As the NFL Draft approaches, it seems like everyone is trying to get in on the hype and ride the NFL content train this week.
Colin Cowherd is no different.
Tuesday on The Herd, Cowherd showed a pre-taped video he made offering advice to NFL general managers. It was pretty standard stuff, calling the draft unpredictable and saying the GMs are usually looking for hacks or cheat codes, acknowledging that speed isn’t the end-all-be-all factor on if a player is good or not, etc.
Cowherd then started discussing how important tackles, particularly left tackles, are to the future of a franchise and a quarterback’s long-term outlook before showing a graphic of who he believes are the 15 best-left tackles of all time.
The only problem? As NFL writer Russell Baxter alluded to on X, multiple players on the graphic weren’t actually left tackles.
Please look at the graphic in the middle of this piece, in reference to the 15 greatest left tackles. Can someone on here tell me what's wrong with it factually? The first photo should make you shake your head! https://t.co/M1OrYj5gYa
— Russell S. Baxter (@BaxFootballGuru) April 24, 2024
“Please look at the graphic in the middle of this piece, in reference to the 15 greatest left tackles. Can someone on here tell me what’s wrong with it factually? The first photo should make you shake your head!” Baxter posted.
And he’s right. Not only was Upshaw, who exclusively played guard throughout his career, not a tackle, but Bruce Matthews started just 19 of his 293 career games at the position, as he also played guard/center for his career.
Cowherd’s overall point was that all 15 of the tackles were taken in the first round and the 2024 NFL Draft is, in Cowherd’s opinion, the best tackle draft ever.
While he’s right on the money about the importance of tackles to protect the quarterback, the point loses steam when multiple players listed aren’t tackles.
[Russell S. Baxter, Photo Credit: The Herd/FS 1]
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