as guard. He even could probably play center. Some teams are projecting Fautanu inside to guard.

Alt, Fashanu and Mims each have the talent and skill set to be a potential left tackle or right tackle in the NFL. Guyton possesses the physical talent, but his inconsistencies make it hard to project switching him to left tackle.

Latham and Fuaga could start at right tackle. Some teams are projecting Fuaga to move inside to guard for their schemes. Morgan could be limited to left tackle only because he doesn’t have the power for guard or right tackle.