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Dan Pompei Believes No Guards Will Be Selected In The First Round

By Josh Kirkendall
Feb 25, 2012; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Stanford Cardiinal offensive lineman David DeCastro does the shuttle run during the NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-US PRESSWIRE
Feb 25, 2012; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Stanford Cardiinal offensive lineman David DeCastro does the shuttle run during the NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-US PRESSWIRE

Dan Pompei with the National Football Post and Chicago Tribute, wrote that he believes no guard will be selected in the first round of the 2012 NFL Draft, including Stanford's David DeCastro, which he writes:

He is big, tough and physical. The underclassmen is a better run blocking than in pass protection. He locks on to defenders and sustains his blocks. DeCastro is a no-nonsense player who has top intangibles and should play for a decade or more. He is not an elite talent, however. Some have talked about moving him to right tackle, but many scouts think that would be a reach.

Pompei later confirmed the possibility when asked for clarification on twitter.

@danpompei
Dan PompeiRT @claytoncargill @danpompei you don't think decastro is a first round lock?... Not what I'm hearing. Could go 2nd. 22 minutes ago via web · Reply · Retweet · Favorite · powered by @socialditto

Despite the fact that guards are generally not viewed with "priority", there's generally a guard considered in the first round during every NFL Draft, including 21 guards selected dating back 30 years. More recently there's been nine guards selected in the first round dating back to the 2002 NFL Draft.

So if the Cincinnati Bengals select DeCastro in the first round, a position they've never addressed in the first round throughout their history, would someone like DeCastro be a reach? Or do you dispute Pompei's perspective?

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