Football games are won in the trenches, and the offensive tackles are the most important players on the offensive line because they protect the quarterback.  Here is a list of the best offensive tackles in the history of the NFL.  

*Note: Some of the guys on the list did play before the NFL and AFL merged in 1970.

Ryan Clady is still in the infancy of his career, but he has shown early on that he has the tools to be an all-time great.  He has been named to one All-Pro team and one Pro Bowl.  You can bet there will be many more of each in his future.

Jake Long is the second best tackle in the NFL right now.  He has already been to three Pro Bowls and named to one All-Pro team.  He is on track to be right at the top of this list.

Putting Joe Thomas on this list might seem premature, but if you look at his numbers, he is easily on his way to a Hall of Fame career.  In his four full seasons with the Browns, he has been voted to the Pro Bowl each year and been named to the All-Pro team twice.

Link Lyman played from 1922-1934 for the Canton Bulldogs and Chicago Bears.  He was a two-time All-Pro.  Lyman was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1964.

Cal Hubbard played in the league from 1927-1936.  He was an excellent offensive lineman, but he also played some defensive end early in his career.  Hubbard was named to four All-Pro teams and inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1963.

Willie Roaf played 13 years in the NFL for the New Orleans Saints and Kansas City Chiefs.  He was voted to 11 Pro Bowls and three All-Pro teams.  It is only a matter of time before he is headed to Canton.

Jackie Slater played for the Los Angeles Rams from 1976-1994 and the St. Louis Rams in 1995.  He was a seven-time Pro Bowler and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2001.

Bob St. Clair played for the San Francisco 49ers from 1953-1963.  He was named to five Pro Bowls.  St. Clair was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1990.

Art Shell was the anchor of the Oakland offensive line for over a decade.  He was a two-time All-Pro tackle and was voted to eight Pro Bowls.  Shell was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1989.

Gary Zimmerman played from 1986-1997 for the Minnesota Vikings and Denver Broncos.  He was a seven-time Pro Bowler and was a three-time All-Pro.  Zimm was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2008.

Dan Dierdorf played all three offensive line positions in his career, but was a tackle for the majority of his time in the NFL.  He was a member of the St. Louis Cardinals from 1971-1983.  He was voted to three All-Pro teams and six Pro Bowls.  Dierdorf was inducted in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1996.

Stan Jones played offensive tackle, offensive guard and defensive tackle in his Hall of Fame career.  He was a seven-time Pro Bowler and three-time first team All-Pro.  Jones was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1991.

Orlando Pace was the king of "The Pancake Block" in college, and he continued to dominate when he entered the NFL.  This future Hall of Famer was named All-Pro three times and voted to seven Pro Bowls.

Ogden played for the Baltimore Ravens from 1996-2007.  He was voted to 11 Pro Bowls and named to four All-Pro teams.  He will be elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame very soon.

George Connor played for the Chicago Bears from 1948-1955.  He was voted to four Pro Bowls and four All-Pro teams.  Connor was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1975.

Lou Groza was an offensive tackle and a kicker.  The fact that he played those two positions is enough to get him on this list.  He was a nine-time Pro Bowler and named to four All-Pro teams.  He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1974.  Groza also has an award named after him that is awarded to the top placekicker in college every year.

Rayfield Wright was the linchpin of the Dallas Cowboys' offensive line from 1967-1979.  He was named to six Pro Bowls and was All-Pro three times.  Wright was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2006.

Roosevelt Brown played for the New York Giants from 1953-1965.  He was a nine-time Pro Bowler and voted to six All-Pro teams.  He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1975.

Ron Yary played with the Minnesota Vikings from 1968-1981 and the Los Angeles Rams in 1982.  He was named to seven Pro Bowls and was an All-Pro six times.  Yary was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2001.

Bob Brown played from 1964-1973 with the Philadelphia Eagles, Los Angeles Rams and Oakland Raiders.  He was named to the first team All-Pro team five times and voted to six Pro Bowls.  Brown was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2004.

Bruce Matthews played every offensive line position at some point in his career.  He was voted to 14 Pro Bowls and named to seven All-Pro teams.  He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2007.

Lou Creekmur was a mauler for the Detroit Lions from 1950-1959.  He was first team All-Pro six times, voted to eight Pro Bowls and elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1996.

Ron Mix played for the Los Angeles Chargers, San Diego Chargers and Oakland Raiders.  He had a heck of a career, being named to nine All-Pro teams and eight Pro Bowls.  Mix was named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1979.

Forrest Gregg played for the Packers from 1956-1971.  He was named to seven All-Pro teams and nine Pro Bowls.  He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1977.

Anthony Munoz is arguably the best offensive tackle of all time.  He was a starter from day one of his NFL career, and he was named a first team All-Pro nine times.  He was also voted into 11 Pro Bowls.  Munoz was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1998.