We’re chugging along with our Summer Scouting series here at NFLTR, going position by position breaking down the preliminary top prospects for the upcoming collegiate season and the 2025 NFL Draft cycle.
Today I’m breaking down the interior offensive line positions, guards and centers. Because they tend to share so much positional flexibility in the NFL, they are often grouped together by scouts. These players are never the sexiest picks, but without them, offenses fall apart. Teams often find starters on the interior offensive line in the middle or late rounds more than maybe any other position, so keeping an eye on some of the lesser-known names is more important than ever.
You can find the other positions done so far here:
Let’s take a look at the top 2025 interior offensive line prospects heading into college football season:
1: Tyler Booker, Alabama
A premier five-star in-state recruit, Booker made an immediate impact for the Crimson Tide. He spent his true freshman season in 2022 rotating between both guard spots, catching the attention of college football’s most avid watchers. He earned a spot on several freshman All-SEC and All-American teams. As a sophomore, Booker settled at left guard and enjoyed a breakout campaign, making first-team All-SEC and solidifying his status as a true NFL prospect. Heading into his junior year, Booker will look to take another step forward and maximize his draft stock, potentially being the first guard taken come April.
Booker’s 6-5, 335-pound frame is massive for an offensive guard. Those are typically tackle measurements. Being that big on the interior has its drawbacks, which we’ll get to, but Booker also uses his size to his advantage. He routinely moves interior defenders completely out of the play. His initial punch stops defenders in their tracks and the physical jolt he delivers is apparent on tape. Booker’s size and strength allow him to anchor against bull rushes and stronger interior defenders, and his abnormal length for the position gives him great leverage to get his hands on multiple defenders in the run game.
Unlike some guard prospects, however, Booker isn’t simply a powerful tone-setter. He’s also nimble for his size, with good footwork and lower body flexibility. As a puller, he gets out in front of the play quickly and will level any poor linebackers who get in his way. This gives him the versatility to play in both zone and gap schemes. Booker is a smart player, showcasing good communication with the rest of his line at Alabama and able to react quickly to various defensive schemes and pass rush wrinkles. Defensive coaches will love his finishing mentality, as well — he never takes a play off or stops hustling before the whistle blows.
As a taller guard, Booker faces challenges he needs to continue working through. He naturally has a high pad level, which means quicker defensive tackles can get under him and cause him problems with leverage. He has a lot of mass to move, so despite his relatively quick feet, he is sometimes slower to redirect than he needs to be, and defensive tackles have had success crossing his face in their pass rush. Additionally, he struggles to sustain blocks in the run game, something that could also be a result of his height. To maximize his effectiveness, he needs to lock on at the second level better and take these defenders out of the play.
Despite his flaws, Booker is a sound prospect with room to continue growing. I have a second-round grade on him, and I believe he can be a plus starter in the NFL. He reminds me a little of Braden Smith, the Indianapolis right tackle who played guard in college at Auburn. Like Booker, he was a tall guard at 6-6, and the Colts moved him to play tackle right away. Smith has become one of the best run-blocking tackles in the NFL and can hold his own in pass protection. I don’t think Booker is destined to move to tackle or anything, but it wouldn’t surprise me if he followed a similar path. Regardless of where he ends up sticking, he has a lot of traits teams will love.
2: J.C. Davis, Illinois
After playing defensive line in high school, Davis transitioned to offensive line in junior college before playing left tackle at New Mexico for two seasons. He was so dominant there, winning all-conference honors his senior year, that he’s transferring up once more. Taking advantage of his Covid year to put his name on the national radar, Davis will be suiting up for the Fighting Illini this year. His fit in the NFL is a little unclear, but he has some great film already and can continue to improve. A big year at Illinois could put him in legitimate top-50 conversations, an impressive rise for his college career.
Though most of Davis’s tape is at tackle, it’s easy to see how these strengths translate to the interior. He stands at 6-5 and 307, but that size belies an incredibly quick-twitch athlete. Davis has elite quickness and hip flexibility. He can mirror pass rushers with ease, putting the clamps down on every rusher he’s faced. His footwork is immaculate with the touch to move in space and stay in front of his assignment. Whether he’s on an island in pass protection or asked to pull in the run game, Davis will excel.
Davis’s strength profile is impressive as well. His anchor technique is good, with the core and lower body strength necessary to stand up at both tackle and on the inside. When it comes to hand fighting and placement, Davis is exemplary, with the timing and strength to disrupt even the strongest rushers. He has a bit of a bully tendency on the line that coaches will love, finishing blocks with a flourish and demonstrating an on-field nastiness that inspires teammates.
Many of Davis’s weaknesses on tape would be mitigated by a move to tackle. The fastest edge rushers he faced did give him some trouble on occasion. Not often, but there were a few moments where he was a step slow in his kick slide, and it cost him the rep. In the NFL, this would likely happen more often. Additionally, in the running game, he has trouble sustaining blocks. His man disengaged to impact the play too often.
It’ll be important to see how Davis handles the jump in competition to the Big 10 this season, but he’s an impressive prospect. He’s an easy projection to play guard, though I think he might be able to hang at tackle as well. His athleticism and disciplined technique are in rare company. I have a second-round grade on Davis, but it’s easy to see how he could improve his stock and even climb into the first-round conversation.
3: Clay Webb, Jacksonville State
Webb is a former five-star recruit out of Alabama who originally committed to Georgia out of high school. At the time, it was a major recruiting win for Kirby Smart over Nick Saban, though for a variety of reasons, Webb never worked out with the Bulldogs. He transferred to Jacksonville State a few years ago and has emerged as a star, making the FCS All-America team and establishing himself as a true draft prospect. When Jacksonville State made the jump to the FBS, Webb continued his run of dominance, winning FBS offensive guard of the year in 2023. With a strong senior year and all-star circuit, Webb can cement himself as a premier prospect in the 2025 draft.
Undersized at 6-3 and 290, Webb is nonetheless a powerful run blocker. He can push people off the line of scrimmage and easily climbs to the second level, paving lanes for ball carriers. Nimble feet and fluid hips allow him to be agile in space, with an ease of movement rare for a guard. He can anchor effectively against even the biggest defensive tackles he’s faced, and while he needs to add weight, he hasn’t been overwhelmed by size or strength.
When it comes to hand placement and technique, Webb is top-notch. Winning with leverage is a staple of Webb’s tape — he successfully prevents defenders from getting into his chest and under his pads. He plays low and stays light on his feet in pass protection, allowing him to react to an opponent’s pass-rushing moves without having to reset.
The main area in which Webb’s undersized frame hinders him is in short-yardage situations. He lacks the leg drive to really displace double-teams and reset the line in those critical situations. An NFL strength-and-conditioning program should help with that. In space, Webb gets lost sometimes, failing to find his assignment and impact the play as he should. He’ll need to refine his pulling game, as it’s something he’ll likely be asked to do frequently.
Additionally, there are always level of competition concerns with prospects like Webb. His status as a former five-star recruit mitigates this somewhat, though the fact he failed to break out until going to Jacksonville State is a cause for concern. He’ll have a chance to answer these questions on the all-star circuit after the college football season wraps up.
I have a second-round grade on Webb, his tape really impressed me. He’s agile with a strong anchor and an advanced understanding of how to play the position. It’s rare for him to miss an assignment or fail due to a lack of effort. If he can add a little more weight in his lower half, he can be a starting guard for a long time in the NFL.
4: Donovan Jackson, Ohio State
A routine winner of academic achievement awards, Jackson came to Ohio State with a massive pedigree. He was one of the top players in the state of Texas in his recruiting class and made a splash when he arrived on campus, playing in every game as a freshman. Since then, Jackson has started every game at left guard in 2022 and 2023, returning for his senior season to try and win a national championship with the Buckeyes. Jackson has some things he could clean up but is overall a very solid prospect who’s ready for the NFL.
Long and strong, Jackson has ideal size for the NFL guard position. At 6-4, 320, he is powerful without being so tall that he loses his leverage. His arms look long on tape, which helps him keep pass rushers at bay. When the ball is snapped, he fires out of his stance, charging forward in the run game to initiate contact and clear out space. He climbs to the second level quickly and effectively, locking onto linebackers and safeties and putting them on the ground. His hands are powerful — the force he exerts when landing his punch or redirecting rushers is palpable.
Jackson is even better in pass protection. The length and power he has in his arms let him control reps from the snap. He has excellent lateral mobility, capable of shifting quickly to mirror rushers and prevent stunts or blitzes from getting clean looks. His base is wide without setting him off-balance, and he keeps his pad level low to maintain leverage. Bull rushes are ineffective against him, as his anchor is superb. Jackson is an expert technician in pass protection with the physical traits to dominate.
Oddly enough, despite this profile, Jackson struggles the most in space. He’s not particularly adept at clearing out space in front of a running back when pulling, nor is he quick enough to get out in front of screens every time. He lacks the flexibility in his lower half to effectively maneuver in space. When he’s run blocking, he has a bad habit of letting his arms get wide and grabbing, instead of locking them inside and using his hands to redirect the shoulder pads of the defender. This will lead to holding calls in the NFL.
Overall, Jackson is an excellent pass-protecting guard with high-tier traits and some good things to build on in the running game. He’ll likely never be an elite player in space, but in gap schemes, he can be downright scary. There might not be a better blocker in a phone booth in this class. I have a second-round grade on him as yet another quality prospect teams can invest in if they need a new starter at the position. If Jackson can work on these deficiencies, he can raise his stock even higher.
5: Tate Ratledge, Georgia
Another tall guard at 6-6, 310, Ratledge was an elite multi-sport athlete before committing to play offensive guard for the Bulldogs. He played sparingly his first two seasons before establishing himself as a critical piece the last two, starting all but two games in 2022 and 2023 combined. His success culminated in a fantastic 2023 in which he won first-team All-SEC honors as well as a spot on one of the second-team All-America lists. Heading into his fifth season, Ratledge is an established presence in college football with a chance to push himself up draft boards a little further.
Ratledge is an expert at maximizing his leverage. He gets low in his stance and keeps his pads as low as he can, not allowing defenders to use his height against him. His long arms add to the leverage advantages he creates, and he usually is the one to engage first and dictate the rep. When run blocking, he’ll use his powerful leg drive to gash holes in the defense, driving interior defenders off the line and climbing to the second level with ease. He’s fast and nimble enough to track down linebackers and take them out of the play, and he’s quick enough to be an effective puller in space.
In pass protection, Ratledge is rarely caught out of position. He keeps his eyes up and is quick to react to changing circumstances, like an extra blitzer. Ratledge anchors extremely well, using his frame to stop bull rushes in their tracks. Fast hand fighting keeps defensive tackles at bay, where they can’t fully engage in their moves, and Ratledge uses this to his advantage. He’s excellent at controlling reps and forcing defenders to try another strategy.
As advanced a run blocker as Ratledge is, he can struggle in pass protection against better competition. He’s not quick enough to shut off counters and swim moves, and opponents were able to cross his face far too easily. His lower half is too stiff, and he can get caught reaching or overextending, causing him to lose balance. For as much work as he does to maximize his leverage, the natural disadvantage he possesses still catches up to him sometimes, when longer-armed defenders get into his chest and set him off-balance.
A veteran guard with a mauler’s mentality and experience playing both sides, Ratledge has a third-round grade from me. I’m not sure if he’s ready to start right away, as he could be a liability in pass protection. If teams don’t view him as a potential starter, that could push him down boards even further. But if he can improve his pass sets, he could see his stock rise pretty quickly. Even as it stands, he’ll be drafted as a priority backup at worst.
Best of the rest
6 — Parker Brailsford, Alabama: Undersized center with eye-catching burst and movement skills. Needs to get functionally stronger to hold up in the NFL.
7 — Jaedan Roberts, Alabama: Big, athletic guard who can really move. Needs to learn to utilize his strength better and stop dropping his head.
8 — Jonah Monheim, USC: Plays left tackle for USC but projects to the interior in the NFL. Smart player with incredible athletic traits, needs to improve his technique in pass protection.
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