Story by
Chiefs 2026 NFL draft summer scouting: Big Ten offensive linemen
- Story by
- Chiefs 2026 NFL draft summer scouting: Big Ten offensive linemen
The Kansas City Chiefs enter the 2025 season with several questions about the long-term starters along their offensive line. Cutting left tackle Jawaan Taylor next offseason saves roughly $20 million , and Kingsley Suamataia remains an unknown at left guard. Chiefs fans need to prepare for the team to add more offensive linemen in 2026.
Fortunately, the 2026 NFL draft features a deep class of offensive tackles and guards with starting-caliber potential. Early big boards feature as many as 22 linemen in the top 100 , with many coming from the run-heavy Big Ten Conference.
Advertisement
The Oregon Ducks boast several future NFL players on their offensive line, including USC transfer left guard Emmanuel Pregnon, center Iapani Laloulu, Texas State transfer right tackle Alex Harkey and Nevada transfer left tackle Isaiah World.
World is emerging as a consensus top 15 prospect this summer. His strike placement and hand usage help him engulf defenders and stall pass rushes. World's range and foot quickness prevent wide-alignment defenders from beating him up the arc. He needs to add some more functional mass to make a greater impact in the run game.
The Penn State Nittany Lions also boast plenty of talent, with left tackle Drew Shelton, left guard Olaivavega Ioane and right tackle Anthony Donkoh all possessing top 100 potential. Shelton is a quick mover with a developed snatch-trap, and Ioane is an overpowering force with a great anchor and high floor in the run game.
Of the trio, Donkoh has the most potential. He's built more like a guard than a tackle but displays impressive movement skills on gap runs and excellent power. Unfortunately, he's recovering from a significant right knee injury and will need to win the starting job from Nolan Rucci .
Advertisement
The remaining Big Ten programs lack multiple top 100-caliber selections along the offensive line but still feature NFL talent. New Ohio State left tackle Ethan Onianwa's build makes him an easy projection inside to guard. The same goes for Illinois and Northwestern left tackles J.C. Davis and Caleb Tiernan.
Minnesota 's Greg Johnson broke out at center in 2024 but is kicking to guard for the upcoming season. His impressive lateral movement, stout anchor and block framing make him the top center prospect in the class or a top 60 prospect at guard if he plays well in his new role.
Some remaining Day 3 prospects with functional traits for backups include Iowa center Logan Jones and future guard convert Gennings Dunker, Nebraska right tackle Elijah Pritchett, USC left guard DJ Wingfield and Wisconsin right tackle Riley Mahlman.
This article originally appeared on Chiefs Wire: Chiefs 2026 NFL draft summer scouting: Big Ten offensive linemen
