Yep, Charles Cross could be there for the taking. He would be a steal for us, especially since we haven't picked this high since 2018.
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2022 OL Thread
- Thread starter rossihunter2
- Start date
RaineV1
Ravens Ring of Honor
Unless they love a certain QB I think the Steelers will take Cross ahead of us.
For me, Ekwonu is my personal favorite. I feel like he is the perfect fit for our team.
could very well happen
JoeyFlex5
Hall of Famer
Idk about y’all but man Daniel faalele looks like the real deal to me. He sets so naturally in pass pro, it looks unreal seeing how easily he gets to his depth at his size. And seeing him take guys from schools like Ohio state and lifting them up off the ground with a single punch while he’s moving backwards, it’s spectacular.
that is the very first guy I’m gonna be looking up when the senior bowl coverage starts.
that is the very first guy I’m gonna be looking up when the senior bowl coverage starts.
Trevor Penning working with duke manyweather is a really good sign for his development
finally started properly studying and id heard that faalele was inexperienced and raw and if im honest i dont see that much at all - looks really composed, technically does lots of things cleaner than some of the other guys ive watched (e.g. trevor penning) - im still working through his tape and i havent seen a whole lot of him working in space in L2 and while he's a really natural pass setter i havent seen him have to use any proper vertical sets and get a ton of depth yet (maybe ill see that more in some more film down the road) - but he's really efficient with his more horizontal sets and uses his length and nimble feet to completely erase the rush angle - really good hand placement and controls defenders and stays active when locked in (which is the kind of thing that penning does not do) - and most impressively given his height, he's really flexible
the 3rd play in this cut-up is my favourite rep from him so far - but the 4th and 5th plays in that cut-up are pretty great too lol
really big fan so far
so far ive been a little less into Penning than i thought i would be and a hell of a lot more into faalele than i thought i would be
JoeyFlex5
Hall of Famer
I have seen a few vertical drops from faalele and it’s very evident how comfortable he is in his backpedal, his back doesn’t arch, his feet don’t stomp down, no jerky movement, he is smooth as butter in his vertical sets. It’s fucking astounding honestly. And yes he’s very poised and sound with his hands, he knows he’s got a massive physical advantage and plays like it, he knows he can stay centered on defenders because of his length and strength, he doesn’t pursue, chase, or reach, ever, he just… blocks, lol like that’s as simple as I can put his hand usage.
my 2 issues that I’ve seen with him are that he crosses his feet in the run game, and that he doesn’t have a low center of gravity. The feet crossing could be an issue but a coachable one at worst, the center of gravity I honestly don’t see being an issue at all, because even with that he isn’t getting bullrushed by goddamn anyone.
I worry that after the senior bowl and combine he will be out of reach on our 2nd. I want that dude in Baltimore though. As of now I’m entirely comfortable with him.
watch his Ohio state tape, there was an absolutely beautiful vertical pass set on an all out blitz that really jumped him up a notch in my book, it was such a deep drop and it was so fluid and relaxed for him it was shocking.
i just saw that blitz - he got lots of depth and moved really well - technique wasnt awesome but the athleticism was
im not worried about his center of gravity or pad level at all - he's really flexible and bends at the knees and seems to be able to sit down and anchor really easily - at 6'8/6'9 you're always giving up natural leverage to a pass rusher... i think he sinks his hips really well and you dont see him leaning and hinging at the waist at all and i dont think ive seen a rusher move him at all when going up the middle so im not concerned about that at all - especially with the way he has light feet and stays balanced and doesnt get too far over his toes or too upright
ill certainly keep an eye out for the feet crossing - but as you say, even if it's there that's very much coachable
what id like to see (and through 2 games still havent seen more than 1 or 2 reps of this) is seeing what he's like in space downfield coming off combos - ive seen him spring up to a linebacker and that was eye-catching but nothing more than that
im not sure he makes it to us in the 2nd round either - only hope we have is that teams are scared off by his inexperience and the fact that he might be a RT prospect rather than a LT prospect - ive not done many prospects yet but i already know this guy is going to be one of my favourites
JoeyFlex5
Hall of Famer
If he is a 2nd rounder, I’ve become enamored with the idea of Tyler linderbaum in round 1 and faalele in round 2.
that would be one way of completely reinvigorating the OL
would be tough to ignore the defence with our first 2 picks but might be worth it if you get 2 quality prospects like that out of it
not watched any linderbaum properly yet though
what's also awesome about faalele is that without much required effort ive frequently seen him wash the entire line down from the backside
like given how high we're going to be picking in the 1st i probably wont be comfortable with him there but idk - i have a feeling my preliminary grade on him is going to be a 1st or late 1st - if we were picking late in round 1, as of right now im not sure id have many complaints if faalele was the guy based on my limited grading so far in 2022
like given how high we're going to be picking in the 1st i probably wont be comfortable with him there but idk - i have a feeling my preliminary grade on him is going to be a 1st or late 1st - if we were picking late in round 1, as of right now im not sure id have many complaints if faalele was the guy based on my limited grading so far in 2022
Davesta
Ravens Ring of Honor
Maybe a bad combine slips him to our 2nd or 3rd round pick like Zeus Jr. Lets all dream the dream! One team!
JoeyFlex5
Hall of Famer
Yeah it’s definitely tough but you can’t fix everything in one offseason and sometimes you gotta make due. A lot of issues will be resolved with health, RT/C will not. Pass rush and the DL in general won’t be fixed with health BUT in odd fashion our defense up front will be vastly improved with the health of Humphrey and peters.
then there’s the whole issue of what’s most important, protecting Lamar has to be priority number 1 and as long as we don’t leave any stud defenders on the table, I’m okay with going a little too hard on the OL.
He deletes guys, as of now I see him as a mid to late first but I think our desperate need for a RT has jacked his value up for me. Realistically I think he’s gonna end up in that range. I think he’s gonna crush the whole process and fly up boards. His tape and measurables both scream first round OT, the only fear is basically can this mammoth of a man who’s already fairly developed, develop just a LITTLE BIT more
Doubtful. This guy is an athlete.
haha he's not gonna have a bad combine lol
i think the ceiling is through the roof - i dont think he's touching his ceiling or even close yet...
where i differ vs the sentiments ive seen elsewhere is that the floor is low and based on the tape ive seen of him so far... that's not particularly true i dont think - with his powerful hands, his balance, his feet, his length and his anchor i think the floor's fine - i think there's some footwork and technique that can be cleaned up and i think there's a few things with his punch timing and strikezone and i think there's some drive blocking technique he could improve at too - but we're talking about a pro bowl/all-pro type player if that stuff comes good
the big question (that we probably cant answer beyond just observing his consistent improvement) is how he takes to coaching - if he takes to it well then he's a no brainer
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faalele for me so far
Sounds like duke manyweather has a pretty great group of OL this year for the next 8 weeks lol
ive already seen penning down there and it sounds like he's got ekwonu, neal and cross all going down there too
no idea who else but a lot of year 1 starters from last year's class were training with him
Bernhard Raimann's cool and weirdly polished for someone so new to the game (somewhat like faalele but completely different style) - i dont think he's a great fit for the ravens though - great feet, and some nice tools to develop but i dont think he's someone you can anchor a power running game behind - showed some displacement with downblocks but not overly powerful and doesnt use his hands or length particularly well and doesnt have notable length - in a good or bad way - to begin with (and we know the ravens love their OL to have long-arms)
it was definitely nice to see though that his best game probably came against the best competition he faced in 2021 against LSU
reminds me of brian oneill a bit
it was definitely nice to see though that his best game probably came against the best competition he faced in 2021 against LSU
reminds me of brian oneill a bit