Top offensive tackles get measured at the combine

On Tuesday morning, Offensive linemen, running backs, and special teams players got all their measurements taken to start their week at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. The rest of the week will be filled with out medical tests, team interviews, and finally the on-field testing that we all cannot wait to see.

For some of the top tackles, there are a few numbers that are kept in mind during these measurement. When it comes to height, scouts want to see guys over 6-foot-4. For weight, over 300 pounds is a solid benchmark, But one of the most polarizing measurements that will turn some scouts off immediately about a potential prospect is their arm length. Scouts have a loose threshold of 34” when it comes to tackles and if they don’t reach this thread, you start hearing murmurings about that player moving inside to guard afterwards.

Below I’ve posted measurements for a number of the top tackles, courtesy of Charles Robinson who always comes through with player measurements, whether it’s the Senior Bowl in January or the combine right now in Indy. Give him a follow if you want to stay up-to-date on all the players measurements through the rest of this week.

Jedrick Wills meets all of the thresholds with his measurements and solidified himself as a top-10 pick, barring any athletic-testing issues when he performs on Friday. The number that stands out the most to me here is the wingspan. 80” is the loose baseline number that measurement. He’s more than halfway to 85”, which is freak-level.

Tristan Wirfs likely quieted a lot of the voices who have wanted to see him make a transition to guard at the next level. He hits the 34-inch threshold with massive hands and well-built 320 pounds on his 6-foot-5 frame.

In the adjoining tweet, you can also see the numbers for Georgia right tackle Isaiah Wilson. He is a mountain of a man and could be a mid-round gem for some team on day two.

Andrew Thomas was the consensus #1 offensive tackle this time last year for the 2020 draft but has fallen now to the 3rd or 4th-best tackle depending on who you ask. He’s still a physical anomaly with some of the longest arms of all the offensive tackles in Indy. He’ll likely test well and potentially get back into the top-15 discussion.

Josh Jones was one of the biggest standouts at this year’s Senior Bowl. He was close to unbeatable in 1-on-1s and showed scouts his elite athleticism at the same time. He is literally a hair away from arm and wingspan thresholds but I don’t think any scout will hold it against him with the way he performed in Mobile this year.

Austin Jackson is commonly thought of as the very next guy in the second tier of offensive tackles. He nails all of the thresholds and should be somewhere in the early second round discussion. If he performs well this week on the field, he may even sneak into the end of the first round should a team feel desperate for tackle help.

I don’t need to point out anything with Mehki Becton’s measurements because it is so painfully obvious just how much of an outlier he is in this group. A true 6-foot-7 blocker at well over 360 pounds. Hands, arm length, and wingspan are all some of the best in this class. He’s shot up draft boards in the last month and has some claim to potentially be the first offensive tackle off the board in April.

Ben Bartch was the small-school kid at the Senior Bowl who wound-up making a lot of big noise by the end of the week. He’s coming from Division III St. Johns but don’t let that deflate your initial opinions of the guy. He was one of, if not, the best performer down in Mobile. He went up against guys from Alabama and Penn State, two schools known for producing top defensive line talent, and came out on top more often than not. He’s the real diamond in the rough, this year.