As we head into Week 6, it’s time to revisit our offensive line rankings for the 2018 season so far. We’ll do so by highlighting the top-graded player from each unit and diving into their performance so far. You’re probably not even reading this intro, but instead scrolling to see where your team ranks, so let’s get right to it.
1.
Starting Lineup:
Left Tackle: Andrew Whitworth, 87.6
Left Guard: Rodger Saffold, 77.5
Center: John Sullivan, 63.6
Right Guard: Austin Blythe, 78.6
Right Tackle: Rob Havenstein, 84.2
Andrew Whitworth, who turns 37 years old in December, continues to be the class of the tackle position in the NFL. Whitworth was drafted five picks after former Chargers left tackle Marcus McNeil, didn’t make a Pro Bowl until McNeil was already retired in 2012, and in his 13th NFL season is currently the second highest-graded tackle in the NFL.
2.
Starting Lineup:
Left Tackle: Jason Peters, 68.2
Left Guard: Stefen Wisniewski, 60.7
Center: Jason Kelce, 80.3
Right Guard: Brandon Brooks, 74.2
Right Tackle: Lane Johnson, 73.7
It seems like lifetimes ago the hot-button topic was whether or not Philadelphia should cut bait with center Jason Kelce. Pundits weren’t wrong to ask the question either, as Kelce’s 2016 season was his lowest-graded since his rookie year of 2011 and the Eagles were in need of cap space. Kelce’s rewarded their loyalty, though, with a career year in 2017 and is once again atop our center ranks in 2018.
3.
Starting Lineup:
Left Tackle: Terron Armstead, 82.8
Left Guard: Andrus Peat, 53.4
Center: Max Unger, 69.1
Right Guard: Larry Warford, 68.4
Right Tackle: Ryan Ramczyk, 80.7
We’ve known Terron Armstead has always been capable of this level of play since his dominant 2015 campaign, but it’s great to see it on the field once again. He’s allowed a grand total of seven pressures through the first five games with zero sacks to his name.
4.
Starting Lineup:
Left Tackle: David Bakhtiari, 88.0
Left Guard: Lane Taylor, 64.4
Center: Corey Linsley, 74.4
Right Guard: Byron Bell, 53.9
Right Tackle: Bryan Bulaga, 66.2
David Bakhtiari is currently on his own level in terms of pass protection at the left tackle position. His pass-sets are so pretty that I’ll be breaking them down in another article on Pro Football Focus on Thursday. For the season, he’s yielded all of seven pressures on 261 pass-block snaps.
5.
Starting Lineup:
Left Tackle: Joe Staley, 70.1
Left Guard: Laken Tomlinson, 65.5
Center: Weston Richburg, 58.5
Right Guard: Mike Person, 74.5
Right Tackle: Mike McGlinchey, 76.9
After a rocky start, rookie right tackle Mike McGlinchey has bounced back and is currently the highest-graded player along the 49ers' front. He’s only allowed three hurries over the past couple weeks, and his ability in the run game has translated immediately from college to pro. McGlinchey is the highest-graded run-blocking tackle in the league currently.
6.
Starting Lineup:
Left Tackle: Taylor Decker, 68.2
Left Guard: Frank Ragnow, 60.6
Center: Graham Glasgow, 61.7
Right Guard: T.J. Lang, 72.1
Right Tackle: Rick Wagner, 76.7
When you pay big money for a free-agent, you hope to be rewarded like the Lions have been with Ricky Wagner. His 2017 season out-graded his last year in Baltimore, and now his 2018 has been even better. Wagner’s 76.7 overall grade is currently fifth among all right tackles.
7.
Starting Lineup:
Left Tackle: Taylor Lewan, 73.0
Left Guard: Quinton Spain, 70.0
Center: Ben Jones, 64.1
Right Guard: Josh Kline, 55.0
Right Tackle: Jack Conklin, 76.7
It sure is good to have right tackle Jack Conklin back after missing the first three weeks. Without him, and for a time left tackle Taylor Lewan, the Titans' offense was a very watered down version of what it could be to try and protect their backup tackles. Since returning, Conklin has allowed three total hurries against the Eagles and Bills combined.
8.
Starting Lineup:
Left Tackle: Trent Williams, 78.7
Left Guard: Chase Roullier, 57.8
Center: Ton Bergstrom, 55.1
Right Guard: Brandon Scherff, 75.3
Right Tackle: Morgan Moses, 70.5
No surprise who the highest-graded player on this line is for Washington. Trent Williams continues to dominate. Even after allowing his first sack this week (albeit cheaply on a desperation strip), Williams' 88.8 pass-block grade is second best among all tackles in the league.
9.
Starting Lineup:
Left Tackle: Trent Brown, 61.0
Left Guard: Joe Thuney, 70.0
Center: David Andrews, 71.8
Right Guard: Shaq Mason, 72.8
Right Tackle: Marcus Cannon, 61.7
The interior of the Patriots' offensive line have all been in the midst of solid 2018 outings, but right guard Shaq Mason narrowly takes the cake here. Most encouraging has been his work in pass protection, which has been his weaker area over the course of his career. With only four pressures allowed so far, Mason is on pace to allow over 10 fewer than he did in 2017.
10.
Starting Lineup:
Left Tackle: Tyron Smith, 73.9
Left Guard: Connor Williams, 60.8
Center: Joe Looney, 62.2
Right Guard: Zack Martin, 75.8
Right Tackle: La'el Collins, 63.1
Zack Martin’s greatness is unquestioned at this point, as he remains on a Hall of Fame career path. This past Sunday, though, an extreme rarity happened. Martin has taken 2,614 pass sets in his career including the playoffs, and only six of them have resulted in sacks allowed. This one was ceded to another player on a Hall of Fame trajectory in J.J. Watt, so we won’t hold it against him too much.
11.
Starting Lineup:
Left Tackle: Charles Leno Jr., 80.6
Left Guard: Eric Kush, 53.4
Center: Cody Whitehair, 64.2
Right Guard: Kyle Long, 65.7
Right Tackle: Bobby Massie, 67.3
If you’ve been following these at all this year, you know that Charles Leno Jr. has been balling out for the Bears at left tackle. He’s allowed all of four hurries, zero hits and zero sacks thus far for the Chicago — quite the seventh-round pick.
12.
Starting Lineup:
Left Tackle: Desmond Harrison, 60.4
Left Guard: Joel Bitonio, 64.7
Center: JC Tretter, 74.5
Right Guard: Kevin Zeitler, 67.1
Right Tackle: Chris Hubbard, 61.2
J.C. Tretter has been your highest-graded Browns offensive lineman so far with a 74.5 overall grade. He’s been one of the most consistent pass-protecting centers in the league over the course of his career with four straight seasons now with 80-plus pass-block grades.
13.
Starting Lineup:
Left Tackle: Alejandro Villanueva, 69.8
Left Guard: Ramon Foster, 70.1
Center: Maurkice Pouncey, 56.7
Right Guard: B.J. Finney, 72.3
Right Tackle: Marcus Gilbert, 66.5
The Steelers are the first team of a handful on this list where a backup has actually been a teams highest graded player so far. B.J. Finney has played 153 snaps filling in for David DeCastro at right guard and has been superb in pass protection on them. He’s allowed three combined hurries and owns a 90.0 pass-block grade. That bodes well for the future of this offensive line.
14.
Starting Lineup:
Left Tackle: Ronnie Stanley, 75.4
Left Guard: Alex Lewis, 54.6
Center: Matt Skura, 62.8
Right Guard: Marshal Yanda, 74.9
Right Tackle: James Hurst, 58.7
Ronnie Stanley has very much lived up to the scouting report on him coming out of college. The Notre Dame left tackle took about as smooth a pass-sets as you’ll see at that level, but he had play strength and run blocking issues. This season, his 82.8 pass-block grade and 64.3 run-block grade tell the exact same story.
15.
Starting Lineup:
Left Tackle: Jake Matthews, 76.2
Left Guard: Wes Schweitzer, 52.1
Center: Alex Mack, 73.3
Right Guard: Brandon Fusco, 61.9
Right Tackle: Ryan Schraeder, 61.7
The Falcons have had their issues in pass protection at times this season, but don’t you dare put that blame anywhere near Jake Matthews. The newly minted left tackle is having the best season of his career and has already had two games where he didn’t allow a single pressure.
16.
Starting Lineup:
Left Tackle: Eric Fisher, 63.9
Left Guard: Cam Erving, 55.9
Center: Mitch Morse, 62.7
Right Guard: Jordan Devey, 76.9
Right Tackle: Mitchell Schwartz, 76.2
Playing tackle in the AFC West has gotten a whole lot easier in 2018 with Khalil Mack traded away, Joey Bosa out with injury and Von Miller banged up. Mitchell Schwartz is taking advantage and is in the midst of one of the best seasons of his career. He’s allowed only two hits and four hurries through the first five games in the Chiefs' high-powered offense.
17.
Starting Lineup:
Left Tackle: Le'Raven Clark, 69.2
Left Guard: Quenton Nelson, 65.1
Center: Ryan Kelly, 69.3
Right Guard: Braden Smith, 79.2
Right Tackle: Denzelle Good, 49.8
It’s only been one game, but we’re going to give some love to rookie Braden Smith’s performance last Thursday against the Patriots. Here was a college guard who filled in at right tackle and only allowed one hurry on 62 pass-block snaps. That’s a transition you rarely see and even more rarely see done well.
18.
Starting Lineup:
Left Tackle: Josh Wells, 60.6
Left Guard: Andrew Norwell, 59.4
Center: Brandon Linder, 75.8
Right Guard: A.J. Cann, 56.4
Right Tackle: Jermey Parnell, 66.7
When Brandon Linder was extended before last season, the overall reaction from the national media can best be described as “who?” Jaguars fans, and we here at PFF, however, saw a prudent move to lock up one of the most consistent interior linemen in the NFL. Linder once again has a pass-block grade over 80 with only three pressures allowed on the season.
19.
Starting Lineup:
Left Tackle: Garett Bolles, 66.4
Left Guard: Ronald Leary, 63.0
Center: Matt Paradis, 79.5
Right Guard: Connor McGovern, 76.2
Right Tackle: Billy Turner, 67.3
It’s comical at this point how underrated Broncos center Matt Paradis is. He broke onto the scene during Denver’s Super Bowl run and has been one of the top centers in the league since. In fact, since the start of the 2016 season, Paradis has been the fourth-highest graded center in the NFL ahead of much bigger names like Rodney Hudson and Maurkice Pouncey.
20.
Starting Lineup:
Left Tackle: Chris Clark, 57.2
Left Guard: Greg Van Roten, 60.8
Center: Ryan Kalil, 65.0
Right Guard: Tyler Larsen, 52.0
Right Tackle: Taylor Moton, 82.6
It’s difficult to believe that the Panthers could watch Taylor Moton in practice over the last year and a half and still not find a starting spot for him before injury forced him into the lineup. The second-year tackle has allowed three hurries now on 166 pass-block snaps for his entire career. That’s it. My guess is someone isn’t getting their job back when they’re fully healthy.
21.
Starting Lineup:
Left Tackle: Laremy Tunsil, 68.3
Left Guard: Ted Larsen, 53.4
Center: Travis Swanson, 69.8
Right Guard: Jesse Davis, 57.1
Right Tackle: Ja'Wuan James, 64.7
The Dolphins are the poster-boys for the offensive tackle learning curve and why taking one in the first-round is an investment, not a quick fix. Laremy Tunsil and Ja’Wuan James took their licks for a few years, but they are both finally looking like quality options at their respective positions. Tunsil has allowed only four hurries on 149 pass-block snaps this season.
22.
Starting Lineup:
Left Tackle: Kelvin Beachum, 64.2
Left Guard: James Carpenter, 60.6
Center: Spencer Long, 54.5
Right Guard: Brian Winters, 63.4
Right Tackle: Brandon Shell, 66.1
There hasn’t been a Jets offensive lineman that’s separated himself from the pack grade-wise, so we’ll highlight right tackle Brandon Shell. It’s rare to find anything close to competent tackle play outside the early rounds, making the fifth-round pick of Shell back in 2016 that much more impressive. He’s allowed nine total pressures through the first five weeks and just allowed his first sack of the season on Sunday.
23.
Starting Lineup:
Left Tackle: Kolton Miller, 56.5
Left Guard: Jon Feliciano, 41.8
Center: Rodney Hudson, 78.9
Right Guard: Gabe Jackson, 68.4
Right Tackle: Brandon Parker, 47.9
The complete deterioration of the once dominant interior in Oakland has been one of the more underrated storylines for their struggles this season. Oddly enough though, our grading says that it has everything to do with the guard position and not center Rodney Hudson, who is still playing at a high-level. He’s allowed all of two hurries on the season and has only allowed 24 total since coming to Oakland in 2015.
24.
Starting Lineup:
Left Tackle: Nate Solder, 66.6
Left Guard: Will Hernandez, 76.1
Center: John Greco, 52.7
Right Guard: Patrick Omameh, 54.5
Right Tackle: Chad Wheeler, 51.9
Rookie left guard Will Hernandez got baptized Week 1 against the Jaguars' dominant front, but he has since been lights out. He’s easily the highest-graded lineman for New York as well as the highest-graded rookie guard. For an offensive line that needed all five positions addressed in the offseason, one looks to be locked down.
25.
Starting Lineup:
Left Tackle: Russell Okung, 66.3
Left Guard: Dan Feeney, 38.6
Center: Mike Pouncey, 73.3
Right Guard: Michael Schofield, 63.7
Right Tackle: Sam Tevi, 56.9
The Mike Pouncey signing has shored up one position along the offensive line even if they still have a handful of holes. He’s allowed only two hurries so far and is on pace to allow over 30 fewer pressures than Spencer Pulley did a season ago.
26.
Starting Lineup:
Left Tackle: Dion Dawkins, 64.7
Left Guard: Vladimir Ducasse, 48.8
Center: Russell Bodine, 58.2
Right Guard: John Miller, 62.5
Right Tackle: Jordan Mills, 61.9
Dion Dawkins has built upon his encouraging rookie season and has looked like a plus pass protector through the first five weeks. Josh Allen has had his issues with taking sacks, but much of that blame falls on the rookie quarterback, as Dawkins has only been charged with one on the season.
27.
Starting Lineup:
Left Tackle: Riley Reiff, 69.0
Left Guard: Tom Compton, 67.6
Center: Pat Elflein, 52.6
Right Guard: Mike Remmers, 54.9
Right Tackle: Rashod Hill, 51.1
We had to dig deep to find a standout performer on this line, but left tackle has been otherwise solid outside of getting his butt handed to him by Jerry Hughes. Against Buffalo, he allowed 12 pressures. In the four other games combined, he’s allowed eight. Let’s hope the foot injury that caused him to leave the Eagles game isn’t serious.
28.
Starting Lineup:
Left Tackle: Donovan Smith, 60.5
Left Guard: Ali Marpet, 75.0
Center: Ryan Jensen, 52.9
Right Guard: Caleb Benenoch, 45.3
Right Tackle: Demar Dotson, 58.0
Ali Marpet has clearly been the standout along this line, and it hasn’t been close. His 75.0 overall grade is seventh-best among all guards – making the newly signed extension that makes him the seventh highest-paid guard in the NFL on a per year basis look like a steal.
29.
Starting Lineup:
Left Tackle: Duane Brown, 70.9
Left Guard: J.R. Sweezy, 54.7
Center: Justin Britt, 57.5
Right Guard: D.J. Fluker, 60.2
Right Tackle: Germain Ifedi, 47.1
After a few hiccups in Week 1, Duane Brown has been back at the top of his game. He’s earned a pass-block grade above 80.0 ever since 2010 and has only allowed four pressures over the last four weeks.
30.
Starting Lineup:
Left Tackle: Cordy Glenn, 55.6
Left Guard: Clint Boling, 68.0
Center: Trey Hopkins, 54.2
Right Guard: Alex Redmond, 53.7
Right Tackle: Bobby Hart, 56.3
There may not be a more thankless player in the NFL than Bengals left guard Clint Boling. Early in his career, he was outshined by left tackle Andrew Whitworth then right guard Kevin Zeitler along the Bengals' offensive line. Now, he’s been unfairly grouped in with one of the worst offensive lines in the league. The truth is, he’s been a consistently above average guard his entire career, and his 78.7 pass-block grade so far this season is easily the highest among Bengals starters.
31.
Starting Lineup:
Left Tackle: Martinas Rankin, 48.8
Left Guard: Senio Kelemete, 58.9
Center: Nick Martin, 60.8
Right Guard: Zach Fulton, 58.1
Right Tackle: Kendall Lamm, 60.3
Getting this far down on the list, the concept of highlighting the top performer on each offensive line can get difficult. 104 offensive linemen with at least 100 snaps so far this season have graded out higher than Nick Martin – the Texans' highest-graded offensive lineman. That should tell you everything you need to know about why they’re ranked this low.
32.
Starting Lineup:
Left Tackle: D.J. Humphries, 64.9
Left Guard: Mike Iupati, 50.1
Center: Mason Cole, 41.7
Right Guard: Justin Pugh, 51.1
Right Tackle: John Wetzel, 60.7
Arizona is another team where it’s difficult to find any singular player to single out, but for now, left tackle D.J. Humphries and his 64.9 overall grade tops the Cardinals line. The encouraging thing for Arizona is that his pass-block grade has increased every week this season after allowing six pressures against Washington in Week 1. This past week, he didn’t allow a single pressure against San Francisco.
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