Top Guards-Centers In 2020 NFL Draft

1. Michigan C Cesar Ruiz – Junior – 6-3, 307 – 5.08

One of the youngest players in the class, Ruiz won’t turn 21 until June, and he’s already played at a high level for two years at Michigan. After seeing some time at right guard as a true freshman, including five starts, Ruiz has started the past 26 games at the pivot for the Wolverines. I profiled him in depth here, but for my money he’s clearly the best interior offensive linemen in the class, and the only one with a shot to go Round 1. He’s very clean as a pass protector, he’s solid in the run game with the ability to do quality work as a puller in space and he’s one of the more high character prospects in the class.

2. LSU C Lloyd Cushenberry III – Junior – 6-3, 312 – 5.27

Not many interior offensive linemen in this class can move interior defensive linemen, work double teams and hit targets in space like Cushenberry can. He’s incredibly flexible and can drop anchor against power rushes in impressive fashion. But when a rusher counters to his edges, Cushenberry struggled to move laterally and mirror that quickness up the pocket. Those concerns, especially against top competition, might be enough to keep him in the mid-late stages of Day 2 on draft weekend.

3. LSU G Damien Lewis – Senior – 6-2, 327 – 5.24

LSU G Damien Lewis – Photo by: Getty Images

A power guard with better athleticism than he’s given credit for, Lewis is a people mover up front who will thrive in a gap scheme at the next level. There are concerns in pass protection that must be cleaned up, as Lewis’ punch is too wide and he gets knocked back by bull rushes way more than he should. There’s real upside if he can improve his technique, and Lewis has the demeanor and work ethic that you bet on. Lewis’ full scouting report can be found here.

4. Ohio State G Jonah Jackson – Senior – 6-3, 306 – 5.23

Jackson is a better pass protector than he is run blocker, and you’d rather the pendulum swing that way when projecting a guy to the NFL. Still, Jackson didn’t face a ton of high-end interior rushers this past season, so watching him dominate at the Senior Bowl was reassuring. I think his struggles in the run game and inability to sustain blocks or finish will have NFL teams skeptical of his chance at NFL success, but Jackson has starting ability in a class without much of it, which should help him be a Top 100 pick.

5. Temple C Matt Hennessy – Junior – 6-4, 307 – 5.18

Hennessy was a pleasant surprise at the NFL Scouting Combine, with terrific testing numbers and better than expected size. The one issue is Hennessy’s short arms, which got him into trouble at the Senior Bowl against bigger, longer opponents. That was rarely an issue on tape, as Hennessy’s pass protection was hard to gauge due to Temple’s scheme that rarely left him one-on-one, and the lack of quality pass rushers that he faced. Outside zone teams will see Hennessy as a future starter, but he may always need to be protected a bit by a play-action/RPO-heavy offense that relies mostly on his run-game contributions.

6. Clemson G John Simpson – Senior – 6-4, 321 – 5.24

Clemson G John Simpson – Photo by: Getty Images

Offensive guards that aren’t great functional movers and lack ideal balance against power moves typically don’t become starters in the NFL. Simpson has the mental makeup, physical demeanor and pro-level strength for the position, but he ends up on the ground too often because he plays so over-extended. He can help a gap-scheme team in the run game and he’ll be an asset in the locker room, but those are the kind of players you want as depth on your roster, not in your starting lineup. Defenders cross his face and challenge his edges too often to consider him a premier talent, but Simpson has enough tools to hang in the league and be a spot starter as needed.

7. Michigan G Ben Bredeson – Senior – 6-4, 315 – N/A

I’m really not sure why Bredeson isn’t getting more love, especially in a weak interior offensive line class. His tape is really strong in pass protection, as he’s easily one of the best technicians in the class. He has a good base, hands high and tight, strong inside hand against counters … quality consistency against all types of rushers to go with active eyes to handle twists and late blitzers. Yeah, he’s not a difference maker in the run game, but he isn’t a liability either, and he handles his business well enough due to effort and technique. Bredeson doesn’t have elite physical or athletic tools and his lack of length is concerning, but guards can survive in the NFL without that stuff. I think Bredeson has the recipe to succeed.

8. Washington C Nick Harris – Senior – 6-1, 302 – 5.10

Washington C Nick Harris – Photo by: Getty Images

Despite 42 starts and experience at all three interior offensive line spots, Harris isn’t going to be highly coveted by NFL teams for a couple of reasons. His measurables would be on the extreme low end for his position across the NFL, with just over 32-inch arms and a frame that carries most of his weight in the middle. Harris’ pass protection deficiencies were also exposed at the Senior Bowl, where he was thoroughly whooped by most opponents. Still, Harris is one of the more athletic linemen in the class, with the ability to reach second level targets and use leverage and savvy hand placement to his advantage. I don’t think he’ll be drafted highly, but Harris might have the right combination of athleticism and intangibles to overcome his weaknesses, especially in an outside zone scheme. Read his full scouting report here.

9. Kentucky G Logan Stenberg – Senior – 6-6, 317 – 5.30

Minimal athleticism, a shortage of true pass sets in college, short arms and a shorter fuse on the field make Stenberg a draft profile that scares you a little bit. His nastiness and physicality in the run game are a double-edged sword, as Stenberg was also a penalty machine this past season. Coming from an offense that almost never threw the football during his career, Stenberg is a big projection to the NFL, but his power and hand usage give him a shot.

10. Wisconsin C Tyler Biadasz – Junior – 6-3, 314 – N/A

Biadasz’ best work comes at the line of scrimmage in the run game, where he can create movement against certain match-ups, but more than anything consistently gets good positioning with leverage and technique. Outside of that, there isn’t much to get excited about. Wisconsin is all about running the football, so Biadasz pass protection issues didn’t bother them much, but it will in the NFL. The lack of ideal power, length and athleticism have always been concerns with Biadasz, but the limitations showed up on tape more this past season than you’d like to see.

BEST OF THE REST

11. Michigan G Michael Onwenu – Senior – 6-2, 344 – N/A

One of my favorite under-the-radar players in the class. I have no idea where he’ll get drafted, but he’s the type of player who isn’t valued highly and then you look up and he’s been starting and playing off and on for ten seasons. Onwenu isn’t an impressive athlete, and he has to get quicker out of his stance to succeed in pass protection in the NFL. That being said, he’s an absolute wall in pass protection, discarding power rushers with amazing ease and consistency. Rushers will want to attack his edge, where he can be beaten, but because Onwenu is so under-control in his pass sets and attacks with good hand placement and power, it’s harder to cross his face than you think it will be. He’s too heavy-legged and tight laterally to ever be more than an average starter, but he’s better than the late round label most analysts have slapped on him.

12. Louisiana-Lafayette G Kevin Dotson – Senior – 6-4, 310 – N/A

Dotson is a 24-year old rookie trying to make the jump from the FCS to the NFL after a rough Shrine Game performance in pass protection. That’s the major concern with Hunt, there are just so many notable flaws in pass protection at Louisiana-Lafayette that it’s hard to see him starting early on in the NFL. That said, while Hunt can get overeager in his run blocking, he won’t have any problem making the leap to the big leagues in terms of size, physicality or strength.

13. Oregon G Shane Lemieux – Senior – 6-4, 310 – 5.11

After a redshirt year at Oregon, Lemieux has started 52 straight games over the past four seasons for the Ducks. That experience will help him compete for playing time early, but it also means what you see is probably what you get. And unfortunately, in pass protection what you see will often make you want to avert your eyes. Lemieux just doesn’t have the coordination, flexibility or agility to match interior rushers who come with speed or power. He has some nastiness to him in the run game that could help him in certain schemes, but it would be hard to trust him in protection given his limited length, athleticism and technique.

14. Fresno State G Netane Muti – Junior – 6-3, 315 – N/A

Muti might be higher up this list if he had played more than 318 snaps since the 2017 season. It’s simply impossible to say with any level of certainty who he is with such a small sample size to go off of. Muti redshirted in 2016 after a torn right Achilles, started all of 2017, then tore his left Achilles in 2018 after two games. A bounce-back season wasn’t in the cards for him however, as Muti suffered a Lisfranc injury that limited him to less than three full games. On the field, Muti has a rare combination of quickness and power, but his technique can get sloppy and his over-eagerness in the run game can lead to him getting push-pulled and falling off blocks at times. He’s always leaning into blocks, likely due to his sub-32-inch arms. Maybe you live with that for his eye-popping ability to bulldoze and finish in the run game, but even in a small sample size I’ve seen some pass protection tendencies that would concern me. NFL teams will probably be so put off by the medical that Muti may not get drafted at all.

15. Ball State G Danny Pinter – Senior – 6-4, 306 – 4.91

Danny Pinter was a tight end at Ball State until the 2018 season, when he switched to right tackle and went on to start 24 straight games there. As you can guess, he’s an athletic project that would project best to a scheme that gets him on the move as often as possible. Pinter won’t be starting early in his career in the NFL, but outside of his lack of ideal length, he’s got a lot of traits worth developing as a late round selection.

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