When you get married, for better or worse, you get your spouse’s family as part of the package deal. Same goes for your fantasy quarterback or running back and his offensive line; no matter how attractive one might be—think Jessica Simpson or Larry Johnson—the rest of the package (Jess’s overbearing dad, LJ’s work-in-progress line) might put a huge damper on your fantasy hopes.
That’s why eight offensive linemen went off the board in the first 26 picks of last year’s draft, and it’s why astute fantasy owners will be paying attention to where this year’s fat guys end up. After all, if a running back can’t get to the line of scrimmage without fighting off a defender, it’ll be tough for him to pile up fantasy points for you.
Day One Candidates
This year’s crop of blockers isn’t quite as deep as last year’s… but that doesn’t mean teams in the bottom of the first round won’t reach a little bit to address needs up front. And in a draft that’s not particularly talent-laden, the top two selections could both be on the beefy side. Alabama’s Andre Smith likely garnered more attention for his Sugar Bowl suspension than his Outland Award, but that transgression shouldn’t prevent him from hearing his name very early on Draft Day. Smith is a dominant run blocker, though of late some scouts have expressed mild concerns about his footwork in pass protection and dropped him a spot or two in their tackle rankings.
Those who don’t have Smith first tend to prefer Eugene Monroe of Virginia, who’s a bit taller than Smith and has the long arms and quick feet scouts have in mind when dreaming of the prototypical left tackle. Monroe was good enough at that position in college that Branden Albert, the 15th overall selection last year and the Chiefs’ starting LT in 2008, remained at guard throughout his college career. A handful of mocks have Monroe going off the board with the first overall selection, which is certainly conceivable; at worst, Monroe will leave the green room before the picks hit double digits.
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