Which centers and guards populate the list of the top interior offensive line (IOL) prospects in the 2024 NFL Draft cycle on our position rankings?
Established veterans, versatile glue pieces, and ascending young players dot our early rankings, but a projected tackle-to-center convert has a strong case for the top spot.
Ranking the Top IOL in the 2024 NFL Draft
It’ll be a few years before we truly get a read on how good the 2023 NFL Draft’s interior offensive line class was. There were few guarantees across the class, but many tackle-to-guard converts, positionally flexible prospects, and players with notable transitions still to come.
Position switches are a constant caveat in the IOL discussion every draft cycle, and that theme has returned in the 2024 NFL Draft. But whether they find homes at guard or center, the current class has plenty of quality talent to review.
Here’s how the 2024 NFL Draft IOL group looks heading into the event and which prospects are in play for potential Round 1 capital.
10) Sedrick Van Pran-Granger, C, Georgia
Sedrick Van Pran-Granger was the starting center for all 30 games of the Georgia Bulldogs’ back-to-back championship seasons. After redshirting in 2020, Van Pran-Granger took the starting role and ran with it. He entered 2023 as one of the best center prospects in the nation, and he still is.
Van Pran-Granger might’ve challenged Joe Tippmann and John Michael Schmitz in the 2023 cycle. He doesn’t quite have the power Tippmann boasts, and Schmitz is a bit stronger and more refined.
Nevertheless, Van Pran-Granger has excellent natural leverage at 6’4″ and 310 pounds, and he’s one of the most explosive athletes you’ll see at the center spot. He moves off the line at a different pace, bringing a finishing brand of physicality through reps.
9) Dominick Puni, G/C, Kansas
Dominick Puni‘s NFL Combine stalled his momentum a bit. After a strong Senior Bowl, he cut 20 pounds and still ran a 40-yard dash in the 5.3s, with an average 10-yard split. But Puni’s explosiveness testing provided solace, as he logged a 30″ vertical and 8’11” broad jump.
Most of Puni’s utility — at least early on — will come as a depth piece. He has positional versatility across the front, which derives from his lateral mobility, ability to play square, and absorb power with his core strength. But in time, Puni could be a quality starter at guard or center.
8) Brandon Coleman, G, TCU
Brandon Coleman is still relatively fresh as a football player. He was a basketball standout in his earlier days and didn’t start focusing on football full-time until late in his high school career. But his ceiling could be astronomical for a team with the right coaching in place.
MORE: Top OTs in the 2024 NFL Draft
Coleman’s physical upside is one of his most enthralling traits, and he quantified that upside with a 4.99 40-yard dash, 34″ vertical, and 9’6″ broad jump at the NFL Combine. Past that athleticism at 6’5″, 313 pounds, with near-35″ arms, there are also bright operational flashes on tape.
7) Christian Mahogany, G, Boston College
On a broad scope, NFL teams love resilience. And Christian Mahogany‘s story defines such a quality.
Mahogany tore his ACL ahead of the 2022 season and missed his entire redshirt junior campaign, but in 2023, he returned to be a first-team All-ACC performer.
At 6’3″ and 322 pounds, Mahogany is a verified road grader in the run game with uncommon competitive toughness and tenacity. He’s as physical as they come as a finisher, with enough athleticism to work in space and accelerate into second-level defenders.
6) Cooper Beebe, G, Kansas State
Had he declared for the 2023 NFL Draft, Cooper Beebe would have graded higher than Bills starter O’Cyrus Torrence on my board. He was a standout tackle in 2021, then moved to guard in 2022, where his traits translated seamlessly.
Beebe ultimately won Big 12 Offensive Lineman of the Year and returned to impose his will in 2023.
At 6’3″ and 322 pounds, Beebe has tremendous size, width, and mass as an interior blocker. He’s mobile enough to get out in space as a pulling blocker, maximizing his opportunities with stellar angle awareness and football IQ. At contact, Beebe has the strength and power to torque his opponents into submission.
5) Zach Frazier, C, West Virginia
West Virginia’s Zach Frazier isn’t quite our top pure center prospect in the 2024 NFL Draft, but he’s still an NFL starter in waiting. The 6’3″, 310-pound Frazier was a four-time heavyweight wrestling champion in high school and was similarly dominant in college.
At his size, Frazier has a well-built, low-cut frame with exceptional upper body mass and strength. He’s a nimble, flexible mover who can maintain discipline and leverage in space while plowing through and sealing off defenders, and his football IQ ties his game together.
4) Jordan Morgan, G, Arizona
Jordan Morgan is a unique case. He played left tackle exclusively in college at Arizona, and he could absolutely stay there in the NFL.
Morgan has the requisite knee bend, leverage acquisition, and athleticism — evidenced by his 5.05 40-yard dash, blistering 1.7 10-yard split, and 9’2″ broad jump.
But on his tape, some hand-usage inefficiencies remain, which exposed Morgan to power at the Senior Bowl. And with sub-33″ arms, the margin for error at tackle is slimmer. Thus, a move to guard may prove more fruitful.
On the inside, Morgan has the tools to be an impact starter in the mold of Falcons guard Matthew Bergeron.
3) Christian Haynes, G, UConn
The UConn Huskies will make a triumphant return to the 2024 NFL Draft stage this coming cycle, and Christian Haynes is bound to lead that movement. The 6’2″, 318-pound guard started 37 straight games for the Huskies from 2019 to 2022 and returned as a central force for the unit in 2023.
MORE: 2024 NFL Draft FCS Scouting Reports
In the trenches, the combination of strong natural leverage and proportional length is always a winning mix, and it’s something Haynes has. He can get under his opponents easily and has the combined explosive athleticism and frame density to generate eye-catching amounts of displacement energy.
2) Jackson Powers-Johnson, C, Oregon
The 2024 NFL Draft center class didn’t need Jackson Powers-Johnson to declare with Barton, Frazier, and Van Pran at the top. But you won’t see teams complaining about the 21-year-old Rimington Award winner hitting the circuit.
At such a young age, Powers-Johnson is already as good as they come. At 6’3″, 320 pounds, Powers-Johnson has stellar athleticism in space, combined with exceptional blocking leverage and power drive, steely physicality at contact, and awareness in both phases.
If you want verified positional versatility, Barton might be a better choice over Powers-Johnson. But if you want a player who can lock down the center position for a decade-plus and be an impact starter over that entire span (provided that he stays healthy), Powers-Johnson is tough to bet against.
Who Is the Best IOL in the 2024 NFL Draft?
The 2024 NFL Draft IOL class is incredibly strong and diverse on the surface — but there’s one prospect who’s separated himself since the start with his easy athleticism and on-field execution: Graham Barton.
1) Graham Barton, G/C, Duke
For most of his collegiate career, Graham Barton was a tackle for the Duke Blue Devils. Here, however, he’s listed as a guard/center hybrid — which may end up being his best projection at the NFL level.
For Barton, the projected move to the interior is about something other than necessity. He has the violent, intentional hands and the twitchy corrective mobility to stay at tackle, even with average arm length. Instead, this move is about possibilities.
Barton’s ceiling is high wherever he lines up, but at guard and center, he’s especially enthralling.
KEEP READING: 2024 NFL Draft Big Board
Not only is Barton an extremely combative and precise hand fighter, but he’s also a road grader in the run game, with a unique level of urgent leg drive and explosive athleticism that can dominate against space defenders.
Blocking at the NFL level is about protecting on passing downs and displacing on running plays. Barton’s dual-sided ability to both work in space and create space at contact could make him a game-changing force as a guard, both on pulling looks and zone runs.
It’s why he’s a surefire first-round candidate for the position and the top IOL prospect on our board.
Honorable Mentions
- Tanor Bortolini, C, Wisconsin
- Hunter Nourzad, C, Penn State
- Mason McCormick, C/G, South Dakota State
- Matt Goncalves, G/T, Pittsburgh
- Matt Lee, C, Miami (FL)
- Isaiah Adams, G, Illinois
- Layden Robinson, G, Texas A&M
- Beaux Limmer, C, Arkansas
- Zak Zinter, G, Michigan
- KT Leveston, G, Kansas State
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