Mel Kiper breaks down top offensive tackles available in 2025 NFL Draft

The 2025 NFL Draft will be here before you know it and top analysts are already breaking down who the likely selections are in the top half of the draft.

Among them will be LSU offensive lineman Will Campbell.

On an ESPN NFL Draft special on Monday afternoon, analysts Mel Kiper and Field Yates praised Campbell and talked about him as being the first offensive lineman coming off the board. But who might be the picks right behind him on the offensive line?

“We thought Kelvin Banks Jr. from Texas would be in this mix, but he had some hiccups we call them, right?” Kiper said. “Some inconsistent performances, banged up later in the year. Didn’t have the type of season you expected from him to be a top-five pick. We thought maybe he’d be in the mix to be the second or third pick. That didn’t happen. So he opened the door for maybe a guy like Josh Simmons.”

Simmons started all 13 games for Ohio State at left tackle in 2023. His 2024 season was ruined by injury, something that has made getting a firm NFL Draft projection on him a little more difficult.

Kiper explained his expectations for the Ohio State standout prior to that injury.

“Josh Simmons from Ohio State, I thought back in September was going to move to the top of the list and be the No. 1 offensive tackle in this draft,” Kiper said. “Then he was injured in the Oregon game, so medical’s going to be critical for him. But in this draft, I’m anxious to see where we have Josh Simmons.”

The veteran NFL Draft analyst offered one potential first-round landing spot for the Buckeyes bulldozer.

“I said 49ers made sense to me, because if you have to medically redshirt him or wait for him to get to 100%, the 49ers can afford to do that,” Kiper said. “They’re picking 25 to 32, we’re not going to get a guy, a left tackle with his skill set.

“Or Trent Williams when he came out, who’s their left tackle but he’s obviously nearing the end of his phenomenal, Hall of Fame career. … so for Josh Simmons, where does he go? There’s a wide range of opinion on Josh Simmons because of the medical. Had it not been for that, based on the way he played — cut down on the mistakes, cut down on the penalties, was flawless at Ohio State, was at San Diego State, played right tackle, but at left tackle, the development he received from the coaching he received at Ohio State had taken him to another level.”

Is that enough to move Simmons up the 2025 NFL Draft board? Or will the known of a guy like Campbell win out?

We might not find out until the draft actually rolls around.

“The shame is he got hurt. I really believe had he not gotten hurt with his draft and the questions about is Will Campbell a left tackle, is he a guard, Kelvin Banks Jr. didn’t have the great year, Josh Simmons would have been hands-down the best tackle in this draft and certainly a potential top-five to top-seven pick in this draft,” Kiper said. “Now where does he go?”