Missing Orlando - who could be our next Right Tackle?
The last piece I wrote was for Russell Street Report and it was a potential, Raven-like approach to the first two days of the 2021 NFL Draft that would see us take four prospects on day two that I believe, play like Ravens on film. My piece was predicated on us having ONE pick in the first round and trading back off that pick to acquire more picks in what I believe to be a loaded day two this year. It was surely this that tempted fate and caused our favorite Right Tackle to be traded to the Kansas City Chiefs on Friday. Giving us two picks in the first round this year and a chasm of a gap to our next pick in the 90s, in a draft where I believe the sweet spot for talent is right in the middle of that pick desert for us.
This cannot and must not be the final move that Eric DeCosta makes, and I believe it won’t be. One, two, maybe even three of those moves must be for the Offensive Line. I do believe we needed a swing OT before the Orlando Brown Jr. trade and it could have served us to further enhance the interior of the line with an early drafted Center to play next to the newly acquired Zeitler. With the Brown trade, we have created a glaring hole.
That hole could be filled by a veteran the likes of which we’ve seen reported to be visiting the Ravens – Dennis Kelly and Alejandro Villanueva – but I always assumed this would be for veteran insurance as a swing OT. They are both at least solid starters so perhaps that was a little unkind to them but they will be at best, a stop-gap, and we need to invest premium draft capital in the offensive line.
I’m not going to mention them here but I do like both Centers Creed Humphrey and Landon Dickerson (if the Ravens clear him medically) and I think both could be options to further fortify the line before taking a later swing at non-day 1-starting RT. Either way, I believe we need to spend late day one, early day 2 capital on the offensive line.
Given the gaping hole between our second and third picks now, there are basically three levels of talent that we would be targeting for potential RT replacements. The first tier has only one name in it, because it would need to be at 27. The second tier would be options at 31 or with a trade back into the early 2nd. The third tier would be later, either with a trade up from our 3rd round picks or if one of the options falls a little, standing pat and picking at those 3rd rounders. Here are my reports on the options out there…
Tier 1
Teven Jenkins
I don’t believe he will be there when the Ravens pick at 27 and you likely need to slide up a little to get him. The only saving grace being, when you play out scenarios for the Raiders, who seem to be the most likely to pick him, there are plenty of enticing options besides Jenkins and nobody likes to leave the first round of a draft with only a Right Tackle (I mean, I would, but you know what I mean). Also I do believe some in the draft media may have gotten a little carried away with his mauling style and over-projected him slightly, so maybe he does fall to us.
By far and away the best option to replace Orlando Brown in this draft, Jenkins would slot in day one at RT or could even develop inside at Guard while a veteran holds down the RT spot. Personally I’d get him on the field in some way and take advantage of his nasty in the run game day one. He is the most violent and consistent finisher in this draft, he’s still blocking Joseph Ossai into the Texas coaches on the sideline now. He has great feet for his size and is an athlete at the position. He’s also a tactician in pass protection with his hands, he relishes the chess match with the defensive end across from him. I thought he deployed his length well on the edge but one of the knocks on him is his arm length which you’ll find binds many of the prospects on this list.
He’s not a waste of a pick if it doesn’t work out there though. I think his feet and his hands mean that he could work well inside at Guard. I do see some deficiencies in pass protection – he strikes well and quickly with his hands but the defender with effective counters can negate that first strike capability and bring him quickly off balance, causing him to waist-bend and chase. But I’d bet on his intelligence, his nasty and ultimately his ability to develop into a solid starter at the next level. Don’t forget, in pass protection, I’m not sure the horizontal sets at Oklahoma State really took advantage of his measurable athleticism even if they did maximise his quick hands and relative lack of length.
Tier 2
Liam Eichenberg
My personal choice for the best option in this second tier, Eichenberg, comes out of Notre Dame’s offensive line factory. He has received nowhere near the kind of hype Jenkins has but is almost equally as nasty in the run game – you can see him blocking guys into the ground, literally driving their nose into the dirt several seconds after the play is over. He dominates at the point of attack and is an excellent scheme fit. He’s also another guy who I think projects well inside at the next level – the only concern being that I sometimes saw him too late to sink his hips and drop anchor against a rush straight into his pads. Here’s some of what I wrote about him in my piece about a physical mock draft for the Ravens:
“His run blocking is not just physical and violent, its technically gifted too. He rolls his hips on contact as well as the best linemen I’ve seen at doing this coming out, he will establish a position of dominance at the point of attack and never give it up, walling off the defender from the running back. He continues to drive his feet on contact and he will walk, nay run, the defender back into his secondary…
In pass protection, he has patient hands and consistently lands his punch inside, and his consistency in this has developed over time… He has an explosive and deliberate first step, likely borne out of him anticipating well at the snap and can neutralise speed off the edge because of this early quickness. He needs it to survive on the outside though, his arms are less than 33 inches and while he deploys what length he has generally well, you can see him over-extend and bend at the waist to reach. This would be the big concern going into an OT spot at the next level.”
Alex Leatherwood
On paper, Leatherwood is a better fit for the position outside with only an eighth of an inch separating his arms and 34 inches, Leatherwood is a an offensive line coach’s dream given his historic athleticism for the position. But I think you do need that OL coach for him, more than some of the others, as someone who hasn’t yet taken advantage of his considerable physical gifts with consistency on film. In pass protection, his over-tendency to press his panic button concerns me, for a guy so powerful and athletic, he far too quickly goes into chase mode, getting himself over-extended and in a mess. You would need to coach that out of him. While he has a good base to his pass protection and excellent feet (albeit a little stiff in his kickslide), I can also see him wait too long to strike with his hands, often a little hesitant to commit.
In the run game, while you can see him completely overwhelm defenders, with his mass, athleticism and strength, this is inconsistent. That’s because I’m not sure he’s yet learned how to consistently deploy his power in the run game. When he sets up and drives straight into the man across from him or when he quickly and with good technique, gets into position for a less simple assignment, he will be dominant, but this is inconsistent. When he has to reach to seal the edge and roll his hips on contact, or move to his right to down-block, it’s far less effective. He’s an intriguing option but I’m not sure I’d be looking to pick him up for the price in draft capital you’d have to pay.
Jalen Mayfield
This is a very tough evaluation and I’ve seen people all over the board on Mayfield’s position in this class. For me, the bottom line is, if you can get him further back in the second round, then that’s about right and someone I would pull the trigger on. Not quite as nasty as Jenkins and Eichenberg, there is still plenty of finish with Mayfield in the run game and I actually think he’s quite proficient at some of the technical aspects of the more tricky point of attack work he will need to do in the Ravens offense mainly because of his quickness in short areas that can be followed by his, at times, overwhelming power. While he doesn’t put as many highlight blocks on tape as Jenkins, I think he can bend the defender to his will at the point of attack and possibly has some untapped potential there given what I saw as pretty significant upper body strength.
In pass protection he became a much better bender through his years at Michigan and now takes far better advantage of his hand placement, albeit I thought he lacked a little bit of power and latch strength. I didn’t see consistency in his footwork when moving laterally to protect, he brought his feet far too close together causing an imbalance that defenders could take advantage of. This lack of consistency in his footwork also brought him problems closing the door on inside moves with an effective power step. His pass protection needs some work and coaching up but I thought there was less to do on him as a project than Leatherwood. And Mayfield started very few games in his college career so will still be able to get better with more reps, I think – you could see him improve on tape over a small sample size. The other thing to remember – he saw some ridiculous NFL-level pass rush ability in a lot of the games I’m grading him on his pass protection, so he’s probably going to put some inconsistency on tape.
Tier 3
Stone Forsythe
The stereotypical “late riser”, those of us on Forsythe a little earlier than the rest could sit back with a half-smug smile as many people caught up to him. I wrote about him earlier in the draft season and this is what I said:
“Forsythe is a polarising player because of the Gators’ inability to run the ball this year and his part in it. He isn’t able to locate at the second level and only ever does enough in the run game – there is little nasty or finish. However he does have some power to unlock in this phase of the game and the Ravens will like him more than other teams because he does show some competency at the point of attack, namely some powerful down blocks and an ability to roll his hips on contact that will mean the more heavy gap teams will be intrigued.
Where he does excel is in pass protection, he took the best the SEC had to offer and he lived up to his name. He is a giant and he deploys this length expertly in pass protection. He is patient and times his punch well which is also accurate and powerful. The movement, which you see lacking in open spaces, is impressive when moving laterally in his kick-slide which he combines with more natural bend than you would expect for a man his size. Rarely, if ever, in trouble in pass protection against some of the pass rushers that will have their name called early this year, Stone Forsythe could be a steal in the mid-rounds.”
Forsythe is most intriguing because you could plug and play him and not get Lamar killed because of how good he is in pass protection, but he would need some development to be more than just serviceable in his run blocking. My friend and your favorite OL guru, Cole Jackson, thought he was less than serviceable in his run blocking but that the development arc he would need to go on reminded him of the excellent Right Tackle we’ve just traded away.
Jackson Carman
I am a big Carman guy, and he’s actually someone who might tempt me to forego some of the options in tier 2 if I can guarantee getting him with a trade up in the third. He’s technically sound in pass protection with the exception of his hand placement which can get a little grabby. He’s a natural bender who deploys what length he has well but with less than 33 inch arms, he’s a lot like the rest of the guys on this list if you’re an arm length truther.
I do like Carman for the outside though because of what I thought was pretty good lateral movement despite him being a classic “may struggle with speed off the edge” guy. He won’t be able to match-up as well with elite explosion because he just isn’t as good an athlete or as nimble as some of the others on this list but he can shut down power moves with his anchor and wall off his inside with an effective power step. Remember, we aren’t looking for an all-pro in the third round, just a solid starter and I think his technical proficiency as a protector means he can live up to that at Right Tackle.
In the run game is where he excels, like so many on this list, a road-grader with great grip strength, leg power and some nasty, he’s not great working at the second level but that would be perfect for the Ravens, as other more zone-heavy teams deprioritise him. He is great with angles in the run game and can destroy defensive linemen at the point of attack with his power. He’s a people mover who would contribute day one in the run game.
Spencer Brown
Many on this list don’t fit the Ravens normal modus operandi in looking for length and athleticism at the position. Spencer Brown certainly does. Coming from Northern Iowa, there are level of competition concerns but I thought he did well at the Senior Bowl when facing greater competition. I also like his counter-part at Northern Iowa, Elerson Smith, so perhaps iron sharpened iron in practice. In pass protection he moves easssyyyyyy, and mirrors the pass rusher laterally with no trouble at all. He takes full advantage of his length and athleticism, the only improvement he needs to make is with more savvy pass rushers who will set him up for inside moves, I didn’t see much of a power step and he sometimes over-sets, giving up his inside shoulder. He also has good placement with his hands but I’d like to see more strike power.
Where he will need to improve for the Ravens will be his power at the point of attack. He’s currently more of a fit for the more heavy zone schemes who will have less far to travel than the Ravens in terms of his development arc to contribution in the run game, purely because his athleticism for the position far outweighs his power. He also doesn’t show a lot of natural bend (also a little in pass pro) which causes him to chase blocks and get deconstructed by defenders, even smaller guys at the second level.
You can probably feel good about his ability in pass protection relatively quickly, but would need to spend significant time on his work in our more man/power run concepts.
Some nods to those I don’t mention: Penei Sewell, Rashawn Slater and Christian Darrisaw will be long gone by the time we pick. I also think Sam Cosmi will too but that’s not the reason I didn’t include him. I didn’t include him because he’s a better fit developing as a Left Tackle. Dillon Radunz, James Hudson, Brady Christensen and Walker Little are not guys I like as much and I think will all be gone by the time we pick towards the end of round three.
While I would certainly not balk at a tier two guy being taken, I think if we miss out on Jenkins in the first, the best bet might be to take the best available player at another position with one of our picks in the first round before trading back with the other. We could then target one of the exceptional interior OL picks with that pick in the second before trading up for one of the tier three options from our third round picks. We are so close to finding out what this front office will do.