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2020 OL Draft Thread

rossihunter2

Staff Member
Moderator
Thought we should definitely have this thread started by now...

Not really sure about the interior OL in this class so far - not overly impressed - looks like an absolute ton of tackles in the first 2 days though - not sure if any of them are fits to move inside where we have a more obvious need
 

RaineV1

Ravens Ring of Honor
John Simpson from Clemson is worth a look in the midround. A real mauler with a nasty streak and plenty of strength.
 

Ravensnation5220

Ravens Ring of Honor
Ya we really need to beef up the interior in the first 3 rounds. Especially after the injury to Skura and Yanda having maybe 1 year left. Mekari was a good fill in but I'd like someone that we can count on for 10 years at any interior spot.

The Wisconsin C comes to mind forget his name (Biadz...something) also Oklahoma's C had some buzz this year.
 

rossihunter2

Staff Member
Moderator
Ya we really need to beef up the interior in the first 3 rounds. Especially after the injury to Skura and Yanda having maybe 1 year left. Mekari was a good fill in but I'd like someone that we can count on for 10 years at any interior spot.

The Wisconsin C comes to mind forget his name (Biadz...something) also Oklahoma's C had some buzz this year.

i think creed humphrey went back to oklahoma for another year - makes sense - 2 years ago he looked like a 1st round pick but i reckon his stock went down this year and he's still got a year of eligibility

biadasz also had a less good year than in 2018 but he doesnt get the option

but it is vitally important we find someone - given skura's injury there's no guarantee he even plays next year after which time he'll be a true free agent anyway and yanda of course may retire and if not as you say he's only got a year left - finding someone on the interior at any spot would be ideal - would be great if ben powers could step up but we need an A+ type player on the interior - we've got 2 bookend tackles we can rely on but if yanda goes and skura's not back then our best interior OL is bradley bozeman and while he's done better as the season went on that's a terrifying thought
 

Grim

Ravens Ring of Honor
i think creed humphrey went back to oklahoma for another year - makes sense - 2 years ago he looked like a 1st round pick but i reckon his stock went down this year and he's still got a year of eligibility

biadasz also had a less good year than in 2018 but he doesnt get the option

but it is vitally important we find someone - given skura's injury there's no guarantee he even plays next year after which time he'll be a true free agent anyway and yanda of course may retire and if not as you say he's only got a year left - finding someone on the interior at any spot would be ideal - would be great if ben powers could step up but we need an A+ type player on the interior - we've got 2 bookend tackles we can rely on but if yanda goes and skura's not back then our best interior OL is bradley bozeman and while he's done better as the season went on that's a terrifying thought
It may be best to go and target some of these tackles in the draft and convert them inside to guard. It’s what we did with Yanda himself actually. I wouldn’t be surprised if we did just this because we did it with KO as well.
 
Humphrey was right to go back, hes overrated imo. He looked stiff to me and is a waist bender

Solomon Kindley, clean clean play for someone who looks so fat. Big, natural power, movement skills and solid pass blocker. Low centre of gravity

Shane Lemieux, good size, quick with a lot of power. Gets pancakes but hes a bit stiff, a waist bender. Gets the job done he just looks weird doing it especially his pass set

John Simpson, perfect size. Good power and bend. Reactive speed is a touch slow. Redirect is slow. Run blocks with his helmet down.

Ben Cleveland, fun to watch too but hes too injury prone. High centre of gravity

Netane Muti, just adding him because hes fun to watch. Insane power and high athleticism. Raw and LOTS of medical flags
 
I think it should be mentioned that Skuras knee injury is severe, he tore three major ligaments and dislocated his kneecap so he's probably going to be out for a long time if not forever. It's similar yet worse than the injury the ended Nico Siragusas NFL career.

Now Bozeman I believe has limited experience at center and could probably learn the position depending on who we pickup. I don't really rate this draft class so I hope we can pick up someone from free agency like BJ Finney, hes not the most mobile guy but he's big and will move people
 

rossihunter2

Staff Member
Moderator
I think it should be mentioned that Skuras knee injury is severe, he tore three major ligaments and dislocated his kneecap so he's probably going to be out for a long time if not forever. It's similar yet worse than the injury the ended Nico Siragusas NFL career.

Now Bozeman I believe has limited experience at center and could probably learn the position depending on who we pickup. I don't really rate this draft class so I hope we can pick up someone from free agency like BJ Finney, hes not the most mobile guy but he's big and will move people

yeah i mean at this point im expecting skura to at least begin the season on PUP - apparently he's been seen walking around the building already which is promising but that's a major major injury

not sure what the answer is in terms of re-organising the OL with the assumption that he wont be able to start the year - Bozeman played most of his college career at C and started off on this team as the backup C so it's not like he's completely new to the position but it's also got to be said that he has now spent the vast majority of his playing time in the NFL at G and improved as the year went on especially with regards to pulling - not sure if moving him back to centre makes sense or not...

mekari did really well given the situation and given his draft pedigree but the length of his arms is a real problem at times and a clear weakness in his game

i havent looked much at the interior of this class yet but it seems to me to be a pretty good draft for tackles relative to other years (at least in terms of depth of talent if not maybe the clear top end guys) but i dont know if there's any clear candidates to move inside
 
yeah i mean at this point im expecting skura to at least begin the season on PUP - apparently he's been seen walking around the building already which is promising but that's a major major injury

not sure what the answer is in terms of re-organising the OL with the assumption that he wont be able to start the year - Bozeman played most of his college career at C and started off on this team as the backup C so it's not like he's completely new to the position but it's also got to be said that he has now spent the vast majority of his playing time in the NFL at G and improved as the year went on especially with regards to pulling - not sure if moving him back to centre makes sense or not...

mekari did really well given the situation and given his draft pedigree but the length of his arms is a real problem at times and a clear weakness in his game

i havent looked much at the interior of this class yet but it seems to me to be a pretty good draft for tackles relative to other years (at least in terms of depth of talent if not maybe the clear top end guys) but i dont know if there's any clear candidates to move inside

Im saying we have options at center if Skura doesnt play or isnt re-signed next season, center is a harder position to fill adequately than guard and Mekari clearly isnt the answer. Yandas status is also up in the air.
 

JoeyFlex5

Hall of Famer
Trey smith from Tennessee has tumbled down draft boards and is certainly not a tackle but quite possibly could find himself ending up a stud guard
 

Grim

Ravens Ring of Honor
I think it should be mentioned that Skuras knee injury is severe, he tore three major ligaments and dislocated his kneecap so he's probably going to be out for a long time if not forever. It's similar yet worse than the injury the ended Nico Siragusas NFL career.

Now Bozeman I believe has limited experience at center and could probably learn the position depending on who we pickup. I don't really rate this draft class so I hope we can pick up someone from free agency like BJ Finney, hes not the most mobile guy but he's big and will move people
I do think we may look to free agency to fill one OL spot, but I could also see us roll with Mekari, Bozeman, Powers, Hurst and draft a guy as well. The OL isn’t bad but it got beat against TEN. I think C is harder to fill externally since it requires knowing the offense but it doesn’t mean we can’t fill it with an entire offseason either. It does suck about Skura but here’s to hoping he recovers.
yeah i mean at this point im expecting skura to at least begin the season on PUP - apparently he's been seen walking around the building already which is promising but that's a major major injury

not sure what the answer is in terms of re-organising the OL with the assumption that he wont be able to start the year - Bozeman played most of his college career at C and started off on this team as the backup C so it's not like he's completely new to the position but it's also got to be said that he has now spent the vast majority of his playing time in the NFL at G and improved as the year went on especially with regards to pulling - not sure if moving him back to centre makes sense or not...

mekari did really well given the situation and given his draft pedigree but the length of his arms is a real problem at times and a clear weakness in his game

i havent looked much at the interior of this class yet but it seems to me to be a pretty good draft for tackles relative to other years (at least in terms of depth of talent if not maybe the clear top end guys) but i dont know if there's any clear candidates to move inside
I think Bozeman could be moved back to C despite his G experience because I recall us using C/LG almost interchangeably at times throughout our history with Harbaugh. You had guys like Skura, Bozeman, Zuttah, Shipley, Gradkowski and even rumors of trying Alex Lewis there. I think we see those spots are interchangeable and I think Bozeman won the job and we’d rather bring someone up to play C than move him [Bozeman] during the season when he was already established there. I think you will see a competition for both spots again this offseason.
Im saying we have options at center if Skura doesnt play or isnt re-signed next season, center is a harder position to fill adequately than guard and Mekari clearly isnt the answer. Yandas status is also up in the air.
Yanda is the question but I think he comes back for another run. I do think we’re running out of time with him though.
 

JoeyFlex5

Hall of Famer
Studying IOL for the first time this year, and the first guy I’ve watched is nick Harris, C 56 from Washington.

Pros
-built like a beast, really looks the part
-explodes out of the snap and is on a mission with the first step
-plays with purpose, always has a meaningful goal in mind, and executes these goals frequently
-quick feet, great movement, covers a lot of ground when blocking in second level
-lethal on screens, gets moving fast and brings the pain when reaching the defender, feels the flow of the play behind him and lead blocks accordingly, doesn’t waste efforts blocking meaningless defenders
-when latched on in run blocking its over, he’s a pile driver
-stellar mirror in pass pro, really sound movement and very patient
-does well with combo blocks, frequently lays a nice chip on a defender before moving onto a solo block, executes both phases well

cons
-not many but the 2 I saw were major...
-doesn’t bend the knees that well, bit of a leaner and waist bender
-feet can end up parallel with the shoulders in pass pro too often and he gives up a lot of push when this happens, this push will become a pancake in the NFL
 

rossihunter2

Staff Member
Moderator
I think Bozeman could be moved back to C despite his G experience because I recall us using C/LG almost interchangeably at times throughout our history with Harbaugh. You had guys like Skura, Bozeman, Zuttah, Shipley, Gradkowski and even rumors of trying Alex Lewis there. I think we see those spots are interchangeable and I think Bozeman won the job and we’d rather bring someone up to play C than move him [Bozeman] during the season when he was already established there. I think you will see a competition for both spots again this offseason.

i just look at what he was most successful doing at LG this year and the answer is his ability to pull from LG to the right which is ironic given one of the biggest knocks on him coming out of college was his lack of athleticism - i just think playing at C takes a lot of what he was better at away... but i might be wrong and its a schematic thing - james hurst looked alright pulling from LG last year too so maybe its just a scheme that makes LGs look better
 

Grim

Ravens Ring of Honor
I just watched 2 games on Jon Runyan who played T for Michigan under Harbaugh. He’s a guy we interviewed at the East-West Shrine game. He’s got some potential but I don’t think he has the physical measurables to play tackle and will need to shift inside in the pros as others suggest. I do like what he brings though in the run game. He seems to have some potential there to me. I think he’s someone to watch as I could see him as our 3rd day pick this year.

I also saw that we also interviewed Auburn T Jack Driscoll as well. He’s another guy I think we’d shift inside because of his length and build. He just doesn’t play as strong as Runyan but he some better attributes than him. Not sure either is an immediate contributor but they could make an impact. I think they’re both better than Powers.
 

RavensMania

Staff Member
Administrator
I think it should be mentioned that Skuras knee injury is severe, he tore three major ligaments and dislocated his kneecap so he's probably going to be out for a long time if not forever. It's similar yet worse than the injury the ended Nico Siragusas NFL career.

Now Bozeman I believe has limited experience at center and could probably learn the position depending on who we pickup. I don't really rate this draft class so I hope we can pick up someone from free agency like BJ Finney, hes not the most mobile guy but he's big and will move people
we need good fits in our scheme. Bozeman played center in college so it's not that limited, but he hasn't played any in the pros outside of preseason and practice snaps.
 
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Checked out a few OT prospects who are projected to move inside:

Jedrick Willis: Late 1st
- 6'5" big body and no bad weight
- always maintains balance
- strong upper and lower body
- natural knee bender
- rock solid anchor
- can mirror and slide at RT
- nice 2nd level angles
- instant redirect
cons
- not a proven swingman, probably cant play LT

Tristan Wirfs: Late 1st
- 6'5" big body and no bad weight
- athletic with weight room power
- played in a pro style offense with 3 point stances and multiple pass sets so can swing tackle and both guard positions
- reminds me a lot of Brandon Brooks in size and movement
cons
- starts to bend at the waist in the 2nd half which might be a conditioning issue
- sometimes lunges
- overall balance is average

Robert Hunt: 2nd-4th
- 6'5" huge body looks close to 350, good distribution
- massive power and anchor
- surprisingly quick pulling
- wins even without leverage
cons
- lateral footwork is slow at RT, probably cant play RT in the pros
- low level comp
- lunges and legs straighten near the end of games
 
Studying IOL for the first time this year, and the first guy I’ve watched is nick Harris, C 56 from Washington.

Pros
-built like a beast, really looks the part
-explodes out of the snap and is on a mission with the first step
-plays with purpose, always has a meaningful goal in mind, and executes these goals frequently
-quick feet, great movement, covers a lot of ground when blocking in second level
-lethal on screens, gets moving fast and brings the pain when reaching the defender, feels the flow of the play behind him and lead blocks accordingly, doesn’t waste efforts blocking meaningless defenders
-when latched on in run blocking its over, he’s a pile driver
-stellar mirror in pass pro, really sound movement and very patient
-does well with combo blocks, frequently lays a nice chip on a defender before moving onto a solo block, executes both phases well

cons
-not many but the 2 I saw were major...
-doesn’t bend the knees that well, bit of a leaner and waist bender
-feet can end up parallel with the shoulders in pass pro too often and he gives up a lot of push when this happens, this push will become a pancake in the NFL

He's really short so he'll have to make up for the arm length issue in pass pro. He's really good on second level though, he has great footwork and makes quick decisions.

I just watched 2 games on Jon Runyan who played T for Michigan under Harbaugh. He’s a guy we interviewed at the East-West Shrine game. He’s got some potential but I don’t think he has the physical measurables to play tackle and will need to shift inside in the pros as others suggest. I do like what he brings though in the run game. He seems to have some potential there to me. I think he’s someone to watch as I could see him as our 3rd day pick this year.

I also saw that we also interviewed Auburn T Jack Driscoll as well. He’s another guy I think we’d shift inside because of his length and build. He just doesn’t play as strong as Runyan but he some better attributes than him. Not sure either is an immediate contributor but they could make an impact. I think they’re both better than Powers.

Runyan is better at pass pro and slightly better prospect than Powers, Driscoll needs time to get stronger. I wouldn't consider either mainly because we already have a lot of guys who struggle to get movement at the LOS. Runyans arms are as big as his legs.
 

JoeyFlex5

Hall of Famer
He's really short so he'll have to make up for the arm length issue in pass pro. He's really good on second level though, he has great footwork and makes quick decisions.
This is true. His mirror ability seems to make up for it though. Plus I worry much less about length with IOL than with tackles, like I get that arm length is an extremely useful tool, but if you have the quick feet, mirroring, and the positioning part down, then it’s much less of an issue, and man he’s really got those 3 things down.
 
This is true. His mirror ability seems to make up for it though. Plus I worry much less about length with IOL than with tackles, like I get that arm length is an extremely useful tool, but if you have the quick feet, mirroring, and the positioning part down, then it’s much less of an issue, and man he’s really got those 3 things down.

Hes got reactive speed too which is a good trait but he doesnt offer versatility either. He can only play center.

Overall its a bad center class imo, Tyler Biadasz is the top guy and is ok, he kind of reminds me of Jason Brown but his balance isnt great. Good leader and competitor, we could make either work but theres more value in OT and G.
 
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