NFL training camp is in full swing, and that means the 2026-27 regular season is just around the corner. Every fanbase loves to compare its favorite players to the rest of the league this time of year, and we at Pro Football Network will give you exactly what you want.
The PFN OL Impact Scoring model puts a numerical value on the performance of every offensive lineman around the NFL. The best part? It’s completely free!
Pro Football Network has these scoring models for every individual position, and we’ll be breaking each of the top performers down before the regular season starts.
Though defensive tackles are becoming valued more around the NFL, it feels like the national consensus on the value of interior offensive linemen hasn’t quite caught up. That’s unfortunate, especially given how many talented guards and centers there are in the league currently. These are the 10 best interior offensive linemen in the NFL based on last year’s PFN OL Impact Scores.
10) Tyler Smith, Dallas Cowboys
2025 PFN OL Impact Score: 86.1
With three consecutive seasons as at least a top-eight guard in the NFL by PFN OL Impact Scoring, Tyler Smith has firmly established himself as one of the best interior offensive linemen in the league. He’s made it to the Pro Bowl in each of those three seasons, and he was also named a second-team All-Pro in 2023.
Smith ranked fourth among 74 qualified guards across the NFL with an 86.5 run-blocking score. His 81.9 pass-blocking score ranked eighth at his position, making him one of five guards to finish with top-ten marks in both categories. Though he’s ranked higher than No. 8 among guards before, the 86.1 PFN OL Impact Score that Smith had in 2025 was the highest of his career to date.
9) Steve Avila, Los Angeles Rams
2025 PFN OL Impact Score: 86.2
After respectable performances in each of his first seasons in the NFL, Steve Avila took the next step and developed into an impact performer at guard for the Los Angeles Rams. His consistency was a big differentiator for their offense, as he went 799 offensive snaps without being called for a single penalty.
In addition to tying for the No. 16 ranking among guards with an 81.9 run-blocking score, Avila placed seventh at his position with an 82.5 pass-blocking score. He’s now entering the final year of his rookie contract, and given the leap he took in 2025, he’s likely looking at a massive contract on his next deal, whether it’s with the Rams or somebody else.
8) Mike Onwenu, New England Patriots
2025 PFN OL Impact Score: 86.6
Coming off a down year in 2024, Mike Onwenu went into a crucial 2025 campaign knowing he didn’t have any money guaranteed in his contract after the season. He bounced back in a major way for the New England Patriots last year, going from a 73.2 PFN OL Impact Score in 2024 to an 86.6 score in 2025.
PREDICT THE NFL SEASON: PFN’s Free NFL Playoff Predictor
As a result of his stellar year, Onwenu had his contract reworked so the Patriots didn’t have to release him as a cap casualty. His 82.7 pass-blocking score ranked sixth among all guards in the NFL last year, and his 83.5 run-blocking score came in at No. 11 at the position. Aside from his disappointing 2024 campaign, Onwenu has had a PFN OL Impact Score above 80.0 every single year he’s been in the NFL since he got drafted in 2020.
7) Kevin Dotson, Los Angeles Rams
2025 PFN OL Impact Score: 87.2
It doesn’t get enough credit because guard isn’t a flashy position, but the Rams’ trade for Kevin Dotson has to be one of the biggest steals in the NFL in recent memory. Back in 2023, they traded a 2024 fourth-round pick and a 2025 fifth-round pick to the Pittsburgh Steelers for Dotson, a 2024 fifth-round pick, and a 2026 sixth-round pick. Now, Dotson is one of the best guards in football.
Based on PFN OL Impact Scoring, Dotson has been a top-five guard in the NFL in each of his three seasons with Los Angeles. He’s been particularly dominant as a run blocker, as his 88.6 run-blocking score ranked third among all guards and ninth among all offensive linemen, regardless of position. Not bad for a guy who got traded for a Day 3 pick swap.
6) Damien Lewis, Carolina Panthers
2025 PFN OL Impact Score: 87.6
In the 2024 offseason, the Carolina Panthers aggressively attacked their need at guard by signing both Damien Lewis and Robert Hunt in free agency. Though Hunt missed most of 2025 due to injury, he made the Pro Bowl in 2024, and Lewis had the fourth-highest PFN OL Impact Score among all guards in the NFL in 2025. That’s a pretty good return on investment for the Panthers so far.
DIVE IN: PFN’s Free NFL HQ — Team and Player Stats, Info, and More
Lewis’ 87.6 PFN OL Impact Score was far and away the best he’s had in his NFL career to date. His 82.5 run-blocking score ranked in the top 15 among guards, but it was his performance in pass protection that really made him stand out. Not only was his 86.5 pass-blocking score the highest among all guards in the league, but it also ranked second among 220 eligible offensive linemen, regardless of position.
5) Ryan Neuzil, Atlanta Falcons
2025 PFN OL Impact Score: 88.3
Ryan Neuzil had big shoes to fill when center Drew Dalman departed the Atlanta Falcons’ roster in free agency last offseason. Though Neuzil looked solid in the eight games he started in 2024 when Dalman got hurt, few could have expected he’d be as efficient as he was in his first year as the Falcons’ full-time starting center.
With an 88.3 PFN OL Impact Score, Neuzil ranked second among all NFL centers in the metric last season. He was the only center in the league to finish with a top-five score as both a run blocker and a pass protector, placing second among centers with an 88.1 run-blocking score and fourth with an 81.4 pass-blocking score.
4) Quinn Meinerz, Denver Broncos
2025 PFN OL Impact Score: 88.4
Going into the 2026-27 NFL season with two consecutive first-team All-Pros to his name, Quinn Meinerz is easily one of the best guards in football today. He ended 2025 as a finalist for the inaugural Protector of the Year award, and he ranked as a top-five guard in the NFL by PFN OL Impact Scoring for the third year in a row.
In 1,061 offensive snaps, Meinerz was only called for one penalty in the regular season, which is an absurd level of reliability. He was solid as a pass protector last season, but it was his 88.9 run-blocking score that made him a superstar, ranking second in the metric among all NFL guards. After leading all guards in PFN OL Impact Scoring in 2024, Meinerz followed that up by placing third in 2025, and that consistency is why the Denver Broncos pay him the big bucks.
3) Creed Humphrey, Kansas City Chiefs
2025 PFN OL Impact Score: 89.1
Creed Humphrey wasn’t done any favors by his surroundings on the Kansas City Chiefs’ offensive line in 2025. The team traded Joe Thuney to Chicago that offseason, and the Chiefs didn’t have a single guard finish in the top 32 in PFN OL Impact Scoring, indicating that both Trey Smith and Kingsley Suamataia were below-average starters last season.
Nevertheless, Humphrey was his usual, stellar self last year. His 89.1 PFN OL Impact Score led all centers in 2025, marking the second year in a row he led the NFL in that metric. He had just one penalty in 1,043 offensive snaps, his 83.4 run-blocking score ranked seventh among centers, and his 85.3 pass-blocking score was the best at his position. It’s no wonder Humphrey has been a Pro Bowler for four years in a row; he’s as reliable as they come.
2) Quenton Nelson, Indianapolis Colts
2025 PFN OL Impact Score: 89.7
In eight seasons with the Indianapolis Colts, Quenton Nelson has made it to the Pro Bowl eight times. He’s been an All-Pro in six of those seasons, including each of the last two years. It’s rare to say that an NFL player has established himself as a surefire Hall of Famer before he turns 30 years old, but that might just be the case with Nelson, who only turned 30 in March.
REDRAFT THE ENTIRE NFL: PFN’s Free NFL Ultimate Redraft Simulator
The 2025 season marked the third year that Nelson finished in the top three among NFL guards in PFN OL Impact Scoring, and his 89.7 score was the highest he’s had in a single season since 2020. He placed in the top six with both his pass-blocking score and his run-blocking score, making him the only guard in the NFL to do so last year. No matter what ups and downs the Colts experience, they can always rely on Nelson to be an elite performer.
1) Joe Thuney, Chicago Bears
2025 PFN OL Impact Score: 91.1
The Chicago Bears gave up a fourth-round pick to trade for Joe Thuney last offseason, and in return, he gave them a season that saw him lead all NFL interior offensive linemen in PFN OL Impact Scoring, finish the year as a Pro Bowler and a first-team All-Pro, as well as win the inaugural Protector of the Year award. We think that’s a pretty good return on investment.
Thuney’s consistency as both a run blocker and a pass protector gave him the clear edge for the top spot on this list. In addition to placing ninth among guards with an 84.2 run-blocking score, he ranked second at the position with an 86.3 pass-blocking score. Not only was his 91.1 PFN OL Impact Score the highest among all interior offensive linemen, but it came in second among all NFL offensive linemen, trailing only Penei Sewell for the top spot. Thuney is certainly worthy of being named the top interior offensive lineman in the league.
