Top 5 Guard And Center Prospects For 2022 NFL Draft

The NFL draft is coming up Thursday and it’s one of the biggest days of the year for transactions. Setting aside the trade talk and rumors for now, here’s a look at the five best guards and centers on the board.

1. Tyler Linderbaum, Iowa

The Iowa Hawkeyes have been a factory for NFL linemen in recent years. Linderbaum has a noticeably high Pro Football Focus grade. Worth noting: Iowa did not get great quarterback play last season. Imagine what a team with Linderbaum can do if it has a quality quarterback for Linderbaum to protect. This is probably the first offensive lineman off the board in the draft, easily a first-round selection and very possibly a top-10 pick.

2. Dohnovan West, Arizona State

The offensive line at Arizona State helped Rachaad White pile up big numbers at running back. West is especially proficient as a run blocker on the interior. Teams in need of a run-blocking center have an obvious choice here.

3. Bernhard Raimann, Central Michigan

The Chippewas compete in the Mid-American Conference, which will leave him off the radar for a lot of casual football fans. He didn’t gain national attention throughout the season, fitting neatly into the category of a player who was always a draft analyst’s favorite player but didn’t make a dent in the public imagination the way a quarterback from Ohio State or Alabama does. Central Michigan’s highest level of national exposure all season was a Sun Bowl win over Washington State. Raimann was the top offensive lineman on his team. Central Michigan ran the ball well in that bowl game against a Pac-12 defense from Washington State which had played performed at a high level under an interim head coach (Jake Dickert) who was able to retain his job and become the permanent head coach for the Cougars. Raimann carried Central Michigan past Washington State, rising to the moment on a national stage and building his draft stock. After playing the shadows of the MAC, Raimann was able to go up against a team from a Power Five conference and show he more than belonged on the field; he owned the field. Raimann is at the head of the class at his position; doing well outside the MAC should boost his profile on draft night.

4. Kenyon Green, Texas A&M

The Aggies went through a shuffle of bodies at quarterback this past season, which caused some surprising losses and a season which fell short of the SEC West Division championship. Yet, it has to be said that when Zach Calzada – the back QB at the beginning of the year – finally settled into the offense in the middle of the season, the offensive line was ready to help him along. When Texas A&M upset Alabama in one of the season’s big shockers, Green was at the forefront of the Aggies’ offensive line, blowing Alabama defenders off the ball and providing top-quality pass protection. This is why Green should be a relatively early pick, easily within the top 100.

5. Darian Kinnard, Kentucky

The Wildcats lacked great skill players. They had to negotiate the rigors of SEC play this past season with an average quarterback and just didn’t have the high-end talent to compete with Georgia or Alabama. Yet, Kentucky still earned a high-level bowl bid (the Citrus against Iowa) and had a better-than-expected season, regularly feasting on weaker teams. Kinnard set a tone for his position group and his teammates. The Wildcats’ offensive line held together against most of the teams it played. Kentucky had a very strong stretch run last season because Kinnard was locked in and made it easier for the rest of UK’s offensive line to function. He should also be picked in the first 100 selections of the draft.