Ranking the Big Ten: Offensive Tackles
As the 2022 college football season quickly approaches, it is time to look at the top players in the Big Ten Conference.
We continue our Ranking the Big Ten series by ranking the top five returning offensive tackles in the conference, including some of the top projected linemen in the 2023 NFL draft.
1. Peter Skoronski, Northwestern
Left tackle Peter Skoronski is the best returning tackle in the Big Ten. Lindy’s recognized him as the Nation’s No. 1 offensive tackle in 2022 and he was also named a preseason First-Team All-American and First-Team All-Big Ten by Lindy’s.
The 6-foot-4, 294-pound tackle had the second-best pass block grade by Pro Football Focus (PFF) in the Big Ten with an 84.3 grade in 2021. Skoronski’s overall offense grade of 83.8 was second and his run block grade of 78.2 was ninth.
The 2021 First-Team All-Big Ten selection by the media gave up 20 quarterback pressures including two sacks and six hits. Skoronski had his worst game of the 2021 season against Nebraska when he gave up six quarterback pressures.
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Skoronski has a bright future in the Big Ten this season and he is the No. 2 offensive guard in the 2023 NFL Draft Bible sneak peek.
2. Paris Johnson Jr., Ohio State
After spending last season as a right guard, Ohio State’s Paris Johnson Jr. gets to return to his true position as a left tackle. In anticipation of his move to the outside of the offensive line, Lindy’s named Johnson Jr. the Nation’s No. 2 offensive tackle, a preseason First-Team All-American and a First-Team All-Big Ten selection.
At guard in 2021, Johnson Jr. had solid offense (79.9) and run blocking (85.1) grades, ranking him eighth and fifth and the categories respectively. His pass blocking grade suffered at a 64.1, potentially due to the change of position and the increased speed of the game at guard.
While Johnson Jr. was made to play tackle, he still didn’t allow a single sack in 2021. The 6-foot-6, 315-pound junior gave up one quarterback hit and 14 total pressures over 13 games.
With the switch and his clear size and talent, the 2021 Second-Team All-Big Ten selection by the league’s coaches is projected to be the 2023 No. 1 offensive tackle by the NFL Draft Bible sneak peek.
3. Ryan Hayes, Michigan
Michigan left tackle Ryan Hayes is also one of the top offensive linemen in the 2023 NFL Draft Bible sneak peek coming in as the No. 5 offensive tackle. Hayes and Michigan’s offensive line received the Joe Moore Award in 2021 for the best offensive line in the country.
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The 6-foot-7, 307-pound graduate student gave up 27 pressures in 2021. Nine of those pressures, including three sacks, were against Penn State. However, against Georgia’s historically incredible defense in the College Football Playoffs, Hayes allowed three quarterback pressures with no sacks.
The 2022 preseason First-Team All-Big Ten selection by Athlon sports doesn’t have PFF scores that jump off the page but he has one stat that matters the most at his position. The left tackle has given up four sacks and five quarterback hits in 1,324 career snaps.
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4. Dawand Jones, Ohio State
As you can see from the Tweet above, Ohio State right tackle Dawand Jones was one of two Big Ten offensive linemen to have a run blocking grade of over 90 in 2021. With Iowa center Tyler Linderbaum in the NFL, Jones has the highest returning run blocking grade of the league’s O-linemen with a 90.3.
The 2022 preseason First-Team All-Big Ten selection by Lindy’s and Athlon sports also led the Big Ten with an 86.2 overall offense grade. Jones’s pass block grade of 77.8 ranked sixth in the league last season.
The 6-foot-8, 360-pound senior allowed 11 quarterback pressures during the 2021 season with three sacks, one hit and seven hurries. His pass blocking efficiency grade, a signature PFF stat measuring pressure allowed on a pre-snap basis with weighting toward sacks allowed, of 98.3 is tied for fifth in the conference and is the highest of the players on this list.
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Jones is Lindy’s 2022 Nation’s No. 8 offensive tackle and with Johnson Jr. on the left side, the Buckeye’s offensive line has one of the best sets of tackles in the country.
5. Jaelyn Duncan, Maryland
Maryland left tackle Jaelyn Duncan is back for his fifth season with the Terrapins. The senior allowed 13 quarterback pressures helping Maryland QB Taulia Tagovailoa break program records in passing yards (3,680), passing touchdowns (26), completion percentage (69.2%) and more.
Duncan, who has started 27 games for the Terps, is a 2022 preseason Second-Team All-Big Ten selection by Lindy’s and Athlon Sports. The 6-foot-6, 320-pound tackle posted lower scores against teams like Penn State, Michigan and Iowa but scored in the 70s against Ohio State in 2021.
On the other side of Maryland’s offensive line is right tackle Spencer Anderson, who has the highest pass blocking grade in the Big Ten at 86. Anderson allowed 10 QB pressures with one sack and nine hurries.
If the Terps tackles continue to protect Tagovailoa as they did in 2021, the quarterback will continue to break records and they will draw some attention to themselves as well.
