Ben Johnson Prioritizes One Trait In O-Linemen — These 5 Draft Prospects Have It
For all the talk about defense leading up to the NFL draft next month, people should not ignore the offensive line. It took two rough body blows in less than six months. First, Ozzy Trapilo, their promising young left tackle, tore his patellar tendon and will likely miss the 2026 season. Then Drew Dalman, their Pro Bowl center, abruptly retired at age 27. Head coach Ben Johnson went from having a stable offensive line to one with uncertainty at its two most critical positions.
The Bears were able to staunch the bleeding somewhat by trading for veteran center Garrett Bradbury, re-signing Braxton Jones, and bringing in former 1st round pick Jedrick Wills. Now the team at least has some experience to work with at both positions. Still, everybody expects the team to add help in the upcoming draft. It is only a question of who they target. To answer that, we must go back to last year. Johnson delivered a quote that felt important then and could prove crucial now.
“The intelligence factor is a major portion of it because they got to be able to handle different fronts for all these variety of schemes that we would like to employ,” Johnson said after the team introduced Thuney and Jackson. “End of the day, we’ll push this thing as far as we feel the collective group can handle up front. And that’s where the intelligence is so, so important to expand on that variety.”
Ben Johnson should have plenty of options this year.
People talk about strength and athleticism all the time when evaluating offensive linemen. Yes, both can be important to success in the NFL. However, you often find that the players with the longest careers are those who understand the game at its fundamental level. Just look at Joe Thuney. He was a 4th round pick because of concerns about his size and power. It didn’t matter. His technical mastery makes him an almost impossible puzzle to solve. That will be the archetype in this draft. Here are five players who fit it.
Sam Hecht (C, Kansas State)
“Academic All-American caliber intellect translates directly to the field; this is a player who will pick up a new playbook in days, not weeks, and communicate protection calls at an NFL level from day one.”
It probably isn’t a coincidence that the Bears had a large contingent presence at the Kansas State pro day. They clearly have an interest in Hecht, and for good reason. If there were a player who is the spitting image of Dalman in this class, it would probably be him. While not the biggest and lacking a strong anchor, he is technically sharp, with great athleticism, and a savant at blocking in space.
Logan Jones (C, Iowa)
“He’s a highly intelligent player with a strong understanding of protections. He seems like a monster out of a book with eight eyes, due to how good his peripheral vision is.”
Anybody who has followed the draft for long enough understands there are few certainties in life. One of them is that Iowa offensive linemen transition to the pro game better than most. Jones is an older prospect who will be considered undersized by teams. However, he’s also a good athlete who has made it his personal mission to master the art of blocking. Add a do-or-die mentality on every snap, and it’s easy to like him.
Jake Slaughter (C, Florida)
“A multi-year starter and team captain with elite football IQ, refined technique and natural pass protection skills.”
Florida has gone through some turbulent times in recent years. One of their few sources of security was Slaughter, who started four seasons for the team. His efforts helped Anthony Richardson become a 1st round pick and aided the ascent of running back Jadan Baugh. Slaughter has good size for a center and the anchor to go with it. Add the leadership and intelligence, and the appeal becomes pretty obvious.
Caleb Tiernan (OT, Northwestern)
“The 6’6”, 325-pound left tackle boasts a rare combination of Ivy League-level football IQ and NFL-level athleticism.”
Northwestern isn’t a true hotbed of NFL talent, but the program has been surprisingly good at developing offensive linemen in recent years. Tiernan is one of their latest projects. He is one of those greater-than-the-sum-of-his-parts players. What he lacks in elite traits, he makes up for in savvy and grit. There aren’t many holes in his game. Such players tend to overachieve.
Blake Miller (OT, Clemson)
“His hands are not only up and active but also exhibit patience, a sign of high football intelligence.”
He hasn’t gotten as much pre-draft hype as guys like Monroe Freeling and Max Iheanachor. That’s a shame, because Miller is a tremendous athlete with some of the most polished fundamentals in the class. There is a reason he started 54 games in college. Coaches love him, and he’s an outstanding teammate. Put him in the hands of someone like Ben Johnson and he probably starts for a decade.