Lane Johnson is a top-10 prospect that just so happens to play a position (right tackle) that teams covet in April. He really took off during the Senior Bowl and continued a stellar postseason performance at the combine in Indianapolis.

While Johnson is a tad below both Eric Fisher and Luke Joeckel in our offensive tackle rankings, he will be an immediate day-one starter.

Today, eDraft will give you its scouting report on the talented offensive tackle.

Strengths

Pass Protection: It goes without saying that this is the No. 1 area that scouts look for when attempting where to slot an offensive tackle. Johnson is one of the premiere pass protectors in the entire 2013 NFL Draft. His athleticism allows him to fend off the speed rush from the outside and his technique enables him to hold his own against power rushers inside. Johnson has a great slide step to the outside and is rarely ever thrown on the point of contact when sliding in that direction. He also possesses great mirror ability.

Athleticism: As I mentioned before, athleticism needs to be considered one of Johnson’s primary strengths. He maintains positioning both inside and outside by being able to move his feet in either direction to ward off an opposing defensive player. His athleticism was key for Oklahoma because he didn’t struggle going up one-on-one in its spread offense. This seems to indicate that Joeckel is not a scheme-specific player. He will work well in both the zone-blocking system (ZBS) as well as more traditional blocking schemes.

Second-Level Blocking: Johnson does a great job getting to his second level an opening up throwing lanes for the quarterbacks as well as holes for the running back. He will play through his block to the whistle and can eat up pass rushers with his natural instincts down the field.

Weaknesses

Strength: Johnson needs to get stronger. He has issues going up against larger defensive ends and will be thrown into the offensive backfield constantly. You will see him have major issues against 3-4 defensive ends at the next level. In addition, this causes major problems in schematic protection against outside linebackers.

Leverage: This plays right into what I wrote about above. Johnson gets too high at times and will struggle against the bull rush. You couple this with a perceived lack of upper-body strength and certain defensive players will have a major upper hand against the Oklahoma product.

Bottom Line

As the third-best offensive tackle prospect in the draft, I fully expect Johnson to go top 10. He can slide in and be an immediate starter at left tackle, something most prospects simply cannot say out of the gate. A team like the Arizona Cardinals, who are in desperate need of pass protection, would be wise to nab him. The lowest Johnson will fall is to the San Diego Chargers at 11.