Jax Tanner

Physical Profile

Listed at 6-4, 275 lbs. Taller than 36% and heavier than 11% of 2026 Interior Offensive Line prospects in the SEC Scouts database (207 with a listed size).

Play Style

Tanner plays like a physical, finish-oriented road grader. His pancake total suggests he plays to the whistle and wins with leg drive and hand placement more than finesse. His zero-sacks season shows he is disciplined in pass protection: he sits into his stance, keeps his base and doesn't lunge. Four years of starting also suggest he reads defensive fronts and passes off stunts well for a high schooler. He fits best in a gap or inside-zone scheme where he can move defensive tackles off the ball, and he looks like a candidate to learn center snaps.

Strengths

• Finishes blocks: 118 pancakes as a junior shows he drives defenders to the ground instead of just staying in front of them, which fits an inside-zone or gap-scheme run game
• Pass protection: he allowed no sacks during his 2024 Gatorade Player of the Year season for a 10-1 team that reached the 6A semifinals, which points to sound hand timing and anchor
• Durable and experienced: the first four-year starter in Rocky Mountain history, so he has far more varsity snaps than most prospects in his class, one reason Oregon, Michigan and Tennessee offered
• Versatile inside: his build, and the fact that 247Sports (#31 IOL) and ESPN (offensive guard) both list him inside, make him a guard with center potential, which adds to his roster value

Areas to Improve

• Competition level: Idaho 6A doesn't regularly put him against Power 4-caliber defensive tackles. His Navy All-American Bowl practices will be the best evidence of how his anchor and hands hold up against elite interior rushers
• Coming back from the mission: after two years away from the sport he will need to regain strength, conditioning and technique, so expect a full year of strength work before he is ready to compete for a starting job
• Moving in space: as a strong, compact blocker he will need to show he can climb to linebackers and pull on outside runs consistently at the college level

College Projection

He is expected to enroll at BYU around 2028 after his mission. His first year back will likely be a redshirt spent rebuilding strength and getting his playing weight to about 305-315. If the transition goes normally, he should push for rotation snaps at guard in year two and could be a multi-year starter, likely at guard, with center as an option, in years three through five. BYU's long experience with returned missionaries makes it a good place for that timeline.

NFL Outlook

It's a long-range projection. Our record has him as a 4-star, and Rivals and ESPN agree, but 247Sports rates him a high 3-star (89). His draft stock will depend on getting his strength and athleticism back after the mission and on proving himself against Big 12 defensive tackles. Interior linemen who are four-year college starters with center versatility often get day-three or priority free agent looks. Because of the mission he would enter draft consideration older than usual, around 2031-2033.

Best Fit

BYU is close to ideal. It's a Big 12 program that runs a physical, gap and zone run game, has a strong track record of developing linemen after missions, and is patient with that timeline. In general he fits best in a downhill, run-first pro-style or inside-zone offense that values interior power and physicality over fast-paced wide-zone athleticism.