Baldy talks about OL prospects in upcoming draft

[AlwaysSunnyinIndy]

I quoted the section of the article concerning Offensive Lineman. He talks about other specific players (QB's, RB's, etc) as well - you can read his other comments by clicking the below link to the whole article:

https://sports.yahoo.com/2021-nfl-dr...130949084.html

We spoke at length about this year’s offensive linemen. Here are some of the most interesting tidbits Baldinger dropped in our laps:

2020 OLs > 2021 OLs

“I don’t think it’s a strong year for offensive linemen. Although it does have good depth, I think. I mean, what Tristan Wirfs did this year was amazing. He played every snap. And this sounds crazy, but I don’t think they win a Super Bowl without him. He locked up every good pass rusher coming off the edge. Cam Jordan, he locked him up in New Orleans.

“Mekhi (Becton), you look at what he can do, what he did in spurts last year. Or you look at Jedrick (Willis) in Cleveland. I just don’t see that level of player in this class.”

Oregon OT Penei Sewell

“That’s not to say Penei Sewell can’t be that (Wirfs-caliber prospect). He’s basically been playing for a year. Hasn’t played a lot, he’s on the ground too much, but you can see him flash and it makes you think. I think a lot of people, when they heard he opted out, think that he’s going to be the next Jonathan Ogden. He’s not Jonathan Ogden, but nobody is.”

If not Sewell, maybe it’s Rashawn Slater

“Rashawn Slater at Northwestern is a good-looking player. Jalen Mayfield at Michigan is a good-looking player too. But some of these guys barely played this year.

“So I don’t know. I’m not holding it against guys who opted out, for whatever reason. But if you want to be a great left tackle, the only way to be a great left tackle is to play left tackle. It’s just hard to think that any of these guys improved without playing. It makes it a little bit difficult.”

High praise for a Trojans blocker

“Take this Ali Vera-Tucker at USC, for instance. He’s a guard. He played left tackle in college, but he’s a guard in our league. But maybe he’s David DeCastro inside, you know? It’s not a knock. He has that type of skill.”

The best center in the 2021 class

“You watch Landon Dickerson at Alabama, that’s as big a center as I can ever remember. He’s just huge. He really takes up a lot of space — the guy is about 6-foot-6 — but he gets low, he bends, he moves well.

“And he’s about as interesting as it gets inside. I think he’ll be the first center off the board. (Vera-Tucker and Dickerson) are very interesting to me.”

And don’t forget about this guy

“(Virginia Tech OL) Christian Darrisaw played well last year and got better every year he played. I feel good about his evaluation. We saw him play a lot. He made strides and he got better. That’s what you want to see in a perfect world.”

Notre Dame’s left tackle, plus a great Bill Parcells left tackle story

“I like Liam Eichenberg at Notre Dame. He’s an all-effort guy. I don’t know if he’s a left tackle or not.

“But I’ll tell you a quick story about left tackles. I remember talking to Bill Parcells one day. He was telling me the story about Jumbo Elliott. They drafted him in the second round out of Michigan, and Bill wanted to find out if he can play left tackle.

“So he goes to LT (Lawrence Taylor) and says, ‘Look, I gotta find out if we can keep him at left tackle or do we need to move him somewhere else? So I need your best, LT. Go put it on him. Give them the LT experience. Talk nonstop, do your thing.’

“Not even a week goes by and LT goes to Bill and says, ‘Coach ... he’s your left tackle.’”

“It’s a good story, but it’s also something you need to find out. I remember (Buffalo Bills OT) Dion Dawkins when he was coming out of Temple, and every single analyst said, ‘Oh, he’s a guard.’ But he’s started three straight years at (left tackle) and it looks like he can hold down that position."

Tackle or guard? Guard or center?

“So I don’t want to say that Rashawn Slater or Jalen Mayfield can’t play tackle. I don’t know if Liam Eichenberg can play left tackle. They might look like a guard. But let’s give them a shot out there and see what he can do.

“Speaking of Jonathan Ogden, he played left guard as a rookie. Then he moved to left tackle and became great. But if I am taking any of these guys in the first round, I want to see them play the position in college at least some.

“(Minnesota Vikings OL) Ezra Cleveland is a good example. College left tackle, but no one really knew where he was going to end up, what position he’d play. Well, he ended up at right guard and was a pretty good right guard.

“Could he go to left tackle down the road? Maybe. But right now, you’ve got good value for him at right guard. Dalvin Cook ran the ball really well, and he was a big part of it. The point is, I want to get these guys on the field right away. You can cross-train these guys. There’s a way to do that."

How to figure out an OL prospect’s best position

“I think it’s about finding the best (starting) five. At the end of the day, that’s what matters. It’s good to have those swing guys, always good to have depth. But give me your best five and let’s get them out there first. And if you’re not developing your players, you’re not going to be winning anyways.

“Tampa Bay this year, they go out there and lose their right guard late in the season, Alex Cappa, and they put in Aaron Stinnie in there, and nobody knew. His first start was against the Saints in New Orleans. They never skipped a beat.

“Somebody was developing (Stinnie), and no one (outside the building) knew anything about Aaron Stinnie. He hadn’t played. Then you go out and win a Super Bowl with Aaron Stinnie at right guard.

“Tom Brady needs all the protection he can get, right? So you get your starting five and then you start developing the rest of the these guys. Cross-train him, keep him after practice, give him some extra reps when you can. Sundays, even if they don’t dress, get them an hour workout out there. There are ways to do it, to develop (offensive linemen)."

The must-have trait for an OL

“Like I was talking about with Sewell, I played with Ray Donaldson in Indianapolis. He used to say to me — and I’ll never forget it — ‘If I am on the ground, I am having a bad day.’ So I look at guys and ask why they’re on the ground. Are they tripping? Do they have bad feet? Bad balance?

“I think balance is so underrated. There are some guys — like, you watch Brandon Brooks in Philadelphia. The guy is never on the ground. He’s got tremendous balance. Now, he’s a 345-pound fire hydrant. But balance is so important.

“With (New York Giants OT) Andrew Thomas, I never thought he was the best tackle last year. I thought he had bad balance. He was always on one foot. Queue it up this year, and it’s all the time. How do you coach that out of him?

“If guys don’t have good balance, they’re too easily moved. Too hard to stay in front of (their man). The object is to stay between the quarterback and your man. You have to keep your feet on the ground and have a good base. Balance is part of being able to drop and anchor and stop a good bull rush. If you can’t do that, you’re going to give up too much ground.”

Does arm length matter?

“Every guy is different. Some short-armed guys don’t get beat. If you’re doing your job, I don’t care if you’re standing on your head. Whatever works. Some guys win with ugly bodies. Some win with short arms. And then we’ve seen all the Tarzans of the world play like Jane.

“To me, every guy is different. I know everyone wants comps. I like comps, too. It helps. But some guys can be their own mold, too.”

[Dam8610]

I didn't see anything special in Sewell. Looks like a big athletic body who needs to learn a lot in the way of technique. Slater, Darrisaw, Eichenberg, Mayfield, Radunz, and even Carman grade higher for me.