• Why Will Campbell can make a case to be the top OT in the draft: The LSU product takes home two superlatives after his stellar play last season.
• There are two very impressive athletes who can be elite zone blockers in the NFL: Jonah Savaiinea and Aireontae Ersery would thrive for teams that employ zone-blocking scheme schemes in the NFL.
• Dominate fantasy football season with promo code PFF25: Unlock all of PFF's fantasy content and tools, including full access to the fantasy football mock draft simulator, for 25% off using promo code PFF25.
Estimated Reading Time: 5 minutes
We’re rolling through the trenches in our summer scouting series and today, we’re taking the offensive tackles. I feel as though a good way to highlight some of the best in the class.
These are the best run blockers, athletes, pass protectors and more from the offensive tackle class in the upcoming 2025 NFL Draft.
BEST ATHLETE: KELVIN BANKS JR., TEXAS
Banks is a former five-star offensive tackle who is currently listed at 6-foot-4 and 324 pounds. He’s been Texas’ left tackle for the last two seasons, the first of which was his true freshman year. It doesn’t take many snaps to appreciate how well he moves for his position. First of all, even before the ball is snapped, his flexibility is impressive. He has the hip and hamstring flexibility to sit low in his pre-snap stance, and from that low stance, his first step is explosive and powerful. He also shows really good balance. In 2023, he earned an impressive PFF athletic score due to his speed versus his peers.
BEST FOOTWORK: JONAH SAVAIINEA, ARIZONA
There is some debate about Jonah Savaiinea’s position at the NFL level. He has started for Arizona each year he has been with the program. He started at right guard as a freshman in 2022 and at right tackle as a sophomore in 2023. He fared well at right tackle with an 81.7 pass-blocking grade, even with what appears to be shorter arms. The reason he is able to maintain such high grades is due to his footwork. His feet fire fast and powerfully out of his stance. He displays so much lateral quickness to mirror pass-rushers, even if his kick stride doesn’t cover as much ground as it does for longer offensive tackles. His footwork gives him the chance to remain at tackle at the next level.
BEST HAND USAGE: BLAKE MILLER, CLEMSON
At 6-foot-6 and just 295 pounds, Clemson right tackle Blake Miller has to gain weight and strength to start at the NFL level. However, if he does, the rest of his game is so impressive already as just a true junior entering the 2024 season. His footwork, balance, patience, intelligence and hand technique allow him to be a smooth operator in pass protection. He played offensive and defensive line in high school and also has a wrestling background, which helps with core strength and balance. His patience and precision show why placement and timing are important when hand-fighting with pass-rushers.
BEST MAN/GAP RUN BLOCKER: WILL CAMPBELL, LSU
Get used to hearing the name Will Campbell, as LSU’s left tackle has a chance to be the first offensive tackle taken in this upcoming draft and he No. 1 overall pick. Campbell has been the Tiger’s starting left tackle since his true freshman season. Now as a true junior, he has about as well-rounded of a game as you could ask for in a player who is entering his first draft-eligible season. At 6-foot-6 and 320 pounds, Campbell's height and weight land above the 60th percentile for the position. His stance is more compact, which makes him more powerful, especially when his first step is forward in a man/gap-blocking concept. He earned a 78.0 run-blocking grade in man/gap schemes in 2023, but he also earned a 79.6 blocking grade on zone concepts. On top of that, only 7.9% of his run-blocking plays recorded a negative grade in 2023, which was a 78th percentile score (in a good way).
BEST ZONE BLOCKER: AIREONTAE ERSERY, MINNESOTA
I will admit I did not think a 6-foot-6 and 330-pound offensive lineman was going to be the best zone-blocking lineman of the bunch heading into the season, but that’s exactly what Minnesota’s Aireontae Ersery is. As a redshirt senior entering 2024, he has been the Gophers starting left tackle for the last two years. His most impressive trait (though there are a handful) is his first step. The explosiveness and amount of ground he can cover moving laterally has yielded high success as a zone blocker, as he earned an 89.9 run-blocking grade on zone concepts. He is about as light on his feet and on the move as you’ll see for a player carrying his weight, and those extra pounds come with some good power once he makes contact, too.
BEST PASS PROTECTOR: WILL CAMPBELL, LSU
This superlative was actually pretty tough. Banks has the movement skills to mirror any speed rusher, but he does have some length concerns at just 6-foot-4. Miller is such a patient player with smooth movements of his own, but he lacks the strength to handle power rushers right now. That brought me back to Campbell. His narrow stance and high waist do worry me a bit, but he just does so many things well once the ball is snapped. He is balanced, explosive, powerful, smart and confident. Though he is high-waisted, you don’t see him bend at the waist to over-extend due to his patience. He earned a raw 79.1 pass-blocking grade and a 78.9 true pass-blocking grade (no play-action, screens, with at least four pass-rushers and at least 2.1 seconds in the pocket).
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