Top 10 IOL In The 2023 NFL Draft: Layden Robinson, O'Cyrus Torrence Lead A Wide-open Class
The 2023 NFL Draft class is wide open when it comes to interior offensive linemen. Who's in contention to rise to the top of a crowded group?
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Top 10 iOL in the 2023 NFL Draft
For our purposes early on, we’re sticking with iOL prospects who’ve logged most of their experience at guard and center. For example, Northwestern’s Peter Skoronski may end up being an interior convert with his size and length concerns. But for now, we’re keeping him at tackle, where he plays. The following prospects both play and project to the interior at this point in time.10. Jarrett Patterson, C, Notre Dame
Jarrett Patterson entered the 2022 NFL Draft as one of the more well-regarded centers in the league. There was talk that he’d eventually move to guard, but Patterson ended up maintaining his spot at the fulcrum for the Fighting Irish in 2021. Now, Patterson returns as a well-known player. But he still has a bit more to prove.At 6’4″, 307 pounds, Patterson has the ideal frame for a center, if not a bit light. What he lacks in sheer mass and strength, he makes up for with smooth athleticism, steady footwork, and spatial awareness in the trenches. Patterson is rarely going to bowl over blockers or generate elite displacement, but his savvy style and projected positional versatility can go a long way.
9. Sataoa Laumea, G, Utah
There isn’t a lot of national buzz behind Utah’s Sataoa Laumea, but perhaps that needs to change. A full-time starter at right guard, Laumea generated some eye-catching reps for the Utes during the 2022 season.Laumea stands at 6’4″, 312 pounds, but moves very well for his size. Not only is he athletic, but he’s very urgent in getting out into space. At contact, he can square up and use his momentum to channel force into blocks. He’s a talented lineman but also relatively sound and could have a future at the next level.
8. Emil Ekiyor, G, Alabama
Every cycle, it seems as though there’s an Alabama offensive lineman in the draft discussion. The 2023 NFL Draft cycle features no changes there. Emil Ekiyor won’t go nearly as high as 2022 first-rounder Evan Neal. But in an unsettled interior line class, Ekiyor does have solid standing.Ekiyor isn’t the same overall athlete that some of these prospects are, but he does have good straight-line burst for his 6’2″, 320-pound frame. He hits like a ton of bricks as a pulling guard and has great power exertion capacity with his natural leverage and proportional length. Add in his motor, and Ekiyor is sure to win over evaluators.
7. Ricky Stromberg, C, Arkansas
It’s going to be incredibly difficult to sort through all the talent in the 2023 NFL Draft center class. There are almost a dozen noteworthy prospects at this point in time, and arguably a half-dozen have early-round upside. Ricky Stromberg falls under that category, as he returns to school following a strong junior campaign at Arkansas.If anything will hold Stromberg back, it’s the lack of elite tools. He doesn’t quite have the power of Steve Avila. He doesn’t quite have the athleticism of Sedrick Van Pran. But Stromberg is a very solid center prospect with few surefire weaknesses. For what you need at center, Stromberg gives you a steady prospect with a relatively high chance of success. At 6’4″, 318 pounds, he’s well-sized, plays with good feet and active hands, and has a mauler mentality in the ground game.
6. Steve Avila, C, TCU
The 2023 NFL Draft center class was first known for the amount of returning talent it housed. But at the same time, several high-quality prospects have rolled forward into the eligibility pool. One of those prospects is Steve Avila, the center for the TCU Horned Frogs. Avila doesn’t have a ton of media buzz, but he was a first-team All-Big 12 selection in 2021, and he has the traits to translate in the NFL.Avila is a unique mold at center, standing around 6’4″, 334 pounds. He’s a massive, squatty blocker who brings near-elite length to the fold. With that length, Avila can levy extremely powerful extensions and blast defenders back. But for all his raw power, Avila plays fairly composed and controlled. He uses his tools methodically, and just as he can displace defenders, he can also hold them still. Like many others in the 2023 center group, Avila has starting upside.
5. Joe Tippmann, C, Wisconsin
Wisconsin is the home of modern old-school football. It’s not a strategy that yields championships in a Big Ten Conference ruled by Ohio State. But it does have its advantages. Simply put, it’s very fun to watch the offensive line at Wisconsin. And amidst the viewing, one prospect in particular consistently stands out. That prospect is center Joe Tippmann.Aptly named, Tippman tilts the scales in Wisconsin’s favor every time he’s on the field. The 6’6″, 320-pound blocker plays with an edge and makes his presence felt on a down-to-down basis. Being 6’6″, Tippmann’s leverage can be a minor issue at times. But the Badgers blocker is athletic, strong, powerful, and angry. He checks all the boxes to be a future starter in the NFL.
4. Sedrick Van Pran, C, Georgia
Yes, he’s only a redshirt sophomore. There’s no guarantee that Sedrick Van Pran will declare in the 2023 NFL Draft cycle. But if you saw his tape down the stretch in 2021, you know it shouldn’t be counted out. As a redshirt freshman, Van Pran started all 15 games at center. And one could argue he was one of Georgia’s best linemen.Van Pran grew up quick last season. He already looks like an NFL player at 6’4″, 310 pounds, but he’s very compact and dense at the same time. Few centers have the same burst and lateral suddenness that Van Pran shows off the snap. Not only does he move extremely well, but he generates surprising power and can plow through defenders while attacking upfield. Van Pran is quick, strong, and trending up incredibly fast.
3. Christian Mahogany, G, Boston College
Christian Mahogany, unfortunately, suffered an ACL tear in the 2022 offseason and will likely miss the upcoming campaign. That injury status clouds his immediate draft stock, as there’s a chance Mahogany could return in 2023 to end on a high note. But even going off of his 2021 tape, there’s plenty to like with Mahogany — enough where he could be coveted in the 2023 cycle, regardless.Mahogany is listed at a whopping 335 pounds, despite being just 6’3″. Even so, he wears that weight very well, moving like he’s 20 pounds lighter. He gets off the line quick, plays with undaunted energy, and has rare power capacity at the point of attack. Not only does he drive through opponents, but he does so with an attitude. When Mahogany returns, he’ll have plenty of eyes on him.
2. O’Cyrus Torrence, G, Florida
Transferring to Florida from Louisiana, O’Cyrus Torrence has a valuable opportunity in 2022 to prove himself against SEC competition. Torrence certainly looks the part, and he very much played the part in 2020 and 2021, dominating his Sun Belt foes. The SEC is different, but early on, it looks like Torrence might be, too.Torrence is perhaps the most imposing interior blocker in the 2023 NFL Draft class. He stands at a massive 6’6″, with a gargantuan frame of over 330 pounds. He looks powerful, and he’s more powerful than he looks. With swift hip rotations, he can generate devastating upper-body torque and discard his opponents. He’s not an elite athlete in space, but in a phone booth, it’s hard to match up with his raw tools.
1. Layden Robinson, G, Texas A&M
There’s no consensus top dog in the 2023 NFL Draft interior line group. But there’s a chance the top-rated guard ends up coming from a familiar school: Texas A&M. Last cycle, Kenyon Green was the first guard selected in the 2022 NFL Draft. This time around, his teammate Layden Robinson has a chance to follow his lead.At 6’4″, 320 pounds, Robinson has eye-catching length and excellent power capacity. He can drive defenders back off the snap, but he also carries more than enough explosiveness to rush upfield and track opponents. Robinson needs to work on managing his leverage, but his high-level combination of power, length, athleticism, and violence makes him a legitimate contender to be the top iOL in 2023.
Honorable mentions: John Michael Schmitz, Minnesota; Andrew Vorhees, USC; LaDarius Henderson, Arizona State; Cooper Beebe, Kansas State; Loic Ngassam Nya, Wake Forest; Matthew Bedford, Indiana; Olusegun Oluwatimi, Michigan; Kenneth Horsey, Kentucky; Lorenz Metz, Cincinnati
