• Frank Ragnow and Graham Glasgow are a lethal duo for Detroit: The Lions sport the most effective interior duo in the NFL, as both charted 94.0-plus grades on combo blocks in 2023.
• Chris Lindstrom's dominance continues: The Falcons guard earned an 80.0-plus overall grade for the third straight season and was the only guard to earn 75.0-plus grades in both run blocking and pass blocking.
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Estimated Reading Time: 6 minutes
Before we go full steam ahead into free agency and the 2024 NFL Draft, we’re taking one last look at the top players in the NFL at each position.
Here were the top 20 interior offensive linemen in the NFL by overall PFF grade in 2023.
Click below to view other positions:
1. C Frank Ragnow, Detroit Lions: 88.8
Ragnow stands in the middle of Detroit’s road-grading offensive line and is an effective tone-setter for the group. The Lions center finished with the league’s highest interior run-blocking grade (91.3). Part of that success stems from Ragnow being half of the most lethal interior duo in the league, along with his teammate Graham Glasgow. On combo blocks, Ragnow earned an incredible 94.2 run-blocking grade.
2. RG Chris Lindstrom, Atlanta Falcons: 87.6
The Falcons guard stands out as perhaps the most consistent and well-rounded blocker in the NFL, finishing as the only interior lineman to exceed an 85.0 run-blocking grade and a 75.0 pass-blocking grade. Lindstrom recorded an incredible 21.9% impact run-block rate, the highest among interior linemen. In pass protection, he surrendered just 15 quarterback pressures, tied for the fewest by any guard with at least 400 pass sets.
3. C Connor Williams, Miami Dolphins: 86.5
Despite his season being cut short due to injury, Williams provided the Miami line with a foundational piece. The Dolphins center was particularly adept in Mike McDaniel’s zone-heavy scheme, where he clocked a league-best 92.4 run-blocking grade on zone concepts. Williams was equally impressive in pass protection, allowing just six pressures on 280 pass sets.
4. RG Kevin Dotson, Los Angeles Rams: 84.4
Dotson, in his first year in Los Angeles, saw a massive improvement in his run-blocking productivity over his previous campaigns, producing a 29-point increase on the grading scale. Dotson earned the league’s best interior run-blocking grade on gap-scheme runs (90.4), finishing as the only qualifying interior player to exceed a 20% impact block rate and a sub-10% defeated rate.
5. RG Quinn Meinerz, Denver Broncos: 83.7
Meinerz’s movement ability and strength at the point of attack are incredible assets on the interior of Sean Payton’s offensive line. The Broncos guard proved to be a wrecking ball on the move, amassing the league’s best interior run-blocking grade when pulling (88.3). While he was limited to just 17 pull blocks this past season, his incredible 41.2% impact block rate ranked first among interior linemen with 10 or more.
6. C Drew Dalman, Atlanta Falcons: 82.3
Lindstrom isn’t the only road-grader paving the way for the Falcons' zone run game. Atlanta deployed the most zone run concepts of any team this regular season (315), by a wide margin. Dalman excelled in that scheme, earning a 90.9 run-blocking grade on zone concepts, the highest by any interior lineman with at least 250 zone run snaps.
7. C Creed Humphrey, Kansas City Chiefs: 81.4
En route to securing the Lombardi Trophy, Humphrey played 1,380 offensive snaps — the most by any offensive lineman in 2023. The third-year center was fantastic in the run game, totaling a 16.6% impact block rate while being defeated on just 9.6% of his 457 run-blocking snaps.
8. RG Sam Cosmi, Washington Commanders: 80.6
Cosmi may have had the most impressive final stretch of the 2023 season of any interior lineman. Before Week 11, the Commanders guard earned a respectable 68.8 PFF grade, and in the seven games to follow, that grade skyrocketed to a phenomenal 90.5 — the highest among interior blockers over that span.
9. RG/LG Jon Feliciano, San Francisco 49ers: 79.8
Feliciano’s versatility was his greatest asset this season, as he was often asked to shuffle across the Niners' interior. From the left guard spot, Feliciano earned an impressive 85.6 overall grade. When moved to the right side, where he spent the majority of his time, Feliciano produced the two best single-game grades in his career, a 91.4 outing in Week 14 followed by a 93.5 grade the next week.
10. C Erik McCoy, New Orleans Saints: 79.4
McCoy made massive strides in run blocking in 2023, rebounding from a 60.9 grade in 2022 to produce an impressive 89.4 grade this season, the fourth-highest mark among interior blockers. The Saints center is particularly adept when moving to the second level, where he produced a 19.5% win rate against linebackers, cornerbacks and safeties.
11. C Jason Kelce, Philadelphia Eagles: 78.8
Kelce, in his 13th season, continued to perform at an incredible level in both facets of his game in 2023, totaling his ninth season of earning a 75.0-plus PFF grade. The savvy veteran center stands above his contemporaries in terms of limiting mistakes in the run game. Kelce produced a negative grade on just 8.1% of his 467 run-blocking snaps, the lowest rate among interior blockers this season.
12. C Tyler Linderbaum, Baltimore Ravens: 78.5
The Ravens center set the standard for pass blocking at the center position in 2023. Linderbaum finished as the only center to surrender zero sacks on 550-plus pass-blocking snaps. On both true pass sets and play action, Linderbaum paced the position, producing grades that placed him in the 97th percentile this past season.
13. C Ryan Kelly, Indianapolis Colts: 77.2
Kelly managed to overcome a pair of concussions to establish himself as one of the most effective pass-blocking centers in the game. On nearly 500 pass sets, the Colts center allowed just seven quarterback pressures for an impressive 1.4% pressure rate, the best figure among centers.
14. RG Robert Hunt, Miami Dolphins: 76.4
Like his teammate Connor Williams, Hunt was a pivotal piece on a stout Miami interior unit. Despite also dealing with an injury this season that limited his workload, the Dolphins guard allowed pressure on just 1.4% of his 360 pass sets, the lowest of any qualifying guard in 2023.
15. RG Greg Van Roten, Las Vegas Raiders: 75.3
In his first season in Vegas, Van Roten produced a top-10 interior pass-blocking grade (77.4), the highest of his career. Across 626 pass sets, he earned a quality 98.1 pass-blocking efficiency rating, buoyed by four perfect games with a 100.0 efficiency rating.
T-16. RG/C Graham Glasgow, Detroit Lions: 74.9
Along with his aforementioned teammate, Frank Ragnow, Glasgow is half of the best interior duo in the NFL. Glasgow and Ragnow rank as the only interior tandem to surpass a 94.0-plus grade on combo blocks, with the latter pacing all interior blockers (94.5).
T-16. LG Joe Thuney, Kansas City Chiefs: 74.9
Thuney, a PFF first-team All-Pro, was the gold standard of interior pass protection this season, earning a league-best 84.5 pass-blocking grade. The Chiefs guard was incredible on true pass sets and five-to-seven-step drops, where he produced grades in the 90th and 96th percentiles, respectively.
T-18. C Andre James, Las Vegas Raiders: 74.6
James provided the Raiders' front with the consistency it needed. He surpassed a 70.0-plus grade as both a run blocker (75.0) and a pass protector (71.2), a feat just 12 players managed out of 120 qualifying interior linemen.
T-18. RG Trey Smith, Kansas City Chiefs: 74.6
Smith was an integral piece of the Chiefs' championship run in 2023, stepping up in the playoffs when it mattered most. He made huge strides in his pass protection in the postseason, orchestrating an eight-point jump on the grading scale over his regular-season performance. In the playoffs, Smith allowed nine pressures across 169 pass-blocking snaps, none of which were sacks or hits.
20. LG Tyler Smith, Dallas Cowboys: 74.4
Smith had another great year in 2023, beating out his 73.3 PFF grade earned as a rookie in 2022. The second-year guard is building a reputation in the ground game, particularly on gap runs. On those concepts, the Cowboys guard produced an impact block on 20.6% of his snaps, one of just four interior blockers to exceed a 20% rate this past season.
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