Offensive guard may not be one of the flashiest positions on the football field, but it is certainly an important one as these interior offensive linemen are tasked with protecting the quarterback and paving open lanes for their running backs. The best guard in this 2022 NFL Draft class is one that I think will be a tremendous value on draft day: Texas A&M’s 6’4″ 325 lb. Kenyon Green. Green is a highly experienced, versatile, and well-rounded prospect who I would be comfortable selecting in the first fifteen picks but who is likely to come off the board around ten picks later. Let’s dive into the tape to see why I am so high on Green!
Strengths: Green possesses a great combination of athleticism and power. He is a mauler in the run game, generating serious movement with his overwhelming strength. He shows a nasty attitude, blocking through the whistle and sending defenders into the ground. He is intelligent blocking in the run game as well, effectively steering open running lanes. Green excels in pass protection as well. His lateral quickness is impressive, and he gets depth on his pass sets. He blocks with a wide base and a strong anchor, showing the ability to absorb contact without giving up ground. Green consistently gets inside hand placement on his opponent and controls him with outstanding grip strength to sustain blocks. He does well to push his opponent off the path to the quarterback when he is beaten by a step. Green keeps his head on a swivel and regularly picks up multiple blocks during one play, showing good lateral agility to effortlessly redirect. He excels in space, as he possesses the athleticism to be effective pulling and blocking at the second level. Green is highly experienced and durable. Additionally, he offers remarkable versatility. Over the course of the 2021 season, Green played both tackle positions and both guard positions, and I truly believe that he possesses the ability to do so in the NFL as well. He is athletic enough to seal the edge as a tackle, and his ability to slide out to the edge when injuries arise really increases his value. His performance at left tackle against Alabama and Will Anderson was extremely impressive.
Weaknesses: Green can lack the awareness to pick up an incoming blitzer at times. Similarly, he can be a tick late to process which block he is responsible for in pass protection, which endangers his quarterback. At times, though not often, Green can overextend and lose balance as his upper body gets ahead of his lower body.
Bottom Line: Green is one of the safest, best prospects in the 2022 NFL Draft class. He can legitimately play four of the five positions on the offensive line in the NFL at a high level. I believe he is best suited at left guard, but his ability to slide into other positions when needed significantly increases his value. Green is powerful to maul defenders in the run game and absorb contact in pass protection, but also very athletic to get quality depth on pass sets in pass protection and block out to the second level in the run game. There are very few weaknesses in his game, and no serious ones, making him an extremely safe prospect. I expect Green to be a top-level starter in the NFL for over a decade, and would not be surprised if he becomes an All-Pro multiple times in his career.
Grade: 1.5 (indicative of an mid-first-round grade)
The NFL Draft is right around the corner and we’ve got you covered with content up until Roger Goodell officially puts the Jacksonville Jaguars on the clock on April 28th! Tomorrow night at 10:30 p.m. ET fellow scout Alex Greb and I will be live on the Bold Take Scouting YouTube channel to reveal and discuss our defensive positional rankings? Who is our top edge rusher? Did Devin Lloyd or Nakobe Dean earn the billing of the top linebacker? Jordan Davis or Devonte Wyatt? Make sure to tune in to find out these answers and more!
Sources
- Cover Image: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/texas-sports-nation/college/article/A-versatile-Kenyon-Green-helps-Texas-A-M-fix-its-16533801.php
