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Some guys light up a room upon their entrance.

Bryant McKinnie has the opposite effect, but it has nothing to do with his demeanor. It's just that at 6-9, 340 pounds, McKinnie blocks out the illumination from many ceilings above.

Miami's Bryant McKinnie is your prototype can't-miss left tackle prospect.(AP)

"The guy is huge," said one NFC coach. "You see him and he's just so physically imposing. He's what you want in a left tackle. Big, but he's also very athletic."

McKinnie is arguably the top-ranked offensive lineman on the board. He and Mike Williams of Texas, two dominant tackles on the collegiate level, are in a battle to see who will go first in the April 20 draft.

A team won't go wrong with either of them.

NFL left tackles are hard to find, and the really good ones are a premium. Unlike some positions, tackles usually come in the first round. Nearly two-thirds of the starting tackles in 2001 were drafted in the first round.

Williams played right tackle at Texas, but most teams think he can move to the left side.

So who goes first? And where?

McKinnie entered the offseason clearly as the best offensive linemen and top tackle. But Williams has closed the gap and several teams have him ranked higher on their board. At 6-5, 375 pounds, Williams can do his share of blocking out the light, too.

"Both those guys are athletic and tough," an NFC personnel director said. "But if I had my choice, I'd take Williams. I think he's a little meaner on the field."

McKinnie's route to stardom was a little less easy than the path traveled by Williams. After two years as a defensive end in high school in New Jersey, McKinnie chose to play football at Iowa.

But he didn't qualify academically and was forced to attend Lackawanna (Scranton, Pa.) Junior College. It was there that he was moved to offensive tackle.

Since moving there, McKinnie has not allowed a sack. Or at least that's what they're saying. Not one -- not in junior college, not at Miami.

"It's something I can say that I've done," McKinnie said. "I know it's eventually going to happen in the NFL, but for now it's something I can claim."

It will also be something that makes him a target as a rookie. The defensive ends in the NFL would love to be the first sacker against him.

Good luck.

"He has tremendous feet for a guy his size," an NFC personnel director said. "He plays so light that it's hard to believe he is as big as he is."

Williams is a little bit more of a mauler than McKinnie, relying more on his power than his technique. Although a right tackle at Texas, he was responsible for the backside of lefty quarterback Chris Simms. His sack stats are a little less impressive than those of McKinnie: He allowed a whole two sacks in 28 career starts.

As a run blocker, he might be a little more advanced than McKinnie, although both are very good.

The two negatives on Williams are he tends to get too heavy -- some scouts insist he would be better at 340 pounds -- and he has some questions about his right knee. During the combine, some teams put up a red flag regarding damage to the knee. But most of the teams in the league have passed Williams on their physicals.

For a team picking high in the first round, any hint or talk of a medical condition is a concern to teams.

After McKinnie and Williams, the next two highest-rated tackles are Arizona State's Levi Jones and Florida's Mike Pearson. Jones has made a quick rise up the board and could be gone by pick No. 20.

A former basketball player at Arizona State, Jones has also played guard with the Sun Devils. Pearson is a natural left tackle who excels in pass protection but has questions about his run blocking. To help improve in that area, Pearson has added about 15 pounds since the end of the college season.

The guard position, normally not a marquee spot, has several top-notch players. Two or three could end up being first-round picks.

Nebraska's Toniu Fonoti is said to be the best of the group. He's a punishing run blocker who needs to improve in pass protection. Colorado's Andre Gurode is right up there with him, with some teams having him ranked higher.

Gurode is a 310-pounder who mauls his opposition. He can also move inside and play center, according to some scouts.

Auburn's Kendall Simmons, a tackle in college, and Tennessee's Fred Weary are two other guards who will go off the board in the first two rounds.

Guards traditionally do not get taken very high, which could push some of these players down the board. But with the growing importance defenses are placing on the tackle position -- this draft has four who could be gone in the first 10 picks -- the guards are getting a little more priority.

"Somebody has to block those guys," said Ron Hill, the Atlanta Falcons vice president of football operations.

This year's center crop is a lean one. Ohio State's LeCharles Bentley tops most team's boards. At 6-2, 299, Bentley is solidly built. He did 37 reps at 225 pounds, the most any player recorded in this draft.

The one knock on Bentley is some off-field concerns. He is being sued by a teammate for breaking the player's nose during a fight. Some teams have questioned his anger control.

Then again, that might be a good thing in the NFL, especially in the middle of the line.

Bentley will likely be off the board by the middle of the second round, and there's a good chance he could go late in the first round.

By then, McKinnie and Williams will be long gone. But the question remains as to who will go first. Will it be McKinnie, the guy who has stayed atop most draft boards, or will it be Williams, the nastier of the two?

Either way, the teams that land them will be getting players with very bright futures even if they sometimes can make the room a little darker.

Rating the offensive linemen

1. Mike Williams, (T) Texas -- Some teams have concerns about his right knee, but it has checked out on many team's boards. He played right tackle in college, but can move to the left side. Will be a longtime Pro Bowl player.
2. Bryant McKinnie, (T) Miami -- A huge man (6-9, 340), McKinnie is the prototype left tackle. He has outstanding feet and has never allowed a sack, but some teams question his intensity.
3. Andre Gurode, (G) Colorado -- A tough, physical player who can dominate at the point of attack. His pass protection improved last season.
4. Toniu Fonoti, (G) Nebraska -- Some scouts say he's the best run-blocking guard to come out in a long time. He will have to work on his footwork in terms of pass protection.
5. Levi Jones, (T) Arizona State -- He has made a quick rise up this board and was impressive at the Senior Bowl. A former basketball player, he has made a nice transition to the football field.

Breakdown

• Rising: LeCharles Bentley C, Ohio State -- He had a terrific workout that solidified him as the top center. Could find his way into the late first round. He's very athletic for a 300-pound player.
• Falling: Marc Columbo, Boston College -- He's still going to be taken in the first three rounds, but he isn't as highly rated as he was coming out of the 2001 season.
• Sleeper: Langston Walker, California -- Walker is a huge player who didn't play that well in 2001. But he has the tools and the size at 6-8, 344 pounds. He has really moved up the past month.
• Best run blocker: Fonoti. Dominates the opposition.
• Best pass protector: McKinnie. No sacks in his career? Enough said.
• Best feet: (tie) Jones and McKinnie. As a former basketball player, you'd expect that from Jones.
• Best hands: Pearson. He's very good at keeping the defensive linemen off him.
• Best initial blow: Williams. Throws a punch like Leon Searcy.