The 2024 NFL Draft is fast approaching, scheduled to begin on Thursday, April 25th in Detroit, Michigan. With the 2023 season officially set, all teams can now focus on improving their rosters as much as possible in the offseason. The upcoming draft is one of the best ways to do that with a whole new class of prospects.
In the early stages of the NFL Draft, offensive linemen are always one of the most popular targets. Finding elite value at this position can quietly have a huge impact on a team’s overall offensive performance. Here are the top five offensive line prospects in this year’s draft class.
2024 NFL Draft’s top offensive line targets
5 – Alabama Crimson Tide’s JC Latham
The Alabama Crimson is one of the most reliable college football programs in the country, consistently sending top candidates at various positions into the NFL Draft. J.C. Latham is the best offensive lineman on this year’s team and is a huge guy at 6-foot-3 and 360 pounds. He is an elite run blocker and also shows his versatility, playing both tackle and guard.
4 – Taliese Fuaga, Oregon State Beavers
Taliese Fuaga played college football for the Oregon State Beavers, mostly as an offensive tackle. In his last two years as an all-star starter, he allowed just one sack while also being one of the most powerful players in his position on a regular basis. He was also an excellent run-blocker.
3 – Olumuyiwa Fashanu, Penn State Nittany Lions
Olumuyiwa Fashanu appeared like one of the best offensive linemen in the draft class leading up to the NFL Draft last year. He chose to rejoin the Penn State Nittany Lions instead, where he had another stellar campaign and showed his potential. If he has a good showing at the NFL Combine, there’s a chance he’ll be selected in the top 10 this year.
2 – Troy Fautanu, Washington Huskies
Troy Fautanu was selected as the Pac-12 conference’s top overall offensive lineman, earning him the Morris Trophy for the 2023 college football season. Even more astounding is the fact that he played guard for the majority of his career, but tackle might still be his strongest position given that he allowed less than one pressure per game on average while he played there.
1 – Joe Alt, Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Joe Alt is the kind of pass-protecting left tackle that many NFL teams look for in the annual NFL Draft. Alt is the most seasoned pass-blocking player in this draft class, making it one of the most valuable positions on any team. Less than half of a pressure per game, or only 16 total pressures, were allowed by him in 33 career starts for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
