The Forgotten Positions
Guard & Center Value in 2026

Most Penn State offensive linemen carry a schematic asterisk — the Nittany Lions' zone-heavy system tends to make its guards look better than they are. Ioane is the exception. He's genuinely good in ways that show up on tape regardless of scheme: his punch timing is excellent, he sustains blocks through the whistle, and his footwork in pass protection is cleaner than almost any interior lineman in this class. He played through a shoulder injury in the back half of 2025 and still graded out as one of the better run-blocking guards in the Big Ten. That toughness matters to NFL teams. He won't wow you at the combine — he's not an athlete, he's a technician — but his floor as a Day 1 starter in a zone-run system is very high.

Burton is the most technically complete center in this class. He doesn't have the raw athleticism to climb to the second level and blow someone up the way the elite prospects do, but he executes his assignments with clockwork precision — his double-team timing with the guards is elite, his snap exchange is flawless, and he almost never lets a stunt generate a free rusher. In a league that increasingly asks centers to do more processing and less blocking, Burton's football IQ and communication skills are traits that translate immediately. The comp to Ryan Jensen is apt: similar build, similar mental game, similar likelihood of earning a second contract somewhere he wasn't drafted.

Bisontis is the freakish athlete of this interior class — a 328-pound guard who moves like someone half his size. His explosiveness in the run game is rare. He can reach-block defensive tackles who have a step on him because his footwork speed closes gaps before the DT can establish outside leverage. The pass protection is the area that drops him out of the first-round conversation: he plays tall in his set, which lets longer edge rushers work the top half of his frame, and he struggles against speed-to-power transitions. But a coaching staff with patience and a run-heavy offensive identity could develop Bisontis into a legitimate Pro Bowl guard within three years. The physical tools are that good.

Every Notre Dame lineman gets benefit-of-the-doubt scrutiny, but Schrauth earned his grade. At 335 pounds he's the heaviest guard in this class and he plays with corresponding force — his initial punch can jolt 300-pound defensive tackles off their assignment, and he's a nightmare in short-yardage packages. The concern is athleticism: he's not going to win leverage battles against elite, quick-footed interior rushers, and his pass sets in space need work. But as a gap-scheme run blocker and a short-yardage hammer, he has immediate NFL value.

Iowa offensive linemen have a reputation, and Dunker reinforces it. The Hawkeye program produces fundamentally sound, football-smart guards who don't wow anyone but consistently make rosters and earn playing time because they don't make mistakes. Dunker is exactly that: disciplined footwork, good hands, zero panic in his pass sets. He won't be a Pro Bowler. He will be a guy who starts 12 games for your team in Year 2 because your starter got hurt and he already knows the system.

A second Iowa lineman in the value tier — and the comparison isn't lazy. Logan Jones profiles similarly to Ben Jones coming out of Georgia in 2012: undersized by ideal standards but so technically refined and cerebral that he carved out a decade as a quality starter. At 299 pounds he'll need to add functional mass before he can hold up against premier nose tackles, but his ability to process and communicate pre-snap protection calls is the best of any center in this class. Teams running a West Coast system with a heavy emphasis on line communication will love him on Day 3.

The swing-for-the-fences pick of the value tier. Pregnon was raw at Oregon — he spent more time developing technique than dominating — but his athletic profile is genuinely intriguing for a player this late in the draft. He can pull and reach-block with ease, and when he gets his hands on a defender in space, the strength advantage is obvious. If a team is willing to give him a year in the weight room and consistent coaching reps, the ceiling here is a legitimately good starting guard. The floor is a backup who plays in specific packages. Either way, exceptional value for a Day 3 pick.