With offensive lineman, one of the things that will get you drafted into the NFL and keep you there is versatility. Being able to play multiple positions and be a jack of all trades will keep you on a roster/practice squad for years. That’s where a guy like Jonah Monheim shines.
Coming from Moorpark, California, Jonah was a three star recruit, but came highly touted to Southern California. Jonah’s offensive line has seen him appear in 40 games coming into this season, with 34 starts (18 at the right tackle position, 12 games at left tackle, 4 games at right guard.) During his 12 starts at left tackle and 1 start at right guard in 2023, he was so effective he was named to the AP All PAC-12 Second Team.
Making the transition to center this season (a new position for Jonah) does nothing but show NFL decision makers than he can be versatile and willing to do anything to help the team succeed.
Player Info
Name: Jonah Monheim
Jersey: No. 79
Position: Center/Guard
School: USC
Class: Senior
Height: 6-foot-5
Weight: 310 lbs.
Jonah Monheim’s Strengths
Jonah’s biggest strengths are in pass protection. He demonstrates an elite level hand placement to keep edge rushers at bay, as well as his kick slide is a thing of beauty.
His anchor of his lower body is underrated as well, as he constantly stops powerful rushers in their tracks. He also shows a great amount of athleticism for an offensive lineman, as he can move with decent speed for a man of his size.
He also possesses a high football IQ and field awareness, as he has logged a high amount of snaps at Left Tackle, Right Tackle, Right Guard, and is now pivoting to the center position. He also has an innate ability to stay healthy, as he has been relatively healthy during his collegiate career.
Jonah Monheim’s Weaknesses
While Jonah excels in pass protection, his run blocking skills lag behind significantly, as he shows a lot of room for improvement in this area. He also lacks elite level power at the point of attack, which means he can also struggle to generate movement in the run game. Part of this stems from the fact that he lacks ideal bulk for an NFL Lineman, which will raise additional concerns against NFL Defensive tackles in run blocking scenarios.
Draft Projection
I currently have Jonah projected as a late 3rd round/early 4th round selection, and his best position at the next level would likely be inside as a center or a guard, on a team that focuses on movement and pass protection skills. He has a higher floor, but his ceiling is not as high as some of his other contemporaries.
His elite pass blocking skills will allow him to transition quickly to the NFL, but his development of his run blocking will determine whether he stays in the league or not. To maximize his overall skill set, he has to make the difficult journey to add functional strength and bulk, without sacrificing athleticism. Some good fits for Jonah:
- Miami Dolphins (When it comes to movement and passing the ball, Mike McDaniel and the gang in South Beach are up there. Putting Monheim in the center of this offensive line to help protect Tua or whoever is at QB would be huge.)
- Washington Commanders (Kliff Kingsbury and Jayden Daniels have taken the world by storm in terms of passing the ball, and adding Jonah to the center of this offensive line would maximize his skills immediately.)
- Seattle Seahawks (While Seattle isn’t as pass heavy as the other two teams on this list, they do move their pockets around frequently with Geno, and could use some reinforcements on the interior of this offensive line.)
Ultimately, whichever team selects Jonah will get a day 1 starter in terms of pass protection as a center or a guard, and someone who could even swing out to tackle. However, that same team will need to be patient while Jonah develops his run blocking, as its current state is below league average, however, with his IQ, I have no doubt this can be built up quickly for Jonah.
My comparison for Jonah Monheim: Cam Jergens, Philadelphia Eagles
