Pewter Report analyzes the top players in the 2024 NFL Draft with its position previews – energized by CELSIUS, the official energy drink of Pewter Report. Josh Queipo continues the previews with the running back position, giving a comprehensive look at what the Bucs have and what they need at running back.

Queipo also provides a detailed list of this year’s top running backs while Pewter Report’s Scott Reynolds offers up the Bucs draft needs and the annual Pewter Report Bucs’ Best Bets – the most likely running back for the Bucs to select in Rounds 1-3, and in Rounds 4-7.

What The Bucs Have At Guard

Bucs RG Cody Mauch – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Guard can easily be considered one of the biggest question marks on the roster. On the right side the team has second-year starter Cody Mauch, who the team took in the second round of the 2023 draft. Mauch’s Pro Football Focus grade last year was one of the worst in the NFL, but there is a lot of reason for optimism.

Mauch received high praise from many football analysts for his core skillset and improvement throughout the season as he learned a new position on a new side of the line. Offensive line guru Brandon Thorn spoke glowingly of Mauch during an interview with Pewter Report mid-season last year.

On the other side of the line things look much cloudier. Gone are the two players who manned left guard last year in Matt Feiler and Aaron Stinnie. In their place the team signed a pair of veteran backups in Sua Opeta and Ben Bredeson. Both players have experience starting as fill-ins (Opeta has 10 career starts and Bredeson has 25), but neither has shown enough to inspire confidence that they can be anything more than experienced depth. That leaves a glaring hole in the middle of the Bucs offensive line that screams “NEED.”

Practice squad players Logan Stenberg and Luke Haggard are back again this year and will provide depth and competition in training camp.

What The Bucs Need At Guard

The Bucs need to find a more capable starter for the left guard spot. Ben Bredeson’s lack of arm length limits his ability to be reliable as a starter and he may be better suited at center. Similarly, Sua Opeta lacks the consistency on a snap-to-snap basis to be relied on as well.  The team needs to invest in a high-upside player who can elevate the line into a top-ten unit in the NFL.

Bucs general manager Jason Licht has had sustained success at finding high caliber starting guards in the middle rounds of the draft over the years. Ali Marpet, Alex Cappa, and Mauch were all mid-round finds he discovered over the years.

Even if the team believes Opeta or Bredeson could be the 2024 starter, neither is under contract beyond this year. Tampa Bay should continue to invest in the position group with a young, developmental player who can, at the very least, move into the starting lineup in 2025.

Top Guards In The 2024 NFL Draft

*Important Note: These players are NOT listed in the order of Pewter Report’s ranking for them. Rather, the numbers are provided to show you the rough order in which we expect them to come off the board during the draft.

1. Duke G Graham Barton – Senior – 6-5, 311 – 4.95

Duke OL Graham Barton – Photo by: USA Today

Barton has had a meteoric rise during this draft process.  Ironically enough, Barton ascended up draft boards despite having to back out of the Reese’s Senior Bowl and was unable to participate in the NFL Scouting Combine. Barton is a sticky blocker who keeps connected through the end of blocks with strong hands and great body control to stay square to his assignment. He’s a smart player who can quickly process games and pick up unexpected rushers. Barton’s leg drive helps him combo-block in the running game and drive defenders out of the play entirely.

Barton played tackle for all but six games of his collegiate career, but shorter arms and some lateral stiffness make for a profile that will see him at his best inside. Barton’s lower half will need to fill out more if he does transition to the inside so he can handle bigger, stronger interior defensive linemen, but his own play strength shouldn’t be an issue if he moves to either guard or center.

2. Arizona G Jordan Morgan – Redshirt Senior – 6-5, 311 – 5.04

Morgan has 37 starts under his belt as a left tackle in college, but he profiles into the inside as a guard. This is mostly due to just average lateral movement as he struggles to cover the entire arc on the outside. But as an interior blocker his plus feet and a nasty demeanor he should be able to step into an NFL line and immediately contribute to the run game. He’s a good puller who will be a plus on counters. Morgan should excel in interviews as his coaches rave about him as a leader. If he moves inside, he will need to improve his play strength and power.

Morgan is considered a fringe first-rounder who profiles to have positional flexibility. Teams with multiple holes on their offensive line will covet him as they can draft him and allow the rest of the line to shake out where Morgan can slot in around other pieces collected.

3. UConn G Christian Haynes – Redshirt Senior – 6-3, 317 – 5.03

Haynes has had a strong draft season dating back to his participation in the Reese’s Senior Bowl. He has impressive play strength and pairs it with an impressive play style where he maximizes his strengths with smart angles. Haynes has a nasty demeanor worthy of an interior offensive lineman. He has been a consistent starter with a clean track record of health.

Haynes’ play strength can falter in his base against straight power and his footwork is a little slow to consistently counter quick defenders who try to cross his face. But ultimately, he provides a high-floor option in a diverse blocking scheme. His testing is elite, but Haynes’ tape doesn’t quite match the metrics. But he has plenty enough athleticism to be a quality guard at the next level.

4. Kansas State G Cooper Beebe – Redshirt Senior – 6-3, 322 – 5.03

Kansas State G Cooper Beebe – Photo by: USA Today

Beebe is a classic tale of athletic testing not matching up to the tape. And it’s not that his tape is bad. On the contrary. He flashes strong upper and lower body strength along with vice-like hands. His leg drive makes him a people-mover in the run game, and he can absorb power into his core as a pass protector while keeping his weight proportionally balanced and dropping anchor. But Beebe’s tape also says he is a limited athlete with tight hips who struggles to move along a lateral plane smoothly.

So, when he ran a 4.61 short shuttle and a 7.44 three-cone at the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine, many analysts were shocked. If a team believes the athletic testing is real, Beebe could be the first true guard off the board. But if teams feel like those agility drills don’t match his functional movements he could fall to a Day 3 pick. His short arms will turn some teams off, while others may see him as more of a Luke Goedeke-type who finds a way to win despite his shorter levers.

5. South Dakota State G Mason McCormick – Redshirt Senior – 6-4, 309 – 5.08

McCormick was snubbed from the Reese’s Senior Bowl, something that Senior Bowl director Jim Nagy later said he regretted after McCormick blew away the athletic testing at the NFL Scouting Combine. He is a sixth-year senior with over 70 games at South Dakota State at a single position: left guard. However, McCormick was calling line protections and changes for the Jack Rabbits which could help him move to center at the NFL level if need be.

He played in a run-heavy offense that asked him to drive defenders backwards as part of a downhill attack. Scouts and coaches will love his small-school demeanor as he plays with a chip on his shoulder. He plays with a solid anchor and can recover quickly. Overall, his leadership and run blocking could get him on the field quickly while his hand usage and pass protection continue to develop at the NFL level.

6. Illinois G Isaiah Adams – Redshirt Senior – 6-4, 315 – 5.22

Adams has long, 34-inch arms and is solidly built. He has played a mix of left guard (14 games) and right tackle (10 games) in college, and even had one start at left tackle. He plays with a bit of a mean streak in the running game and plays with good vision. Adams does need to do a better job of sustaining blocks in the run game, as he will fall off blocks too easy at times. He was also penalized 15 times over the past two seasons, mainly due to poor technique.

NFL teams will like Adams’ competitive nature and his position flexibility. He’s better suited to play guard at the next level due to some limited movement ability, but could play right tackle in a pinch, which makes him a bit more valuable. Adams was voted as a team captain for his senior year, but also turns 24 this offseason.

7. Boston College G Christian Mahogony – Redshirt Senior – 6-3, 314 – 5.13

Boston College G Christian Mahogany – Photo by: USA Today

Mahogany is a violent blocker in the run game and plays with a nasty demeanor. He loves to finish his run blocks by driving opponents into the ground. His attitude rubbed off on the entire Boston College offensive line as he set the tone up front. Mahogany was a three-year starter for the Eagles with 23 starts at right guard and 11 starts at left guard, but missed his junior season with a torn ACL that happened in the offseason.

He’s not the best athlete and will lunge at times in both pass protection and in the run game instead of keeping his feet square and underneath him. Mahogany leads with a strong, effective punch that can jolt defenders backwards off the snap. But he’s mainly been in a power-gap scheme and hasn’t done much zone blocking.

8. Michigan G Zak Zinter – Senior – 6-6, 309 – N/A

Zinter is one of the longer guard prospects in this year’s draft, standing almost a full 6-foot-6. The Joe Moore Award-winning team captain has 42 starts in the Big Ten for Michigan and a national championship under his belt. His length can work against him as he doesn’t always play sunk into his knees giving him issues with leverage and pad level.

Zinter’s combination of intelligence and big-game experience will attract teams looking for a guard who won’t shy away from the spotlight of playoff football.

9. Maryland G Delmar Glaze – Redshirt Junior – 6-4, 315 – 5.21

Glaze has almost an exact even split of working on each side of the line. With all of that experience coming at tackle, but his limited athleticism saying a move inside is in his future he has better positional flexibility than most. Hand discipline will be one of the key skillsets his next offensive line coach will need to work with Glaze on. But if he improves the consistency of that placement, the power of his punch will play up to a strength.

Glaze comes with an injury history that includes an ACL tear in high school that may be robbing him of some athleticism he once had, but he’s a smooth enough mover than he could start at the NFL level in the future.

10. Texas A&M G Layden Robinson – Redshirt Senior – 6-4, 302 – 5.09

Robinson is a strong, imposing lineman with a solid anchor, but his anchor doesn’t always show his raw power because his footwork and pad level can rob him of his natural strength. Robinson is a north/south player who will profile to a gap-heavy scheme. He is generally a good puller, but the more space he works in, especially at the second level, the more he struggles with consistently targeting defenders.

Best Of The Rest

11. Michigan G Trevor Keegan – Redshirt Senior – 6-5, 310 – 5.24

Keegan is a jack-of-all-trades, master of none. His frame and length are nothing special and he is without any area of his game that he can point to as impressive. But he is smart and works hard to maximize his skillset. He can be tall in his play and lacks a strong anchor. Paired with tight hips and average-at-best footwork he will have a narrow path to success. But the former team captain will is hailed for his work ethic.

12. Maryland G Gottlieb Ayedze – Redshirt Senior – 6-4, 308 – 5.01

Ayedze made a huge jump in 2023, moving from Division II Frostburg State where he was a four-year starter to the Big-Ten where he started 10 games at Maryland. While he projects to kick inside to guard at the NFL level, he played 47 of his 48 games in college at tackle. Ayedze took several strides forward in 2023, putting himself on more scouts’ radars,

His narrower frame leads to him struggling against bigger, more powerful defenders. But he is a smooth mover with active hands who has learned to win late even after struggling early in reps.

13. Utah G Sataoa Laumea – Redshirt Senior – 6-4, 319 – N/A

Laumea offers positional versatility with real experience both inside and outside, but his lack of length says guard is probably what best suits him in the long run. He is at his best going forwards as a run blocker where his get-off is more consistent than when he is pass protecting. His best role in the NFL is most likely as a career backup.

14. Pittsburgh G Matt Goncalves – Redshirt Senior – 6-6, 317 – 5.20

Pitt OL Matt Goncalves – Photo by: USA Today

A team captain with a nasty demeanor, Goncalves’ has experience at both left and right tackle, but profiles best to the inside at the NFL level. There his aggressive play style and impressive strength will play up, while his slower feet will not hurt him as much. Goncalves will need to work on protecting to both the inside and outside in pass protection, but his thick, powerful frame and matching upper and lower half give him a solid base to work from.

15. Kansas State G K.T. Leveston – Redshirt Senior – 6-4, 326 – 5.38

Leveston has been largely overshadowed during the pre-draft process by teammate Cooper Beebe. His tape isn’t as clean as Beebe’s and for all the debate around Beebe’s athleticism, there’s not much debate pushing back on Leveston’s lack of movement skills. His large frame gives him a good base of power and strength, but he struggles to pull and won’t work well in a lateral-based zone scheme. He has some bad habits around dropping his eyes and not finishing his blocks. But he has impressive hands with a powerful punch that can surprise defenders if they aren’t careful.

16. Miami G Javion Cohen – Senior – 6-4, 324 – 5.34

Cohen has a solid base of physical talent to potentially grow into a starter. He isn’t a super fluid athlete, but he plays with good balance and strength and has fantastic play strength. But despite great arm length he allows defenders to get into his chest too often and doesn’t target well in space. He can be slow to pick up games and will need to improve his spatial awareness.

17. South Carolina G Nick Gargiulo – Redshirt Senior – 6-5, 318 – 5.25

Gargiulo has multiple position versatility with quick movements. But he has trouble keeping his long frame low and playing with the requisite balance to consistently win. This causes him to get knocked down more than he should. Garguilo uses his hands well but injuries and technical lapses put a severe limit on his ceiling.

18. Michigan G Ladarius Henderson – Redshirt Senior – 6-4, 309 – N/A

Henderson has one of the higher ceilings among the guards who will be available on Day 3. He has superior length to many of the other players who will be available around the same time. Henderson has experience against some tough competition on his way to a national championship in 2023 after spending four years at Arizona State. He can get caught leaning and his worse reps are in space when he was playing tackle, so a move inside could help springboard him to a surprisingly good career.

19. Utah G Keaton Bills – Redshirt Senior – 6-5, 324 – 5.30

Bills is a downfield people-mover who tries to impose his large frame, strong base and nasty demeanor on his opponents. He is not a smooth mover and does not work across the lateral plane in a wide zone offense. Bills will require a very specific power-based scheme to accent his skills and give him any path to playtime.

20. Arkansas G Brady Latham – Redshirt Senior – 6-5, 305 – 5.26

Latham is the quintessential win-by-sheer-will kind of guy. His physical attributes are average at best, and his technical refinement leaves a lot to be desired. But he has tenacity and a will to succeed that transcends his physical and mechanical skills.

Bucs’ Best Bets: Guard

Bucs’ Best Bet – Rounds 1-3: Duke G Graham Barton

Barton was a standout left tackle at Duke for the past three seasons, protecting the blindside of talented quarterback Riley Leonard. But with his shorter-than-ideal arms at just under 33 inches, Barton will likely be moved inside to guard or center at the next level. In fact, Barton started five games at center during his freshman year. The Blue Devils star is capable in both pass protection and in the run game, and has drawn some comparisons to former Bucs Pro Bowl guard Ali Marpet for his athleticism, toughness, football I.Q. and physicality.

Bucs general manager Jason Licht is famous for drafting athletic college left tackles and moving them inside to play guard in Tampa Bay. He’s done that in years past with Marpet (2015), Alex Cappa (2018) and Cody Mauch (2023). With a big hole at left guard and the team needing an upgrade at center over Robert Hainsey, who is entering a contract year, the Bucs could draft Barton in the first round if he’s available and try him out at either position to determine his the best fit. Tampa Bay had a formal meeting with Barton at the NFL Scouting Combine.

Bucs’ Best Bet – Rounds 4-7: Boston College G Christian Mahogany

The interesting thing about Jason Licht and the guard position is that he’s never drafted a pure guard outside of Tennessee State’s Kadeem Edwards in the fifth round in 2014, which was his first draft as Bucs general manager. Out of the 10 offensive linemen he’s drafted, the last nine have all been offensive tackles that have either played that position in Tampa Bay or moved inside to guard or center. Would Mahogany be the first guard Licht drafts in a decade? The Boston College star certainly seems like a worthy candidate with his 34 starts at either right guard (23) or left guard (11).

Mahogany is a physical presence inside and plays with violent hands and a nasty demeanor. He loves to finish blocks and plays up to and sometimes through the whistle. The two-time team captain bounced back from an ACL injury that cost him his junior season to earn first-team All-ACC honors as a senior. Mahogany didn’t allow a single sack or QB hit during his final year at BC. He’s perfect for a power-based running attack, but has enough athleticism and footwork to also be featured in a zone blocking scheme.