1) Kenyon Green, Texas A&M
Kenyon Green isn’t just the top guard in the 2022 NFL Draft. He’s a top-10 prospect and the top overall offensive lineman on PFN’s preseason Top 50 Big Board. A former five-star recruit, it’s no surprise that Green is so revered.
Green is switching to tackle for the Aggies this year, but much like 2021 NFL Draft first-rounder Alijah Vera-Tucker, he may make the switch back to guard upon entering the NFL. At either place, Green should translate extremely well. He’s a stout, powerful blocker with tremendous energy off the snap, balance, and finishing ability in all phases. Green consistently dominates CFB competition.
2) Ikem Ekwonu, NC State
Much like Green, Ikem Ekwonu has some positional versatility between tackle and guard. At the next level, however, he’s likely a guard. And if Ekwonu reaches his ceiling, he can be a scary assignment for opposing defensive linemen. At the college level, he already is.
At 6’4”, 320 pounds, Ekwonu has a dense frame, which he compounds with strong proportional length. With explosion off the line and urgency in space, that length can be leveraged into devastating power.
Ekwonu may already be one of the best run blockers in the NFL Draft, if not the best. His pass protection needs to improve, as his hands aren’t always the cleanest. Nevertheless, his sheer displacement potential is enough to place him high on this list.
3) Lecitus Smith, Virginia Tech
Full disclosure: I wrote up the profile of Lecitus Smith, and he was one of the biggest surprises of the summer scouting process. I didn’t know what to expect coming into his study, but he quickly distinguished himself as one of the top guards in the 2022 NFL Draft.
For success on the interior, Smith checks a ton of the desired boxes. He has a strong, well-leveraged frame at 6’3”, 320 pounds, but he’s also a stellar athlete. He’s explosive, twitchy, and smooth in open space, and his short-area mobility helps him dish out extra power in one-on-one situations. Smith’s length is visibly below average, and that bumps him down a bit. Nevertheless, he can be an impact starter at guard in the NFL.
4) Zion Johnson, Boston College
The only ACC team with two linemen on this list isn’t Clemson or NC State. No, it’s Boston College. The Eagles are trending up under head coach Jeff Hafley, but former coach Steve Addazio set a solid foundation on the offensive line. That’s where Zion Johnson resides and where he’ll make his money in the years to come.
At 6’3”, 316 pounds, Johnson fits the mold you’ve commonly seen on this list. He’s stout, dense, and incredibly strong. From his years in Addazio’s run-dominant offense, Johnson has legitimate people-moving ability as a run blocker. He’s also shown himself to have the athleticism to pull on zone-blocking plays. He’ll need to improve his pass blocking and consistency in 2021, but his amalgamation of traits is exciting.
5) Jaxson Kirkland, Washington
Teams commonly seek out offensive linemen with the highly coveted mauler mentality. Every lineman seeks to win, but a smaller number seeks to drive his opponent into the dirt and demoralize the person across from him. Jaxson Kirkland fits the latter category. Perhaps none of the top guards in the 2022 NFL Draft are as mean as he is.
He’s not a great athlete, and his lower body is dangerously lean for his size, which may raise questions of translatability to the NFL. Nevertheless, Kirkland has positional versatility. He’s played both tackle and guard and at a high level at both spots. His hands are fast and ferocious, and he has superb natural balance. Combined with a road-grader mentality, these traits could make him an impact starter at the NFL level.
Kenyon Green isn’t just the top guard in the 2022 NFL Draft. He’s a top-10 prospect and the top overall offensive lineman on PFN’s preseason Top 50 Big Board. A former five-star recruit, it’s no surprise that Green is so revered.
Green is switching to tackle for the Aggies this year, but much like 2021 NFL Draft first-rounder Alijah Vera-Tucker, he may make the switch back to guard upon entering the NFL. At either place, Green should translate extremely well. He’s a stout, powerful blocker with tremendous energy off the snap, balance, and finishing ability in all phases. Green consistently dominates CFB competition.
2) Ikem Ekwonu, NC State
Much like Green, Ikem Ekwonu has some positional versatility between tackle and guard. At the next level, however, he’s likely a guard. And if Ekwonu reaches his ceiling, he can be a scary assignment for opposing defensive linemen. At the college level, he already is.
At 6’4”, 320 pounds, Ekwonu has a dense frame, which he compounds with strong proportional length. With explosion off the line and urgency in space, that length can be leveraged into devastating power.
Ekwonu may already be one of the best run blockers in the NFL Draft, if not the best. His pass protection needs to improve, as his hands aren’t always the cleanest. Nevertheless, his sheer displacement potential is enough to place him high on this list.
3) Lecitus Smith, Virginia Tech
Full disclosure: I wrote up the profile of Lecitus Smith, and he was one of the biggest surprises of the summer scouting process. I didn’t know what to expect coming into his study, but he quickly distinguished himself as one of the top guards in the 2022 NFL Draft.
For success on the interior, Smith checks a ton of the desired boxes. He has a strong, well-leveraged frame at 6’3”, 320 pounds, but he’s also a stellar athlete. He’s explosive, twitchy, and smooth in open space, and his short-area mobility helps him dish out extra power in one-on-one situations. Smith’s length is visibly below average, and that bumps him down a bit. Nevertheless, he can be an impact starter at guard in the NFL.
4) Zion Johnson, Boston College
The only ACC team with two linemen on this list isn’t Clemson or NC State. No, it’s Boston College. The Eagles are trending up under head coach Jeff Hafley, but former coach Steve Addazio set a solid foundation on the offensive line. That’s where Zion Johnson resides and where he’ll make his money in the years to come.
At 6’3”, 316 pounds, Johnson fits the mold you’ve commonly seen on this list. He’s stout, dense, and incredibly strong. From his years in Addazio’s run-dominant offense, Johnson has legitimate people-moving ability as a run blocker. He’s also shown himself to have the athleticism to pull on zone-blocking plays. He’ll need to improve his pass blocking and consistency in 2021, but his amalgamation of traits is exciting.
5) Jaxson Kirkland, Washington
Teams commonly seek out offensive linemen with the highly coveted mauler mentality. Every lineman seeks to win, but a smaller number seeks to drive his opponent into the dirt and demoralize the person across from him. Jaxson Kirkland fits the latter category. Perhaps none of the top guards in the 2022 NFL Draft are as mean as he is.
He’s not a great athlete, and his lower body is dangerously lean for his size, which may raise questions of translatability to the NFL. Nevertheless, Kirkland has positional versatility. He’s played both tackle and guard and at a high level at both spots. His hands are fast and ferocious, and he has superb natural balance. Combined with a road-grader mentality, these traits could make him an impact starter at the NFL level.
