Talent Evaluation Factors for Offensive Linemen (OL)?

Compared to individual baseball and basketball position performance, it is harder to quantify performance of football offensive linemen. Review of game videos or film is used to evaluate performances of individual player's assignments. Some screening of college players prior to the NFL draft such as all conference by position, NFL combines, scouting reports, etc. give some notion as to how well players will perform as professionals. The occurance of undrafted free agents as pro-bowl selections as well as lower draft round players success is a point in fact that the process of screening and drafting players is flawed. Another comment is that early draft picks are overpaid given that they haven't yet proven themselves at the NFL level. On the other hand, the talent of experienced NFL players is evaluated in terms of the value of their contracts. Yet even for experienced players such as free agents they can also be overpaid. For instance the value of Albert Haynesworth's contract is subject to debate and his influence on the effectiveness of other players on the team is part of the debate. Similar arguments are made for the impact of an offensive line's performance on their quarterbacks effectiveness.

Some background:
• Everything You Wanted to Know About the Draft but Forgot to Ask
• Walkthrough: Made, not Born
• Walkthrough: Tale of the Tackles
• Under the Cap: Top Ten Offensive Tackles
• Under the Cap: Top Ten Guards and Centers
• The NFL Salary Cap
• Loser's Curse Haunts the First Round This article's conclusion aren't likely to apply to the earliest 1st round picks for offensive tackles. These players often start most of the regular season games and usual play for ten or more years. There are some parallels between the high paid rookies and high paid free agents when it comes to team building in regard to cap space available for other team members.

Continuity is a big part of offensive line play and other players can effect individual players performance. An example of such continuity was the Giants that had gone 38 games with the same starting 5 OL and is considered one of the best in the NFL. It continued until week seven of the 2009 season.

• Interdependence of Offensive Linemen

When viewing this page keep in mind that football is a team sport. The performance of the offensive linemen is very much a cooperative activity. The performance of the offensive line is also a function of quarterback and other players. This page is using individual performance indicators to array OL talent in a descending order by position. On the surface it may appear that Pro Football Focus gives to much weight to penalities in their appraisal scheme. For some teams with quarterbacks like Peyton Manning or Drew Brees holding penaties and other long penalties may not stop their team's drives because they have a successful passing game in the mid to long range. Yet for other teams without such passing games the drives would stall. Consequently, OL having 7 to 10 penalties on offense out of approximately 1,000 snaps is a significant reason for downgrading their overall rating because that is the more typical pattern in NFL football and there are only a limited number of offensive possessions in a game or season. Momentum in individual games can swing when a drive stalls.

The inclusion of playoff games would impact the rating of some OL either positively or negatively. Without analyzing all OL, a few players such as Jason Peters and Andrew Whitworth could be mentioned. Peters' overall rating including the Eagles playoff game against the Cowboys would have reduced his rating whereas Whitworth's overall rating including the Bengals playoff game against the Jets would have increased his. In both cases each team played the same opponent back to back. Peters' rating decreased from the 1st to the 3rd game against Dallas and penalties against him was one of the main reasons.

This page includes information by including links to NFL players pages, draft year, and the draft position in which offensive linemen were selected or alternatively, information on the year for undrafted free agents (UDFA). The draft position is used, i.e., 1st OL, 8th OL, or 33rd OL selected, because it is more constant than the draft round since the number of linemen selected varies by draft year, i.e., the 15th OL selected may be in a different draft round in various years. With the exception of a few players, those listed played 50 percent or more of their teams snaps as identified in Pro Football Focus (PFF). The link to PFF individual players by game is also provided. (Note: When in the PFF site, hover the cursor over the item in the table heading to get it's description. Information is available in PFF for all of the 2008 and 2009 seasons. Information for the Patriots is also available for the 2007 season and for the other teams for about half the regular season games. Also note: PRO-BOWL information shown is for the 2008 season.) Players are ranked by their overall PFF rating plus 100 (2009 Adj OVR). The overall rating for offensive linemen is composed of pass blocking, screen pass blocking, run blocking, and offensive penalties.

Left Tackles
• 1. Joe Thomas (Browns) (09,16; 08,16 starts), 2007 Draft 1st OL selected, 2009 Adj OVR 135
• 2. Jake Long (Dolphins) (09,16; 08,16 starts), 2008 draft 1st OL selected , 2009 Adj OVR 122
• 3. Sebastian Vollmer (Patriots) (09,8 starts), 2009 Draft 11th OL selected, Played both left and right tackle. , 2009 Adj OVR 121
• 4. Jared Gaither (Ravens) (09,11; 08,15 starts), 2007 Supplemental Draft, 2009 Adj OVR 120
• 5. D’Brickashaw Ferguson (Jets) (09,16; 08,16 starts), 2006 draft 1st OL selected , 2009 Adj OVR 112
• 6. Jeff Backus (Lions) (09,16; 08,16 starts), 2001 draft 4th OL selected , 2009 Adj OVR 110
• 7. Andrew Whitworth (Bengals) (09,16; 08,10 starts), 2006 draft 9th OL selected , 2009 Adj OVR 106
• 8. Ryan Clady (Broncos) (09,16; 08,16 starts), 2008 draft, 2nd OL selected , 2009 Adj OVR 104
• 8. Jordan Gross (Panthers) (09,9; 08,15 starts), 2003 draft 1st OL selected, 2009 Adj OVR 104
• 10. Jason Peters (09 Eagles; 08 Bills) (09,15; 08,13 starts), UDFA 2004, 2009 Adj OVR 104
• 11. Max Starks (Steelers) (09,16; 08,11 starts), 2004 draft 9th OL selected, 2009 Adj OVR 102
• 11. Joe Staley (49ers) (09,9; 08,16 starts), 2007 draft 3rd OL selected , 2009 Adj OVR 102
• 13. Bryant McKinnie (Vikings) (09,16; 08,12 starts), 2002 draft 2nd OL selected , 2009 Adj OVR 98
• 13. Matt Light (Pats) (09,11; 08,16 starts), 2001 draft 6th OL selected , 2009 Adj OVR 98
• 13. BarrySims (49ers) (09,7; 08,8 starts), drafted in the 17th round of the NFL Europe in 1999 , 2009 Adj OVR 98
• 16. Sean Locklear (Seahawks) (09,10; 08.11 starts), 2004 draft 11th OL selected , 2009 Adj OVR 95
• 17. Michael Roos (Titans) (09, 16; 08,16 starts), 2005 draft 6th OL selected , 2009 Adj OVR 94
• 18. Chad Clifton (Packers) (09,12; 08,15 starts), 2000 draft 6th OL selected, 2009 Adj OVR 93
• 19. Marcus McNeill (Chargers) (09,16; 08,14 starts), 2006 draft 7th OL selected, 2009 Adj OVR 91
• 19. Flozell Adams (Cowboys) (09,16; 08,16 starts), 1998 draft 7th OL selected , 2009 Adj OVR 91
• 21. Eugene Monroe (Jaguars) (09,13 starts), 2009 draft 3rd OL selected , 2009 Adj OVR 90
• 22. Sam Baker (Falcons) (09,14 starts), 2008 draft 7th OL selected , 2009 Adj OVR 88
• 23. Duane Brown (Texans) 11.5 sacks allowed (09,16; 08,16 starts), 2008 draft 8th OL selected , 2009 Adj OVR 85
• 24. Donald Penn (Bucs) (09,16; 08,16 starts), UDFA 2006 , 2009 Adj OVR 84
• 24. David Diehl (Giants) (09,16; 08,16 starts), 2003 draft 5th round 25th OL selected , 2009 Adj OVR 84
• 26. Branden Albert (Chiefs) (09,14; 08,15 starts), 2008 draft 4th OL selected , 2009 Adj OVR 83
• 26. Charlie Johnson (Colts) (09,12; 08,16 starts), 2006 draft 35th OL selected , 2009 Adj OVR 81
• 28. Mike Gandy (Cardinals)(09,12; 08,16 starts), 2001 draft 8th OL selected , 2009 Adj OVR 79
• 29. Jermon Bushrod Left Tackle (Saints) (09,14 starts) 2007 draft 20th OL selected , 2009 Adj OVR 78
• 30. Alex Barron (Rams) (09,16; 08,15 starts), 2005 draft 2nd OL selected , 2009 Adj OVR 76
• 31. Orlando Pace ((08, Rams, 09, Bears) (09,11; 08,14 starts), 1997 Draft 1st OL selected , 2009 Adj OVR 74
• 31. Levi Brown (Cardinals) (09,16; 08,16 starts), 2007 Draft 2nd OL selected , 2009 Adj OVR 74
• 33. Levi Jones (09Redskins/08Bengals) (09,8; 08,10 starts) 2002 draft 3rd OL selected, 2009 Adj OVR 73
• 34. Mario Henderson (Raiders) (09,16; 08, 2007 draft 14th OL selected, 2009 Adj OVR 61
Left Guards
• 1. Carl Nicks (Saints) (09,16; 08,13 starts), 2008 draft 5th round 24th OL selected , 2009 Adj OVR 120
• 2. Logan Mankins (Pats) (09,16; 08,16 starts), 2005 draft 4th OL selected , 2009 Adj OVR 117
• 3. Evan Mathis (Bengals) (09,7; 08,0 starts), 2005 draft 10th OL selected, 2009 Adj OVR 114
• 3. Rob Sims (Seahawks) (09,14 starts), 2006 draft 23 OL selected, 2009 Adj OVR 114
• 5. Kyle Kosier (Cowboys) (09,16 starts), 2002 draft 32nd OL selected, 2009 Adj OVR 111
• 6. Todd Herremans (Eagles) (09,11; 08,15 starts), 2005 draft 4th round 19th OL selected , 2009 Adj OVR 108
• 7. Ryan Lilja (Colts) (09,16 starts), 2004 UDFA, 2009 Adj OVR 107
• 8. Daryn Colledge (Packers) (09,16; 08,16 starts), 2006 draft 6th OL selected , 2009 Adj OVR 105
• 9. Justin (Jeff) Smiley (Dolphins) (09,12; 08,12 starts), 2004 draft 6th OL selected , 2009 Adj OVR 104
• 9. Ben Grubbs (Ravens) (09,16; 08,16 starts),2007 draft 4th OL selected , 2009 Adj OVR 104
• 11. Derrick Dockery (09Redskins/08Bills) (09,16; 08,16 starts), 2003 draft 14th OL selected , 2009 Adj OVR 103
• 11. Rich Seubert (Giants) (09,08,16 starts), UDFA 2001 , 2009 Adj OVR 103
• 13. Vince Manuwai (Jaguars) (09,16; 08,1 starts), 2002 draft 9th OL selected , 2009 Adj OVR 102
• 13. Travelle Wharton (Panthers) (09,16; 08,14 starts), 2004 draft 12th OL selected , 2009 Adj OVR 102
• 15. Steve Hutchinson (Vikings) (09,16; 08,16 starts), 2001 draft 3rd OL selected , 2009 Adj OVR 101
• 15. Jacob Bell (Rams) (09,13; 08,13 starts), 2004 draft 5th round 18th OL selected , 2009 Adj OVR 101
• 17. Nick Cole(Eagles) (09,16; 08,5 started), 2006 UDFA, Played left and right guard, 2009 Adj OVR 100
• 18. Russ Hochstein (09Broncos/08Patriots) (09,10; 08,1 starts), 2001 draft 25th OL selected, 2009 Adj OVR 99
• 19. Chris Kemoeatu (Steelers) (09,12; 08,16 starts), 2005 draft 6th round 40th OL selected , 2009 Adj OVR 98
• 20. Eugene Amano (Titans) (09,16; 08,16 starts), 2004 draft 7th round 38th OL selected , 2009 Adj OVR 98
• 21. Brian Waters (Chiefs) (09,15; 08,16 starts), UDFA 1999 , 2009 Adj OVR 96
• 21. Nate Livings (Bengals) (09,9; 08,6 starts), UDFA 2006 , 2009 Adj OVR 96
• 21. Kris Dielman (Chargers) (09,16; 08,16 starts), UDFA 2003 , 2009 Adj OVR 94
• 24. David Baas (49ers) (09,16; 08,9 starts), 2005 draft 5th OL selected , 2009 Adj OVR 94
• 25. Frank Omiyale (Bears) (09,12 starts), 2005 draft 31st OL selected, 2009 Adj OVR 93
• 26. Alan Faneca (Jets) (09,16; 08,16 starts), 1998 draft 4th OL selected , 2009 Adj OVR 91
• 27. Kasey Studdard Left Guard (Texans) 2007 draft 28th OL selected Started 14 of 16 games , 2009 Adj OVR 88
• 28. Justin Blalock (Falcons) (09,16; 08,16 starts), 2007 draft 6th OL selected , 2009 Adj OVR 87
• 29. Andy Levitre (Bills) (09,16 starts), 2009 draft 9th OL selected, 2009 Adj OVR 84
• 30. Jeremy Zuttah (Bucs) (09,16 starts), 2008 draft 12 OL selected, 2009 Adj OVR 80
• 30. Ben Hamilton (Broncos) (09,8; 08,16 starts), 2001 draft 4th round 16th OL selected , 2009 Adj OVR 80
• 30. Reggie Wells (Cardinals) (09,16; 08,16 starts), 2003 draft 6th round 29th OL selected , 2009 Adj OVR 80
• 33. Eric Steinbach (Browns) (09,16; 08,14 starts), 2003 draft 5th OL selected , 2009 Adj OVR 71
Centers
• 1. Nick Mangold (Jets) (09,16; 08,16 starts), 2007 draft 3rd OL selected , 2009 Adj OVR 132
• 2. Shaun O’Hara (Giants) (09,16; 08,16 starts), UDFA 2000 , 2009 Adj OVR 119
• 2. Matt Birk (09Ravens/08Vikings) (09,16; 08,16 starts), 1998 draft 6th round 29th OL selected , 2009 Adj OVR 119
• 4. Ryan Kalil (Panthers) (09,16; 08,12 starts), 2007 draft 8th OL selected , 2009 Adj OVR 118
• 4. Jake Grove (09Dolphins/08Raiders) (09,10; 08,12 starts), 2004 draft 5th OL selected , 2009 Adj OVR 118
• 6. Alex Mack Center (Browns) 2009 draft 4th OL selected Started 16 of 16 games , 2009 Adj OVR 116
• 6. Jamaal Jackson (Eagles) (09,15; 08,16 starts), UDFA 2003, 2009 Adj OVR 116
• 8. Chris Myers (Texans) (09,16; 08,16 starts), 2005 draft 6th round 39th OL selected , 2009 Adj OVR 113
• 9. Scott Mruczkowski (Chargers) (09,13 starts), 2005 draft 7th round 47th OL selected, 2009 Adj OVR 111
• 10. Jeff Saturday (Colts) (09,16; 08,12 starts), UDFA 1999 , 2009 Adj OVR 110
• 10. Todd McClure (Falcons) (09,16; 08,16 starts), 1999 draft 7th round 30th OL selected , 2009 Adj OVR 110
• 12. Andre Gurode (Cowboys) (09,16; 08,16 starts), 2002 draft 6th OL selected , 2009 Adj OVR 109
• 13. Jonathan Goodwin (Saints) (09,16; 08,13 starts), 2002 draft 5th round 18th OL selected , 2009 Adj OVR 107
• 14. Dominic Raiola (Lions) (09,16; 08,12 starts), 2001 draft 7th OL selected , 2009 Adj OVR 106
• 14. Olin Kreutz (Bears) (09,16; 08,16 starts), 1998 draft 11th OL selected , 2009 Adj OVR 106
• 16. Eric Heitmann (49ers) (09,16; 08,16 starts), 2002 draft 7th round 29th OL selected , 2009 Adj OVR 103
• 17. Scott Wells (Packers) (09,14; 08,13 starts), 2004 draft 7th round 41st OL selected , 2009 Adj OVR 102
• 17. Dan Koppen(Pats) (09,16; 08,16 starts), 2003 draft 5th round 26th OL selected , 2009 Adj OVR 102
• 19. Chris Spencer (Seahawks) (09,14; 08,11 starts), 2005 draft 3rd OL selected , 2009 Adj OVR 101
• 20. Kyle Cook (Bengals) (09,16 starts), 2007 UDFA, 2009 Adj OVR 99
• 21. Lyle Sendlein (Cardinals) (09,16; 08,16 starts), UDFA 2007 , 2009 Adj OVR 96
• 21. Jason Brown (09Rams/08Ravens) (09,16; 08,16 starts), 2005 draft 4th round 22th OL selected , 2009 Adj OVR 96
• 23. Casey Wiegmann (Broncos) (09,16; 08,16 starts), UDFA 1996 , 2009 Adj OVR 94
• 23. Casey Rabach (Redskins) (09,16; 08,16 starts), 2001 draft 10th OL selected , 2009 Adj OVR 94
• 25. Samson Satele (09Raiders/08Dolphins) (09,12; 08,16 starts), 2007 draft 9th OL selected , 2009 Adj OVR 92
• 26. Geoff Hangartner Center (Bills) 2005 draft 34th OL selected Started 16 of 16 games , 2009 Adj OVR 89
• 27. John Sullivan Center (Vikings) (09,16; 08.0 starts) 2008 draft 30th OL selected, 2009 Adj OVR 88
• 28. Rudy Niswanger (Chiefs) (09,16; 08,15 starts), UDFA 2006 , 2009 Adj OVR 87
• 29. Jeff Faine (Bucs) (09,12; 08,16 starts), 2003 draft 3rd OL selected , 2009 Adj OVR 83
• 29. Kevin Mawae (Titans) (09,16; 08,15 starts), 1994 draft 7th OL selected , 2009 Adj OVR 83
• 31. Brad Meester (Jags) (09,16; 08,10 starts), 2000 draft 10th OL selected , 2009 Adj OVR 82
• 32. Justin Harwig (Steelers) (09,16; 08,16 starts), 2002 draft 6th round 23rd OL selected , 2009 Adj OVR 77
Right Guards
• 1. Jahri Evans (Saints) (09,16; 08,16 starts) …RFA, 2006 draft 18th OL selected , 2009 Adj OVR 129
• 2. Stephen Neal (Pats) (09,12; 08,9 starts), UDFA 2001 , 2009 Adj OVR 125
• 3. Chris Snee (Giants) (09,16; 08,16 starts), 2004 draft 4th OL selected , 2009 Adj OVR 121
• 4. Bobbie Williams (Bengals) (09,16; 08,16 starts), 2000 draft 11th OL selected , 2009 Adj OVR 118
• 5. Brandon Moore (Jets) (09,16; 08,16 starts), UDFA 2002 , 2009 Adj OVR 114
• 6. Josh Sitton (Packers) (09,16 starts), 2008 draft 22nd OL selected, 2009 Adj OVR 113
• 7. Marshall Yanda (Ravens) (09,9; 08,5 starts), 2007 draft 12th OL selected , 2009 Adj OVR 110
• 8. Stephen Peterman (Lions) (09,9; 08,14 starts), 2004 draft 10th OL selected , 2009 Adj OVR 109
• 9. Leonard Davis (Cowboys) (09,16; 08,16 starts), 2001 draft 1st OL selected , 2009 Adj OVR 108
• 10. Rex Hadnot (Browns) (09,6; 08,15 starts), 2004 draft 25th OL selected , 2009 Adj OVR 107
• 11. Roberto Garza (Bears) (09,16; 08,16 starts), 2001 draft 13th OL selected , 2009 Adj OVR 106
• 12. Wade Smith (Chiefs) (09,9; 08,7 starts), 2003 draft 12 OL selected , 2009 Adj OVR 103
• 12. Harvey Dahl (Falcons) (09,11; 08,16 starts), UDFA 2005 , 2009 Adj OVR 103
• 14. Louis Vasquez (Chargers) (09,14 starts), 2009 draft 11th OL selected, 2009 Adj OVR 102
• 14. Cooper Carlisle (Raiders) (09,16; 08,15 starts), 2000 draft 17th OL selected , 2009 Adj OVR 102
• 14. Jake Scott (Titans) (09,16; 08,16 starts), 2004 draft 19th OL selected , 2009 Adj OVR 102
• 17. Nate Garner (Dolphins) (09,8 starts), 2008 draft 31st OL selected , 2009 Adj OVR 101
• 17. Kyle DeVan (Colts) (09,9 starts), 2008 UDFA Redskins , 2009 Adj OVR 101
• 17. Chilo Rachal (49ers) (09,15 starts), 2008 draft 9th OL selected, 2009 Adj OVR 101
• 17. Uche Nwaneri (Jags) (09,13; 08,15 starts), 2007 draft 5th round 23rd OL selected , 2009 Adj OVR 101
• 21. Richie Incognito (09Bills/08Rams) (09,12; 08,15 starts), 2005 draft 11th OL selected , 2009 Adj OVR 100
• 21. Chris L. White (Texans) (09,8 starts), 2005 UDFA Packers , 2009 Adj OVR 100
• 23. Chris Kuper (Broncos) (09,15; 08,16 starts), 2006 draft 5th round 28th OL selected , 2009 Adj OVR 99
• 23. Chris Chester (Ravens) (09,13; 08,11 starts), 2006 10th OL selected , 2009 Adj OVR 99
• 25. Max Unger(Seahawks) (09,16 starts), 2009 draft 8th OL selected, 2009 Adj OVR 96
• 25. Donald Thomas Right Guard (Dolphins) 2008 draft 27th OL selected Started 12 of 16 games , 2009 Adj OVR 96
• 27. Deuce Lutui (Cardinals) (09,16; 08,16 starts), 2006 draft 5th OL selected , 2009 Adj OVR 95
• 28. Floyd Womack (Browns/Seahawks) (09,9; 08,14 starts), played right guard and tackle, 2001 draft 18th OL selected , 2009 Adj OVR 93
• 29. Eric Wood (Bills) (09,16 starts), 2009 draft 6th OL selected, 2009 Adj OVR 92
• 30. Mike Pollak (Colts) (09,7; 08,13 starts), 2008 draft 10th OL selected , 2009 Adj OVR 90
• 31. Anthony Herrera (Vikings) (09,14; 08,16 starts), UDFA 2004 , 2009 Adj OVR 88
• 32. Keydrick Vincent (Panthers) (09,16; 08,14 starts), 2001 UDFA Steelers , 2009 Adj OVR 83
• 33. Davin Joseph (Bucs) (09,16; 08,12 starts), 2006 draft 2nd OL selected , 2009 Adj OVR 81
• 34. Trai Essex (Steelers) (09,16 starts), 2005 draft 13th OL selected, 2009 Adj OVR 71
Right Tackles
• 1. Willie Colon (Steelers) (09,16; 08,16 starts) …RFA, 2006 draft 4th round 23rd OL selected , 2009 Adj OVR 118
• 2. Damien Woody (Jets) (09,16; 08,16 starts), 1999 draft 2nd OL selected , 2009 Adj OVR 118
• 3. David Stewart (Titans) (09,15; 08,16 starts), 2005 draft 4th round 19th OL selected , 2009 Adj OVR 113
• 4. Vernon Carey (Dolphins) (09,16; 08,16 starts), 2004 draft 3rd OL selected, 2009 Adj OVR 112
• 4. Jon Stinchcomb (Saints) (09,16; 08,16 starts), 2003 draft 6th OL selected , 2009 Adj OVR 112
• 6. Kareem McKenzie (Giants) (09,12; 08,16 starts), 2001 draft 9th OL selected , 2009 Adj OVR 111
• 7. Eric Winston (Texans) (09,16; 08,16 starts) , 2006 draft 13th OL selected , 2009 Adj OVR 105
• 8. Michael Oher (Ravens) (09,16 starts), Played right and left tackle, 2009 draft 5th OL selected , 2009 Adj OVR 104
• 9. Marc Colombo (Cowboys) (09,9; 08,16 starts), 2002 draft 4th OL selected , 2009 Adj OVR 103
• 10. Winston Justice (Eagles) (09,16; 08,0 starts), 2006 draft 4th OL selected, 2009 Adj OVR 102
• 10. Jeromey Clary (Chargers) (09,10; 08,16 starts), 2006 draft 6th round 33rd OL selected , 2009 Adj OVR 102
• 12. Ryan Diem (Colts) (09,15; 08,16 starts), 2001 draft 4th round 17th OL selected , 2009 Adj OVR 101
• 13. Nick Kaczur (Pats) (09,13; 08,14 starts), 2005 draft 15 OL selected , 2009 Adj OVR 101
• 14. Tyson Clabo (Falcons) (09,16; 08,16 starts), UDFA 2004, 2009 Adj OVR, 2009 Adj OVR 100
• 15. Kevin Shaffer (09Bears/08Browns) (09,05; 08,15 starts), 2002 draft 7th round 31st OL selected , 2009 Adj OVR 98
• 15. John St. Clair (Bears) (09,14; 08,16 starts), 2000 draft 14th OL selected , 2009 Adj OVR 98
• 17. Ryan Harris (Broncos) (09,8; 08,16 starts), 2007 drft 11th OL selected , 2009 Adj OVR 96
• 17. Gosder Cherilus (Lions) (09,15; 08,13 starts), 2008 draft 5th OL selected , 2009 Adj OVR 96
• 19. Jeff Otah (Panthers) (09,13; 08,12 starts), 2008 Draft 6th OL selected , 2009 Adj OVR 95
• 19. Ray Willis (Seahawks) (09,16;08,10 starts), 2005 draft 4th round 16th OL selected , 2009 Adj OVR 95
• 21. Mark Tauscher (Packers) (09,8; 08,13 starts), 2000 draft 7th round 28th OL selected , 2009 Adj OVR 94
• 22. Phil Loadholt (Vikings) (09,15 starts), 2009 draft 10th OL selected Started 15 of 15 games , 2009 Adj OVR 92
• 23. Cornell Green (Raiders) (09,12; 08,16 starts), UDFA 2000 (4 games played and started in 2009) , 2009 Adj OVR 91
• 24. Eben Britton (Jaguars) (09,15 starts), 2009 draft 7th OL selected, 2009 Adj OVR 88
• 25. Brandyn Dombrowski (Chargers) (09,8 starts), 2008 UDFA , 2009 Adj OVR 87
• 25. Kirk Chambers (Bills) (09,9 starts), 2004 draft 26th OL selected , 2009 Adj OVR 87
• 27. Allen Barbre (Packers) (09,7 starts), 2007 draft 17th OL selected , 2009 Adj OVR 86
• 28. Adam Snyder (49ers) (09,16; 08,13 starts), 2005 draft 14th OL selected , 2009 Adj OVR 85
• 29. Chris Williams(Bears) (09,16 starts), 2008 draft 3rd OL selected, 2009 Adj OVR 81
• 30. Ryan O'Callaghan (Chiefs) (09,12 starts), 2006 draft 24th OL selected , 2009 Adj OVR 80
• 31. Stephon Heyer (Redskins) (09,16; 08. starts), 2007 UDFA , played right and left tackle , 2009 Adj OVR 75
• 32. Jeremy Trueblood (Bucs) (09,16; 08,16 starts), 2006 draft 11th OL selected , 2009 Adj OVR 73

There are 160 offensive line starters in the NFL in non-bye weeks. The list above only included OL with at least one half of the snaps or with 8 or more games started. New starters amounted to about 10 % of all starters and gives an indication of the turnover of Ol from one season to the next. Rookie OL are a large proportion of the the turnover especially for first round selections. There are also a significant amount of new starting OL from the 2008 and 2007 drafts. New starters from earlier drafts or for UDFA typically take longer to reach starter status.

Pro Football Focus authors have developed another set of statistics to measure the productivity of pass blocking that augments their information on OL performance. Pass Blocking Productivity - Part 1 Tackles and Pass Blocking Productivity - Part 2 Guards and Centers

Another array for the 2008 season for offensive linemen that rank by sacks allowed. NFL stats- How good is your OLine?

Limited to starting left tackles, but including information on Adjusted Sacks Allowed sacks allowed, false starts, and holding penalties (2006)"

Midpoint 2009 NFL seasonBetween the Lines: Who's Allowing the Most Sacks?

Information for some perspective on offensive lines as units

NFL stats-Offensive line

Figures for sacks allowed are shown for each team.

NFL stats-passing Google search for sacks allowed stats April 02, 2009, A Close Look: Sacks Allowed

The following article does not mention line positions for player pages, but might. 17 Sep 2009, SITE NEWS: Improved Search, Player Links On Stat Pages

According to Greg Trippiedi,

"NFL Offensive Tackles Market ... the Redskins and about half of the other teams in the NFL badly need an offensive tackle. It's beyond a highly competitive market. Any college football player who has the footwork to play the position is virtually certain to have a job. Tackles who enter with some sort of credibility are virtually certain to be overdrafted.

Trippiedi has been computing what he calls

"Experimental Lineman Yards. [...] This year, instead of running play success rate, I'm going to be calculating a highly experimental stat that can only be done with game film: lineman yards. The goal is to borrow the adjusted line yards concept from football outsiders, and instead of calculating how well the line does as a whole independent of long runs, I'm going to try to divide the yards gained by the blocker who earns them. Ideally, I'll be able to make a statement like: 'Derrick Dockery is worth 4.5 YPC on front side runs.' We will need to see how this works out. It may be a more objective means of evaluating linemen's performance.

Right now, I don't feel comfortable saying that I won't change the methodology ever so slightly to make this feel more accurate. The idea for lineman yards is borrowed in part from Football Outsiders (the Adjusted Line Yards calculations they do provide baselines for my work here) and also from KC Joyner's POA metrics, but as far as I know, I'm the first person to try to do this at an individual level."

Teams are ranked according to Adjusted Line Yards and rankings are shown for rushing and passing efficiency.

"The second table lists each team's Adjusted Line Yards in each direction listed in official NFL play-by-play, along with rank among the 32 teams."

This is another measure that gives some indication of the linemen on more specific areas of the line. 2009 OFFENSIVE LINES The Football Outsiders series is adjusted for the quality of each teams opponents in each game. The Pro Football Focus by team (offense and defense) are available and can be sorted by the descending overall ranking of each NFL teams offensive performance. The players of each team can be identified such as OL and their totals may be compared in ranking with that of Football Outsiders with some effort.

This is happening because the dominance of defensive line play over offensive lines is, right now, at historically high levels. However, the market for the interior offensive lineman hasn't quite adjusted to this effect just yet. Offensive tackles are in prime demand because NFL pass protection schemes are isolating them on defensive ends one on one.

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Updated 4/10/2010