2023 NFL Draft: Ranking the top offensive guards in pressure rate

• Chandler Zavala: The N.C. State guard was one of only two draft-eligible guards to post a sub-2.0% pressure rate last season.

• Jaxson Kirkland: The Washington product posted a sub-3.0% pressure rate in both seasons at Washington in which he played guard.

• Jarrett Patterson: The Notre Dame offensive lineman's 2.9% pressure rate on true pass sets ranked fifth among draft-eligible FBS guards last season.

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

In the modern NFL, an offensive lineman's most important job is to protect the quarterback on passing plays.

Today, we’ll look at the top 10 offensive guards on the PFF big board through the lens of pressure rate. To paint a more accurate picture of how each tackle fared in 2022, we’ve looked only at true pass sets — plays without RPOs, screen passes, designed rollouts and quick passes.

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1. Chandler Zavala, N.C. State

PFF OG rank: 3
PFF big board rank: 70
Pressure rate on true pass sets: 1.7%

Zavala was one of only two draft-eligible guards to post a sub-2.0% pressure rate last season. The N.C. State product allowed just four pressures across 237 true pass sets last season. Zavala had an above-average season when it came to pressure rate in 2021 (3.5%, which ranked 22nd out of 73 guards in the class who got at least 100 true sets that season), and he halved that in 2022.

2. Jaxson Kirkland, Washington

PFF OG rank: 5
PFF big board rank: 165
Pressure rate on true pass sets: 2.1%

Kirkland's 2.1% pressure rate on true pass sets ranked third among draft-eligible FBS guards last season. The Washington product allowed seven pressures across 325 true pass sets, including just one QB hit and no sacks. Kirkland posted a sub-3.0% pressure rate in both seasons at Washington in which he played guard (2.5% in 2019).

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