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Who are some of the top sleepers in the 2023 NFL Draft offensive tackle class, and can they strengthen a visibly weaker group in April?
There’s already been plenty of discussion about the next offensive tackle class and whether it matches up with prior groups. At the moment, it doesn’t appear to stack up quite as well, but these 2023 NFL Draft sleepers at offensive tackle can potentially change that.
Who at the offensive tackle position deserves more hype early on in the 2023 NFL Draft cycle?
Matthew Bergeron is slowly trending out of sleeper territory. But for now, there’s still a sense that he’s undervalued relative to the quality of play he puts on tape. A product of Quebec, Canada, Bergeron was quietly one of the engines of the Syracuse offense in 2021. And in 2022, he’ll be relied upon to keep the unit rolling.
At 6’5″, 327 pounds, Bergeron has excellent size and length. He looks lean and compact for his listed weight and wears his mass well. Physically, Bergeron brings every tool to the workshop. He’s long and powerful, with superb grip strength, but he’s also an amped-up short-area mover with great explosiveness off the snap and quick, efficient lateral mobility. In an uncertain tackle class, Bergeron might legitimately have first-round upside.
Like Bergeron, Darnell Wright may also slowly be shedding his 2023 NFL Draft sleeper label. But until he becomes a mainstream talent, I will keep dropping his name. On the surface, the 2023 NFL Draft offensive tackle class lacks an abundance of first-round talent. But if you’re asking me, Wright is a prospect who may be able to help with that.
A gargantuan mauler with a five-star pedigree, Wright can block out the sun with his wide 6’6″, 335-pound frame. His sheer width makes it difficult to get around him at times, but he’s quietly an exceptional short-area athlete for his size. He can close gaps with quick footwork, then fold opponents with ruthless bursts of torque. There’s still room for Wright to further refine his game, but he’s well on his way to an NFL future.
Arizona’s passing offense — or offense in general — isn’t a unit that’s going to draw many eyes. But there is a 2023 NFL Draft prospect worth watching on the Wildcats’ blocking front: left tackle Jordan Morgan. Morgan still has room to play more controlled and hone his hand usage, but he has the talent to rise in a hazy tackle group.
Morgan brings exceptional size at 6’5″, 328 pounds, but he has an athletic and compact frame. What stands out first when watching Morgan is his easy athleticism when matching rushers laterally. Beyond that, the Arizona OT also shows flashes of definite knock-back power, and he has the length to lock out rushers upon extending. In Year 2 of Jedd Fisch’s rebuild, look for Morgan to potentially command more attention.
Many of the 2023 NFL Draft offensive tackle prospects are hefty projections at this point. But Pitt’s Carter Warren is an established talent who might have a higher floor and a comparable ceiling to most of his peers. Warren will be an older rookie — he’s set to turn 24 years old before the 2023 NFL Draft — but he brings a very translatable skill set and positional versatility.
Warren is a massive 6’6″, 321-pound spectacle with long, massive arms and immense power capacity in his upper body. Last year, he seemed to channel that power more effectively and flashed a mauler mentality at the end of reps. He’s a hyper-active blocker with visible force in his punches, but he also has the athleticism to match laterally and recover on reps. Warren’s experience at both left and right tackle only reaffirms his security for NFL teams.
It was hard not to watch the hyper-productive Western Kentucky offense on tape last cycle. Bailey Zappe always ran up the numbers, and wide receivers Jerreth Sterns and Mitchell Tinsley inspired awe with some of their catches. But amidst all this noise, another player made some eye-catching plays for the Hilltoppers: offensive tackle Mason Brooks.
Brooks has since transferred to Ole Miss, and his transfer to the SEC reflects his impact. The 6’5″, 311-pound blocker routinely made his presence felt on the boundary with his extremely powerful extensions and penchant for driving defenders into the dirt. Brooks isn’t an elite athlete, and that’s clear. But if he can improve his efficiency of motion, he can maximize his power at the point of attack.
Ian Cummings is a Draft Analyst for Pro Football Network. You can find his writing here and follow him on Twitter: @IC_Draft.
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