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The NFL’s 11 best offensive tackles

From Christian Darrisaw to Trent Williams, here’s Doug Farrar’s list of the 11 best offensive tackles in the NFL today.

Offensive tackles have generally been the rock stars of every offensive line through time, and that’s no different in 2023, though the requirements for the positions (right and left tackle) have changed in recent years.

We are no longer in the era of football where quarterbacks are taking seven-step drops, slinging it downfield no matter what, and going to the Pro Bowl with 50% completion rates, and more interceptions than touchdowns. Efficiency matters, and so does quick passing — especially as the run-pass option has become a schematic staple at the NFL level.

Modern tackles have to do a lot of things well to be great, and with the advent of multiple fronts, the difference between right and left tackle has blurred to a large degree. No longer is your left tackle automatically the perfect athlete, while the guy on the right is just good enough to get by. Not in an ideal offensive line, by any means.

So, to make this year’s list of the NFL’s 11 best offensive tackles, you’d best meet the following criteria:

Expert pass-blocking in every kind of set — from the quick set to the full vertical dropback.
A nearly-full array of techniques to keep defensive linemen at bay.
The ability to stone those defensive linemen in the run game; and
The acumen to pick up stunts and overload fronts.

In a recent episode of “The Xs and Os with Greg Cosell and Doug Farrar,” we went deeper into the requirements for every offensive line position, including and especially those fine gentlemen who protect the edges.

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Tape was a huge part of the deciding process here, as well as all kinds of advanced metrics. Along with sacks and pressures allowed, we also used Pro Football Focus’ “True Pass Sets” metric to further delineate offensive tackle performance. Per PFF, True Pass Sets exclude plays with less than four rushers, play-action, screen passes, short dropbacks and time-to-throws under two seconds.

Our list of the NFL’s 11 best offensive tackles is a continuation of our lists for every position, leading up to August’s list of the 101 best players in the NFL today.

The NFL’s top 11 interior defensive linemen
The NFL’s top 11 edge defenders
The NFL’s top 11 linebackers
The NFL’s top 11 slot defenders
The NFL’s top 11 cornerbacks
The NFL’s top 11 safeties

Without further ado, here are the 11 best offensive tackles in the NFL as we head into the 2023 season.

(All advanced metrics courtesy of Pro Football Focus and Sports Info Solutions unless otherwise indicated).

The Xs and Os with Greg Cosell: Building the perfect offensive line

In this week’s Xs and Os video and podcast, Greg Cosell and Doug Farrar endeavor to build the perfect offensive line.

In the last two episodes of “The Xs and Os with Greg Cosell and Doug Farrar,” Greg (of NFL Films and ESPN’s MFL Matchup) and Doug (of Touchdown Wire and USA Today’s Sports Media Group) endeavored to build the perfect secondary, and the perfect defensive line by specifying the traits and attributes required for every position in those positional groups.

Now, in this week’s “Xs and Os,” Greg and Doug turn their attention to the offensive line. What do offensive tackles, offensive guards, and centers need to do to become among the best in the NFL today? From vertical sets to switching your hands to picking up stunts, this is some seriously nerdy football devoted to the front five.

You can watch this week’s “Xs and Os” right here.

You can also subscribe to “The Xs and Os” podcast on Spotify…

…and on Apple Podcasts.

The NFL’s top 11 offensive tackles

Offensive tackles are among the NFL’s most important players, and here are the 11 best in the business.

How much does an offensive tackle matter in today’s NFL? As is the case with a lot of linemen on both sides of the ball, the true effect of a great offensive tackle can really be seen in his absence. Let’s take the Kansas City Chiefs as one of 2020’s most compelling examples. In the 2019 postseason, right tackle Mitchell Schwartz came very close to pitching a series of perfect games. On the way to Kansas City’s win over the 49ers in Super Bowl LIV, Schwartz had 142 pass-blocking reps in three playoff games, and allowed no sacks, no quarterback hits, and just one quarterback hurry. It was a highly important performance for a right-handed offense.

Fast forward to the 2020 season, and Schwartz missing all but the first six games with a back injury. Schwartz allowed two sacks, one quarterback hits, and five quarterback hurries in his 242 pass-blocking reps, and things really fell apart after he got hurt. Kansas City’s sack rate went from 2.7% to 3.8% without Schwartz, its blown block pressure rate went from 13.5% to 15.5%. Most notably, without Schwartz and left tackle Eric Fisher in Super Bowl LV against Tampa Bay’s malevolent front, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes was pressured on 31 of his 56 dropbacks, completing just nine of 26 passes under pressure for 78 yards, no touchdowns, and an interception.

It’s one example of an NFL truism — in today’s league, if you don’t have good edge protection, your quarterback is living on borrowed time (literally and figuratively), and things will often fall apart in the worst possible moments.

Here are the 11 best offensive tackles in the NFL today.

(All metrics courtesy of Pro Football Focus and Sports Info Solutions unless otherwise indicated).