The 2024 NFL Draft is loaded at the offensive tackle position, and there should be a large group of tackles who get selected on the opening night of the draft. Notre Dame’s Joe Alt is the consensus top tackle prospect, and he looks extremely likely go as a top-10 pick. After Alt, some in the media have projected either Penn State’s Olu Fashanu or Oregon State’s Taliese Fuaga to be the next tackle selected. WalterFootball.com surveyed a number of teams and found there was no consensus second-rated tackle, with the result varying greatly from franchise to franchise.
A few teams have Alabama’s J.C. Latham as the No. 2-rated tackle and feel that he is athletically better than Alt. Multiple teams, however, view Latham as a right tackle only for the NFL, while Alt is seen as having the ability to start on either side. While Latham does not have bad character, his football character does not get teams excited.
Fuaga is similar to Latham in that teams view him as a right tackle only, and some teams are actually projecting Fuaga to move inside to guard. Hence, some prefer Penn State’s Olu Fashanu because they view him as a potential left tackle. A lot of teams like Washington’s Troy Fautanu, but he also has some size limitations that leave some to project him moving inside to guard. Oklahoma’s Tyler Guyton is viewed as having a great skill set, but he and Georgia’s Amarius Mims have some teams regarding them as potentially boom/bust prospects.
Overall, team sources said they felt the second tackle to come off the board would be team-specific. The team’s blocking scheme, position needs, and the meshing with the coaching staff will be the determining factors. That mix varies by franchise, so it could make for a unique order in which the tackles are drafted. In my latest 2024 NFL Mock Draft I have the Raiders making that first decision followed quickly by four other teams taking a tackle in the next 10 picks. It could be a wild and surprising order in which the offensive tackles come off the board during the 2024 NFL Draft.
