Interior Linemen

There is something about these meat and potatoes players that I absolutely love. To me, the defensive tackles and offensive guards embody the game of football. They are not usually noticed unless they do something wrong. Nobody would expect them to have a Bo Jackson physique. Yet, they are essential pieces of any good offense. They are real old school reminders of what the game used to be: power football.

My top picks for interior linemen include: guards Duke Robinson (Oklahoma), and Andy Levitre (Oregon St.),  centers Alex Mack (Cal), Jonathan “Mario and Luigi” Luigs (Arkansas), and Max Unger (Oregon).

Duke Robinson is a mountain of a man at 6’5 and 335 lbs. He definitely has the size to be great in the NFL. But he struggled against elite competition in the National Championship game versus Florida. In that game, he was called for penalties several times, which really stalled drives. Nevertheless, he is a solid prospect for teams looking for a great run blocker.

Alex Mack is a guy I would love to have on my team. He has great size, an incredible physique for a lineman, and is a nasty run blocking center.

The most intriguing of the linemen could be Max Unger. Since he is very athletic, he saw time at almost every position on the line during his career.

Like I said earlier, interior linemen are meat and potatoes players. Thus, you seldom see them taken before round 2 of the draft. It probably will be the case this year as well.

Final installment: Tight Ends