Developing big men in the NFL is not a sprint but rather a marathon. The Late George Young used to say when discussing offensive linemen, "you can make a quick accurate decision when evaluating skill position athletes, but you better be patient when evaluating these big Clydesdales". True to his word, NFL scouts painstakingly review and project where many of these players will be in the immediate future. Few NFL teams enter the regular season without one or more offensive linemen strategically placed on their respective practice squads. Many of these players are not near ready for game competition, but due to the premium the teams have placed on developing big men, working with these individuals has become a top priority. All of the players listed in this grouping have the necessary size and some with a solid senior season have a chance of contributing.
Keep your eye on Penn State's Nerraw McCormack, Andy Levitre of Oregon State and the University of Richmond’s Tim Silver, a big smart developing player who was injured early and missed the remainder of the 2007 season. How important is character when evaluating a professional prospect to a professional club? Chauncey Incarnato, of the University of Massachusetts, has had stops at both Notre Dame and the University of Indiana and hopes to show the professional scouts that he has both the playing skills and tenacity to play this game at the highest level.
Two highly talented players who had early playing success are no longer listed in either of my offensive tackle grouping due to some very poor off the field choices and their once promising football careers now appear to be over. The lesson that young player can learn from this statement is that the college and professional games do not reward bad behavior.
| Grade |
Last |
First |
School |
| D |
Kemme |
Chris |
Akron U |
| D |
Nguti |
Raphael |
Albany (NY) |
| D |
Tougas |
Justin |
Albany (NY) |
| D |
Ashcroft |
Jeremy |
Arkansas Tech |
| D |
Brewster |
Robert |
Ball St |
| D |
Ramsey |
Andre |
Ball St |
| D |
Gay |
Dan |
Baylor U |
| D |
Groth |
Cuylor |
Brookport St |
| D |
Oswald |
David |
BYU |
| D |
Hartline |
Andrew |
Central Michigan U |
| D |
Harrison |
Craig |
Central Missouri |
| D |
Leggett |
Britt |
Coastal Carolina |
| D |
Jonas |
Steve |
Colgate |
| D |
Hennessey |
Nick |
Colgate |
| D |
Brown |
Adrian |
Delaware State |
| D |
Ellis |
Mark |
Delta State |
| D |
Delrosal |
Ryan |
Dixie State |
| D |
Roland |
Fred |
Duke U |
| D |
Goldberg |
Cameron |
Duke U |
| D |
Bryant |
Stanley |
East Carolina U |
| D |
Lang |
T.J. |
Eastern Michigan U |
| D |
Trautwein |
Phil |
Florida U |
| D |
Lepori |
Bobby |
Fresno St |
| D |
Deese |
Demario |
Gardner-Webb |
| D |
Pilconis |
Ryan |
Harvard U |
| D |
Vollmer |
Sebastian |
Houston U |
| D |
Rogers |
SirVincent |
Houston U |
| D |
Dedrick |
Doug |
Iowa State |
| D |
Gergel |
Keith |
Jacksonville St |
| D |
Williams |
Garry |
Kentucky U |
| D |
Burley |
Scott |
Maryland U |
| D |
Incarnato |
Chauncey |
Massachusetts U |
| D |
Coblyn |
Ben |
Massachusetts U |
| D |
Link |
Kyle |
McNeese St |
| D |
Pearce |
Brandon |
Memphis U |
| D |
Rutledge |
Chris |
Miami U |
| D |
Miller |
Maurice |
Mississippi U |
| D |
Brown |
Colin |
Missouri U |
| D |
Russum |
Brent |
Montana U |
| D |
Wombough |
Jason |
Montclair St |
| D |
Kirby |
Reid |
Northwest Missouri St |
| D |
Duncan |
Paul |
Notre Dame |
| D |
Braxton |
Branndon |
Oklahoma U |
| D |
Levitre |
Andy |
Oregon St |
| D |
McCormack |
Nerraw |
Penn St |
| D |
Silver |
Tim |
Richmond U |
| D |
McGriff |
Bradis |
San Jose St |
| D |
Flanagan |
Shawn |
Sioux Falls |
| D |
Dile |
Marc |
South Florida U |
| D |
McKee |
Ryan |
Southern Mississippi |
| D |
Smith |
Allen |
Stanford U |
| D |
Lovell |
Lawrence |
SUNY-Stony Brook |
| D |
Douglas |
Andre |
Temple U |
| D |
Ferguson |
Jabari |
Temple U |
| D |
Schneider |
Travis |
Texas A&M |
| D |
Reed |
L.A. |
Texas Tech |
| D |
Jamison |
Chris |
Troy U |
| D |
Small |
Dion |
Troy U |
| D |
Kropog |
Troy |
Tulane U |
| D |
Kozey |
Ryan |
Valparaiso U |
| D |
Lesuma |
Vaughn |
Washington State U |
| D |
Erdman |
David |
Wesley College |
| D |
Ryan |
Greg |
Western Kentucky U |
| D |
Howard |
Kyle |
Wyoming U |