The first practice of the 2022 Reese’s Senior Bowl is five days from today. Over the course of this week, Shane P Hallam and I will be breaking down each position group for this year’s game.
Today, we look at the offensive tackles. As of today, 13 prospects that we project to be offensive tackles will be in Mobile.
Let’s break them down.
SENIOR BOWL AMERICAN TEAM
Darian Kinnard, Kentucky
Max Mitchell, Louisiana
Braxton Jones, Southern Utah
Chris Paul, Tulsa
Spencer Burford, UTSA
Cade Mays, Tennessee
Darrian Kinnard is likely the highest-rated offensive tackle on his squad. Kinnard is a multi-year starter in the SEC with ideal size. He could sneak into the back end of the first round.
Max Mitchell, Braxton Jones, Chris Paul, and Spencer Burford are four players that I will keep my eyes glued to during practices. I have watched limited tape on all four so I need to get a better idea of who they are as prospects.
Cade Mays was a late addition to the roster. Mays was the #1 ranked recruit coming out of high school; committing to Georgia. Injuries and inconsistency have plagued his career. Mays may even project inside to guard.
SENIOR BOWL NATIONAL TEAM
Bernhard Raimann, Central Michigan
Luke Goedeke, Central Michigan
Nick Zakelj, Fordham
Matt Waletzko, North Dakota
Trevor Penning, Northern Iowa
Abraham Lucas, Washington State
Daniel Faalele, Minnesota
Bernhard Raimann is a fun player to watch. The Austrian-born prospect signed with Central Michigan as a tight end. That athleticism shows when he is handling rushers on the edge.
Raimann’s teammate Luke Goedeke is no slouch. He isn’t the athlete his Chippewa bookend is but that doesn’t mean he is incapable of being an NFL starter.
I have watched one game each of the two FCS tackles on this roster, Nick Zakelj (@Nebraska) and Matt Waletzko (@Utah State). So, I will need to see how they handle themselves in Senior Bowl practices to make a final determination.
Abraham Lucas has been great as a starter for WAZZU for the last two years. He entered the season as a potential first-round prospect. I don’t think he is there right now but I do believe he is a solid day two player with early starting potential.
Daniel Faalele is a monster-sized human being. He is listed at 6’8” and 379-pounds. The Australian-born offensive tackle is dominant in the running game. The 1-on-1s at the Senior Bowl will tell a lot about whether he can handle the speed and bend off of the edge.