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NFL draft: Ben Fennell breaks down the interior offensive linemen

Find out from our expert which interior offensive lineman he expects to go highest in the draft.

Garrett Bradbury is Ben Fennell's favorite interior offensive lineman in the draft.
Garrett Bradbury is Ben Fennell's favorite interior offensive lineman in the draft.Read moreMichael Conroy / AP

Ben Fennell is an Emmy Award-winning producer, editor and researcher across several media platforms, including NFL Network, ESPN College Football, The Athletic and Eagles Game Plan on philadelphiaeagles.com.

He is analyzing the 2019 NFL draft for The Inquirer, breaking down the best player, the riser and the sleeper at each position.

Today, in part 4 of our series, he looks at three interior offensive line prospects.

You can follow him on Twitter at @benfennell_NFL.

More previews: running backs | linebackers | offensive tackles

THE BEST

Garrett Bradbury, North Carolina State

6-3, 306 | Arms: 31 ¾ inches | 40 time: 4.92 seconds | Vertical jump: 31 inches | Broad jump: 8-6 | 225 bench press: 34

Round projection: 1 (15-25)

Ben’s take: “Bradbury is a very athletic center. A great pull blocker and reach blocker. Daniel Jeremiah calls him the Grim Reacher. He’s great in space. He has quickness off the ball. He’s a real nasty finisher. Has great core strength. You could see that with the 34 bench-press reps. And to run a 4.9 at 306 pounds is pretty impressive.

“He’s another guy who showed up at college as a tight end and was converted. I like guys with that athletic pedigree, athletic positional background who add weight and make the transition [to the offensive line].

“Bradbury’s a center, but played left guard for 13 games in 2016. When NC State played Clemson, he did a good job against Clemson’s big linemen, Christian Wilkins and Dexter Lawrence.

“A good visual [comparison] is Jason Kelce. Bradbury’s a little undersized. But you just need to have do things with him that athletic, undersized centers excel at. Get him out on the perimeter. Get him out in space. Get him to the second level."

THE RISER

Chris Lindstrom, Boston College

6-4, 308 | Arms: 34 1/8 inches | 40 time: 4.91 seconds | Vertical jump: 30.5 inches | Broad jump: 9-9 | 225 bench press: 25 reps

Round projection: 2-3

Ben’s take: “He played right tackle in 2017 and right guard in 2018. Has long arms. He’s a great puller. A great run-blocker. He ran a 4.91 at 310 pounds. That’s impressive. That’s the 97th percentile for offensive linemen. Had a 9-9 broad jump, which is the 98th percentile.

“He has great lower-body explosion. He has good movement and quickness and athleticism. He’s definitely going to play guard at the next level, but he’s a guy who could play tackle for you in a pinch, which gives you some versatility with your game-day roster. He’d be a great pick for a team like the Packers, who like that tackle-guard versatility."

THE SLEEPER

Nate Davis, Charlotte

6-3, 316 | Arms: 33 1/8 inches | 40 time: 5.23 seconds | Vertical jump: 26.0 inches | Broad jump: 8-9 | 225 bench press: 23 reps

Round projection: 6-7

Fennell’s take: “He didn’t look great at the combine, but he has really good tape. He performed well at the Senior Bowl. He was good at his Pro Day. He’s met with nearly a dozen teams already.

“He’s one of those guys that you can see the bend and the flexibility just in his stance. He has a real squatty bend; almost near the floor. Guys like that, you have to be able to get up and down. You have to be able to bend. And you have to have the knee strength to be able to sink your hips. He does.

“He’s played up and down the offensive line. Mostly at right guard, but he’s also played left guard and right tackle. He’s one of these guys that a lot of NFL teams are starting to realize might be something special out of a smaller school."