Which guards were drafted in the 2023 NFL Draft? Who were the teams that drafted those guards, and how does the 2023 class compare to previous years?
Which Guards Were Drafted in the 2023 NFL Draft?
Steve Avila, TCU | Los Angeles Rams
Round 2, Pick 36
Avila graded out as one of the best guards in the 2023 NFL Draft. He offers great width, strength, and hand power on the interior, and also has steady footwork and combative hands. He’s shown to gather rushers with independent hand usage, and particularly as a zone blocker, he uses his anchor, drive, and core strength to plow open and maintain lanes.
Avila’s rookie year went about as well as could be expected. He was a stabilizing force on the Rams’ offensive line, playing quite literally every snap of the season.
Matthew Bergeron, Syracuse | Atlanta Falcons
Round 2, Pick 38
Matthew Bergeron entered the league as a tantalizing talent at OT, with an impressive mix of high-floor and high-ceiling traits. Few blockers around 320 pounds, with near-34″ arms, carry their weight as well as Bergeron does. He’s an elite athlete with superb explosiveness, fleet-footed energy, fluid hips, and superb recovery capacity and smoothness as a lateral mover.
Bergeron was out there for almost every snap in his rookie season. While that’s an impressive feat, his performance was quite inconsistent. However, he showed enough promise for the Falcons to be cautiously optimistic he can become a reliable guard.
O’Cyrus Torrence, Florida | Buffalo Bills
Round 2, Pick 59
On the interior, Torrence’s brand of physicality fits perfectly. He’s an overwhelming size threat with devastating power and torque. And with his size and power, he can be a major mismatch in a phone booth. Torrence has the strength to dominate opposing defensive linemen, and with his sheer width, he’s tough to get around.
While athleticism isn’t a strength of Torrence’s profile, he does flash better mobility on tape than what he tested with. He can be stiff laterally, but he has enough burst to get off the line and work to the second level as a zone blocker. You don’t want Torrence flipping his hips and pulling often, but he has the power and burst to displace what’s in front of him, and he has the awareness and physicality to stack blocks.
In his rookie year, Torrence also played every single snap. He was better as a run blocker than a pass blocker, but still held his own in the latter. Entering his second season, there’s every reason to believe Torrence should improve across the board.
Rounds 3-7
4) Juice Scruggs, Penn State
Round 2, Pick 62 | Texans
5) Jake Andrews, Troy
Round 4, Pick 107 | Patriots
6) Chandler Zavala, North Carolina State
Round 4, Pick 114 | Panthers
7) Sidy Sow, Eastern Michigan
Round 4, Pick 117 | Patriots
8) Andrew Vorhees, USC
Round 7, Pick 229 | Ravens
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