Ranking the best, the risers and the sleepers in the trenches for the NFL draft

In advance of the April 22-24 draft, NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock has agreed to provide Daily News readers with his evaluation of the top player, riser and sleeper at each position. This is the second of three parts. Today, he looks at the offensive and defensive linemen. Mayock looked at the skill-position players on offense yesterday and will look at linebackers, cornerbacks and safeties tomorrow.

Offensive tackle

The Best

Russell Okung, Oklahoma State

Height, weight: 6-5 1/2, 307

40 time: 5.18

Projected round: 1

Mayock: "Okung is a top-10 pick, and probably top-5. He's long-armed. He's talented. Has great feet. There aren't a whole lot of holes in his game. He gets a little inconsistent techniquewise occasionally, but that's about it. When you draw up an offensive tackle, he's what one looks like. He should be the first tackle off the board."

The Riser

Rodger Saffold, Indiana

Height, weight: 6-4 1/2, 316

40 time: 5.21

Projected round: 2

Mayock: "He started 41 consecutive games at Indiana. Most people assumed he would get kicked inside to guard [in the NFL]. But then he went to the East-West game and played left tackle and blocked everybody all week. It's a second-tier [all-star] game, but still. The more work I do on him, the more convinced I am that he can play tackle in the NFL. And because of the expected run on tackles, I think he'll go in the first half of the second round."

The Sleeper

Ramon Harewood, Morehouse

Height, weight: 6-6, 341

40 time: 5.11

Projected round: 6

Mayock: "He's a physically imposing kid. He's smart. A mechanical-engineering major. Some teams have been on him, some haven't. If he's not a right tackle, a team like the Cowboys who like big offensive linemen might even kick him inside [to guard]. I think he'll get drafted in the fifth or sixth round."

The Best

Maurkice Pouncey, Florida

Height, weight: 6-4 1/2, 304

40 time: 5.25

and

Mike Iupati, Idaho

Height, weight: 6-5, 331

40 time: 5.24

Projected round: 1

Mayock: "Pouncey and Iupati are the two best interior linemen in the draft by a significant margin. They're two different animals. Pouncey will be ready to play Day 1. Plug him in and he'll be ready to go. He's strong enough, big enough to anchor. He's athletic enough to snap and pull. He's smart. He gets it. Iupati is physically gifted. I think he's also a first-round guy. He's a little bit more inconsistent from a technique perspective than Pouncey. A little bit more of a project. Day 1, he can be your left guard. It would be a stretch [to expect him to start right away] at center. I think the more natural move for him will be out to tackle someday."

The Riser

Jon Asamoah, Illinois

Height, weight: 6-3, 310

40 time: 5.34

Projected round: 2

Mayock: "He's a little bit off the radar because he got hurt the first day of Senior Bowl practice. So not many people have talked about him because he hasn't been able to do anything. But I think he's one of the most physical players in this year's draft. In a very poor interior offensive-line grouping, I think he's going to go in the second round. I think he's an NFL starter as a rookie."

The Sleeper

Reggie Stephens, Iowa State

Height, weight: 6-3, 314

40 time: 5.14

Projected round: 6-7

Mayock: "He's a center who can also play guard. He's got very average feet, but he's a tough kid. He's been productive in a tough conference. He's got a chance. Late round at best. But he's a smart, tough kid."

The Best

Jason Pierre-Paul, South Florida

Height, weight: 6-5, 270

40 time: 4.71

Projected round: 1

Mayock: "He lit it up at his Pro Day and had people buzzing. He's a tradeoff situation. You're talking about a JC transfer who really only started half a year at a Division I program. And you're betting a lot of money on kid who doesn't really have a lot of Division I tape. But he's athletic as hell. And the thing I like about him is, besides being athletic, he's got a great motor. The athleticism and the motor to me, at that position, where you just need to put your hand in the dirt and go, because I don't think he's a 3-4 guy, I think he's got the best upside of any d-end in the draft. People are comparing him to Jevon Kearse when he came out, and I think that's a pretty good comparison."

The Riser

Linval Joseph, East Carolina

Height, weight: 6-4 1/2, 328

40 time: 5.04

Projected round: 2

Mayock: "He's more of a 3-4 end. He's 320-plus pounds. He can anchor. He can get push in the pass game. He's more athletic than people think. And I think he's rising because there are so many 3-4 teams out there now. They're pushing up some of these nose tackles and 5-techniques [3-4 ends] and rush linebackers. This kid is one of the few in this draft where you say, 'Wow, that's a 5-technique.' So he's getting pushed up."

The Sleeper

Daniel Te'o-Nesheim, Washington

Height, weight: 6-3 1/2, 263

40 time: 4.73

Projected round: 6-7

Mayock: "A 4-3 end /outside linebacker. He's a hustle guy. A core special-teams guy. I think it's going to be difficult to cut him because he works so hard. He's a little quicker than people think. I think he's a good player and makes a team."

The Best

Gerald McCoy, Oklahoma

Height, weight: 6-4, 295

40 time: 5.04

and

Ndamukong Suh, Nebraska

Height, weight: 6-4, 307

40 time: 5.03

Projected round: 1

Mayock: "They're the two best players in the draft. To me, it all depends on what you're looking for in a defensive tackle. McCoy is more disruptive in the pass game than Suh. I love him in a four-man front as a 3-technique [defensive tackle who plays on guard's outside shoulder]. I think he'll be an All-Pro tackle for years to come. Suh, he reminds me of [the Vikings'] Kevin Williams. He's also a 3-technique. A different kind of 3-technique, but just as productive. I think they're both better suited for a 4-3. I think either of them could play in either scheme, but Suh probably could adjust better if you asked him to play in a 3-4."

The Riser

Tyson Alualu, Cal

Height, weight: 6-2 1/2, 295

40 time: 4.87

Projected round: 2

Mayock: "I love this kid. He's got a great motor. Heavy hands. Tough kid. He played a little out of position at the 5-technique in Cal's 3-4. I think he's a 3-technique in a four-man front. But even the 3-4 teams like him. They would play him on first and second down at the 5, then kick him inside on third down. He's a guy who's really risen since the end of the season."

The Sleeper

Corey Peters, Kentucky

Height, weight: 6-3 1/4, 300

40 time: 4.90

Projected round: 5-6

Mayock: "He's a 3-technique guy. Productive. People think he's a little too small or not quick-twitch enough. But I think he's got a great motor and can play in a rotation for a four-man front team."

- Paul Domowitch