• Welcome to PurpleFlock! Be sure to sign up here so that you can chat with your fellow Ravens fans.

2022 OL Thread

rossihunter2

Staff Member
Moderator
I just don’t see those issues with him, like at all. I don’t see issues with hands, reaching, leaning, none of it. He looks pretty squeaky damn clean to me, his hands do get wide I’ll say I’ve noticed and I think he could be prone to holds at a moderate rate, but I really
Don’t see the same issues you see

i consistently see his hands get high and wide and see him lose leverage because of it - often getting stood up and rocked backwards or having to go into wrestling mode (which he's good at) to regain control - the reason i think he's prone to holds is partly because his grip strength is so good that when guys get outside his frame he's gonna get called for holds - the problem is because he doesnt bring his feet with him he's more likely to let guys past him

i will say the alabama tape at LT was pretty impressive and probably the best he looked in terms of his flexibility - but i really didnt love the tape where he played guard - but loved the way he was able to drop his anchor and stay light on his feet and just nullify the best player in college football in will anderson - but equally i saw a whole bunch of tape that was messy... LSU and Auburn in particular

his 2 best tapes that i saw were bama at LT and colorado at RT which i think is interesting for a guy who supposedly projects to guard

and again i dont want to over-egg this - i dont think he's a bad prospect... this isnt a case of darian kinnard (or to a lesser extent NPF) where i just dont see it at all - i still think green's a good prospect... just couldn't possibly touch him at 14 - and maybe later in the 1st too
 

rossihunter2

Staff Member
Moderator
A lot of talk around Charles cross apparently being OT1 around the league

that would be somewhat surprising to me on a pure grading basis - but i could certainly see a team who's looking specifically for a LT and a pass protector could have him rated higher

ekwonu has some oversetting issues and neal sometimes has some balance issues - so i can understand why a team that's desperate for immediate help might want to take Cross... but cross isn't perfect either, he's a bit light and can sometimes get slow-walked back in the pocket by powerful guys

so while ive got the other 2 guys graded over him, i wouldnt be completely surprised for a few teams with specific requirements have him higher on their boards
 

JoeyFlex5

Hall of Famer
that would be somewhat surprising to me on a pure grading basis - but i could certainly see a team who's looking specifically for a LT and a pass protector could have him rated higher

ekwonu has some oversetting issues and neal sometimes has some balance issues - so i can understand why a team that's desperate for immediate help might want to take Cross... but cross isn't perfect either, he's a bit light and can sometimes get slow-walked back in the pocket by powerful guys

so while ive got the other 2 guys graded over him, i wouldnt be completely surprised for a few teams with specific requirements have him higher on their boards
That’s how I’m seeing it, I’m not totally surprised because the name of the game for LTs is pass protection, and the name of the game for pass rushers is speed, that’s just the nfl these days and I guess you hope cross can bulk up a bit and solidify his anchor. He’s pretty clearly the best pass protector
 

rossihunter2

Staff Member
Moderator
That’s how I’m seeing it, I’m not totally surprised because the name of the game for LTs is pass protection, and the name of the game for pass rushers is speed, that’s just the nfl these days and I guess you hope cross can bulk up a bit and solidify his anchor. He’s pretty clearly the best pass protector

idk necessarily about best - but certainly looks to be the most "ready" protector - i think neal's pretty great as a pass protector too
 

JoeyFlex5

Hall of Famer
Criminally slept-on performance: Rasheed walker vs Hutchinson and ojabo.

he was a STONEWALL and consistently on an island vs these guys. Mostly Hutchinson but a good chunk of snaps vs ojabo too, but god damn, he got bullrushed in a well fought rep vs Hutchinson and other than that he looked untouchable. I saw no shortcomings in this game. I’m gonna watch more on him for sure because I wasn’t a fan after my first few watches, but just checked him out again and yeah I think I was wrong. Gonna go back and see what I missed
 

RaineV1

Ravens Ring of Honor
Criminally slept-on performance: Rasheed walker vs Hutchinson and ojabo.

he was a STONEWALL and consistently on an island vs these guys. Mostly Hutchinson but a good chunk of snaps vs ojabo too, but god damn, he got bullrushed in a well fought rep vs Hutchinson and other than that he looked untouchable. I saw no shortcomings in this game. I’m gonna watch more on him for sure because I wasn’t a fan after my first few watches, but just checked him out again and yeah I think I was wrong. Gonna go back and see what I missed
Guys like Walker in the third and fourth round are why I don't want to reach on an OT in the first. If Neal and Ekwonu are gone then go ahead and grab Linderbaum or one of the top edge rushers.
 

JoeyFlex5

Hall of Famer
Guys like Walker in the third and fourth round are why I don't want to reach on an OT in the first. If Neal and Ekwonu are gone then go ahead and grab Linderbaum or one of the top edge rushers.
Walker, steuber, Lucas, and Braxton jones are all guys I’m pretty high on and I don’t get how low they usually are in the media.
 

rossihunter2

Staff Member
Moderator
Criminally slept-on performance: Rasheed walker vs Hutchinson and ojabo.

he was a STONEWALL and consistently on an island vs these guys. Mostly Hutchinson but a good chunk of snaps vs ojabo too, but god damn, he got bullrushed in a well fought rep vs Hutchinson and other than that he looked untouchable. I saw no shortcomings in this game. I’m gonna watch more on him for sure because I wasn’t a fan after my first few watches, but just checked him out again and yeah I think I was wrong. Gonna go back and see what I missed

i mean i thought he did ok vs michigan but he certainly wasnt untouchable lol - he got beat numerous times - including like 3 straight by hutchinson to start the game - the difference was that he also had good reps when left 1v1 which not many tackles hutchinson faced can say

but i like him...

he's inconsistent but he's athletic and i love his light feet and length - when he gets his pass sets right, they're beautiful and he gets lots of depth and has lots of range and he's got nice punch and good timing with his punch (sometimes gets a bit wide but that's just a consistency thing rather than a poor placement generally thing... and what i really like is how when he misses initially he refits and replaces to get his hands back inside and uses his hands independently which helps him deal with late counters) - great anchor - really good in L2 and L3 too

i do think he oversets too much (which is often where he got beat against michigan - but then also saw him on 1 flashy rep power step back inside to recover and wash hutchinson back inside... so he's got some tools to recover and redirect) - i was a little surprised given his good anchor how he sometimes struggled to create movement at the LoS and i think maybe there's a slight lack of flexibility and he's not knee-bending enough so his pad-level can get too high - can lose some balance when challenged laterally and also has some technical things vs speed to the edge where his footwork breaks down and he loses some range

i wish he was a bit nastier

i really do like him though in that mid-to-late day 2 kind of range... he's got a preliminary late 2/3 grade from me
the iowa game was pretty good for him - and i really liked how he handled ojabo against michigan and hutchinson's power
got a nice base skillset and some nice tools to develop
 
Last edited:

rossihunter2

Staff Member
Moderator
Guys like Walker in the third and fourth round are why I don't want to reach on an OT in the first. If Neal and Ekwonu are gone then go ahead and grab Linderbaum or one of the top edge rushers.

no need to reach early - although it does feel risky given all the guys you want might be gone by the time you pick in the 2nd round - which again is fine as long as you can get someone you like in round 3 or 4

walker's definitely someone who fits that mould - i havent really found anyone else i really like in that range - maybe NPF but i think his anchor sucks and his pass sets are a mess

i havent got to the film of those other guys yet beyond just watching at the senior bowl but wasnt super impressed by any of those purported mid-round tackles during those practices or in the game - thought lucas and mitchell did pretty well at the practices but struggled a lot in the game - will be interesting to see what they look like on film

definitely dont want to reach on anyone in R1 - and i definitely dont want us to feel hamstrung on taking a tackle... i have no issue with us moving down the board but i dont want us to be moving down the board just to get to a more appropriate spot to take someone like penning just because the top 3 tackles were all gone - like it would be a fine pick but idk that id love the rationale behind those moves to get there... especially if we're passing on better talent at other positions like EDGE (highly likely a well-graded guy will be there at 14)... ive still got a load of WRs and CBs to study but as it stands right now ive got 6 EDGEs in the top 16 players ive studied so far
 

D1City55

Pro Bowler
no need to reach early - although it does feel risky given all the guys you want might be gone by the time you pick in the 2nd round - which again is fine as long as you can get someone you like in round 3 or 4

walker's definitely someone who fits that mould - i havent really found anyone else i really like in that range - maybe NPF but i think his anchor sucks and his pass sets are a mess

i havent got to the film of those other guys yet beyond just watching at the senior bowl but wasnt super impressed by any of those purported mid-round tackles during those practices or in the game - thought lucas and mitchell did pretty well at the practices but struggled a lot in the game - will be interesting to see what they look like on film

definitely dont want to reach on anyone in R1 - and i definitely dont want us to feel hamstrung on taking a tackle... i have no issue with us moving down the board but i dont want us to be moving down the board just to get to a more appropriate spot to take someone like penning just because the top 3 tackles were all gone - like it would be a fine pick but idk that id love the rationale behind those moves to get there... especially if we're passing on better talent at other positions like EDGE (highly likely a well-graded guy will be there at 14)... ive still got a load of WRs and CBs to study but as it stands right now ive got 6 EDGEs in the top 16 players ive studied so far
I agree completely, the edge talent in the top 20 is really good and we should be positioned to get someone there, I like Penning but give me someone like David Ojobo if he's there. I wouldn't mind taking a CB in the first if we don't see an OT that's worth picking round 1. I don't know about how Kyle Hamiltons knee is feeling, I liked what I saw from him and if he's healthy and he falls to us then I don't see the Ravens passing on him. I got a lot of tape to watch myself but so far I like most of the first round edge guys in the top 20 range and would take them at 14.
 

RaineV1

Ravens Ring of Honor
A little look at the LT from Kentucky, Dare Rosenthal:


At 6'7", 330 he is incredibly nimble and agile while still bringing strength and an ability to finish off blocks. He's really raw, but could contribute early if he had to. Can be a long term answer at LT if Stanley can't return.
 

JoeyFlex5

Hall of Famer


that ed ingram jonah jackson comp feels spot on
and that nate davis lecitus smith comp makes me very intrigued about jumping into smith's tape

Smith has fun tape, I’m very high on him. He’s athletic, aggressive, quick feet, quick hands, and he packs a punch and has drive. From what I’ve seen he’s about as slept on as any prospect in this class
 

rossihunter2

Staff Member
Moderator
Well im glad i didnt sink much time into ed ingram's tape before looking him up...

he will not be on the ravens board because of a sexual assault of a minor case from 2018 that he was suspended for more than a whole season before chargers were eventually dropped (not sure why)

Trigger warning: descriptions of sexual assault/rape of minors
https://deadspin.com/court-documents-lsus-ed-ingram-accused-of-sexually-ass-1838371539
 

rossihunter2

Staff Member
Moderator
The more i watch of Tyler Smith, the more I'm coming around to the potential idea that i might like him more as a prospect than trevor penning - there's still the massive consistent issue with his hand placement and his initial kick but the physical tools are wild - the more i watched the more i noticed just how flexible he is among all the other fun athletic traits he has - he's got literally everything you'd want... big frame, long arms, powerful upper body and lower body, flexible, quick feet, good lateral mobility, powerful punch, good grip strength, generally violent, young

you cant teach what he has...

it's a case where i want to back my OL coach to fix his technique

then again i think im lower on penning than some others
 
Top