Kelechi Osemele’s Pre-Combine Draft Stock

It is never too early to talk about the NFL Draft.  From now until the NFL Draft in April, I will give several updates on both Kelechi Osemele and Leonard Johnson’s draft status.  Many people believe that Kelechi Osemele will play guard instead of tackle in the NFL.

With Osemele’s performance throughout the week of the Senior Bowl, he has put himself in a good position to be one of the first offensive guards off the board.  NEPatriotsDraft.com ranks Kelechi as the third-best Offensive Tackle in this year’s class.  On their mock draft, they have KO going 50th overall to the Chicago Bears.  Here is what they had to say:

"Big Cyclone that is still learning the game. Will become a force at the next level inside or at right tackle."

WalterFootball.com hasn’t updated their OG ranks since the last time we discussed KO’s draft stock.  However, in their recently updated mock draft, Kelechi Osemele goes 49th to the San Diego Chargers.

"The Chargers have major issues at the guard. Pro Bowl Kris Dielman is pondering retirement after a couple of concussions led to a seizure recently. San Diego had a need at the position even before that."

FanSided’s own NFLMocks.com puts Osemele third amongst guards.

Another good NFL Draft site, DraftTek.com, shows some love for Osemele.  They rank him as the second-best guard in this year’s draft.  Also, in their mock draft, they have KO going 35th overall to the Minnesota Vikings.  They had a great excerpt about this selection.

"After watching Kelechi Osemele at the Senior Bowl last week, I came away with the impression that he will undoubtedly be moved inside to Guard as he lacks the athleticism, kick step and footwork required to play Tackle in the NFL. The Vikings should have little to no concern about this however, as their primary need (outside of left tackle) is at Guard, where Osemele can excel. Big, long, strong and mean, he already has the power to throw around NFL defensive tackles in tight areas and his pass blocking should improve with time and coaching. A big hurdle for him would be adjusting to the Vikings Zone-Blocking Scheme, and he may not be an ideal fit given his poor footwork coming in. If the Vikings are looking for a 2nd round pick who will make an impact early, they could address their holes secondary with this pick and reach for CB Stephon Gilmore or FS Markelle Martin. If they want long term potential, Osemele is a great choice! – Brett Stott, Vikings Team Analyst"

Remember that Osemele has the NFL Combine coming up to improve his draft stock even more.