1. Jorrie Adams, Texas A&M - Adams epitomizes bust. Considered the perfect OT prospect, the Aggies were looking forward to plugging Adams in at LT for four seasons before sending him off to the top of the NFL Draft. However, Adams couldn't cut it on the o-line and was moved to the defensive side of the ball. He had a nice freshman year in 2004 and was expected to lead the defensive line as a sophmore. However, he was arrested on felony drug charges in College Station after being dismissed from the team and hasn't been seen from since.
2. Martin O'Donnell, Illinois - O'Donnell had a very nice career as a left guard for the Illini. A freshman All-American and 3-time Academic Big Ten, he was also a 4 year starter. An All-American guard in 2007 on the Illinois squad that went to the Rose Bowl, he chose to call it quits instead of pursuing a career in the NFL.
Four Star Offensive Tackles
3. Ryan Poles, Boston College - Poles took over the Eagles' left guard spot in 2006 and was having a very good senior season in 2007 before an achilles injury sidelined him for the rest of his time at Boston College. He went undrafted but caught on with the Chicago Bears and will be in training camp with them.
4. Brian Daniels, Colorado - A four year starter at guard (first 3 years at strong guard, senior year at left guard), Daniels appeared on various All-Big 12 lists during his tenure in Boulder. He went undrafted in 2007 but is currently on the Minnesota Vikings practice squad.
5. Joel Holler, Penn State - Holler showed up in Happy Valley somewhere north of 350 lbs (rumors have it as high as 370) and he was never able to get his weight down to the 305 lbs mandated by Joe Pa for him to see the field and elected to transfer to Delaware before the 2005 season. Not sure on his whereabouts after that as he didn't appear on the Blue Hens' 2007 roster, which would've been his senior season.
6. Donovan Davis, Mississippi State - Davis committed to the Bulldogs. However, I can't find any info on his playing career and he doesn't appear on either of their last 2 rosters. I did find mention of a player by the same name having played at Grambling State. He was mentioned as a draft sleeper but he doesn't appear on an NFL roster.
7. Aubrey McPhadden, Florida State - He signed with the Noles but didn't qualify academically and spent the next few years at East Mississippi CC. He signed with Ole Miss in 2006 but I can't find anything where he never appeared on a roster for the Rebels.
8. Eric Young, Tennessee - Young started 23 games for the Vols as an offensive tackle before an injury sidelined him late in the 2007 season. You can find a full bio on his career HERE on page 16 (last page). He went undrafted in the 2008 NFL Draft but signed on with the Cleveland Browns.
9. Will Arnold, LSU - Arnold's career started off great as he started most of his freshman (RS) season as left guard for the Tigers. A 2nd team All-SEC lineman in 2005 and 2006, he missed most of his last 2 years in Baton Rouge due to injuries and didn't catch on with an NFL team after the 2008 Draft.
10. Adam Kraus, Michigan - Originally recruited as a tight end, Kraus switched to the offensive line after his redshirt year in Ann Arbor. A staple along an offensive line that included #1 overall pick Jake Long, Kraus started 35 games overall, including his final 26 consecutive games, at left guard before playing his final 5 games as the Wolverines' center. He signed a free agent contact with the Baltimore Ravens.
11. Steven Jones, Tennessee - Jones appeared in 11 games but never started for the Vols. He earned 1 varsity letter.
12. Trey Chandler, Georgia - Chandler's career was cut short by shoulder injuries before it ever started. He remained a part of the football program while keeping his scholarship.
13. Aaron Sears, Tennessee - A three year starter in Knoxville, he saw time at every position on the offensive line. Noteable awards include being named 1st Team All-American and the Jacobs Award, given to the SEC's top blocking offensive lineman. He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Bucs in the 2nd round of the 2007 NFL Draft.
14. Ryan Schuler, Nebraska - Schuler suffered from blood clotting in his legs and high school...and it continued during his short time with the Huskers. He only appears on the team roster for the 2003 season. I haven't found any other information about him beyond that.
15. David Price, Mississippi State - Unfortunately, google is very saturated with information about the other David Price. I've tried multiple searches and can't find anything about this David Price. He doesn't appear on the Bulldogs roster either of the past 2 seasons.
16. Mike Jones, Iowa - Jones continually tried to earn playing time at right tackle for the Hawkeyes but was repeatedly moved back to left guard. At one point he started 34 consecutive games before missing a game his senior year. He was named 1st team All-American by Scout.com and 1st team All Big Ten. He signed on with the Bears after the 2007 NFL Draft, was cut last week and was picked up by the San Diego Chargers.
17. Matt Welsh, Virginia Tech - Welsh spent his time with the Hokies in the offensive line rotation. He primarily played left guard. I can't find any additional information beyond that.
18. Joe Thomas, Wisconsin - Thomas was a fixture at left tackle for the Badgers from 2004-2006. He was a first team All American in 2005 and 2006 as well as winner of the Outland Trophy in 2006. His success in Madison convinced the Cleveland Browns to make him the #3 overall pick in the 2007 NFL Draft. He did a superb job protecting Derek Anderson's blind side and earned his first Pro Bowl invite as a rookie.
19. Tyler Luellen, Missouri - Luellen was a fixture at the left tackle position for the Tigers. He started 39 consecutive games. He played an instrumental part in the Tigers winning the Big 12 North and Cotton Bowl during the 2007 season. Despite going undrafted in the 2008 NFL Draft, he has signed with the San Diego Chargers.
20. Brandon Keith, Oklahoma - This is an interesting one. He signed with the Sooners in 2003 but quit the team shortly thereafter. He spent 2004 with a directional Oklahoma JUCO and was named 2nd Team All-American. He returned to the land of sooner in 2005 but quit the team again after not seeing the field. He finally landed in Northern Iowa where he was a solid right tackle for them when he wasnt injured. His upside outweighed his baggage though as the Arizona Cardinals drafted him in the 7th round of the 2008 NFL Draft.
21. Jake Long, Michigan - Named the Big Ten Offensive Lineman of the Year in both 2006 and 2007, Long was also a 1st Team All-American his last 2 seasons. He moved from right tackle in 2006 to left tackle in 2007. And oh yeah...he was the #1 overall pick of the 2008 NFL Draft by the Miami Dolphins.
22. Akim Millington, Oklahoma - Millington chose the Sooners over the Illini out of North Wheaton HS (Wheaton, IL) in 2003. However, he left Norman for personal reasons after being named the starting right tackle for the 2005 season and came back to Illinois. He was a fixture on the offensive line for the Illini, starting 10 games at left tackle and 13 games at right tackle. He went undrafted but signed on with the New Orleans Saints after the 2008 NFL Draft.
Other Offensive Tackles of Note
35. Gosder Cherilus, Boston College - Cherilus started 31 straight games for the Eagles and was a team captain in 2007. He was drafted in the 1st round by the Detroit Lions in the 2008 NFL Draft.
The Tech Factor
The Red Raiders signed quite a few linemen in 2003 (Dan Christian, Ben Griffin, Matt Grissel, Josh Morris, and Raymond Serres) but Griffin was the only to crack the 2 deep roster by the 2005 season.
1 comment:
Dan Christian was supposed to be the best OL recruit we had ever had. Never saw the field. Older more mentally stable Ofa.
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