2012 NFL Draft: Guard/Center

This is a pretty good draft class for guards. We might see as many as 3 in the top 35 picks. Lots of these guys can play center with a little practice. No pure center prospects this year.

1.      David DeCastro—Stanford—6’5”-316—1st—94—The man’s a beast. He has fantastic feet for a guard, good enough to play tackle if he had longer arms (32”). He plays exactly like Steve Hutchinson. I like to see an angry streak in interior lineman, he shows some anger issues and his technique is flawless. Probably will go mid first, I think he’s gonna be an absolute animal. Has center flexibility also.

2.      Kevin Zeitler—Wisconsin—6’4”-314—2nd round—85—Classic Big 10 guard. Run blocker, opened up big holes for Monte Ball and company. Biggest drawback is his lack of athleticism, but he’s a guard, its not that big a deal. Reminds me of Danny Watkins from last year, got the same mean streak. Not a game breaker but will be a solid player in a running scheme.

3.      Peter Konz—Wisconsin—6’5”-313—2nd round—83—Consensus best center in the draft. Technically sound as you’d expect from a Wisconsin lineman. Pretty good feet, strong and smart. Guys gonna be good, safe pick.

4.      Cordy Glenn—Georgia—6’5”-345—1st—92—Big dude. Played LT in school, but will probably move to guard. Some people say he can play center too. I think he’s one of the most underrated O-line prospects this year. He dominated against LSU this fall, I think he can play tackle in the NFL, prob RT cuz he’s a bit heavy for LT. Even So I think He’s a late first round prospect. Good feet, good reach (36”), and he moves well for his size. Reminds me of James Carpenter last year.

5.      Amini Silatolu—Midwestern St.—6’4”-311—3rd round/day—82—This dude was dominant at Midwestern State, only problem is he was playing shitty competition. He was humongous compared to everyone he played against. Played LT but he’s definitely a guard. I like him, probably the hardest hitter at the guard position in the draft. Small school gem.

6.      Brandon Washington—Miami—6’3”-320—3rd round/day—75—Played well as a sophomore guard, but not as well as a LT his junior year. Has OK feet but plays with good leverage and strength. I like him as a guard. He’s nothing special, just a 3rd round starter’s grade.

7.      Kelechi Osemele—Iowa State—6’6”-333—2nd day—73—Longest arms at the combine (36”). Played LT in college but is prob best as a guard in the league. He ran a good 40 time, but he doesn’t have the feet to play tackle. Nothing special here, got bitched around by Oklahoma.