They are the guys most easily missed on a football field.
At least the tackles get some degree of attention and the center snaps the ball. Sandwiched in between are the guards -- the most invisible members of an already underappreciated positional group.
At Alabama, it's the one spot on the line where there appears to be strong competition. Lester Cotton moved from the right side to left guard when Ross Pierschbacher switched to center.
Cotton arrived at Alabama as one of the top offensive tackles in the nation. He got experience starting at right guard as a sophomore in 2016, then started all 13 games there last fall.