Oklahoma’s Tyler Guyton has potential as mentor Lane Johnson’s heir apparent with the Eagles

MOBILE, Ala. — Eleven years after Lane Johnson turned NFL heads at the Senior Bowl, another freakishly athletic — and raw — Oklahoma tackle has been drawing comparisons to the Eagles Pro Bowler at the annual pre-draft event.

Tyler Guyton isn’t a carbon copy of Johnson, but the similarities in their paths to the offensive line and as highly ranked prospects has some suggesting a succession plan if the Eagles were to select the 6-foot-7, 328-pounder in the first round.

Even Johnson, who has taken Guyton under his wing, endorsed the idea of drafting the fellow Sooner as his eventual replacement.

“He started showing me love because he heard I was an up-and-coming right tackle,” Guyton said of Johnson. “Basically, we grew a connection from there. He’s a really cool dude. I saw him working out [at Oklahoma] and I went in there and took some sets with him and asked him some questions.

“Later that day I got invited to go train with him at his ranch.”

A lot would have to happen for the Eagles to land Guyton — who could be off the board before they select at No. 22 — namely, general manager Howie Roseman and offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland coveting him.

But with so many first-round caliber tackles in this year’s class, and the 33-year-old Johnson openly talking retirement, it may be time to draft his successor on the right side.

“I told Stout if y’all pick somebody I think Tyler would make sense. Or maybe the JC Latham kid,’” Johnson said of the Alabama tackle. “You could have Latham at guard for a couple years and whenever I get done you could slide him to tackle.”

» READ MORE: Senior Bowl 2024: Offensive linemen Tyler Guyton, Jackson Powers-Johnson among Day 1 standouts

While Latham’s versatility would conceivably allow the Eagles to utilize him until Johnson decides to stop playing, Guyton is viewed by many scouts as capable of playing only one position. But the same was said of Cam Jurgens — who was drafted two years ago as center Jason Kelce’s eventual replacement — and he was able to transition to guard last season.

Guyton’s future, though, is at tackle. His prototypical length and agility has him among the top tackles in the draft. NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah has him slotted behind Notre Dame’s Joe Alt, Oregon State’s Taliese Fuaga, Penn State’s Olumuyiwa Fashanu, Washington’s Troy Fautanu, and Latham at the position, but that still has him at No. 17 in his Top 50 overall ranking.

Guyton isn’t considered as polished partly because he has only 15 career starts. Originally recruited as a defensive tackle, he was switched to the other side of the ball upon his arrival at TCU. He played sparingly there, but when he entered the transfer portal, his projectable skills drew the attention of many top programs.

He chose Oklahoma and initially played left tackle. But when he moved to the right midway through his first season in Norman, Okla., he blossomed and started there all of last season. It wasn’t always easy to accept that fate.

“I kind of hated offensive linemen,” Guyton said after Wednesday’s American team practice. “But once you start doing it, you learn to love it.”

Guyton’s willingness to learn will be pivotal in his development once he gets to the NFL. His hand technique needs perhaps the most work. But like Johnson over a decade ago, many evaluators believe he has the tools to be molded into an elite tackle.

“He’s a freakazoid,” Johnson said by phone from Orlando ahead of the Pro Bowl. “His size, his length. I feel like he moves better than anybody in the draft. His foot speed and movement — it’s really smooth for a big guy.

“But he’s got to improve play strength with weight room stuff.”

» READ MORE: Lane Johnson could be NFL man of the year. He’s driven by the motto of a Doylestown Marine killed in Iraq.

Guyton and Johnson met about 18 months ago at Oklahoma, with the latter returning to campus and giving the former some tips. They then trained together for a few weeks during the offseason. And now, according to Guyton, they talk and text all the time.

The Eagles’ contingentof scouts met with Guyton on Wednesday evening. Stoutland didn’t attend Senior Bowl practices, but he has access to the film. He likely saw Guyton bottle up and toss highly touted Alabama edge rusher Chris Braswell to the ground during one-on-one drills Tuesday.

On Wednesday, Guyton handled Houston edge rusher Nelson Ceaser with relative ease during several one-on-ones. But when he jumped over to the left side for one repetition, he struggled and got beat by an inside move.

“I need to work on that,” Guyton said. “I didn’t go good. I overset.”

The Eagles don’t have an immediate need with the 26-year-old Jordan Mailata entrenched at left tackle. But Guyton said some NFL teams wanted to see him flip sides. With many top-notch edge rushers lining up on the left, the stereotyping of right tackles not being as important as the blindside blockers on the opposite side doesn’t hold as much weight.

Guyton, though, is so raw that coaches may be willing to endure a process that shifts him to the left side.

“I will say that I’m a raw tackle as far as timing-wise,” Guyton said. “A lot of the O-linemen here have played [the position] for a long time. “But I’m long. I’m athletic. I have a different type of build, I think. I don’t have a gut. I can move a little bit. I can bend. And I like to learn.

“That’s probably the biggest thing.”

Growing up, Guyton played two seasons at quarterback and also some running back. When he was 9, according to his father, Alvin, he carried five defenders on his back during a long scamper until he was brought down just short of the goal line.

But as a hybrid defensive tackle is where both Guytons thought he’d thrive most.

“It was a challenge moving to the O-line because it was something he had never done before and they asked him to do it at the collegiate level,” Alvin Guyton said. “But I just encouraged him to give it an opportunity and see what comes of it.

“Sometimes in life what you don’t want to do is a path to get you the highest of your abilities.”

Johnson, who went from quarterback to tight end to defensive end to finally tackle, knows that lesson as well as anyone. The Eagles have a long history of either acquiring O-linemen with little comparative experience at the position, like Jason Peters, Kelce, and Johnson or developing them like the former rugby-playing Mailata.

“I think that’s what Stout likes,” Johnson said. “They’re looking for guys like that. And Tyler — just working out with him, I’m like, this guy should be a first-round pick.”

There are myriad variables that could land Guyton with some other team than the Eagles. But even he admitted he has pondered the idea of coming to Philadelphia and succeeding Johnson.

“I think about it,” Guyton said. “I’d be honored to follow in his footsteps.”