We are just a little under 30 days away from the 2024 NFL Draft, and the CHTV Big Board is steadily rounding out into form. It's a tough draft class if you haven't picked up on that yet; and NFL Front Offices everywhere are digging deep for that vital piece of information, that crucial cut of film, and whatever other valuable tidbits they can pull together to select a future All-Pro come late April.

I've been digging as well to the point of exhaustion. And with the Draft just a few weeks away I've settled on a handful of prospects who the Packers should be honing in on to address their respective needs. Ladies & Gentlemen, it's the 2024 Edition of Joseph's Gems.

Part I features Boston College's Christian Mahogany.

Christian Mahogany hails from Elmwood Park, NJ, and played for nearby Paramus Catholic High School, a known major player in the state. Mahogany received a 3-Star rating across the board from ESPN, Rivals.com, and 24/7 Sports. Mahogany received offers from a whopping 20 schools, including Cincinnati, James Madison, Pittsburgh, Virginia, Syracuse, Vanderbilt, and Rutgers before committing to Boston College.

Mahogany has 33 games of experience at both Guard positions, logging over 2,200 snaps. Mahogany is the mauler type of offensive lineman that running game coordinators dream of. Mahogany explodes off the line with violent hands to boot. Once Christian cleans up his assignment the linebacker at the second level better watch out, or he's just another name on his list of victims. Mahogany was an ascendant talent as a sophomore in 2021, securing 2nd Team All-ACC Honors. He probably would have been a lock for the 2023 Draft (I had a Priority 3rd Round Grade on him) if it wasn't for tearing his ACL his Junior season. But Mahogany bounced back quite nicely, allowing only 7 QB hurries, with 0 hits or sacks allowed, which made him good for 1st Team All-ACC in 2023. Even with the accolades and the promise Christian has shown, there's still more tools to add to his game. It's not often, but Mahogany will lose his feet from time to time, and if he can clean that up for good, we go from just an outstanding starter who should see his share of Pro Bowls to a potential future All-Pro.

You can see what Coach Haf and others had to say about Christian here:

Overall, I consider Christian the #2 True Guard in the 2024 Draft Class, second to only UConn's Christian Haynes. Unfortunately, things get complicated when you take into account other interior offensive lineman prospects like Oregon's Jackson Powers-Johnson, West Virginia's Zach Frazier, plus Duke's Graham Barton who might also get selected to play inside. Add that with a very deep offensive tackle class and it muddies the water on where Mahogany might get selected. 

So with that being said, is Chrisitan Mahogany a Gem? We're going to find out, but in case some of you guys are new to the series, let's go over "What's a Gem"?

Size - Adequate height and weight for the position (Within my parameters but with historical precedents, more on that later)

RAS - Must be able to compete at the NFL Level

Production - Gotta be a stat sheet stuffer. 

Competition - Power 5 vs Group of 5 vs FCS and below, it matters. 

Gems have to check at least 3 out of 4 of those boxes. If a player checks all 4, consider him SOLID GOLD as Certified by your favorite "GM-ologist" (Get it?)

SIZE

Christian Mahogany checks in at 6'3 a 1/3, with 10 1/2 inch hands, 33 1/2 inch arms, and 314 pounds. If he was on the Packers' roster today, he'd be the shortest offensive lineman in the group. However, there is precedent here. Corey Linsley(Thompson), Josh Sitton(Thompson), Scott Wells(Sherman), Lane Taylor(Thompson), and Jason Spitz(Thompson)were all productive interior offensive linemen for the Green and Gold at 6'3 and under. While current GM Brian Gutekunst has yet to dip below 6'4, he doesn't stray too far away from Thompson's measurables. It's not uncommon for the interior linemen to be shorter in the NFL, so no worries here. What is notable is Mahogany meets Gutekunst's and Thompson's threshold of 33 1/4 inch arms and a weight that hovers somewhere between 310 and 321 pounds. Mahogany checks the box for size.

RAS

Despite having slightly less than ideal length, Mahogany scored very well in the explosion, speed, and agility categories. I'm slightly concerned he didn't bench, but I will trust the tape as Christian moves the pile quite well, even on short and goal-to-go situations when the defense has stacked the box. His closest pro-comp? No other than Josh Sitton. Double Check.

Production

Across 3 years in college, Mahogany only allowed 4 sacks in his entire career, with the most recent being in 2021. As a Senior, Mahogany was part of an offense that averaged 198.3 rushing yards per game, good for 2nd in the ACC and 16th in the nation. Mahogany shined in a loss against eventual ACC Champion Florida State during the regular season and a win against SMU in the Fenway Bowl, where BC produced 152 and 262 yards rushing respectively. Triple Check.

Competition 

While this was considered a "down" year for the ACC, there was still some fine matchups for Chrisitan Mahogany to negotiate. Mahogany went up against Florida State's formidable combo of Jared Verse(Top-20 Pick) and Braden Fiske(2nd Round Grade) plus Miami's pairing of Leonard Taylor III(Top 150) and James Williams(Top 150) and didn't miss a beat. Quadruple Check.

Certification

Based on my findings, I certify Boston College's Christian Mahogany as SOLID GOLD and should be a lock to be selected on Day 2!!!!

Would the Packers be interested?

While there's been a lot of talk of this tackle class, the same could not be said of the interior linemen. The Packers require some reinforcements across the entire offensive line, but I'd give the interior the nod on needing the most help. Elgton Jenkins hasn't played a full season since his Rookie and 2nd years in the league. Jon Runyan is now a Giant. Royce Newman is somehow still on the roster (likely due to some nudes of Head Coach Matt LaFleur in the locker room). Sean Rhyan, who although looks the part, would probably benefit from some noteworthy competition. Once again, if we're talking "True Guards", Mahogany is 2nd best in the class. I know the Packers love to take shorter armed and lesser athletic tackles and move them inside, but Mahogany still fits the bill. Mahogany's 9.65 RAS trumps Rhyan's 9.33 score, and still places him tops over Elgton's 9.29 as well. While he may not have the length the other linemen on the roster have, his ability to pull, finish, and get to the next level is highly desirable for LaFleur's scheme. I hope to heaven that Brian Gutekunst has Mahogany on his board; the Day 3 options aren't particularly appetizing based on what I've seen so far.

Lotta ball game, or scouting I should say left. Gems will be back soon for another prospect in the 2024 series.

#GPG

CORRECTION: Sean Rhyan's RAS was reported earlier as a 8.19, but that was at the offensive tackle position. His RAS as an offensive guard has been corrected to 9.33.