Top 10 offensive tackles in the 2019 NFL Draft

Just missed the cut:

Kaleb McGary, Washington

McGary was a conference defensive player of the year and all-conference tight-end in Washington before joining the Huskies. After redshirting his first year In Seattle, he moved into the starting lineup midway through the 2015 season. McGary started every game at right tackle these last three years, while earning first-team All-Pac-12 honors in each of the last two. He is nasty and tough run-blocker with barely any fat on that 6’7”, 317-pound frame. He excelled in Washington inside/outside zone ground attack that led to four 1250+ yard seasons for running back Myles Gaskin and once he has control, he just continues to drive his man across the field. On B-gap runs inside of him McGary invites the edge defender a step upfield and then rides them upfield towards his own goal-line to give the ball-carrier room. When the run is going the opposite way of him, he closes down the space to his guard and shields the backside to avoid any immediate penetration. McGary stays attached to his man in the run game until the whistle is blown and when he is on the move he is looking to take somebody out. He displays very quiet feet in protection and consistently stays squared up against his rusher. It looks like his opponents often times don’t really know what to do because they have to try to peak around him to find the passer and that enables him to shoot his hands inside the frame of the defender. McGary feels when his opponent is leaning into him and are off balance, enabling him to put them down on their chest and negate their rush. He is looking for work in protection if he doesn’t have anybody in front of him and he delivers a nice jab on the initial stunter on twists, while readying himself for the defender coming over the top. McGary as a ton of quality experience getting out in space in the screen game, as he swipes off the defender’s hands he initially engages with and gets on his horse. With that being said, he takes his eyes down at times as a run blocker because he doesn’t get any natural leverage and oversets to the outside a bit on reach-blocks. While being 6’7” his arms don’t even quite measure in at 33 inches. So he doesn’t have lateral agility or length to recover from early losses in his pass sets, plus guys on the edge can get that stab arm inside the tackle’s chest if there is no immediate contact. While he has been medically cleared to play college ball, McGary’s heart arrhythmia has to be pointed out. He did a nice job staying balanced in one-on-ones at the Senior Bowl and landed on top of a couple of guys there. He was a very consistently solid all-around right tackle for the Huskies with limitations that might lead to a move inside. I like his upper body strength and aggressive mindset however.

Yodny Cajuste, West Virginia

After redshirting his first year in Morgantown, Cajuste started the team’s first six games at left tackle the next year but missed the rest of the season with a knee injury. In 2016 his season ended after just one game already, before garnering second-team All-Big XII honors as a full-time blindside protector as a junior. Last season he improved on that, being named Co-Big XII Offensive Linemen of the Year. Built like a tank, Cajuste’s game revolves around power and a mean spirit. He gains a lot ground working down the line on zone-plays for such a big man by rolling his hips and working his legs and he absolutely demolishes guys off the ball on down-blocks and pushing from an angle, where he can directly move onto the second level on combo-action without really having to change his path. Cajuste positions his hands outside the chest of his man and turns his body on seal-blocks on the backside of run plays, which actually opens some space for potential cut-backs. He was used on some power pulls with the Mountaineers and blew the smaller linebackers in that conference up. When the running back is stood up, you will find Cajuste pushing that pile. In protection his hands are coiled and ready shoot, as he has vice-grip on them to just shut rushers down once he gets them inside the opponent’s frame. He has the type of trunks that help him absorb bull rushes and the wide frame that makes it hard for people to just get around. Cajuste uses his length to help him out a lot in pass protection and keep his man at a distance. He didn’t face many true threats off the edge in the Big XII, especially with plenty of three-man rushes, but had a pretty flawless day versus TCU’s Ben Banogu and L.J. Collier. He processes defensive games and overall movement quite well and is ready to shift his focus. Cajuste plays with his chest over his knees way too much and has heavy feet, which make it hard for him to just calmly kick and slide. He was able to excel in the Big XII with all those quick screens and lack of actual drop-backs with those short gallop steps and the length to guide rushers, but he will have to prove he can actual sustain his blocks on the outside and be a full-time pass protector. I thought he showed some hip tightness and he would benefit from shedding ten pounds or so. Unlike some people who project Cajuste as a guard, I think he could play full-time on the edge if he loses a little bit of weight and improves his foot quickness. However, he will have to play on an offense that is built around running the ball, short pass sets and slide protections. He won’t hold up 60 minutes on an island against some of the premiere speedy edge rushers in the NFL.

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The next guys up:

Dennis Daley (South Carolina), Bobby Evans (Oklahoma), Mitch Hyatt (Clemson), Isaiah Prince (Ohio State), Derwin Gray (Maryland)