Marcus McNeill OT 6’8 336 Auburn
By: Robert Davis

Marcus McNeill has been a mainstay on the Auburn line since his true freshman season. He was a Freshman All-American selection in 2002. After an All SEC season last year, he thought about leaving for the NFL but decided to stay, and it paid off. McNeill was named to everyone’s All-American lists for his on field success.

McNeill is absolutely massive. He has a huge frame; he’s tall, has a long wingspan, and weighs almost 340 pounds. He uses that size on the field and absolutely dominates in the running game. He can lock on to a defender and drive him straight into the ground. McNeill is not all power though. He is a very good natural athlete and shows the ability to keep his quarterback off the ground.

While his size gives him a lot of advantages, it is a negative at times. Since he is so tall, he sometimes gets too upright out of his stance, which allows defenders to neutralize his size and strength advantage. He needs to play with the same intensity on a snap to snap basis. McNeill may have some back issues that need to be looked at.

There isn’t a better right tackle prospect in this draft. His ability to dominate at the point makes him a perfect fit on the ride side of any line. But, he also has the natural athleticism to play on the left side. If he can stay low off the snap, he has the ability to dominate as a pass blocker as well. With all his natural talent, McNeill has a chance to go very high come draft day. Even with all the tackle talent, McNeill could still land in the Top 20.