The 'On The Clock' crew of Matt Williamson, Mike Prisuta and Max Starks take a look at the top prospects in the upcoming 2026 NFL Draft, which will be held in Pittsburgh in April. Today, they take a second look at the interior offensive line positions.
Note: The opinions expressed here are their own and not those of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Matt's First Look
1. Olaivavega Ioane, Penn State, 6-4, 320 lbs.
2. Emmanuel Pregnon, Oregon, 6-4, 314 lbs.
3. Chase Bisontis, Texas A&M, 6-5, 315 lbs.
4. Keylan Rutledge, Georgia Tech, 6-4, 316 lbs.
5. Sam Hecht, Kansas, 6-4, 303 lbs.
Matt's Thoughts
The top four remains the same and it is a strong foursome of guards that should start in their rookie seasons. No disrespect to Hecht, but he falls out of the top five in favor of Iowa's Gennings Dunker (6-5, 319 lbs.). Dunker is hard to miss with his fiery red hair. Some see him as an offensive tackle. Guard is most likely his destination though because of limited athletic ability. But Dunker is a mauler with heavy hands and good play strength with a temperament that can set the tone for an entire offensive line…Kentucky's Jalen Farmer (6-5, 312 lbs.) is a pure guard that gets off the ball well and does a nice job blocking in space. Taller than most guards, Farmer can lose the leverage battle at times and has to work on consistently keeping his pads down, especially against the bull rush…Dunker's teammate, Logan Jones (6-3, 299 lbs.) has a strong case to being the first center drafted, possibly on the second day of the draft. Jones is a four-year starter with a very good head for the game which helps him overcome his shorter arms. He is also a very good athlete that gets off the ball well and has a strong feel for blocking angles. Jones had the fastest forty time amongst all offensive linemen at the Combine and can get downfield to block smaller defenders. He best fits a zone-heavy scheme at the next level. Jones is one of more than a handful of possible starting NFL centers in this draft class, which is more than most years.
Mike's First Look
1. Olaivavega Ioane, Penn State, 6-4, 320 lbs.
2. Emmanuel Pregnon, Oregon, 6-4, 314 lbs.
3. Gennings Dunker, Iowa, 6-5, 319 lbs.
4. Chase Bisontis, Texas A&M, 6-5, 315 lbs.
5. Connor Lew, Auburn, 6-3, 310 lbs.
Mike's Thoughts
Changes, after further review, included elevating Bisontis to No. 2, dropping Pregnon to No. 3 and Dunker to No. 4, and replacing Lew with Georgia Tech's Keylan Rutledge (6-4, 316) at No. 5 (an all-guards Top 5, for clarity's sake). Arkansas offensive tackle Fernando Carmona (6-41/2, 318) was the original "sleeper" due to an anticipated kick inside to guard, where he played out of necessity for the Razorbacks in 2025 … Alabama's Parker Brailsford (6-1, 289) is undersized but moves well. "That's his game, quickness," NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah's assessed. "He'll pull as a center, he's a pest. Zone (-blocking) teams will really like him." … Indiana's Pat Coogan (6-5, 311) played three seasons at Notre Dame before joining the Hoosiers. He earned Second-Team All-Big Ten honors at center and was the first offensive lineman to be named MVP of the Rose Bowl since 1944 … UCLA's Garrett DiGiorgio (6-65/8, 319) started 49 of 50 career games played for the Bruins. He made 40 of those starts at right tackle, including two in 2025, when he also started one game at left tackle and eight at right guard, a position it appears at which he'll remain … Kansas State's Sam Hecht (6-41/8, 303) is the top center available, in Jeremiah's estimation, in part, apparently, because of Hecht's ample backside. "Look at the bubble on Hecht," Jeremiah marveled during coverage of the NFL Scouting Combine. "That is the bubble of a center right there. You could read a book on top of that thing." … Iowa's Logan Jones (6-27/8, 299) is another center who relies more on quickness than bulk. NFL Network reporter Stacey Dales reported from the Combine about the "tell" Jones maintains he possesses after starting his Iowa career on the defensive line. "I can feel their pressures, see how they're shifting, make all the right calls, get everybody in the right place," Jones told Dales. Jones transitioned to center well enough to win the Rimington Trophy in 2025 and leaves Iowa having started 51 of 52 career games played for the Hawkeyes (including 51 in a row after converting to center in 2022) … Notre Dame's Billy Schrauth (6-5, 310) has started at right and left guard, including at both positions in 2024 (nine games at left guard, three at right guard) … Florida's Jake Slaughter (6-5, 303) was an Associated Press First-Team All-America selection at center in 2024 and First-Team All-SEC in 2025. Jeremiah projects Slaughter as a third- or fourth-round pick, and as having "a chance to get on the field early." … Texas A&M's Trey Zuhn III (6-61/2, 312) started 50 of 54 career games played for the Aggies, 48 at left tackle and two at center, but Jeremiah sees center as Zuhn's NFL position. Zuhn was a co-winner of the 2025 Jacobs Blocking Trophy (top SEC offensive lineman), along with Alabama offensive tackle Kaydn Proctor, who is generating considerable interest as a potential first-round pick.
Max's First Look
1. Olaivavega Ioane, Penn State, 6-4, 320 lbs.
2. Emmanuel Pregnon, Oregon, 6-4, 314 lbs.
3. Kadyn Proctor, Alabama, 6-7, 351 lbs.
4. Chase Bisontis, Texas A&M, 6-5, 315 lbs.
5. Gennings Dunker, Iowa, 6-5, 319 lbs.
Max's Thoughts
When I reevaluate the interior offensive line position group, I think there is a lot of depth here, but I don't think there are a lot of Frontline starters in this year's class. The strength of this class will come in day two of the draft as the second tier starts to get going I think there will be a run on this position area. If I am reconfiguring this group, I would probably slide Chase Bisontis in front of Emmanuel Pregnon, and add Logan Jones into the fifth slot as he is the only true center in my top five. Another guy that I'm highly considering adding into this group is Keelan Rutledge because he provides a very physical demeanor and approach and he is about as tough as they come for a guard. This will be an interesting day 2 of the draft and leading into the beginning of day 3 to see where a bulk of these interior lineman go.
