This is the NFL Draft’s 75th anniversary and one thing has remained constant throughout the evolution of the draft process; once one position starts to come off of the board, teams tend to go crazy and trip over one another to line up and snag the next available. That could very well be true for the offensive tackle spot in this year’s installment as there are a number of high quality tackles in the upper echelon of the class, but once they are all gone, teams might be left wishing they had made a move.

The dominoes this year will likely begin to fall with the fourth pick and the Washington Redskins who are looking to protect their most recent investment in Donovan McNabb. Russell Okung from Oklahoma State has been the consensus top tackle in this year’s class for quite some time now so it would be a huge surprise if the Skins went in a different direction. Washington’s offensive line has been ravaged by injuries and aging players so they really need an infusion of youth to their guys in the trenches.

Perhaps the most crucial pick is with the Kansas City Chiefs at number five who will have their choice between Trent Williams of Oklahoma, Bryan Bulaga from Iowa, or the athletic Anthony Davis of Rutgers as their tackle for the future. What could throw a wrench into everyone’s draft board is if the Chiefs decide to go with Tennessee safety Eric Berry instead of one of the tackles. Scott Pioli and his associates really hold the keys to how the entire opening round unfolds if they start the avalanche of tackles off the board. With the Chiefs taking a tackle such as Williams or Bulaga, that forces the Seattle Seahawks with the next pick to take one of the two remaining and puts any other teams pining for a tackle on standby. The Oakland Raiders desperately need offensive line help with the eighth selection and so do the Buffalo Bills at number nine. All of this adds up to some tackles getting paid handsomely in this year’s draft.

There is certainly precedence for this as in 2004 there were seven wide receivers selected in the opening round with three going in the top nine selections or as recently as 2008 when eight offensive tackles were taken in round one. This year’s class has that type of depth at the tackle position, but the top tier players are certainly going to be more sought after by teams looking for guys that can be plugged into the lineup immediately. With as many as eight tackles projected in the 1st round and possibly up to five in the first nine picks alone, offensive line is going to be a highly coveted position Thursday night when round one gets underway. Buckle up if you are a fan of one of these teams wishing for a tackle in the opening round because the ride could be bumpy with an unexpected outcome at the end of the road.

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