Schlottmann has been a career backup, never starting more than four games in a season. His 2025 tape with the New York Giants was quietly encouraging, though. He started four games at center, including quality showings against the Denver Broncos and Dallas Cowboys, plus a solid 30-snap appearance against the Philadelphia Eagles. Schlottmann followed former Giants head coach Brian Daboll to Tennessee—where he now serves as the Titans' offensive coordinator—and enters 2026 with the inside track to start for the first time in his seven-year career. On film, Schlottmann played with a strong, balanced base and tight, firm hand placement, creating impressive jolt and contact balance. He stayed centered on most blocks, was effective on double-team feeds and showed the spatial awareness in protection to keep the A-gaps secure. His raw power and athletic ability are closer to the middle of the pack, but the technique and system familiarity give him a viable path to functional starter play.

Rhyan opened the 2025 campaign as Green Bay's starting right guard before losing the job, then moved to center after Elgton Jenkins suffered a season-ending injury in Week 10. He started seven games at center despite having almost no prior NFL experience there, giving the Packers enough confidence to extend him as their projected starter entering 2026. The 321-pound Rhyan is a bigger pivot with square power, heavy hands and good pop on contact, giving him the ability to cover up, uproot and steer defenders in the run game when his aiming points are clean. His size and play-strength also give him a functional anchor profile in pass protection. Mental spacing at the position is problematic due to a lack of experience. Rhyan's pass-protection losses often came from late processing, losing levels with his guards and failing to sort pressure quickly enough, leading to leakage and free runners against blitz looks and counter moves across his face. His hand-timing and placement are still more forceful than refined, which creates some volatility when isolated against quality interior rushers. Given the abrupt position switch, some improvement is reasonable with a full offseason at center. However, Rhyan remains more of a functional starting projection than a fully stabilized answer.

Brendel remains a useful overachiever at center, winning with quickness, efficiency and timing rather than size or raw power. He is undersized, but his movement patterns are clean enough to consistently reach landmarks, fit with proper leverage and shield defenders in a way that works inside Kyle Shanahan's balanced, rhythm-based offensive structure. In the run game, Brendel is more effective than his frame suggests as the drive man on double-teams and combination blocks, where he can deliver a surprisingly firm punch into already-engaged down linemen before climbing, while being effective on reach blocks. He also has enough burst to intersect second-level targets when the angle is clean. In pass protection, he can sort games, stay in phase and use timing, leverage and quick hands to survive most controlled reps, but the limitations show up when he is isolated late. Brendel can struggle to hold ground against power, bounce off contact and allow separation or leakage when defenders work through his frame. His quickness, awareness and system fit keep him functional, but the lack of mass and anchor strength leave him closer to a capped starter than a difference-making center.

Sundell won Seattle's starting center job in training camp and started 13 regular-season games before returning from a midseason knee injury to snap for all three playoff games. His chemistry with former college teammate Grey Zabel was evident throughout the year, particularly on combination blocks where their timing and fits helped fuel Seattle's run game. Sundell's value is rooted in quickness, range and zone-blocking utility. He is effective on reaches, overtakes and second-level climbs, using his burst and angles to intersect targets and keep the offense on schedule. In pass protection, he was functional inside Seattle's run-heavy, play-action-based structure, playing with clear eyes, sorting A-gap threats and providing timely help when uncovered. A lack of mass and anchor strength are limiting factors when isolated. Interior rushers could push-pull him out of position or gradually walk him back. Sundell was a solid system starter in 2025, but his lack of sturdiness and scheme versatility create a defined ceiling unless his play-strength and hand usage improve.

Mays started 12 games in 2025 and established himself as a brute-force center. His game is built on size, length and raw strength, giving him the ability to create displacement and secure interior lanes when he can work vertically in gap-oriented, downhill concepts. Mays is at his best playing square, fitting with force and using his anchor to absorb power in pass protection. He showed progress last season with the Carolina Panthers by keeping his head out of blocks and reducing some of the volatility that can come with his aggressive, brawling style. Limitations still show up when he is forced to operate laterally, redirect in space or survive isolated true one-on-one pass-protection reps against quicker interior rushers. His hand usage remains more forceful than refined, and his movement skills cap how consistently he can recover when defenders make him adjust after initial contact. Mays is not an all-situations center, but his size, anchor and vertical run-game power give him a path to functional starter value in a scheme that lets him play forward and limits space exposure.

Jurgens gutted out 14 starts last season while dealing with lingering back issues, plus knee and concussion setbacks during the year. A diminished version of the player, who had looked like an ascending top-five center, was the result. Even so, Jurgens remained a solid overall starter. The injuries around him and Philadelphia's inefficient offensive structure limited how often his best trait—twitchy, explosive movement—was weaponized in space. He still showed the quickness to reach, climb and work laterally, but his play-strength and anchor were below his top form, especially when absorbing power down the middle of his frame or overtaking on double-teams. When caught in compromised positions, his recovery skill also looked less dynamic than it had at his peak. Jurgens' processing and athletic profile still give him a clear path back toward high-end center play if his back fully heals and Philadelphia's new Shanahan-adjacent structure places him on the move more often. For now, his 2025 grade reflects a functional starter with legitimate rebound potential but enough health uncertainty to keep him below his prior trajectory.