2024 NFL Draft OT rankings: Scouting the best tackle class in 20-plus years

With all due respect to the quarterbacks, receivers, tight ends and cornerbacks, the best positional group of the 2024 NFL Draft is — without a doubt — the offensive tackles.

I’ve covered the NFL draft for half of my life (I just turned 48) and this is as good a class as I’ve ever seen. I believe there is a clear-cut top prospect among the group, but teams who miss out on Notre Dame’s Joe Alt will be overjoyed with their consolation prizes.

Five offensive tackles earn top-20 grades this year, and I think as many as eight tackles will be selected in the first round, leading all positions.

This is the order in which I expect them to come off the board.

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1. Joe Alt, Notre Dame, 6-8, 322, Junior

Overview: There are few things NFL teams love more from offensive tackles than size, power and experience in a pro-style offense. Alt possesses each of those things, along with the fact that he began his college career at tight end — which speaks to his athleticism — and that his father was a two-time Pro Bowl offensive tackle for the Kansas City Chiefs. 

While his career began as a pass-catcher, the prototypically built blocker quickly transitioned to left tackle as a true freshman, starting the final eight games there in 2021 and all but the Sun Bowl to cap the 2023 season, since, a string of 33 consecutive contests, earning unanimous All-American honors this past year before making the early jump to the NFL.

Strengths

• Three-year starter, all at left tackle in a pro-style offense that asked him to block out of both the two and three-point stance.
• Prototypical build with broad shoulders and weight perfectly distributed over his frame with a powerful lower-half.
• Uncoils at the snap with long arms and heavy hands.
• Composed and balanced mirroring in pass protection.
• Surges off the line of scrimmage and consistently creates movement at the point of attack.
• Recognizes and adjusts to twists and stunts like an NFL veteran.
• His father John is a member of the KC Chiefs Hall of Fame (2002) and his older brother Mark is currently a member of the NHL’s LA Kings.
• 2023 Team captain.

Concerns

• A quality athlete, but lacks elite burst and change of direction, occasionally being beaten on difficult reach blocks and when climbing to and adjusting at the second level.
• Thumps defenders with his initial punch but does so with closed hands, too often losing grip to sustain blocks throughout the entire play.

Summary: In a draft full of pro-ready blockers, Alt is the obvious top prospect. While perhaps lacking the “special” athletic traits to wow scouts, Alt may have the lowest floor of any prospect in this class, regardless of position. Barring injury, Alt is a decade-long starter.

Grade: Top 10

2. Troy Fautanu, Washington, 6-4, 317, Redshirt Junior

Overview: Considering the high-profile skill-position talent at Montlake this past season, it might have been easy for the media to overlook Fautanu’s role in Washington’s national championship game berth. But given his and the Huskies’ collective success — including being named this year’s Joe Moore Award winners as the nation’s top offensive line — Fautanu wasn’t overlooked at all, and he certainly won’t be by the NFL.

Even among offensive linemen, statistics can be bent in all sorts of ways, but one particularly telling number with Fautanu is this: over 2.5 seasons as the Huskies’ starting left tackle, he gave up just three total sacks, earning himself First Team All-PAC-12 honors each of the past two seasons, as well as the Morris Trophy in 2023. And remember, this was for a Huskies squad that threw the ball consistently deep and more often (574 attempts) than any other team in the country.

Strengths

• Sports a compact, powerful frame with excellent weight distribution.
• Plays with his knees bent, butt down and feet spread even wider than his shoulders, which effectively makes him broader and more balanced than most left tackles.
• At the snap of the ball, he uncoils like a rattlesnake, striking out at his opponent and controlling him immediately.
• Shuffles easily to his left and right, mirroring the movement of his opponent in pass protection as well as in the running game.
• 31-game starter (28 at LT, three at LG) with no known injuries during his football career.
• Highly respected at UW for his commitment to the weight room.

Concerns

• Has a relatively stubby frame that some may prefer inside at guard, where Fautanu has limited starting experience.
• Surrounded by a great deal of talent at Washington — including an NFL-caliber coaching staff and set of skill-position players, while facing a below-average edge rusher class in the PAC-12

Summary: Fautanu is about as pro-ready as it gets, blending quickness, power and technique to consistently win at the line of scrimmage and on the move. While Washington was beaten up front in the national title game loss to Michigan, Fautanu quietly was the most impressive lineman for either team. Whether at left tackle or left guard, Fautanu looks like a plug-and-play NFL starter who, barring injury, should be a longtime anchor.  

Grade: Top 20

3. JC Latham, Alabama, 6-6, 360, Junior

Overview: A unanimous five-star recruit and the most celebrated signing in the entire SEC in 2021, Latham leaves Alabama after three seasons, starting 26 games the past two years at right tackle after serving as a key reserve at right guard as a true freshman. A Wisconsin native, Latham helped Catholic Memorial High win a state championship as a sophomore before transferring to the prestigious IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fl. which finished his senior season ranked No. 1 in the country, according to MaxPrep’s high school polls. Massive, battle-tested and versatile, the surprisingly smooth Latham was seemingly born to play ball. 

Strengths

• Rare size for the position with his weight evenly distributed across broad shoulders and a stout lower body with tree trunks for limbs.
• Plays with excellent balance for such a large man. Efficiently slides laterally on the balls of his feet while keeping his pad level low to maintain leverage.
• Heavy, strong hands and long arms to snatch and sustain in pass protection and rag-doll in the run game.
• Plays with some fire in his belly, looking to intimidate opponents with pancakes and some trash-talking.
• Entered the 2023 season with his weight up but body-fat percentage down.
• Experienced at both RT and RG (and played LT on the field goal unit).
• The youngest player in this article, having just turned 21 in February.

Concerns 

• Latham is surprisingly quick and smooth out of his stance in pass protection, doing a nice job of defending speed rushers, but he is a tick slower in his re-direction back inside, leaving him vulnerable to quick counters.
• Can be a little too aggressive for his own good, drawing 11 penalties over the past two seasons at RT.

Summary: Scouts will account for the mobility of Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe when projecting Latham to the NFL, as he wasn’t as dominant in pass protection as his stats (3 sacks allowed in 443 pass sets, according to PFF) suggest. He’ll be more vulnerable to the speed and counters of the NFL if blocking for a more stationary target, but one can live with the couple of plays Latham gives up in comparison to the dozens in which he dominates. Latham is an instant starter at RT or RG (where he played as a true freshman) who might just be the best run blocker of this class.  

Grade: Top 20 

4. Taliese Fuaga, Oregon State, 6-6, 332, Redshirt Junior

Overview: A true diamond in the rough, Fuaga starred at the prep level for a Mount Tahoma High School program that struggled to generate wins, leaving him a relatively low-level recruit. Fuaga blossomed in Corvalis, however, playing in 10 games in 2021 after redshirting his first season on campus and emerging as a Second Team All-PAC-12 honoree after starting all 13 games at right tackle in 2022. The still-ascending Fuaga was even better this past season, earning First Team all-conference honors and an invitation to the Senior Bowl, where he was voted the National Team’s Offensive Lineman of the Week.

Strengths

• Never surrendered a single sack according to PFF and was called for just three penalties over his career.
• Naturally massive human being who can maul at the line of scrimmage and possesses remarkable initial quickness for such great size.
• Springs off the snap like he’s wearing jet-packs for cleats.
• Possesses a seek-and-destroy mentality at the second level, shoving opponents aside and looking for more.
• Terrific week of practice at the Senior Bowl, including being voted National Team’s best offensive lineman of the week of practice.

Concerns

• Not quite as quick in his kick-slide as he is coming off the ball in the running game.
• Lacks ideal arm length (33 3/8″) to recover if beaten off the snap by speed rushers.
• Can get a bit complacent and allow himself to be flat-footed at the top of his drop, leaving himself vulnerable to quick counters and spins.

Summary: If Fuaga played at Ohio State rather than Oregon State, we might be talking about a consensus top-10 selection. He might get there anyway, as Fuaga is a quality pass protector with zero career sacks allowed and arguably the best run blocker in this class. There is not an OT in this class with more highlight-reel blocks than Fuaga. The relatively short arms may get him pushed inside to guard but he’ll be a star there too.

Grade: Top 20

5. Olumuyima “Olu” Fashanu, Penn State, 6-6, 317, Redshirt Junior

Overview: There may not have been a player at the non-skill positions who entered the 2023 college football season with more hype than Fashanu, as he famously earned a first-round grade from the NFL Advisory Committee after starting just nine games over his first two seasons in Happy Valley. Massive and athletic, Fashanu certainly looks the part of a future NFL anchor. He earned Second Team All-Big Ten honors in 2022 and graduated to First Team accolades this past season before forgoing his remaining eligibility to head early to the NFL.

Strengths

• Naturally large man with an ideal combination of height, arm length and athleticism.
• Graceful, coordinated athlete who glides off the line of scrimmage in pass protection.
• Almost “dances” with defenders, showing rare agility and balance for a man of his size.
• Expected to impress in workouts, which will highlight his pure athleticism.
• Wasn’t charged with a single sack in three seasons as Penn State’s left tackle — and it feels as though he’s still just scratching the surface of his potential.
• When he keeps his pads low and rolls his hips into blocks, he can move people off the line.
• No known injury history.

Concerns

• Better in pass protection than in the running game, too often comes off the ball tall and soft, getting stood up at the line of scrimmage and relying on his girth to seal off defenders from the ballcarrier rather than actually moving them out of the way to create running lanes.
• Struggled on the road against Ohio State, getting beaten on multiple occasions in multiple ways — raising questions as to how well he can flush the past play and reset.
• Broad chest that he leaves exposed and can be bull-rushed.
• Appears unsure of himself when faced with twists and stunts, occasionally focusing on the wrong defender initially before switching back, leaving himself off-balance
• Missed the final five games of the 2022 season with an undisclosed injury that may require a closer look from NFL team doctors.

Summary: It will be interesting to see how NFL teams view Fashanu, as they will rely on their own evaluations rather than the hype surrounding him. Rarely do tackles of his size and agility come along and if he puts it all together, he could be an All-Pro left tackle. Make no mistake, though, there is some spooky tape too — including against traditional bull rushers — and those are common in the NFL.

Grade: Top 20

6. Patrick Paul, Houston, 6-7, 333, Redshirt Junior

Overview: A Houston native, Paul turned down the opportunity to play with his older brother Chris at Tulsa to stay local with the Cougars and quickly earned playing time, “starting” on the field goal team as a freshman and then at left tackle for the final three games of the season, not allowing a single sack during that time. He wouldn’t allow a sack in the first two games of his true sophomore season in 2020 before suffering a season-ending injury to his leg. 

Paul returned healthy in 2021 and has starred at the blindside position ever since, earning First Team all-conference honors in the American Athletic Conference (2021-22) and Big 12 (2023) the past three consecutive years. Paul started 44 games over five seasons with the Cougars and gave up just five total sacks, including just one in 2023. 

Strengths

• Looks and moves like a much smaller man than his size suggests, dancing off the snap in his initial kick-slide and gracefully sliding laterally to mirror in pass protection.
• He has exceptionally long arms (36 ¼”), which combined with his quick feet, make him uniquely equipped to steer edge rushers outside the arc.
• For a tall player with a relatively slim lower half, Paul does a nice job of anchoring, sinking his hips and locking out defenders.
• Had a stellar week at the Senior Bowl.
• NFL bloodlines; his older brother, Chris is a guard who was drafted last year and currently a member of the Washington Commanders.
• Mature and highly respected two-time team captain who penned an impressive autobiographical note for the Houston Cougars’ athletics website.

Concerns

• Paul isn’t a passive blocker but he’s more agile and long than punishing with a slightly finesse style that not every team will appreciate.
• Better in pass protection and zone-blocking in the running game, lacking ideal pad level and core strength to consistently push.
• Paul’s arms, in fact, are almost too long, with him occasionally slipping them around or over defenders, leading to some “bearhug” blocks with his hands on the back of opponents that may draw more penalty flags at the next level.

Summary: Paul may seem as graceful as an NBA player but it his basketball-like frame that could also concern some teams. He has a high-cut frame with relatively narrow hips and thin legs. That slightly top-heavy frame could cause him to struggle against the stubby bull rushers of the NFL. He’s got the best combination of light feet and long arms in a remarkable class of pass protectors, though, which could earn him a surprisingly high draft selection. 

Grade: First round

7. Amarius Mims, Georgia, 6-6, 340, Junior

Overview: Mims was the crown jewel of Georgia’s recruiting class in 2021. The five-star recruit signed with his home-state Bulldogs over offers from virtually every other program in the country. He enrolled early and was on the field as a freshman, serving as a key reserve at right tackle in seven games for the first of two consecutive national championships for Georgia. 

Stuck behind two 2023 NFL draft picks as a sophomore, Mims saw time in 14 of 15 games as a reserve until being called upon to make his first start in the Peach Bowl playoff game vs Ohio State and the national title game against TCU soon after. He starred in those two games and began the 2023 season just as impressively, but suffered a high ankle sprain in the conference opener against South Carolina. Mims returned to play in Georgia’s home finale against Ole Miss before missing the Orange Bowl against Florida State, starting eight games in three years at Georgia and making the early NFL jump. 

Strengths

• Attacks out of his stance like a praying mantis, crouched and balanced with long arms and legs.
• Shockingly quick off the snap, routinely beating his teammates and opponents with his timing and providing a swift, explosive pop on contact that can be enough to effectively make the block on its own.
• Comfortably carries his weight, showing impressive balance and agility for such a large man.
• Better radar when blocking on the move than his experience suggests, showing the anticipation, athleticism and surliness to intimidate defenders when blocking downfield.
• Vine-like arms to make reach blocks others cannot get to with latch and control power.
• While all 810 of his career snaps came at right tackle for Georgia, Mims appears to have the athleticism to convert to left tackle, if needed.

Concerns

• Entering the NFL with eight career starts.
• Underwent “TightRope” ankle surgery in September, will be closely inspected by NFL doctors
• Squats low at the snap with impressive knee bend but too often shoots up out of his stance, losing the leverage battle as he does so.
• A bit high and wild with his hand placement.

Summary: As one might expect with a player so inexperienced, there are some flaws in Mims’ game. But these issues appear correctable with coaching and experience. There is no denying that Mims, just 21 years old, lacks game film. The tape he does have is pristine, though. There is risk in selecting a player so young and inexperienced, but his combination of length, agility and strength remind me of a young Tyron Smith, the Cowboys’ five-time All-Pro. 

Grade: First Round

8. Javon Foster, Missouri, 6-6, 309, Redshirt Senior

Overview: With all due respect to a bevy of future NFL draft picks at Missouri, Foster might have been the top Tiger in 2023. Allowing just one sack (Middle Tennessee State in Week Two) in 449 pass sets, Foster earned First Team All-SEC honors from league coaches and the media, and was the key component of an offensive line named a semi-finalist for the Joe Moore Award as the nation’s top blocking unit. It culminated Foster’s third consecutive season starting every game at left tackle.

Strengths

• Eases off the ball with good snap anticipation, an efficient kick-slide and good balance and technique to sink his hips and sprawl through contact.
• Experience shows with his patience and body positioning, maintaining a tight arc to create a pocket for his quarterback to work from.
• Long arms and a strong grip to latch and sustain.
• Can sink his hips and anchor against the bull rush.
• Aggressive and imposing blocking in space.
• 41-game starter with experience at both tackle spots.
• Voted a team captain in 2023.

Concerns

• A bit heavy-footed with a somewhat top-heavy frame, leaving him a tick behind speed rushers.
• Good effort downfield but lumbers and lunges, struggling to re-direct to hit moving targets consistently.
• Played in an offense with plenty of talent, including an experienced QB.

Summary: The depth of his tackle class is what makes it so special. The sound and battle-tested Foster deserves second-round consideration. He certainly would most years. But lacking the exciting traits of some of his peers, Foster could slip into the third, where the future NFL starter should ultimately outperform his draft position.

Grade: Second round

9. Tyler Guyton, Oklahoma, 6-7, 328, Redshirt Junior

Overview: Sure to be one of the more polarizing of this year’s offensive tackles, the undeniably talented Guyton entered the 2024 NFL draft after starting just 15 total games at the college level. He split his time between football and basketball as a prep growing up in Texas and initially played on the defensive line. He signed with TCU as a three-star recruit but saw little action (one game appearance in 2020) before redshirting and split time between offensive tackle and H-back for the Horned Frogs a year later, ironically starting the first game of his career against Oklahoma at the latter position. 

Guyton would catch a touchdown while playing H-back in his final game for TCU before transferring to Norman for the 2022-23 campaigns. He started five of 10 games at right tackle in 2022 and nine of 10 in 2023, playing (but not starting) against his old TCU teammates, missing the Kansas game due to an undisclosed injury and opting out of the Alamo Bowl loss to Arizona. 

Strengths

• A uniquely shaped and agile athlete whose best football should still be ahead of him.
• Quick off the ball and agile with long arms (34 ½”), corralling most pass-rushers easily.
• Didn’t allow a single sack in 2023 — his first full season as a starter.
• Consistently won during the one-on-one showdowns during the Senior Bowl practices.
• Could wow in workouts. Split time between OT and H-Back while at TCU.
• Can drive opponents off the ball when he keeps his pads low and feet grinding through contact.

Concerns

• Despite his seemingly prototype size on paper, Guyton’s body shape isn’t ideal for the leverage battles at the line of scrimmage, as he is relatively high-cut with narrow hips.
• His angular frame is worsened by just average knee bend, rendering him functionally weaker than he should be. Sporadic hand placement and footwork are also concerns.
• Has a bad habit of over-setting to his right and failing to recover back inside, allowing more hits on his quarterback than his sterling statistics suggest.
• Just 15 career starts in four years of college football.

Summary: I’m as intrigued by the traits as anyone, and most of Guyton’s flaws appear correctable. However, in a class as loaded with seemingly sure things at the same position as this one, I could see Guyton’s spotty tape and relative inexperience placing him lower on NFL boards than his stats and media hype suggest. The talent is there for him to be a frontline starter at the next level but Guyton might need a year of refinement first. 

Grade: Second round

10. Jordan Morgan, Arizona, 6-5, 310, Redshirt Senior

Overview: An Arizona native who grew up just a half hour’s drive from campus, Morgan emerged as the best offensive line prospect from the Wildcats in quite some time during his five–year college career, culminating with First Team All-PAC-12 honors in 2023, as well as an invitation to the Senior Bowl. He started a total of 37 games over his career, all of them at left tackle. 

Strengths

• Certainly looks the part of an NFL offensive lineman, sporting a massive frame with excellent weight distribution.
• Good initial quickness out of his stance to protect the arc.
• Well-placed and powerful late shoves in to send pass rushers sprawling if they can cross his face and threaten the corner.
• Quality size and power can overwhelm opponents in the running game, where Morgan can simply drive defenders off the ball, when he keeps his pad level low.

Concerns

• Less than ideal arm length (32 7/8″), which could push him inside to OG, a position he never played in college.
• He plays higher than ideal, allowing defenders to bull rush. Also has a bad habit of lunging at opponents, leaving him off-balance against counter-moves.
• Further, while he can be quite effective in close quarters as a run blocker, the core stiffness that causes him to struggle against counters in pass pro also shows up when blocking on the move in the running game, where lacks ideal radar and change-of-direction

Summary: The stubby arms may ultimately push Morgan to guard in the NFL, but it is a position he seems well-suited to. There is very little finesse to his game, with Morgan seeking to intimidate opponents by pushing the pile and pancaking defenders when possible. 

Grade: Second-to-third round

Rob Rang is an NFL Draft analyst for FOX Sports. He has been covering the NFL Draft for more than 20 years, with work at FOX, Sports Illustrated, CBSSports.com, USA Today, Yahoo, NFL.com and NFLDraftScout.com, among others. He also works as a scout with the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League. Follow him on Twitter @RobRang.

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