Guard Rankings for the 2024 NFL Draft

Washington's Troy Fautanu shows up on both my offensive tackle and guard rankings. The reason isn't the same as some of the other players who show up on two lists, where I think they need to switch from the spot many view them. I genuinely think Fautanu can play LT or LG at a high level in the NFL from day one. He spent 29 of his 31 career starts at LT, with the other two at LG. Fautanu is a great athlete who, while he is a bit undersized, has great arm length for his size at 34.5".His calling card is going to his great pass-blocking. He brings more power to defenders than they are probably expecting when they look at his smaller frame at 6'3", 317 LBs, and he never takes a playoff. If his assignment is sent on a stunt inside, he looks for the nearest person to inflict damage on, and more often than not, he completely takes his assignment out of the play altogether.

Fautanu is currently my fourth highest-ranked offensive lineman in this year's class, and if I'm being honest, I have been fighting the urge to have him jump up 1 to 2 spots, but his size has held me back. But I still have one more big board that will drop before the draft, so I guess we will see if I'm able to get past it because I think he has the best film of any offensive lineman in this class. When it's all said and done, I wouldn't be shocked at all to see him be the first offensive lineman off the board. If you asked me the one offensive lineman in this class that I'd be the most shocked about if he ended up not having a solid NFL career, my answer without hesitation would be Troy Fautanu. 

3, Graham Barton, Duke

4. Christian Haynes, UConn

5. Cooper Beebe, Kansas State

6. Dominick Puni, Kansas

7. Sataoa Laumea, Utah

8. Christian Mahogany, Boston College

9. Mason McCormick, South Dakota State

10. Zak Zinter, Michigan

Michigan's Zak Zinter was one of the leaders in the locker room and on the field for the Wolverines. And while he got to end his college career as a National Champion, he couldn't play in the College Football Playoff after suffering a gruesome leg injury that forced him to miss the final three games. That leg injury has also prevented him from working out for teams this draft cycle, which hurts his draft stock. Even before the injury, though, I don't think Zinter has an area of his game that is elite by any means. But I think his consistency and leadership skills will help him be a solid starting guard in the NFL for a long time as long as his leg can get back to 100%. Zinter may have to sit his entire rookie season while he gets back to full health, but he is a player on day three of the NFL Draft that a team is going to look at and clearly see a path towards him being a starter sooner rather than later in his NFL career. And who knows, maybe his college coach, Jim Harbaugh, will want to bring the Michigan team captain with him to the Chargers. 

11. Isaiah Adams, Illinois

12. Trevor Keegan, Michigan

13. LaDarius Henderson, Michigan

14. Brandon Coleman TCU

15. Javion Cohen, Miami