- Francis Mauigoa, Miami (FL): Mauigoa enters the conversation as the highest-ranked tackle on the predictive big board (No. 11 overall). Across 205 true pass set snaps, Mauigoa allowed just one sack, two hits and five hurries, producing a 3.9% pressure rate that ranks third among the 32 tackles on the board. His 93.7% win rate on those snaps is tied for second.
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Offensive tackle play is notoriously difficult to evaluate, especially at the college level, where scheme, quick-game volume and protection help can mask deficiencies in true one-on-one pass protection. That’s why PFF has historically placed such a heavy emphasis on true pass sets — dropbacks that remove much of the noise from the data and isolate what matters most: an offensive lineman’s ability to hold up in obvious passing situations.
Built on research originally led byEric Eager during his time at PFF, true pass sets filter out screens, play-action passes and rollouts, while focusing on dropbacks with standard depths, reasonable time to throw and four or more pass-rushers. The result is one of the most stable and predictive methods for evaluating pass protection and projecting offensive linemen from college to the NFL.
With that in mind, we’re looking at the top five offensive tackles in the class by pass-blocking grade on true pass sets, using the cleanest signal available for evaluating pass protection performance.
1. Trey Zuhn III, Texas A&M
PFF grade on true pass sets: 88.5
Across 209 true pass set snaps, Zuhn allowed only two sacks, one hit and seven hurries, giving him a 4.8% pressure rate that ranks seventh among the 32 tackles on the predictive big board.
The matchup data only strengthens the case. Zuhn faced Miami edge defender Reuben Bain Jr. on 17 true pass sets — the most he saw against any single opponent in 2025 — and allowed just one hurry and no sacks or hits. Holding up that cleanly against one of the top pass-rushers in the class is exactly what teams are looking for when projecting college tackles to the NFL.
The Texas A&M product was a star this season: He posted pass-blocking grades above 80.0 in 11 of 13 games and finished the season with a 96.8 pass-blocking grade, comfortably the highest mark in the country. Despite that production, he’s still coming off the board in the third round, with an average draft position currently hovering around Pick 89.
2. Francis Mauigoa, Miami (FL)
PFF grade on true pass sets: 85.9
Mauigoa enters the conversation as the highest-ranked tackle on the predictive big board (No. 11 overall). Across 205 true pass set snaps, Mauigoa allowed just one sack, two hits and five hurries, producing a 3.9% pressure rate that ranks third among the 32 tackles on the board. His 93.7% win rate on those snaps is tied for second.
Over the past 30 days, Mauigoa has been selected 103,534 times in the PFF Mock Draft Simulator, the second-most picks of any player in the tool, and has an average draft position of 13.7.
3. Spencer Fano, Utah
PFF grade on true pass sets: 82.7
Fano was one of just two offensive tackles on the predictive big board to log at least 100 true pass set snaps without allowing a sack or a hurry. Across the season, he surrendered just two total hurries and one additional loss, resulting in a 1.8% pressure rate and a 97.2% win rate, both of which lead all tackles in this class. He also earned a negatively graded rep on just 3.4% of his true pass-blocking snaps, another best-in-class mark.
Notably, both of those hurries came against Texas Tech edge defender David Bailey, one of the top pass-rushers in the class. Outside of those two true pass set matchups, Fano was flawless.
The Utah tackle is currently coming off the board at Pick 14.1 on average and has been drafted more than 96,000 times in the PFF Mock Draft Simulator over the past 30 days — the fourth-most of any player.
4. Caleb Tiernan, Northwestern
PFF grade on true pass sets: 80.4
After redshirting in 2021, Tiernan made five starts at right tackle in 2022 before flipping to the left side, where he held down the job for the next three seasons. The experience shows up on tape. He’s a smart, balanced and technically sound offensive tackle whose game is built more on football IQ and consistency than overwhelming physical traits.
On true pass sets, Tiernan’s profile is steady and efficient. Over 177 snaps, he didn’t allow a sack and surrendered just two hits and six hurries, with five additional losses mixed in. His 1.1% knockdown rate on true pass sets ranks seventh in the class, and his 92.7% win rate tied for fifth.
5. Kage Casey, Boise State
PFF grade on true pass sets: 78.7
Over 189 true pass set snaps, the Boise State tackle allowed three sacks and four hurries, without surrendering a single quarterback hit. While the sack total stands out more than some others in this group, the down-to-down pressure prevention was good. His 3.7% pressure rate on true pass sets ranked second among tackles on the predictive big board, trailing only Spencer Fano.