College Football Recruiting 2012: Power Ranking the Top 25 Offensive Linemen

The offensive line is viewed as the single most important unit to a team's success, as since their job is open up holes in the running lane and the ever-so crucial task of protecting the QB. Obviously LT is the most important position, but having a great center is also imperative.

For the class of 2012 recruiting class, we have top flight LTs, OCs and more. The OL position is the strongest of any position this year and among the very best in recent memory.

Let's rank the top 25 OL prospects in the country.

25. J.J. Denman, OT

Denman plays left tckle for his high school team, but I think he'll be a right tackle or even a guard in college. It's not a knock on his athleticism, it's just due to his run blocking prowess and skill set.

6'6", 310 pounds, Denman plays with a mean streak that shows up on tape via his demeanor and finish ability. He's quick at the snap, brings his his at the point of attack and drive blocks extremely well. He easily has the strength to hold up on the right side of the front.

Committed to Penn State.

24. Lacy Westbrook, OG

Westbrook is a 6'5", 300-pound lineman that can play tackle or guard. He flashes good movement in the trenches, quickness and solid play strength.

He can be used on pulls and traps and has good second level ability. Once he gets to college, he could easily tack on another 20 pounds and become a great, complete lineman. The only question left is if he's a guard or a tackle.

Oregon, Auburn, USC, Washington and UCLA are his top schools.

23. John McGee, OC

McGee is an excellent pivot prospect and you can see the skill set even as he plays left tackle. 6'3", 260 pounds, he has among the quickest feet of any OL prospect in the country.

Even when he moves to center in college, I think McGee still can and will be used as a lead puller and second level shield. He's very athletic and moves well out of his stance. He should make a fine center.

Committed to Oklahoma. 

22. Dan Voltz, OG

I told you that this class is solid on the fronts, and the offensive in particular. Voltz is a 6'4", 290-pound guard prospect who shows grit, toughness and strength.

He works every snap, he can maul in the run game and he'll hold his own against power on the inside. Voltz has the versatility to play all five spots, but I like him as a guard. 

He's headed to Wisconsin.

21. Ty Darlington, OC

Darlington is one my underrated prospects as I feel he should be valued higher than what many give him credit for. He's a 6'3", 275 pound OL that can play all five OL spots, but I think he'll be a center or OG in college.

He's good great technique and toughness, he fires out of his stance and can wall/position defenders. Darlington also has great hand placement and plays with good leverage.

Committed to Oklahoma.

20. Erik Magnuson, OT

At 6'6", 275 pounds, Manguson is among the top tackles on the West Coast. He displays great balance, agility and foot quickness as a pass protector.

Magnuson flashes brute strength to potentially become a great drive blocker in college. I like his snap quickness and he plays to his size at the point of attack.

Magnuson is headed to Michigan.

19. Taylor Decker, OT

At 6'8", 290 pounds, Decker has heard a few whispers of being compared to former Irish offensive lineman Sam Young coming out of high school. He does a great job of sliding and mirroring his target as a pass protector.

He flashes patience, set quickness and recover ability. Decker is not the strongest and can get walked back by power.

He's a Notre Dame pledge.

18. Vadal Alexander, OT

Alexander is a  6'6", 310-pound offensive line prospect who can play tackle and guard. He can use his size to maul in the interior, but he is also athletic enough to mirror on the edge.

He likely will start out as a right tackle, as he can anchor a team's running game by jumping targets on the line at the snap and by tossing them around with ease.

Alabama, Auburn and LSU are the top three.

17. Camrhon Hughes, OT

At 6'7", 290 pounds, Hughes has the frame you want in a tackle. I think he's long and athletic enough to play left tackle in college.

He flashes good knee bend, set quickness and mirror ability in pass protection. He has the ceiling to gain strength to move targets around in the run game as well.

Texas will be in charge of getting him to develop properly. 

16. Ronnie Stanley, OT

Stanley plays for Bishop Gorman in Las Vegas, which is one of the elite and premier programs, not just in Sin City or Nevada, but on the West Coast. 

At 6'6", 285 pounds, Stanley has the ability to play left and right tackle. He's light on his feet, quick and agile. Yet Stanley has solid strength and he can maul in the run game.

Nebraska, Arkansas, Notre Dame, Auburn, Alabama, UCLA and Oregon are all schools he's looking at.

15. Evan Boehm, OC

Boehm is a 6'3", 290-pound center prospect that bantered as the best pivot lineman prospect in America. He fires out low, yet quickly and hard and likes to mix it up at the point of attack. 

He shows great technique, instincts and intelligence of blocking schemes along with the awareness of blitzes, tricks and stunts by defenses. He should develop into a starting center very early on in college.

Committed to Missouri.

14. Michael Starts, OL/DL

At 6'5", 275 pounds, Starts reminds me a bit of USC tackle Tyron Smith coming out of high school. He's super athletic and can play guard and tackle.

Starts shows easy movement in his pulls and traps and is dynamic on the second level. He can hit moving targets and is productive in space.

Interestingly enough, Starts committed to Texas Tech where he will actually likely play DL.

13. Brock Stadnik, OT

Stadnik lines up each snap with one thing in mind: to finish his target off. He looks to pancake everyone in his way and does so most of the time.

At 6'5", 290 pounds, he has very good technique and can drive block very, very well. I think he can play right tackle and guard in college with ease.

South Carolina locked him up in May.

12. Kennedy Estelle, OT

At 6'7", 305 pounds, Estelle looks like a college tackle right now. He has excellent length throughout his frame and, most importantly, his arms. He can keep the rush out of his body and watch them pass the QB down after down.

Yet he really excels in the run game, showing mauler ability, and he finishes well. He can be used on an array of blocks and can play left tackle in college.

He's a Longhorn.

11. Jordan Diamond, OT

Diamond's skill set upon watching him on film projects well to a zone-blocking scheme offense. He shows a great ability to get up on linebackers on the second level and he can hit moving targets efficiently.

At 6'6", 290 pounds, he has solid athletic ability and knee bend, which helps him in pass protection. He does a good job of sliding when engaged and recovers well.

Notre Dame, Michigan State, Illinois and Wisconsin are schools to watch but Michigan is the leader by a good margin.

10. Zach Banner, OT

Banner is the longest offensive tackle in the country, and I mean that about his overall reach and wingspan. He stands 6'9", yes, 6'9", and weighs 300 pounds. 

Banner is not just a stick figure, as he shows great athleticism on the edges to set up quickly, bend his knees, slide, mirror and anchor versus all rushers. He can use his long arms to wash, but also can get up in targets's chests as drive blocker.

Banner has offers from just about everybody.

9. Jordan Simmons, OL

Simmons has the talent and ability to play tackle and guard , but I like him as a guard more. At 6'5", 335 pounds, he shows very, very good athletic ability, strength and balance as a blocker.

He can even play some center in a pinch, too. He does have some baby fat around his body, but a college strength program will shed that, and he is one of the very elite line prospects in the country.

8. Kyle Murphy, OT

Another player, another offensive lineman. I mentioned at the jump, it's an outstanding year for offensive linemen and corners. Murphy is another great one and stands 6'7", 270 pounds and he has solid athleticism for an offensive trench man.

He excels in pass protection and gets by through being simply more athletic than his opponents. Once he gets coached up in college, look out, because he will combine athleticism with technique, and that could equal no sacks for opposing rushers.

His core four consists of Stanford, Cal, Notre Dame and USC.

7. Jessamen Dunker, OT

Dunker may possess the highest ceiling of any offensive line prospect in the nation for 2012. At 6'6", 310 pounds, he is a former hoops player who has only played football for a limited amount of time.

His film shows a super-athletic future left tackle who can mirror quick rushers and match power in the run game. With coaching, Dunker could become an All-American player and perhaps a high-round draft pick.

Florida will be charged with bringing him along.

6. Kyle Kalis, OT

Kalis is a 6'5", 305-pound lineman's type of lineman. He's a lunch-pail type that works on the fronts each snap, whether at right or left tackle. He's best in the run game, showing an ability to play with good leverage at the point of attack and finish ability.

He can pull and trap well, due to his easy movement. As a pass protector, Kalis displays solid foot quickness to slide and mirror well. I like him most at right tackle.

Kalis just re-opened his recruitment and is back on the market.

5. Josh Garnett, OL

Garnett may be the best offensive guard prospect from the Washington area since Steve Schilling. At 6'5", 275 pounds, he has a high ceiling and plays with great athletic ability, knee bend and strength. He also may be able to kick out to tackle in college.

Garnett has good snap quickness, gets into his opponent's chest, walks them back and he can finish. He holds his own in pass protection, as he can work well in the short area confines at guard.

Right now, Oregon, Notre Dame and Washington are schools to watch out for.

4. Avery Young, OT

When you watch Young move around on tape, you wonder if he could even play tight end, as he is that athletic. He has not even scratched the surface as to how good he can be, as the 6'5", 275-pounder looks like a potential left tackle.

He can set up quickly, slide, mirror, bend, recover and anchor versus rushers down after down. Once he learns good hand placement and how to mix up his sets, he could develop into an All-American left tackle. He has the ability in the run game to say hello to linebackers, reach out on sweeps and pitches and pull and trap well.

Oklahoma, Florida, North Carolina State, Georgia, Miami and Alabama are a few schools in the mix.

3. D.J. Humphries, OT

The natural comparison for Humphries' game seems to be Jets left tackle D'Brickashaw Ferguson, and rightfully so.

At 6'6", 270 pounds, Humphries is a left tackle through and through and is likely the best athlete in the trenches in the country.

He has a top list that consists of Florida the huge favorite, South Carolina, Tennessee and Auburn. A decision could come at anytime.

2. John Theus, OT

At 6'6", 295 pounds, Theus excels at drive blocking and has the ability to finish.

Solid in pass protection, I think Theus' best spot is right tackle. In no specific order Alabama, Georgia, Texas, Notre Dame, Arkansas and Florida are Theus' top six schools.

He moves targets off their marks with ease, has quick feet and plays physical at the point of attack.

1. Andrus Peat, OT

At 6'7", 280 pounds, Peat is the top line prospect in the country and will be a franchise left tackle. Rumor has it Peat is up to between 290-300 pounds now going into his senior season.

He reminds me a lot of USC left tackle Matt Kalil coming out of high school. Sound in his technique, smart, patient and savvy in pass protection, Peat is an elite offensive lineman.

Florida State, Notre Dame, Texas, Nebraska, USC, Michigan and a plethora of others are hot for Peat.