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2026 NFL Draft Offensive Guard Rankings: CFN’s College Football Perspective
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- 2026 NFL Draft Offensive Guard Rankings: CFN’s College Football Perspective
It's hard for NFL fans to get fired up around an offensive guard pick.
Just about every other position gets plenty of fan love. The offensive tackles handle the high-end pass rushers, the skill positions are obviously the ones everyone pays to see, and everyone on defense gets in on tackles.
You know a guard is good when you don't notice who he is - for the most part.
But get a good pair of steady blockers in the interior, and everything else works. You can get away with a smart, smaller center and more athletic tackles who don't have to pound as much.
About 20 guards will likely be drafted, and the top ten below should all make a big impact.
Dec 31, 2024; Glendale, AZ, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions offensive lineman Olaivavega Ioane (71) against the Boise State Broncos during the Fiesta Bowl at State Farm Stadium.© Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
At a Glance: CFN Top 2026 NFL Draft Guards
- Olaivavega Ioane
(Penn State) – Potentially special first-rounder
- Emmanuel Pregnon
( Oregon
) – Totally clean guard prospect
- Gennings Dunker
( Iowa
) – Versatile, he'll thrive anywhere
- Chase Bisontis
( Texas A&M
) – Very quick for his size
- Kenyan Rutledge ( Georgia Tech
) – Super nasty and experienced
CFN 2026 Position Previews
QBs
| RBs
| WRs
| TEs
| OTs
| OGs
| Cs
Edge/DEs
| DTs
| LBs
| CBs
| Safeties
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CFN 2026 NFL Draft Offensive Guard Rankings: Infrastructure Can Be Glamorous
Best of the Rest Offensive Guards
(In alphabetical order, with the projected draft round in parentheses) DJ Campbell, Texas
(6); Fernando Carmona, Arkansas
(6); Febechi Nwalwu, Oklahoma
(5); Ar'Maj Reed-Adams, Texas A&M (6); Jeremiah Wright, Auburn (5)
Billy Schrauth
CFN OG Rank:10
College:Notre Dame
Projected Draft Round:4
Height/Weight:6-5, 310
Experience:Three-year starter at Notre Dame.
Not massive, and not all that quick, there are just enough concerns to push him into Day Three, but he's a technician who battles to get the job done.
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Alex Harkey
CFN OG Rank:9
College:Oregon
Projected Draft Round:5
Height/Weight:6-5, 313
Experience:Six years of experience, Two-year FBS starter, 2024 All-Sun Belt, 2025 All-Big Ten.
First a JUCO blocker, then Colorado, then Texas State, then Oregon - he's done a lot of blocking. The former tight end bulked up, and now he has just enough versatility and athleticism to be a fill-in-the-blank guy on Day Three.
Beau Stephens
CFN OG Rank:8
College:Iowa
Projected Draft Round:5
Height/Weight:6-5, 315
Experience:Three-year starter, 2025 All-American, All-Big Ten.
The overall NFL tools aren't there - he's not quick, and he's not mega-strong - but he's a top Iowa guard. He knows how to get the job done.
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Jalen Farmer
CFN OG Rank:7
College: Kentucky
Projected Draft Round:4
Height/Weight:6-5, 312
Experience:Four years of experience, two-year starter at Kentucky.
Good at Florida
, great at Kentucky, he won't do anything on the move, but as a right guard only, he'll beat up his man.
Jan 8, 2026; Glendale, AZ, USA; Miami Hurricanes offensive lineman Anez Cooper (73) against the Mississippi Rebels during the 2026 Fiesta Bowl and semifinal game of the College Football Playoff at State Farm Stadium. © Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Anez Cooper
CFN OG Rank:6
College:Miami
Projected Draft Round:3
Height/Weight:6-6, 334
Experience:Three-year starter, three-time All-ACC.
Giant, strong, and with the right base for an NFL guard, he overcomes the lack of any fluidity by being able to move - even if it isn't always pretty. He'll be solid right away.
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Keylan Rutledge
CFN OG Rank:5
College:Georgia Tech
Projected Draft Round:2
Height/Weight:6-4, 316
Experience:Two years at Middle Tennessee
, four-year starter overall, two-time All-ACC, 2025 All-American.
There isn't a ton of bulk, and he might need the right scheme, but he's nasty. He gets after it on seemingly every block.
Chase Bisontis
CFN OG Rank:4
College:Texas A&M
Projected Draft Round:2
Height/Weight:6-5, 315
Experience:Three-year starter, 2025 All-SEC, 2023 Freshman All-American.
Great mover for his size, he's a bit of a tweener with guard skills in a tackle body. He won't blast anyone at the next level, but he might be the most agile of the top guards.
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Gennings Dunker
CFN OG Rank:3
College:Iowa
Projected Draft Round:3
Height/Weight:6-5, 319
Experience:Three-year starter, Two-time All-Big Ten.
A decent tackle prospect and elite guard, he's versatile enough to work anywhere in a pinch, but he's an OT who'll kick inside, where he'll thrive with a little time.
Emmanuel Pregnon
CFN OG Rank:2
College:Oregon
Projected Draft Round:2
Height/Weight:6-4, 314
Experience:Four-year starter, two-time All-Big Ten, 2025 All-American.
After starting at Wyoming
, moving to USC, and ending up at Oregon, he got better, sharper, and stronger each season. There's no real downside to anything he does - he's your ten-year, no worry guard at either spot.
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Olaivavega Ioane
CFN OG Rank:1
College:Penn State
Projected Draft Round:1
Height/Weight:6-4, 320
Experience:Three-year starter, three-time All-Big Ten, 2025 All-American.
The best of the best guards in the draft, he's a big body blaster who looks and plays exactly like you want your NFL starter to be, and he got better after battling down to 320.
He'll never be a tackle, but you're fine with that. An anchor for an NFL line, he's the one you'll run behind.
Sep 13, 2025; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes offensive lineman Gennings Dunker (67) looks on before the game against the Massachusetts Minutemen at Kinnick Stadium.© Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images
Best Value Prospect
Gennings Dunker, IowaNo, he's not the prospect that Penn State's Olaivavega Ioane or Oregon's Emmanuel Pregnon are, and he's used to being a tackle, but give him a little bit of time, and there's a shot he'll be the most dependable interior blocker in the draft.
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Top Sleeper Prospect
Fernando Carmona, ArkansasThere's a chance he's not even drafted. The athleticism isn't there, and at 6-5 and 316 pounds, he's a bit of a tweener. However, he's got the power, and he'll do whatever it takes to get a guy blocked, even if it doesn't look right.
Will Go Too Early
Jalen Farmer, KentuckyIt's nitpicking a bit, but he should go in the third round when he's really more of a Day 3 guy.
There's nothing wrong with his college production, and he has the pop to be a true run blocking guard, but his draft slot will likely move up a round or so because of the 4.9 40 and decent quickness he showed at the combine.
CFN 2026 Position Previews
QBs
| RBs
| WRs
| TEs
| OTs
| Cs
Edge/DEs
| DTs
| LBs
| CBs
| Safeties
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Related: 2026 NFL Draft RB Rankings: CFN's College Football Perspective
This story was originally published by College Football News on Apr 16, 2026, where it first appeared in the NFL Draft section. Add College Football News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
