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Since we’re still waiting for an answer about whether Matt LaFleur is or isn’t going to be the Green Bay Packers’ next head coach, let’s at least do something productive with our time. One of the biggest questions I get every draft cycle is where NFL draft offensive line prospects have lined up in the past. This isn’t necessarily where they will play at the next level, but it will give us a pretty good sense of the role they’re projected to play.
Based on conversations with scouts I’ve had, the expectation is that this class is actually pretty good on the offensive line, but it’s pretty weak at center (not great news for us, as the only projected 2026 starter not locked into a deal right now is Sean Rhyan, with an Elgton Jenkins cap casualty release on the horizon).
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With that being said, some players are expected to move to the center position at the next level. We’ll talk about them at the end of this article.
Here is the full position-by-position breakdown and career snap counts of every top-200 offensive lineman currently on Pro Football Focus’ big board (I used PFF because there are few in-depth public boards at the moment. This also isn’t PFF’s data. Do not sue me).
Left Tackle
#25 Kadyn Proctor, Alabama
LT: 2112 snaps
LG: 3
#27 Caleb Lomu, Utah
LT: 1404
RT: 20
#31 Monroe Freeling, Georgia
LT: 1118
RT: 235
LG: 3
#46 Caleb Tiernan, Northwestern
LT: 2141
RT: 427
LG: 4
C: 1
#84 Carter Smith, Indiana
LT: 2355
RT: 59
LG: 1
#95 Isaiah World, Oregon
LT: 2319
RT: 575
LG: 8
#113 J.C. Davis, Illinois
LT: 2738
LG: 5
RT: 1
#114 Austin Barber, Florida
LT: 1906
RT: 437
LG: 2
RG: 1
#128 Jude Bowry, Boston College
LT: 1136
RT: 77
RG: 1
#137 Drew Shelton, Penn State
LT: 1934
RT: 212
LG: 20
RG: 9
#159 Trey Zuhn III, Texas A&M
LT: 2811
C: 123
LG: 3
RT: 2
#161 Earnest Greene III, Georgia
LT: 1112
RT: 432
LG: 18
RG: 1
#181 Kage Casey, Boise State
LT: 2327
RT: 34
LG: 2
Left Guard
#22 Vega Ioane, Penn State
LG: 1703
RG: 284
C: 18
LT: 6
RT: 4
#42 Emanuel Pregnon, Oregon
LG: 2231
RG: 630
RT: 7
LT: 2
#91 Chase Bisontis, Texas A&M
LG: 1210
RT: 480
RG: 57
Center
#61 Connor Lew, Auburn
C: 1461
LG: 2
LT: 1
#78 Jake Slaughter, Florida
C: 1817
RT: 1
#144 Pat Coogan, Indiana
C: 1623
LG: 645
RG: 1
#167 Logan Jones, Iowa
C: 1348
LG: 1
#184 Parker Brailsford, Alabama
C: 2186
RG: 131
RT: 2
LG: 2
Right Guard
#126 D.J. Campbell, Texas
RG: 2300
C: 6
RT: 4
LG: 1
#131 Keylan Rutledge, Georgia Tech
RG: 2696
LG: 47
RT: 3
#141 Ar’maj Reed-Adams, Texas A&M
RG: 1624
LG: 401
RT: 114
LT: 9
C: 2
#147 Kobe Baynes, Kansas
RG: 1650
RT: 26
#151 Jaeden Roberts, Alabama
RG: 1228
RT: 6
LG: 3
Right Tackle
#17 Spencer Fano, Utah
RT: 1443
LT: 482
LG: 1
#19 Francis Mauigoa, Miami
RT: 2423
RG: 8
#44 Gennings Dunker, Iowa
RT: 1881
RG: 127
LG: 46
C: 1
#79 Blake Miller, Clemson
RT: 3456
LT: 95
RG: 1
#102 Brian Parker II, Duke
RT: 1726
LT: 327
C: 2
LG: 1
#118 Max Iheanachor, Arizona State
RT: 1898
RG: 5
#187 Aamil Wagner, Notre Dame
RT: 1540
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Yes, there are only five centers available who PFF projects to go in the top-200, only one (Florida’s Jake Slaughter) who has healthy ACLs (good luck on the recovery, Connor Lew) and is expected to go in the top-143 picks of the draft.
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With that being said, some guys have been tabbed as potential center converts by scouts. Those players are Texas A&M tackle Trey Zuhn II (actually worked as both a tackle and center in camp this year but really only played tackle for the Aggies) and Duke tackle Brian Parker II (who, like Zuhn, was measured in with shorter arms this spring and is expected to, at minimum, move inside at the next level).
Michigan State center Matt Gulbin and Kansas State center Sam Hecht, who didn’t make it on the top-200 cutoff for PFF’s player rankings, are also prospects that have come up in conversations with scouts about this center class. If you want a fun story, Kansas’ Bryce Foster, who may or may not get drafted, was a five-star recruit coming out of high school and not only is an All-Big 12 center but also competed in the NCAA’s outdoor track and field championships as a discus thrower. Part of the reason he left A&M is that the staff requested he solely focus on football, which led to his two-sport transfer to Kansas.
There are also other players, like Iowa’s Gennings Dunker, who are fully expected to have to move positions in the NFL. Dunker is a great run blocker who has shorter arms for his frame and struggles athletically in space when asked to pass block on an island. For the most part, the league seems to view him as a guard-only player, despite playing college football as a right tackle.
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