Top 5 Tackles 2022 NFL Draft
Outside of the quarterback position, there is no position as important as the offensive tackle. General managers must make sure the tackle position is secure. This is especially true of the left tackle, who is usually the one responsible for the blind side of your quarterback. This year’s draft is very deep at every position on the offensive line. Therefore, this is a great year for any franchise to select a great offensive linemen. I will give you my top 5 tackles in the 2022 NFL Draft. Here is who to look out for!
1. Evan Neal, #73 Alabama Crimson Tide
Evan Neal is considered the top offensive lineman in this year’s draft. He is coming out of Alabama, where you can expect he is going to be very well coached under Nick Saban. Neal has been able to play every game since he got to Alabama. He started at left guard as a freshman, not allowing a single sack the whole season. Neal was moved this year to left tackle, where he played an incredible 1073 snaps in 16 games, only giving up 2 sacks and one holding penalty. He shows the raw power and strength to overwhelm his defenders in tight quarters. Even with his size of 6’7 and 350 pounds, he is surprisingly very athletic. Neal put up a 40 time of 5.37.
He is the best run blocker in the nation, showing a punishing demeanor when he blocks. He has above-average awareness, very good footwork and is very disciplined in his leverage and pass protection. Even better, he has the experience of playing against the top talent in college football. Neal was also consistently playing in big games. Some scouts rank him the top prospect in the draft, which is not a shock. He is projected to go top 5 in the 2022 NFL Draft in April.
2. Charles Cross, #67 Mississippi State Bulldogs
Coming in at number 2 of the top 5 tackles in the 2022 draft class is Charles Cross. Cross was a standout five star recruit coming out of Laurel, Mississippi. His career began a bit rough his redshirt freshman year, but significantly improved his next year as he became one of the top offensive linemen in the country. Cross was an anchor for one of the best offensive lines in the country, only allowing two sacks the entire year.
He is a polished pass blocker who seemingly has no flaws. This should earn him playing time early, making him a plug and play offensive tackle. Cross shows excellent explosiveness, athleticism and quickness. He displays football smarts, and plays with a mean streak to go along with a strong work ethic. Cross is easily the best pass blocking linemen in the draft due to his team running an air raid offense. Therefore, he has the experience and talent to excel in the same type of offense in the NFL. We expect him to go in the top half of the 1st round in April.
3. Trevor Penning, #70 Northern Iowa Panthers
Trevor Penning is from Clear Lake, Iowa and is the only FCS offensive linemen with a high ranking in the 2022 NFL Draft. Penning opened a lot of eyes at the Hula Bowl, where he dominated against the best talent coming out of the FBS. Penning is easily the best lineman out of the FCS and the only real question is the level of talent he played against. However, we were able to see him compete against solid FBS players at the Hula Bowl. He only gave up a single sack the past season on 654 snaps in 13 games.
Also, he is a massive individual with freakish athleticism who posseses the prototypical traits to be a quality starter right away in the NFL. Penning displays a nasty streak and killer instinct to go along with disciplined technique. He loves to attack his defenders through the whistle. When I say he has freakish athleticism, I mean it. He holds the Northern Iowa Squat record at 625 pounds, cleans 325 pounds and has run a 5.0 40. I look for Penning to be drafted in the first round in April.
4. Darian Kinnard, #70 Kentucky Wildcats
Kinnard is from Knoxville, TN and was a 4 star prospect coming out of high school. He had multiple offers from several big name schools, but ultimately decided to make Kentucky his home. Once he saw the field his second season at Kentucky, he has shown massive improvement every year. Kinnard has especially improved his ability in allowing negative plays. His first season he allowed a respectable four sacks, while his senior season he allowed only one.
This level of play is against top tier talent like Evan Neal in the SEC, which makes those stats even more impressive. Many scouts believe Kinnard has the most upside of any linemen in this draft. It’s a fair assessment, as he stands 6’5 and weighs 324 pounds. Kinnard also posseses a massive frame and long arms. He is a real old school type mauler on the line who does a fantastic job attacking his man in both the run and pass game. He should be a first day pick and have an immediate impact on the team that drafts him.
5. Daniel Faalele, #78 Minnesota Gophers
Faalele is from Melbourne, Australia and was noticed by scouts from the University of Hawaii who were in Australia scouting other players. Daniel played basketball and rugby in high school before settling on football. He was recruited to play football at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida were he played well enough to earn himself a 4 star rating. Faalele has been a very consistent player at
Minnesota, despite missing one season because of the pandemic.
He returned his senior season stronger than ever after taking the year off and earned himself All Big Ten honors. The Golden Gopher has massive upside and a team can get him as a risk-reward player. Even with Neal in the class, Daniel is still the biggest offensive linemen in the class standing at 6’9 and 387 pounds. With his size comes raw power and the ability to stand firmly in place. He is very athletic for a man his size and has shown that consistently in both the run and pass game. Faalele can be a steal in this draft, and I expect his name to be called very early in the 2nd round in April.
There is so much talent in this class, even beyond my top 5. Numerous offensive lineman have the potential to make an impact, and these are just the tackles in this year’s draft. This does not account for the guard and center positions, which are also chock-full of talent.
Top 5 Tackles 2022 Draft analyst-Keith Libby.
