Here are my notes from the November 20, 2025 Daft on Draft episode which covers Guards:
Vega Ioane: Cory basically described him as immovable. He’s incredibly strong, punches with bad intentions, has a rock-solid base, and is flat-out unbeatable through the chest. Cory went as far as calling him the strongest anchor in the entire class, and that includes tackles and interior linemen. The flip side is that he’s stiff as a brick. He has very limited redirection ability and can get beat cleanly on counters. James summed him up with two reps burned into his brain: one where Ioane stonewalls a blitzing defender’s bull rush instantly, and another where Kamara from Indiana spins past him because Ioane simply can’t change direction. James noted that Ioane is crafty with his hands when he’s out-leveraged on reach blocks, but he’s much more of a gap-scheme guard than an outside zone guy. He can get beaten to the edge in pass protection. The consensus was that he has real scheme limitations, but in the right system, this is a player who could absolutely make Pro Bowls.
Emmanuel Pregnon: Pregnon’s rise was one of the big stories of the episode. James described him as the best mover among the interior prospects in this class. He’s fluid, redirects seamlessly, and does it at real size (around 6’4, 320). His feet can get a little hyperactive at times, which can compromise his base, but overall the base still holds up. His anchor is solid but nowhere near Ioane’s level, and his hand pop is more average. James said the biggest knock in his grading was grip strength in pass protection. That said, both agreed he’s the best guard prospect in the class for an outside zone scheme. He doesn’t generate the same raw displacement in the run game as Ioane, but he sustains blocks extremely well and maintains leverage both vertically and horizontally, which is hard to do against moving defenders. James did note that Pregnon can occasionally punch inside and leave the outside hand exposed, giving rushers something to hook and win the edge, and those were basically the only two clean losses he saw on tape. James admitted he was much lower on him over the summer, thinking fourth or fifth round, but said this year’s tape is clearly stronger and his stock has jumped.
Chase Bisontis: Both guys agreed Bisontis is the best pure pass protector among the interior linemen. He has a firm base, elite hand fighting, a strong punch, excellent grip strength, and very few weaknesses in pass protection. He’s just consistently a step ahead of defenders with his hands. Run blocking is where things get messy. Bisontis hunts dominant wins, and while he does get some, he also loses far too many reps and ends up on the ground more than you’d like. James emphasized that he needs to play more under control in the run game. He’s not a great pacer in zone blocking where you have to mirror defenders, though he’s capable enough. Occasionally he’ll lose the edge in pass pro, usually to a push-pull move, but that’s basically the only way anyone beats him. James also noted that Texas A&M is a great evaluation environment because they run real drop-back pass concepts, unlike some offenses where the ball is out in two seconds and pass protection is harder to judge. James sees Bisontis as an early second-rounder, but because this isn’t a deep class, some of these second-round grades could easily slide into the first. He stressed that Bisontis has more good run-blocking reps than he gets credit for; it’s just the inconsistency that drags him down.
Austin Siereveld: When this episode was recorded, it wasn’t known whether Siereveld would declare or return, and he later chose to go back to school, so he’s not in this year’s class. Still, the discussion was useful. He played left tackle at Ohio State but clearly projects as a guard in the NFL. Cory pointed to the Penn State game, where Dani Dennis-Sutton consistently out-leveraged him and exposed his vulnerability to power, as proof he doesn’t have a future at tackle. Inside, though, there’s a lot to like. He has a rock-solid base, some of the heaviest hands in the class (second only to Ioane), a great punch, and good grip strength. He’s a solid but not special athlete and can get beaten inside by good counters. James admitted his initial impression was skewed because the first game he watched was UCLA, which turned out to be an outlier. UCLA’s edge rushers were small, and Siereveld struggled badly to place his punches, often hitting defenders in the face instead of the chest. Against normal-sized edge rushers, his punch placement is much better. James noted that he sometimes lunges with his inside hand, leaving himself open to counters. Still, he has decent redirect ability, as shown on a Carnell Tate touchdown against Wisconsin where he badly overset but recovered to save the rep. Both agreed his outside shoulder can be a bit soft, but that’s much less concerning for an interior player. As a run blocker, he has some really strong reps, great pacing, doesn’t overshoot landmarks, and is an excellent zone blocker who can seal the backside and sustain blocks.
Kade Pieper: Like Siereveld, Pieper later returned to school and won’t be in this draft. Cory’s first impression was that he might be sub-300 pounds, which shows up in his athletic ability. He’s very fluid with extremely active feet, sometimes too active. In pass protection and the run game, that overactivity can compromise his base or cause him to overshoot landmarks. He has good natural strength for his size and can generate movement in the run game because he plays with great leverage, but his hands lack pop and his grip strength and punch power are average. James estimated him closer to 290 pounds. Run blocking is generally good but inconsistent. James thought his pass protection improved as the season went on, but at that weight, he’s never going to have a great anchor as an interior pass protector.
Kage Casey: Casey is another college tackle who projects inside. Cory liked his tape against Notre Dame, saying his pass protection looked good as long as he stayed square. He’s hard to evaluate because his offense doesn’t give you many true pass sets — it’s a lot of quick game, RPOs, and boots. He’s not a great block sustainer in the run game. Cory described his hands as neutral across the board: average punch, average grip strength. His base is solid in pass pro, but in the run game he can get out over his skis and end up on the ground. Cory wants to see him transfer to a Power Four school and play guard. James largely agreed, noting that it’s rare for a player’s best tape to come against his best competition the way it did against Notre Dame. James said Casey looked like a second-rounder in that game, but against Fresno State and Nevada, you see more of the issues. Many of those issues are tackle-specific and could disappear inside. Both saw him more as a fifth-round type. His redirect is average, not a strength, but James liked him as a puller.
Jaden Roberts: Both guys liked the tape and the athletic profile — great athlete, 34-inch arms, and solid overall play that looks like a second- or third-round guard. The problem is durability. He just can’t stay on the field, and that clouds the projection.
Bo Stevens: Stevens has good tape, but 31.5-inch arms probably cap his draft ceiling. Still, both thought he has a legitimate chance to become a starter as a Day 3 pick if things break right.
Keylan Rutledge: Rutledge is described as an absolute mauler, but more because of attitude than elite physical tools. You can work with that mindset, and he could potentially become an NFL starter, but the limited athletic ceiling caps the upside. He’s a bit stiff in the knees, which leads to high pad level, but he does bring heavy hands.
Gennings Dunker, Brian Parker, and Alex Harkey: All three were lumped together as college tackles who likely project inside at the NFL level and will be evaluated accordingly.
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