• Chris Lindstrom takes the top spot: The star guard has earned an 80.0-plus PFF overall grade in three straight seasons and is a dominant run-blocker.
• Sam Cosmi breaks out in his first season as a starter: Cosmi, who comes in at No. 3 on this list, earned an 80.6 PFF overall grade that ranked fifth at the position.
• Get a head start on fantasy football: Use PFF's fantasy football mock draft simulator to create real live mock draft simulations to get ready for your live draft!
Estimated Reading Time: 14 minutes
So often in football, the offensive line is the unsung hero. Quietly going about their business, protecting the quarterback, opening running lanes and establishing the physicality of a brutal game, offensive linemen only hear their names called in times of peril or mistake — but deserve to be lauded for everything they do.
As the NFL offseason continues into training camp, we continue our positional rankings.
Other Position Rankings:
QB | RB | WR | TE | OT | DI | EDGE | LB | CB | S
1. Chris Lindstrom, Atlanta Falcons
Lindstrom had a slow start to his NFL career, but his year-over-year improvement has made him one of the best guards in the NFL over the past three years. The former first-round pick has earned second-team All-Pro honors in back-to-back years and is the league's highest-graded guard since 2022.
Lindstrom is a force in the run game, using his athleticism and physicality to create lanes. And his pass blocking has improved, resulting in a 78.6 pass-blocking grade in 2023 after he allowed just 15 pressures.
2. Joe Thuney, Kansas City Chiefs
Thuney has cemented himself as one of the NFL's best guards, providing flawless protection for Patrick Mahomes over the past three seasons and earning himself first- and second-team All-Pro nods in the past two seasons. Thuney’s 74.6 PFF overall grade in 2023 ranked ninth among guards, and his 83.4 pass-blocking grade led the position.
Thuney is an adequate run-blocker, but he has made a name for himself in pass protection. He allowed just a 4.6% pressure rate in 2023, and his 88.8 pass-blocking grade over the past two years is better than that of every other guard in the NFL.
3. Sam Cosmi, Washington Commanders
Cosmi was quietly one of the best guards in the NFL in 2023. His 80.6 PFF overall grade ranked fifth at the position, and he had seven games with an overall grade of 80.0 or higher. Despite that, Cosmi didn’t garner the attention he deserved in his first full season as a starter.
He spent most of his first two NFL seasons at right tackle for the Commanders before making the switch inside to guard in 2023. His 4.3% pressure rate allowed last year was the 19th lowest at the position.
4. Tyler Smith, Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys drafted Smith in 2022 without having a carved-out position for him. He played the entire 2022 season at left tackle, deputizing for the oft-injured Tyron Smith, but slid inside to left guard in 2023 and never looked back.
Smith earned a 72.9 PFF overall grade and garnered second-team All-Pro honors in his second NFL season, cementing his place as one of the league's best offensive linemen. His 2.8% allowed pressure rate ranked fifth among all guards, and he allowed only 17 quarterback pressures all season.
5. Quinn Meinerz, Denver Broncos
Meinerz played in all 17 regular-season games for the first time in 2023 on his way to an 83.7 PFF overall grade, the third-best mark among guards. The third-year pro has improved his overall grade for the past two seasons and has quietly taken his place as one of the better guards in the NFL.
His 3.8% pressure rate allowed was the 14th lowest in the NFL, and his 88.7 run-blocking grade ranked second. Meinerz is showing he can dominate in both run-blocking and pass-protecting assignments — no easy feat.
6. Kevin Zeitler, Detroit Lions
Zeitler earned the first Pro Bowl nod of his career in 2023, a long-overdue accolade for the veteran guard. He has consistently been one of the best pass-blocking guards in the NFL since he was drafted by the Bengals in 2012.
After three years with the Ravens, Zeitler joined the Lions this offseason and will become an integral part of an already stellar offensive line. His 82.5 PFF pass-blocking grade in 2023 ranked second, and his pass-blocking grade has dipped below 70.0 only once in his career, back in 2020.
7. Zack Martin, Dallas Cowboys
After eight years of earning 80.0-plus PFF overall grades, Martin dropped to 73.3 in 2022 and 69.8 in 2023. Despite that dip, he’s still one of the most dominant guards in NFL history. Martin’s 2023 grade still ranked 17th among guards, and his 77.2 pass-blocking grade placed ninth.
From Tony Romo to Dak Prescott, Martin has been the constant presence on the Cowboys' offensive line. And as long as he’s healthy, he’ll remain one of the best guards in the NFL until he hangs up his cleats.
8. Joel Bitonio, Cleveland Browns
Bitonio has been the ultimate force for the Browns, earning two All-Pro nods and six Pro Bowl selections in the past six years. Injuries restricted him to 15 games in 2023, but he still earned a 68.0 PFF overall grade and finished with a strong 5.4% pressure rate allowed.
Up until 2023, when he finished with a still-strong 71.0 pass-blocking grade, Bitonio had earned a grade of at least 80.0 in seven straight years.
9. Wyatt Teller, Cleveland Browns
Teller sprang to life back in 2020 with the Cleveland Browns, having since earned two second-team All-Pro nods and three straight Pro Bowl selections while creating one of the best guard tandems in the league with Joel Bitonio.
Teller has earned a 70.0-plus PFF run-blocking grade in each of the past four seasons. There might not be a better run-blocking guard in the NFL than him on a snap-by-snap basis.
10. Robert Hunt, Carolina Panthers
Hunt’s numbers in 2023 were exceptional. He allowed just five pressures, the second fewest of any guard in the NFL, and surrendered the lowest pressure rate (1.3%). Those numbers were boosted by a quarterback-friendly offense predicated on Tua Tagovailoa getting the ball out fast, but Hunt still held up his end of the bargain.
His reward was a five-year, $100 million contract from the Carolina Panthers. Hunt will now spend the next five years protecting Bryce Young. His 77.1 overall grade in 2023 ranked sixth among guards.
11. Quenton Nelson, Indianapolis Colts
Nelson solidified himself as one of the league's best guards in his first three years. He was a first-team All-Pro three times between 2018 and 2020, but an injury in 2021 affected his play, and he’s been slowly working his way back up to his previous levels.
Nelson's 70.8 PFF overall grade in 2023 ranked 15th, his highest mark since 2020, while his 80.3 pass-blocking grade ranked fourth.
12. Kevin Dotson, Los Angeles Rams
Dotson is a prime example of a player having the potential to flourish in the right system. Moving to Sean McVay’s wide-zone scheme unlocked a different side of Dotson’s game in 2023, and his 85.2 PFF overall grade placed second only to Chris Lindstrom, while his 88.8 run-blocking grade led the NFL.
His performances in 2023 earned him a mega three-year, $48 million contract extension with the Rams in the offseason, and for good reason. Dotson allowed 20 quarterback pressures in pass protection, providing the perfect interior presence for Matthew Stafford.
13. Trey Smith, Kansas City Chiefs
Smith has the unenviable task of ensuring the NFL's best quarterback stays upright, and he has earned a PFF overall grade of at least 71.0 in three straight seasons. While he has allowed more than 30 pressures in each season, only 15 were quarterback hits. Generally, Smith is as solid as they come.
Availability has been a big green tick for Smith since he was drafted in 2021. He has missed just one game in three seasons, playing 3,319 snaps in that time. A true potential stalwart.
14. Isaac Seumalo, Pittsburgh Steelers
Seumalo has spent much of his NFL career banged up, playing more than 1,000 snaps in a full season only three times in eight years, with two of those seasons coming in 2022 and 2023. He parlayed his excellent 2022 campaign with the Eagles into a three-year contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The result was a 71.9 PFF overall grade, the 14th best among guards, and a season without allowing a single sack. He also allowed just 26 pressures in 2023, translating into a 4.8% pressure rate allowed.
15. Landon Dickerson, Philadelphia Eagles
Dickerson signed a four-year, $84 million contract extension with the Eagles in 2024, a telling sign that Philadelphia views the former second-round pick as an integral part of its elite unit.
His 70.0 PFF overall grade in 2023 was in the same ballpark as the likes of Zack Martin and Quenton Nelson, but Dickerson also earned a top-10 pass-blocking grade and his second successive Pro Bowl nod.
16. Teven Jenkins, Chicago Bears
Injuries have slowed Jenkins since he was drafted by the Bears in 2021, with the former second-round pick playing in no more than 13 games in a season since his rookie year. Despite that, Jenkins has shown real potential, earning an 80.7 PFF overall grade in 2022 and a 72.6 mark in 2023.
Jenkins allowed just 17 quarterback pressures in 12 games in 2023, and his 71.7 run-blocking grade ranked 11th among guards. His game is predicated on violence upon contact, and it’ll continue to be that way as he asserts himself as one of the better guards in the NFL.
17. Brandon Scherff, Jacksonville Jaguars
Scherff rolled back the years in 2023 after allowing six sacks in 2022. The former Commander struggled to stay healthy in his seven years with Washington but was consistently one of the best guards in the NFL when on the field.
His 67.3 PFF overall grade this past year was relatively modest, but it still ranked 20th among guards. Scherff's pass-blocking grade was an excellent 78.7, top five at the position, and he allowed the fourth-lowest pressure rate in the NFL (2.5%).
18. Elgton Jenkins, Green Bay Packers
Jenkins' willingness, and ability, to play across the entire offensive line has seen him take snaps at left tackle, left guard, center and right tackle in some capacity for the Packers over the past five years. The fact that his level of play has barely dropped below excellent is a testament to his natural ability in the trenches.
His 65.4 PFF overall grade in 2023 was the lowest of his career, but Jenkins earned an 81.3 pass-blocking grade and was one of just four guards to play more than 700 snaps and not allow a single sack.
19. Shaq Mason, Houston Texans
After spending just one season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Mason was traded to the Houston Texans in 2023, tasked with protecting rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud. He succeeded, proving to be an ever-present figure on the Texans' offensive line and finishing the season with a 5.2% pressure rate allowed.
Mason’s 66.5 PFF overall grade was the second-lowest mark of his career and nothing to write home about, but he’s still just 30 years old and will continue to develop chemistry with the rest of Houston's offensive line. He might not hit the heights of his Patriots days, but he’s as sturdy as they come.
20. James Daniels, Pittsburgh Steelers
Daniels has been an underrated guard throughout his six NFL seasons and might be considered underrated again. The former Bear earned the lowest grade of his career in 2023 but has allowed only one sack in two years with the Steelers.
He recorded the 20th-lowest pressure rate allowed among all guards in the NFL and let up 24 pressures in 2023.
21. Alex Cappa, Cincinnati Bengals
Cappa has been a solid, if unspectacular, addition to the Bengals' offensive line since signing a four-year, $35 million contract in 2022. He earned a 64.9 PFF overall grade in 2023 and a 67.6 mark in 2022. While Cappa allowed a career-high 35 pressures in 2023, he is still a credible pass-blocker and a strong enough run-blocker.
His 67.3 run-blocking grade was the best along the Bengals' offensive line and a top-20 mark in the NFL.
22. Daniel Brunskill, Tennessee Titans
Brunskill deputized across most of the offensive line for the 49ers in 2022 before signing with the Titans the next offseason and earning a role as the team’s starting right guard — a position where he had spent the majority of his career.
The result was positive for the Titans. Brunskill earned a 67.1 PFF overall grade in 2023 and allowed just 26 pressures in pass protection. He’ll be an important cog in protecting second-year quarterback Will Levis in 2024.
23. Will Hernandez, Arizona Cardinals
Hernandez has looked more comfortable since signing with the Cardinals, earning 65.0-plus PFF overall grades in back-to-back seasons. The former Giant has become a more than reliable pass-blocker during that time, too, and his 70.2 pass-blocking grade in 2023 was the 14th-highest mark among guards.
24. Ezra Cleveland, Jacksonville Jaguars
Cleveland was traded to the Jaguars midway through the 2023 season to solve the team’s interior offensive line issues, but he struggled. His 46.0 PFF overall grade in seven games with Jacksonville was poor, but Cleveland showed more of his stuff with the Vikings in the first six games of the season, earning a 73.8 grade.
The Jaguars gave Cleveland a three-year, $24 million in the offseason, so they’re betting on him to find his footing in Year 2 with the team.
25. Connor McGovern, Buffalo Bills
McGovern earned a modest 55.4 PFF overall grade in his first season with the Bills in 2023, but that doesn’t tell the whole story. The former Cowboy allowed just 23 pressures across 695 pass-blocking snaps, and his 4.1% pressure rate allowed was a top-20 mark at the position.
He was an ever-present figure on the Bills' offensive line, too, playing 1,135 snaps in the 2023 regular season, the sixth most among guards, and starting every game for the team. His 74.2 pass-blocking grade ranked 11th.
26. Nate Davis, Chicago Bears
Davis has been injury-prone in his five NFL seasons in the NFL, and he featured in just 11 games in his first season with the Chicago Bears. The former Titan wasn’t able to put his best foot forward in 2023, earning a 52.9 PFF overall grade — the second-lowest mark of his career. But Davis was a consistently strong run-blocker in the three seasons preceding 2023, earning a 71.8 run-blocking grade from 2020 to 2022.
A healthy season could see Davis reaffirm his status as a solid guard in the NFL.
27. Graham Glasgow, Detroit Lions
Glasgow returned to the Lions in 2023 after three seasons with the Denver Broncos and slotted in at right guard. The veteran earned a 75.1 PFF overall grade in 16 games, the eighth highest among all guards in 2023, while his 82.1 run-blocking grade ranked fifth.
He was rewarded with a three-year, $20 million contract to return to the Lions in the offseason and will resume his role as the starting right guard on one of the best offensive lines in the NFL.
28. Peter Skoronski, Tennessee Titans
Starting as a rookie offensive lineman is a tough task, but Peter Skoronski still showed promise in his first year, recording a fair 61.6 PFF overall grade in 14 games in 2023. The former first-round pick will hope to continue to improve and develop into one of the NFL’s best.
He had six games with a pass-blocking grade of 72.0 or higher and a two-game stretch where he was nearly perfect in pass protection, allowing zero pressures against the Jacksonville Jaguars and Carolina Panthers.
29. Damien Lewis, Carolina Panthers
Lewis was a starter in his four years with the Seattle Seahawks, before earning a four-year, $53 million contract with the Carolina Panthers in the offseason.
Lewis’ 59.6 PFF overall grade in 2023 was the second lowest of his career, but he has earned a 68.0 pass-blocking grade over the past two seasons — which is more than respectable. He’ll need to be at his best to protect Bryce Young in Carolina moving forward.
30. Jonah Jackson, Los Angeles Rams
Jackson struggled with injuries in his four years with the Lions, but he’s been a starter in every game he’s played in. The four-year veteran earned a 61.0 PFF overall grade in 12 games this past year, including four with a pass-blocking grade of at least 80.0.
Now, Jackson has signed a hefty three-year, $51 million contract with the Los Angeles Rams and will hope to help improve an improving offensive line. That can happen if he stays healthy.
31. Mark Glowinski, New York Giants
Glowinski is a nine-year veteran and, up until 2023, has more or less been a constant starter at all of his stops. He started only six games for the New York Giants in 2023, but he was still dependable when needed. Glowinski’s 64.8 PFF overall grade ranked 25th in the NFL, and he had seven games with a 70.0-plus pass-blocking grade.
32. Cole Strange, New England Patriots
Despite being a surprise pick for the Patriots in 2022, Strange has emerged as a force and improved his 54.6 PFF overall grade in his rookie season to 64.6 in 10 games this past year.
Strange has started every game he’s played since being drafted and will look to continue to develop into a strong starting offensive lineman in New England.
© 2024 PFF - all rights reserved.