National Football League

Inside the premier NFL Draft offensive-line academy: The Big Boys Club gets bigger

Updated Apr. 13, 2023 3:31 p.m. ET

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Carmen Vitali

NFC North Reporter

Just outside Dallas, at the center of a state-of-the-art complex, towers a beautifully modern glass building with gleaming green turf out front. 

It isn't uncommon to see some of the NFL's biggest stars on that turf, running ladders or agility drills in the oppressive Dallas heat between the months of January and July.

Among the one-off and small group training sessions is often a gaggle of giants, otherwise known as some of the league's top offensive linemen, who belong to a unique fraternity: The Big Boys Club. 

Started by offensive line trainer Duke Manyweather and FOX Sports' very own Geoff Schwartz in 2021 following the success of Manyweather's OL Masterminds summit, the inaugural Big Boys Club class featured first-round picks such as Penei Sewell, Rashawn Slater and current Kansas City Chiefs center Creed Humphrey. The fully comprehensive program has churned out a list of impressive names since, and a process that goes beyond draft prep and physical training is part of that.

"They come with one common goal and that is to maximize their opportunity to be drafted as high as possible," said Manyweather.

Days begin at a nutrition bar, where there are personalized supplements and food for each athlete to get their day started. Linemen then get their daily wellness check, which involves evaluating not only how they've physically recovered from the day before but includes mental processing and cognitive testing to see where the player is mentally.

"How they're able to cognitively respond and things of that nature can tell us a lot about how the day's gonna be," explained Manyweather.

From there, the grueling work begins. Manyweather's team checks their grip strength, as it's been shown to be an accurate indicator of overall strength, and various other points of data that are inputted into their system for unparalleled levels of data tracking and machine learning. The physical workouts they are put through vary by the day but they always start with a warmup.

"Our dynamic warmup acts as not only a warmup but as an evaluation tool," said Manyweather. "It allows me to see how these guys are moving for the day if there's any type of restriction, or in mobilities that we need to address before we get going again. It's just another box we're checking to see to make sure that these guys are ready to execute and make progress." 

FOX Sports takes you through the ins and outs of the dynamic between members of the Big Boys Club, following the pre-draft process of TCU offensive guard Steve Avila, Northwestern offensive tackle Peter Skoronski, Michigan center Olu Oluwatimi, Maryland offensive tackle Jaelyn Duncan and Old Dominion offensive guard Nick Saldiveri.

Avila is of Spanish-American descent and extremely proud of his Latin heritage. Once in the NFL ranks, Avila will be part of a group that makes up just 0.4% of all NFL players just by being Latino.

Though his alma mater, TCU, struggled as a whole in the National Championship against Georgia, the left guard was the exception. In fact, he didn't allow a single snap in 515 pass-blocking snaps his final year with the Horned Frogs. It earned him second-team All-America honors along with first-team All-Big 12. Prior to playing left guard, Avila has also played center and started 11 games at the position in 2021.

Skoronski is the grandson of a former Hall of Fame lineman, Bob Skoronski, who played in Super Bowls 1 & 2. A Chicago-area native, Skoronski was named the top lineman in the Big Ten and earned All-Big Ten honors last year. And while his childhood nickname was Custard, he's not exactly sweet when it comes to his play on the field. 

"Peter is intense and I love it," said Manyweather. "That intensity gives him the edge. He's got a chip on his shoulder every single day. Because he feels like he's not getting the respect that he needs. But most people soak in that Peter has elevated himself and I think we saw that in Indianapolis [at the NFL Combine]."

Skoronski's total combine score of 89, as charted by Next Gen Stats, was the best of any tackle in this year's draft class.

Oluwatimi is the only center being profiled, and for good reason. The son of Nigerian immigrants, Oluwatimi started his collegiate career at the Air Force Academy before transferring and walking on at Virginia. Last season, he entered the transfer portal and played his final collegiate season at Michigan. He won the Rimington Trophy, given to the nation's best center as well as the Outland Trophy, given to the country's best offensive or defensive lineman.

Duncan is no stranger to work, raising a daughter while getting his degree and playing football at Maryland. Duncan didn't even begin playing football until he was 14 years old but went on to be a four-year starter at left tackle for the Terrapins.

Saldiveri was a three-year starter at Old Dominion and could have transferred from the FCS program but remained fiercely loyal to the Monarchs. He said if he was going to make his NFL dreams a reality, he was going to do it through Old Dominion. A big personality with an even bigger stomach, while FOX Sports' cameras were rolling, Saldiveri gained over nine pounds in one dinner while out with his Big Boys Club teammates.

Though the ‘Big Boys Club' segment will only feature five prospects on camera, there is more to this year's class. They will be with Manyweather and a part of the fraternity for as long as they want to keep coming back. 

The tentpole OL Masterminds Summit will take place in July, after these prospects realize their NFL fates. Given the proven methods Manyweather employs, they — like so many other elite linemen throughout the league — will likely continue to make the pilgrimage to Dallas every NFL offseason to pay their dues.

Carmen Vitali covers the NFC North for FOX Sports. Carmen had previous stops with The Draft Network and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. She spent six seasons with the Bucs, including 2020, which added the title of Super Bowl Champion (and boat-parade participant) to her résumé. You can follow Carmen on Twitter at @CarmieV.

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Carmen Vitali