NFL Draft Preview: Offensive Line

(This is the fourth of an 8-part series leading up to the 2007 NFL Draft. For the next eight days we'll examine each position in the draft and rank our Top 10 at each position. The final installment will feature the Fanatics 2007 Mock Draft).

The safest position to pick in the first round is on the offensive line. Case in point, in the last four years, 13 offensive linemen were drafted in the first round. Last season, those 13 players started 192 of a possible 208 games. That is a 93 percent success rate and the only reason it wasn't closer to 100 percent is injury, not performance.

This years class of tackles, guards and centers have some nice players in the mix, but not a lot of depth.

At tackle, three names pop out as sure first round picks. Wisconsin's Joe Thomas leads the way with Penn State's Levi Brown and Central Michigan's Joe Staley not far behind.

Thomas is a prototypical left tackle with all the measurables, even though he could stand to pack on more weight to his 311-pound frame. He's athletic, quick and has great field awareness. He bends well at the knees and drives off his blocks. Thomas impressed everyone at the Combine with a 4.92 in the 40.

Brown is well-rounded and intelligent. He received not one but two degrees at Penn State. Has size, agility, quickness and works very hard. The only real weakness in his game is a tendency to play high in his stance.

Staley is a former tight end who is rising fast on teams draft boards because of his quickness and athleticism. Has the frame to get bigger and with his huge wingspan, he can smother opponents. Once he learns the position better, Staley could be a big-time player.

Guards are usually not selected much in the first round, but this season three may number ones. They are Justin Blalock of Texas, Ben Grubbs of Auburn and Tennessee's Aaron Sears.

At Center, USC's Ryan Kalil is a solid all-around player who needs to get bigger and add weight, but has the chance to be a solid 10-year starter. Boston College's Josh Beekman and Hawaii's Samson Satele could sneak into the bottom of the first round as well.

Top 10 Tackles:
1. Joe Thomas - Wisconsin
2. Levi Brown - Penn State
3. Joe Staley - Central Michigan
4. Tony Ugoh - Arkansas
5. Doug Free - Northern Illinois
6. James Marten - Boston College
7. Ryan Harris - Notre Dame
8. Marshall Yanda - Iowa
9. Brandon Frye - Virginia Tech
10. Allen Barbre - Missouri Southern

Best Pro Prospect: Thomas
Sleeper: Free
Falling: Harris

Top 10 Guards:
1. Justin Blalock - Texas
2. Ben Grubbs - Auburn
3. Aaron Sears - Tennessee
4. Andy Alleman - Akron
5. Mike Jones - Iowa
6. Manuel Ramirez - Texas Tech
7. Tim Duckworth -Auburn
8. Nathan Bennett - Clemson
9. Cameron Stephenson - Rutgers
10. Mansfield Wrotto - Georgia Tech

Best Pro Prospect: Blalock
Sleeper: Alleman
Falling: Jones

Top 5 Centers:
1. Ryan Kalil - USC
2. Samson Satele - Hawaii
3. Josh Beekman - Boston College
4. Dustin Fry - Clemson
5. Doug Datish - Ohio State

Best Pro Prospect: Kalil
Sleeper: None
Falling: Datish