It is the year of the offensive tackle?
As with each NFL Draft, the 2024 edition features varying depth across different positions. This year, there is a particularly strong class of offensive linemen, especially at offensive tackle, making it a hot area of focus.
NFL Media’s Daniel Jeremiah highlighted this trend, noting the rising interest in these players. “To summarize my last 5 phone calls—everyone is moving up for an OT,” Jeremiah tweeted on Wednesday morning.
Historically, the record for offensive linemen selected in the first round is ten, set in 1968. This year, predictions are flirting with that number, with an over/under set at 9.5.
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Among those anticipated to be early picks, Notre Dame’s Joe Alt is projected as a top 10 selection and the likely first lineman off the board. He is joined by other top prospects including Taliese Fuaga from Oregon State, Troy Fautanu from Washington, Olu Fashanu from Penn State, JC Latham from Alabama, Amarius Mims from Georgia, and Graham Barton from Duke, all expected to be first-round choices. Additional candidates like Jordan Morgan from Arizona, Tyler Guyton from Oklahoma, Patrick Paul from Houston, and Jackson Powers-Johnson from Oregon are also in contention for early selection.
The majority of these highly regarded prospects are offensive tackles, which explains the buzz Jeremiah has been reporting.
The 2024 NFL Draft is set to commence tomorrow night at 8 p.m. ET, broadcasted on ABC, ESPN, and NFL Network. The event will kick off with the first round on Thursday, followed by the second and third rounds on Friday evening, and concluding with the final four rounds on Saturday afternoon.\
