Best of the Offensive Linemen- Offensive Guard Edition
This is an attempt to look over the PFL and highlight the top 10% of the players at each of the positions. There are I’m sure many different ways to do this including stats-based metrics. However, I would prefer to do this based on attributes and based on attributes that I prefer. This means two things, one that the players in this ranking may not have the stats to match and two. The players in this ranking will have the attributes that I prefer not necessarily the attributes that everyone else prefers. This doesn’t mean anyone else is necessarily wrong. It’s just based on how I value players. I also am looking for the most part at attributes, not age. Age may be a tiebreaker or itself like an attribute in the sense that they have higher upside, but I’ll be looking at all players regardless of their age. The same basic idea with their contracts some players have huge contracts and while that may be a small factor in this, it will not be a significant factor. Since I’m primarily looking at the physical attributes.
For this particular article on offensive linemen, I’m gonna break it down with three sub positions. The second position is offensive guard. According to the fifth system tool on the website, there are 174 offensive guards. So I will be highlighting the top 15 again according to my criteria.
Speaking of criteria, here are the basic attribute thresholds that need to be reached to be considered elite:
55 SPD | 85 STR | 60 AWR | 60 AGI | 65 ACC | 80 PBK | 80 RBK
Offensive Guards
#1- LG-Steve Hutchinson- Seattle Seahawks- 30 years old | 6’5” | 313 lbs. | 64 SPD | 93 STR | 89 AWR | 70 AGI | 76 ACC | 89 PBK | 89 RBK
Hutchinson has the perfect blend of both physical and non-physical attributes. I think it makes total sense with his age. He’s at the sweet spot where he still has his athleticism (first year of regression) and has rounded into form with 89 AWR, PBK, and RBK. He’s been a cornerstone for the Seahawks offense. In his six seasons in the PFL, he’s been to the Pro-Bowl once.
#2- LG-Jordan Gross- Baltimore Ravens- 25 years old | 6’4” | 305 lbs. | 67 SPD | 95 STR | 85 AWR | 68 AGI | 78 ACC | 82 PBK | 92 RBK
Gross comes in at #2 on this list. He’s very close to Hutchinson. In fact, he’s athletically superior but loses out in the important AWR attribute. But he has great upside and would be at the top of the list if this list were next season. He was taken with the 10th pick in the 2003 draft and for good reason. He’s one of the very few standouts at the offensive guard position. It’s been a minute, but if you look back at the original rosters, the offensive linemen were pretty much total trash, so I understand the Ravens thinking here. Gross has been good since his arrival. He has been in the league for 4 seasons and has been a Pro-Bowler in 2 of those 4.
#3- LG-Kris Dielman- Arizona Cardinals- 25 years old | 6’4” | 320 lbs. | 76 SPD | 94 STR | 72 AWR | 67 AGI | 71 ACC | 98 PBK | 93 RBK
Kris Dielman comes in at #3 on this list and he’s so close to being really elite his ACC is just a little too low. But he’s got the highest ceiling of most players at the position in terms of SPD, STR, PBK, and RBK. And another huge plus for him is that he is only 25 years old which means the Cardinals should have him around for several more seasons. Dielman, who was taken with the 6th overall pick in the 2003 draft, is in his second year of a seven-year restructured contract. He’s had four seasons in the PFL but has yet to make it to a Pro-Bowl though he has the attributes to be a regular selection.
#4- RG-Jon Stinchcomb- Buffalo Bills- 26 years old | 6’5” | 315 lbs. | 65 SPD | 94 STR | 71 AWR | 75 AGI | 75 ACC | 93 PBK | 90 RBK
Jon Stinchcomb comes in next at #4 on the list. He’s a curious case in the sense that he is elite or borderline elite in attributes but his on the field performance has been below average. In fact, he currently owns the career record for most sacks against at the offensive guard position. That may have more to do with the QB’s behind him than his talent, but nevertheless this is a dubious record to possess. And I honestly don’t know why from an attribute perspective that he is anywhere as bad as he has been. It’s simply baffling to me other than poor, inexperienced QB play.
#5- RG-Brandon Moore- San Diego Chargers- 27 years old | 6’3” | 295 lbs. | 65 SPD | 90 STR | 75 AWR | 71 AGI | 76 ACC | 90 PBK | 90 RBK
Brandon Moore comes in at #5 on the list. He’s really similar to Stinchcomb other than being a little undersized. However, Moore has been far more productive than Stinchcomb. To draw this comparison out even more, Moore has more sack given up in all four seasons than Stinchcomb’s rookie season of 19. It’s crazy. They are pretty much the same player with similar attributes. Come to think of it, maybe playbook could also have something to do with it. I’m going to need to do some more research to understand this better.
#6- LG-Eric Heitmann- San Francisco 49ers- 27 years old | 6’3” | 305 lbs. | 65 SPD | 91 STR | 68 AWR | 67 AGI | 74 ACC | 92 PBK | 88 RBK
Eric Heitmann comes in at #7 on this list. Heitmann has elite level blocking skills and very good physical attributes. He lacks a bit of AWR but has overall upside. He was on the 49ers original roster and has started all four seasons with one of those seasons ending in a Pro-Bowl selection.
#7- LG-Ben Claxton- Buffalo Bills- 25 years old | 6’2” | 301 lbs. | 80 SPD | 88 STR | 63 AWR | 71 AGI | 77 ACC | 85 PBK | 85 RBK
Ben Claxton comes in at #7 and he might be the most intriguing of all the players on this list. He’s got really good athleticism. In fact, if you were to grade on the curve, he would almost certainly be at the top of the list for athleticism. The 80 SPD is just crazy. I don’t know if there are diminishing returns at some point on SPD or not, but it’s very impressive. Claxton is a former 5th round pick by the Chargers in the 2003 draft. He’s coming off of a really good 2006 season in Buffalo and you have to be bullish on his future.
#8- RG- Nick Hardwick- Washington Redskins- 26 years old | 6’4” | 305 lbs. | 65 SPD | 95 STR | 66 AWR | 63 AGI | 81 ACC | 85 PBK | 85 RBK
Nick Hardwick comes in at #8 on the list and he really could be even higher. He’s a physically gifted offensive guard. I have to wonder if he isn’t a converted center but that doesn’t really matter. Either way he’s a really good up and coming OG. He does lack AWR and while his blocking is more than sufficient it’s not yet elite. He was drafted by the Redskins with the 1st pick in the 2004 draft and he’s been a three year starter in the league. Garza
#9- RG-Robert Garza- Atlanta Falcons- 28 years old | 6’2” | 296 lbs. | 65 SPD | 89 STR | 76 AWR | 66 AGI | 69 ACC | 96 PBK | 95 RBK
Coming in at #9 on the top offensive guard list is Robert Garza of the Atlanta Falcons. Garza is above average physically though his ACC is low. But he has elite level blocking skills (both passing and run) and decent to above average AWR at 76. One of the challenges Garza faces is that he blocks for a scrambling QB. And even though Vick is a high AWR scrambler, he still is going to rack up more sacks than if he wasn’t one. Garza was an original roster player in Atlanta who has started all four seasons.
#10- RG-Jonathan Goodwin- New York Jets- 29 years old | 6’3” | 318 lbs. | 60 SPD | 92 STR | 84 AWR | 69 AGI | 67 ACC | 88 PBK | 90 RBK
Coming in at #10 on this list is Jonathan Goodwin. Goodwin has excellent AWR, PBK, and RBK. I would say he’s top 5 in that combo. It’s his ACC that really keeps him from being elite in my mind. He has been a three-year starter in the league with the Jets and has played all four seasons in New York as an original roster player. He has yet to make his first Pro-Bowl but this year could be the year for that.
#11- RG-Justin Hartwig- Carolina Panthers- 29 years old | 6’4” | 305 lbs. | 65 SPD | 91 STR | 84 AWR | 68 AGI | 71 ACC | 86 PBK | 86 RBK
#11 on the list is Justin Hartwig of the Carolina Panthers. Similar in age to Goodwin, he’s also similar in attributes as well. Noticeably better in SPD and ACC but not as good at blocking. Hartwig is an original roster player who began with the Titans before being traded to Carolina. He’s been a four-year starter in the league and is ready to shine in 2007.
#12- RG-Scott Wells- Denver Broncos- 26 years old | 6’2” | 302 lbs. | 57 SPD | 98 STR | 64 AWR | 63 AGI | 74 ACC | 92 PBK | 86 RBK
At #12 is Scott Wells of the Denver Broncos. The 26 years lacks the ideal SPD and AGI and is still a little light on AWR but is really strong and has borderline elite blocking skills. Wells was drafted by the Broncos with the 27th pick in the second round of the 2004 draft. He’s been a three-year starter including the Broncos Super Bowl winning team in 2006. He’s yet to make a Pro-Bowl but still has time to make that happen though not blocking for Manning may be a bigger challenge for him in 2007.
#13- LG-Rich Seubert- New York Giants- 28 years old | 6’5” | 305 lbs. | 59 SPD | 89 STR | 85 AWR | 66 AGI | 68 ACC | 90 PBK | 90 RBK
Coming in at #13 on the list is Rich Seubert of the New York Giants. He’s had perhaps one of the harder assignments in the PFL blocking for a young Tony Romo. Blocking for rookies and lower AWR QB’s can be a really difficult task. In spite of that, Seubert has acquitted himself very well. He’s only allowed 16 sacks in his four seasons as a starter. Again, very impressive considering the QB development ongoing in New York. Seubert was one of the original roster players in New York.
#14- RG-Cosey Coleman- Tampa Bay Buccaneers- 29 years old | 6’4” | 322 lbs. | 56 SPD | 92 STR | 78 AWR | 61 AGI | 71 ACC | 90 PBK | 90 RBK
Cosey Coleman sneaks in at #14 on this list. I am not a huge fan of Coleman, but there just really isn’t anyone else any better. It shows that there is still a relative lack of talent at the position. His athleticism is just passable. He hits every one of the minimum benchmarks but none of those attributes are all that impressive. He does have above average blocking skills and decent AWR. That’s pretty much how he ends up on this list.
#15- RG-Courtney VanBuren- Minnesota Vikings- 25 years old | 6’7” | 250 lbs. | 73 SPD | 88 STR | 66 AWR | 64 AGI | 73 ACC | 90 PBK | 90 RBK
Coming in at #15 in this list is Courtney VanBuren. He’s a controversial pick I think. And the reason for that is his weight. It’s traditionally an automatic disqualifier and it would have been for me as well but I just missed it. And then when I went and looked at his stats, I felt as though I had to include him in the list even if I’m a little skeptical about his upside. The Vikings have been banking on weight not meaning much and for them it has worked pretty well the last couple of seasons. They need him to be good in order for their team to work, but it’s hard to argue against the evidence.
