Top 9 offensive tackles in the 2021 NFL Draft

In anticipation of the 2021 NFL Draft, the draft analysts at Pro Football Network have pooled our rankings to create our Top 300 Consensus Board. With this monstrosity as the inspiration, here are our top offensive tackles in the 2021 NFL Draft.

Top 9 offensive tackles in 2021 NFL Draft | 1-5

1. Penei Sewell, Oregon

To no one’s surprise, Oregon star left tackle Penei Sewell is our top-ranked tackle. Not a single analyst had him outside of their top three prospects — and for good reason. Sewell is a star in the making who deserves to go in the top five picks this year.

There are many odd narratives about Sewell out there, about him being “raw” and other essentially false things. To all of the PFN analysts, Sewell was pretty special in terms of tools and age. He can improve a few things here and there with his technique, but for his age and what he did at basically 17 and 18 years old is insane.

His physical tools are rare, and his intelligence stands out on the field, despite his inexperience. We’re talking about a player with a Trent Williams-like ceiling.

2. Christian Darrisaw, Virginia Tech

Pulling a surprise coup, Christian Darrisaw earned the second spot on our top offensive tackles in the 2021 NFL Draft. The lowest any analyst had Darrisaw was 17th, and one analyst even had him at No. 7 overall.

Darrisaw is a rare tackle prospect in his own right. His physical tools are right up there with Penei Sewell’s for best amongst the offensive tackles in the 2021 class. Both his ability in pass protection and his physicality give him a claim as a Day 1 starter.

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As I said in a previous article: “Ultimately, I believe that OT2 belongs to Darrisaw. Simply put, Darrisaw can make up the ground on Slater technically. However, Slater cannot make up the ground on Darrisaw physically. As a result, Darrisaw’s ceiling is much higher.” It seems like the other analysts at PFN agree.

3. Rashawn Slater, Northwestern

Coming in at No. 3 but much higher on a few other boards, Rashawn Slater is the 18th-ranked player on the PFN Top 300 Consensus Board. All of our analysts agree that Slater is a great player, but his ceiling limited his rankings as a prospect. His lowest ranking was 37th, while his highest ranking was ninth. The analyst that put Darrisaw at seventh also put Slater at ninth. Slater is comfortable making just about every block in the books.

He’s played both tackle positions and has experience virtually all over the offensive line. His reliability and technique are at the top of the class, if not at the very top.

4. Alijah Vera-Tucker, USC

Coming in at fourth of the top offensive tackles in the 2021 NFL Draft, Alijah Vera-Tucker is the 20th overall player on the PFN Top 300 Consensus Board. Vera-Tucker’s lowest rank was 35th, and his highest was 14th among our analysts.

Vera-Tucker is a smooth lateral mover with an excellent base and has good use of hands in pass protection. Many project Vera-Tucker to play guard, but several PFN analysts believe he can start at tackle in the NFL. His overall physical ability and IQ in pass protection were excellent. All four of these tackles are likely to go in the first round come April.

5. Teven Jenkins, Oklahoma State

Earning the fifth spot on the top offensive tackles in the 2021 NFL Draft, Teven Jenkins turned his 2020 season into a potential first-round bid. His variance was modest, with his lowest being 39th, but his highest being 25th.

Much like Vera-Tucker above, many scouts and analysts think Teven Jenkins is best inside at guard with his arm length. However, that did not deter the PFN Top 300 Consensus Board from ranking him highly as a tackle. PFN Analyst Ian Cummings described Jenkins as “athletic, agile, and powerful, and blocks with proper fundamentals.”

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6. Samuel Cosmi, Texas

Samuel Cosmi earned the OT6 spot here, narrowly losing to Teven Jenkins. Cosmi’s lowest ranking was at 64th, but his highest was 23rd overall.

PFN Analyst Oli Hodgkinson describes Cosmi as “one of the most experienced and versatile linemen in the 2021 NFL Draft” with “excellent athleticism in getting out to the second level in the run game,” “great size for the offensive tackle position,” and “incredible football intelligence out on the field.” Judging by his overall rankings, other analysts saw the same thing.

7. Alex Leatherwood, Alabama

Another tackle who has been projected to guard, Alex Leatherwood takes the seventh spot here. Like some of his peers, Leatherwood wasn’t terribly polarizing among the PFN analysts — his highest ranking was 34th and his lowest came in at 62nd.

There are some odd narratives about Leatherwood’s athleticism at tackle, but they weren’t enough to sway his ranking enough among the PFN analysts. Leatherwood is a well-rounded offensive line prospect that our analysts seemed high on at tackle or at guard.

8. Jalen Mayfield, Michigan

Perhaps the most volatile ranking in the PFN top offensive tackles of the 2021 NFL Draft, Jalen Mayfield had a huge variance among the PFN consensus boards. His highest ranking was 27th overall, while his lowest was 80th — a full-round difference.

I believe Mayfield is a much better fit at guard in the NFL with his messy footwork. At the same time, PFN Chief Draft Analyst Tony Pauline described Mayfield as such: “Large, athletic tackle with the potential to line up on the left or right side,” but his “inexperience will cause bumps along the road early in his career.” Mayfield is certainly a rocky placement on the consensus board of top offensive tackles in the 2021 NFL Draft.

9. Liam Eichenberg, Notre Dame

Consistently solid is the name of Liam Eichenberg‘s game, and that shows up in his rankings. His highest ranking is 38th, while his lowest was 65th — essentially slotting him somewhere in that second-round grade range.

A career left tackle, Eichenberg has been a steady presence that has consistently excelled as a pass protector. He’s about as clean of a tackle prospect in terms of footwork and toughness as you can get. He projects best as a starting-caliber left tackle, albeit with an average physical profile. I compare him to Taylor Decker, and it seems the rest of the PFN consensus crew were in agreement with his stock.

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