2012 NFL Draft: Top Offensive Linemen

With all the attention in the 2012 NFL draft appears to be centered around the quarterback and receiving classes, let's not forget the linemen who will be blocking up front to ensure the passing attack leads to reaching the end zone.

While there is one player who is probably above everyone in this class—Matt Kalil of Southern California— there are others who will make just as much of a name for themselves in the years to come.

This is a deep class, with players from all over the line having as good a chance as anyone to hear their names called on the first night in New York.

There will be sleepers, surprises and some players who just rise above and overachieve. That is the beauty of the draft and its specter.

These players in particular, should hear their names called early and have the most immediate success.

Cordy Glenn, Guard, Georgia

Glenn is bigger than any of the prospects on this list.

At 6'5" and 348 pounds, he is certainly thicker than them all. As a third-team All-American, he faced some of the best defensive talent in the country.

Glenn will find his way into the late first round with a strong showing at the NFL Scouting Combine and the Senior Bowl.

Zebrie Sanders, Tackle, Florida State

Sanders did not get the credit he probably deserved during the 2011 college season.

He will use the Senior Bowl and then the NFL Scouting Combine to showcase his talents for NFL scouts.

Sanders has the skill and the size to sneak into the late first round of the draft. The one thing that may hold him back from a first round grade is his speed, where he has been clocked at 5.25 in the 40-yards dash. 

David DeCastro, Guard, Stanford

Here is a big reason why Andrew Luck had so much time to throw the ball in the Cardinal offense.

According to cbssportsline.com, DeCastro is the 11th-ranked player on the draft board. I personally think that is a little high. When you rank players like guards that high, are you getting someone like a Carl Nicks or are you getting a Chris Naeole?

DeCastro could play center in the NFL as well.

His 6'5" and 315-pound frame suggests he is a grader who will maul defenders at the line to open lanes for the running game.

Peter Konz, Center, Wisconsin

A red-shirt junior who is coming out a year early, Konz has as much talent as any linemen in this draft.

For a center, he has tremendous size at 6'5" and 315 pounds and provides great leverage in the running game.

While he may be a late first-round selection, he has the skills to be a pro-bowl talent if given the chance to develop with the right team. He could be another Jeff Faine. 

He may also see time at guard in the NFL.

Riley Reiff, Tackle, Iowa

Here is another corn-fed tackle who can move a pile.

Reiff may be the best lineman in any other draft. But he will still be a Top-10 selection.

There is something about Midwestern tackles that just breeds success in the NFL. Reiff is an imposing figure at 6'6" and 300 pounds. He is a two-time All-Big 10 selection who decided to come out after his junior year to pursue his professional career.

Jonathan Martin, Tackle, Stanford

He was the one who kept Andrew Luck's jersey clean.

That's not a bad way to be remembered in college.

Martin is a notch below Kalil in talent, but he may have a better upside. At 6'6" and 305 pounds, there is still room to take on weight and not lose his speed.

He should be a Top-10 selection in this draft, but that all depends on if there is a run on defensive backs and defense ends toward the ninth and tenth selection.

Matt Kalil, Tackle, Southern California

Is he Anthony Munoz, Tony Bosseli or Roy Foster?

It really does not matter.

Any of those guys, with half their skill, will be pretty in comparison to Kalil. With his brother Ryan already in the NFL with the Carolina Panthers and his bloodlines running as far back as his uncle Frank playing in the USFL, this guy could be a beast in the trenches.

Right now, he is listed as a Top-5 selection on many draft boards.

And, while it would seem logical that he is not the first player selected in the first round, it wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility to see him go second to the Rams or third to the Vikings overall.