This years class of offensive lineman does not seem to be as deep, and as good as last years crop. The big guys are what make and break any particular game on both sides of the ball. Having a successful offensive line is the corner stone to having a good offense. The other positions surrounding those guys up front are what can potentially make an offense potent. But without the meat, teams will always face defeat.

The combine will look at a few different things in regards to the lineman. Arm length, size, and lateral movement are three key elements that scouts and coaches will be looking at for offensive tackles. Agility, speed, and aggressiveness are things they will look for at the guard and center positions. 

Even though this years crop of linemen look to be a bit on the thin side, there will still be some solid picks early on.

The Senior Bowl may not be the best measuring stick for every single position, but it is however for the linemen. A lot can be seen in technique and the rest of those things mentioned above. There are a magnitude of things that go in to the evaluation process. And every tiny detail will be looked at under the microscope.

This may not be a need for every single team out there, but for some of the teams out there it is a top priority.

Below, we'll take a look at some of the guys this year that have quite a bit to gain, and then some who have a bit more to lose.

OFFENSIVE LINEMEN

Most to gain:

Mike Pouncey (Florida - Guard), 6'4", 312 LBS: Pouncey, twin brother to Maurkice (who has already established himself as on of the top centers in the league) will be looked at ver closely at the combine. People will be curious to see just how close to his brother he can be. Mike will most likely be a second rounder, but if he impresses scouts enough, who knows? The sky is the limit for him and his fate is in his own hands.

Marcus Cannon (TCU - Tackle), 6'5", 350 LBS: Cannon is a huge tackle that can deliver a blow like a cannon. He needs to show that he can move laterally. His strength is definitely in the run game. However, TCU ran a lot of spread offense with a lot of passing attached to that. So Cannon is going to have to come out of the gates with a great performance if he wants to boost his stock. But because of the size and arm length, if he can prove to be agile on top of that, he'll go much higher than he is currently rated.

Rodney Hudson (Florida State - Guard), 6'2", 295 LBS: Hudson was considered to be one of the best guards last year. Had he come out then, it would have been a toss up between him and Iupati as to who was selected first. Because Florida State struggled this past year, and the offensive line had trouble at times playing as a unit, it put Hudson in a bad position. Consequently, this made his stock fall some. He's still up there, but he defintely can stand to gain some ground.

Most to lose:

Derek Sherrod (Mississippi State - Tackle), 6'6", 315 LBS: Sherrod on most boards is considered the number one or two tackle in this draft. So expectations are set very high. Next to the rest of the prospects, when it is even competition that will tell us just how good Sherrod is. And more importantly, tell us how good his tangibles are. But the most important factor for Sherrod will be measuring him against other guys. Should he not do as well as some of the other guys who currently sit just behind him, he could slip some in the upcoming draft.

Nate Solder (Colorado - Tackle): 6'8", 318 LBS: There haven't been too many people that are warm on the idea of Solder being a number one prospect at his position. They usually fall to one side or the other to the extreme. Some folks are hot and others pretty cold in regards to his talent. Chances are that one of the top three prospects at this specific position will fall, and fall hard. Since Solder is sitting on such a wobbly fence, he must have a solid performance at the combine to at least make some of those "pretty cold" feel a bit warmer.

Anthony Castonzo (Boston College - Tackle), 6'6", 305 LBS: It is the general consensus in most places around that Castonzo is the top rated prospect at his position. But if he doesn't do too well, and other guys do, he is the most at risk to go downward on the boards considering that he is already at the top. He will most likely secure that spot, but then again you just never know.

Here are there rest of the guys that were invited: