Top 10 Interior Offensive Lineman Prospects in the 2026 NFL Draft
Last Updated: October 12, 2026 | Source: Consensus rankings from 9 outletsThe 2026 interior offensive lineman class is led by Kade Pieper, Greg Johnson, Austin Siereveld. Here's a breakdown of the top 10 prospects at the position, with scouting reports, measurables, and projected draft range.
1. Kade Pieper — Iowa
Consensus Rank: #30 overall | Projection: First round | Measurables: 6-3, 290 lbsPieper is one of the more intriguing trench prospects on the 2027 radar, a redshirt junior interior lineman from Norfolk, Nebraska who broke out as Iowa's full-time right guard in 2025 after playing just 108 snaps as a roughly 275-pound backup the prior fall. He grades as a top-three interior lineman in the class, and evaluators call him one of the best athletes at the position they have scouted along the OL, projecting a Tyler Linderbaum-style outcome. He reportedly posted a 4.
Strengths: Elite-level explosive athlete for the position, with a reported 4.13 shuttle and 37.4-inch vertical ... outstanding first-step quickness and second-level speed to win reach blocks and get out on the move ... ideal wide-zone fit, viewed as possibly the top wide-zone blocker in the class Concerns: Undersized at roughly 290 pounds with a frame that clearly needs to fill out ... below-average anchor and play strength that gets exposed against power, including being dominated by Oregon's Bear Alexander and A'Mauri Washington NFL Comparison: Tyler Linderbaum (Renner's stated comp Full scouting report for Kade Pieper →2. Greg Johnson — Minnesota
Consensus Rank: #31 overall | Projection: First round | Measurables: 6'6", 325 lbsGreg Johnson is one of the more intriguing interior offensive line prospects in the 2027 class, a 6'6", 325-pound Minnesota native who has started at left guard, center, and both tackle spots across four seasons in the program. A Prior Lake product who enrolled in January 2023, he started all 13 games at center in 2024 before sliding back to his natural left guard in 2025, a move he says he is far more comfortable with. He grades as an early-third-round pick and one of the most intriguing true guards in the class.
Strengths: Versatile 6'6"/325 frame with experience at left guard, center, and both tackle spots ... Wide base and stout anchor that rarely lets power rushers drive him into the pocket ... Lateral quickness and foot agility to mirror rushers and recover in pass sets Concerns: Tall frame with long legs that get trapped and twisted, lands on the ground too often ... Hands flash power but lack consistent pop to finish at the point of attack NFL Comparison: Tyler Smith (oversized, athletic guard convert who wins on the move more than with raw power) Full scouting report for Greg Johnson →3. Austin Siereveld — Ohio State
Consensus Rank: #60 overall | Projection: Second round | Measurables: 6-5, 325 lbsA thick, powerful Buckeye lineman whose path from overlooked recruit to team captain tells the story of a steady, ascending evaluation. Siereveld redshirted in 2023, then filled in at both guard spots during Ohio State's 2024 national title run before sliding out to left tackle full time in 2025, where he handled the blindside transition with understated confidence. Evaluators slot him as a second-round prospect who did not allow a sack in 13 starts this season, while others grade him a third-round player and note he surrendered just three sacks across roughly 495 guard snaps the prior year.
Strengths: No sacks allowed in 13 starts at left tackle in 2025 ... strong anchor that holds ground and resets the line of scrimmage against bull rushes ... violent, accurate hands with very good grip strength to land and sustain blocks Concerns: Below-average arm length for the tackle position that longer edge rushers exploit ... only adequate athleticism and limited range when asked to work in space or on the move NFL Comparison: Trent Brown (massive interior-style frame who can man tackle but profiles cleaner inside, wins with power over length) Full scouting report for Austin Siereveld →4. Jesse Perry — Tennessee
Consensus Rank: #80 overall | Projection: Day 2 | Measurables: 6-6, 320 lbsJesse Perry is a 6-6, 320-pound Tennessee lineman who jumped onto 2027 boards on the strength of a redshirt freshman season spent bouncing between tackle and guard. CBS Sports put him at No. 49 on its 2027 preseason big board and praised the frame first, calling it the kind of body born to carry 300-plus pounds, and the evaluation there is that he lands on the interior in the NFL despite the time he logged outside.
Strengths: Outstanding frame for the position at 6-6, 320, described by CBS as born to carry 300-plus pounds ... Matches power and moves defenders, which stood out as a true sophomore ... Pass protection is the stronger half of his charted profile, with a high efficiency rate Concerns: Run blocking is the clear soft spot and lags his pass protection by a wide margin in Scouting Grade's charted sample ... Position is still unsettled, with his college time at tackle and his projection on the interior NFL Comparison: Power-first interior anchor with the frame and finishing temperament of a Kevin Zeitler Full scouting report for Jesse Perry →5. Iapani Laloulu — Oregon
Consensus Rank: #81 overall | Projection: Day 2 | Measurables: 6'2", 329 lbsIapani Laloulu, the 329-pound Honolulu native nicknamed "Poncho," has developed into one of the top interior offensive line prospects in the 2027 class as Oregon's anchor at center. A former four-star Under Armour All-American out of Farrington High School, he bounced between guard spots as a freshman before settling at center midway through 2024, immediately stabilizing a struggling unit that allowed just five sacks over its final ten games once he took over the line calls. He grades among the top interior linemen in the class with 2025 play called Rimington-worthy, and scouts slot him among the top true centers in college football.
Strengths: Allowed zero sacks and only ten pressures across nearly 500 pass-blocking snaps as a sophomore ... 79.9 pass-blocking grade heading into 2025 ... Pitched nine full-game pressure shutouts against Big Ten fronts including Michigan State and Ohio State Concerns: Below-average arm length lets longer defenders into his chest before he establishes contact ... Plodding, heavy-footed athlete whose recovery against quicker three-techniques is a concern NFL Comparison: Tyler Linderbaum (undersized leverage-and-IQ center who anchors and processes elite, lacks length) Full scouting report for Iapani Laloulu →6. Luke Montgomery — Ohio State
Consensus Rank: #84 overall | Projection: Day 2 | Measurables: 6'5", 312 lbsLuke Montgomery is a tall, long, technically refined interior blocker who has quietly become one of the most experienced guards in college football. A converted four-star tackle recruit out of Findlay, Ohio, he arrived in Columbus as the No. 2 player in the state and a top-five interior lineman nationally, choosing Ohio State over Michigan, Notre Dame, Clemson and Penn State.
Strengths: Fourteen starts at left guard for a Big Ten runner-up without missing a snap rotation ... Elite discipline with just two penalties across 837-plus snaps ... Prototype length and 6'5" frame that give him longer levers than most interior guards Concerns: Miami playoff game was a protection failure with two sacks and a hit surrendered ... Texas opener was nearly as shaky, the season's other heavyweight test NFL Comparison: Kevin Zeitler (reasoning: long, disciplined interior blocker who wins in the run game and rarely gets penalized) Full scouting report for Luke Montgomery →7. Anthonie Knapp — Notre Dame
Consensus Rank: #86 overall | Projection: Day 2 | Measurables: 6'4", 300 lbsAnthonie Knapp is one of the most fascinating projection cases in the 2027 class because his tape keeps refusing to confirm what his measurements insist about him. Recruited to Notre Dame as a debated three-to-four-star out of Roswell, Georgia, he was thrown into the fire as a true freshman when Charles Jagusah tore his pectoral in fall camp, becoming only the third true freshman offensive lineman to start a Week 1 game in Notre Dame history. He held up well enough to earn Freshman All-America honors while protecting a championship-game run.
Strengths: Two-year starting left tackle at a playoff-caliber program with 27 career game starts and Freshman All-America pedigree ... Advanced processing and snap-to-snap consistency that reads older than his class year, quick to recognize blitzes and stunts ... Genuine power and leg drive in the run game, creating consistent movement at the point of attack Concerns: Badly undersized for tackle at 300 pounds with short arms, the smallest tackle in the group playing the position's hardest spot ... Below-average timed athleticism and modest foot speed narrow the margin his technique must cover NFL Comparison: Joel Bitonio (undersized-tackle-to-elite-guard conversion arc) Full scouting report for Anthonie Knapp →8. Evan Tengesdahl — Cincinnati
Consensus Rank: #93 overall | Projection: Day 2 | Measurables: 6'3", 320 lbsEvan Tengesdahl is the quiet developmental win in this class. Cincinnati signed him out of Wayne High School in Huber Heights, Ohio, as a three-star in the 2023 class, redshirted him, and used him in a reserve role for two seasons before he won the starting left guard job in fall camp ahead of 2025. He then started every game, logged 735 blocking snaps across 13 contests, and allowed zero sacks with two hits and nine hurries on 408 pass-blocking snaps.
Strengths: Best run blocker among Power Four guards in 2025 ... One of the top guards in the country overall ... allowed zero sacks on 408 pass-blocking snaps, just two hits and nine hurries Concerns: Short arms and a squatty build cap the length-based wins NFL guards depend on ... average timed athleticism limits range on pulls and to the second level NFL Comparison: Cooper Beebe power-based interior finisher with length questions Full scouting report for Evan Tengesdahl →