NFL DRAFT: Who Is in Your Five ? Interior Lineman

Every once in a while you see a player you want to see succeed. For me those guys are often offensive linemen. Especially the interior guys who won't get to do many commercials.

Ever notice the biggest drops in line play and offense don't always come from the loss of a LT but from a C or a G inside. Jay Hilgenberg or Mark Bortz with the Bears, Frank Winters with the Packers, Allen Faneca in Pittsburgh (say what you want but they ran the ball better and kept Ben cleaner with Faneca). 

So here's my five. 

1. Cal's Alex Mack is that type of player. He's the guy that scouts actually mention that key Offensive lineman trait hand speed because of. He's big at 6'4" 311. He has 3 years of all-conference performance.

He won the 2008 Draddy Award, the academic Heisman. He also has another trait I love on the interior. A high-school wrestling pedigree. He knows how to use leverage. Mack can play the combo games inside and hold his own on Nose Tackles.

Critics say he gets pushed back against Big Nose Tackles. That's like criticizing him for obeying the laws of gravity. The bottom line is Mack is smart enough, Quick enough and experienced enough to play for some team for a long time. 

2. Kraig Urbik Wisconsin: Urbik is another guy who gets his hands up clean. And another guy who combo blocks well. He's a horse at 6'5" and 325. I'd like him a little shorter, but he handles twists, picks up blitzes, moves well to the second level. He can play a long time in the NFL. 

3. Tyronne Greene Auburn: A quick 309lb interior guy. His best football is ahead of him. Auburn has produced some very high quality Guards in recent years. Greene could be another. 

4. Max Unger Oregon: First team Pac-10 at two different positions. Four-year starter. Noted for his short area quickness, technique and toughness. What else is there in the interior? 

5. AQ Shipley Penn State: Shipley is too small. Sorry. I don't buy it. Shipley won the Remmington Award this year. He's played both ways in the big 10 at Defensive Tackle and Center. He had two sacks. He gets noted for leadership and toughness.

He combos, he gets to the second level, he can even pull. Too Small. How 'bout those 33 reps on the bench? 

So where are the stars? You know the guys the experts have going high. Well for the most part they're huge and they've eaten their way into only being considered if they stay in shape. Or they haven't really proven they can pass block, or zone block, or get to the second level. 

These are guys like: 

Duke Robinson at Oklahoma, he may be Davin Joseph. But to me he looks more like a RT who hasn't been asked to do much combo blocking. If he's really a RT he doesn't qualify on my interior line list.  

Herman Johnson at LSU, again he looks like he could be a RT. At 6'7" and 365 he could be a very solid straight on man block specialist. If he stays in shape. 

Honorable Mentions

Eric Wood, C, Louisville. Wood is an excellent player. But I never see anything special from the running game when I watch Louisville. The line is always solid all the way across. Wood is fundamentally sound.

Well sized. Great Athlete but when I look at the tape he doesn't seem to stand out as much as the five. 

Travis Bright, OG, BYU. I'd love to have a BYU guy on my five. Real team players. And while Bright has all the tools he doesn't seem to like hitting at the second level. I think that reflects a lack of aggressiveness. What a shock, the guy from the Mormon school could just be too nice. 

Seth Olsen, OG Iowa. If I just go on this season Olsen might edge out Urbik. Iowa produces guys like Mike Goff and Eric Stienbach with regularity. They are kind of the antithesis of the Robinson's, Johnson's, and even the Bright's. They are football players.  

All three are close.  

If more teams actually drafted football players instead of projecting athletes into positions all these guys would be 1st day picks. Johnson and Robinson included. But today we deal with name recognition, the wow factor and just plain ignorance. 

One guy who should be mentioned in the interior line discussion, and would crack the five is Andre Smith, the Guard from Alabama whose has been posing as a Tackle.

Smith is the same type as erstwhile tackle choices Mike Williams (Texas) a No. 4  pick by the Bills, Leonard Davis (Texas) a No. 2 pick by Arizona, and Aaron Gibson a 1st round pick by the Lions. Too big to play tackle.

Smith is about to really disappoint some team on day one. But he may become a dominant G down the road.