2022 NFL Draft Preview – Interior Offensive Line
March 11, 2022
By Noonefromtampa
With the impending departure of Brandon Scherff, the Washington Commanders will be in the market for a guard depth in either free agency or the draft. Center Chase Roullier and key backup Wes Schweitzer are both coming back from injuries, and Tyler Larsen, who was also injured, is a free agent. The first issue that the team will have to solve is who will take over at the starting right guard position. The second issue is depth at the interior line position.
Keith Ismael and Saahdiq Charles both saw extensive playing time this past season. Ismael is strictly a guard or center, while Charles can play guard or tackle. Ismael was not impressive in some games and had trouble with stronger players who could bull rush him.
Washington has options in the draft if they cannot secure the interior offensive line help they need in free agency. The interior offensive line pool in the draft has several players at the top, with the rest being in the middle to lower rounds.
Top 15 Players
| Name | Position | College | Height | Weight | Project Draft Round |
| Tyler Linderbaum | C | Iowa | 6’2” | 289 | 1st |
| Kenyon Green | G | Texas A&M | 6’4” | 330 | 1st |
| Zion Johnson | G | Boston College | 6’3” | 310 | 1st/2nd |
| Tyler Smith | G | Tulsa | 6’5” | 332 | 3rd |
| Dylan Parham | G | Memphis | 6’2” | 285 | 3rd |
| Alec Lindstrom | C | Boston College | 6’4” | 300 | 4th |
| Marquis Hayes | G | Oklahoma | 6’5” | 332 | 4th |
| Ed Ingram | G | LSU | 6’4” | 314 | 4th |
| Luke Fortner | C | Kentucky | 6’6” | 300 | 4th |
| Thayer Munford | G | Ohio State | 6’6” | 315 | 4th |
| Cole Strange | G | UT-Chattanooga | 6’5” | 301 | 5th |
| Lecitus Smith | G | Virginia Tech | 6’3” | 320 | 5th |
| Justin Shaffer | G | Georgia | 6’3” | 330 | 6th |
| Dohnovan West | C | Arizona State | 6’3” | 315 | 6th |
| Luke Wattenberg | C | Washington | 6’4” | 300 | 7th |
The Crown Jewels
Tyler Linderbaum could be the first interior offensive lineman off the board on day one of the draft. He is purely a center at the next level but he is smart, physical and agile. For teams using a zone running scheme he could be a tremendous fit with the ability to get off his initial block and work the next level.
Kenyon Green is a versatile lineman who can play right tackle or inside at guard (much like Darian Kinnard and Jamaree Salyer from the Tackle Draft Preview). He played both guard and tackles positions in college. Most NFL teams view him as an excellent guard prospect because of his size and agility. He needs to work on strength as he only did 20 reps on the bench press at the Combine.
Zion Johnson is the opposite from Green, strength-wise. He put up 32 reps on the bench press. Johnson has good technique is both run and pass blocking, and plays with excellent leverage. He uses his strength to drive opponents off the ball in the run game but needs to watch over extending himself and getting out of balance.
Options
If Washington is unable to address the starting right guard position in free agency, they can draft a player like Green or Johnson, although those players would not be the best talent available at pick 11.
They may be more of an option in scenario in which Washington has traded back.
There will be a number of players available on Day 2 and 3 of the draft who could possibly develop into a starter if they wish to go that route. Tyler Smith or Dylan Parham would be players who fits that bill.
I expect Washington to take at least one offensive line player in the draft this year.