MHR University- Extra Credit Option 2- Offensive Tackle

by Jon Tollerud on Apr 11, 2008 2:14 AM MDT Comment 4 comments

Something that the Denver Broncos are facing right now is which of our needs is the greatest? Our horrible Run Defense last year begs a Defensive Tackle, Matt Lepsis' Retirement, asks for an Offensive Tackle, B-Marsh's injury, Walker's defection to the raiders and Rod Smith's "Retirement" demand a Wide Receiver, Signing Boss and K2 are looked at as great but leave us with a Linebacker corps who are all roughly the same age and what are seen as stop gap solutions at Safety mean a little attention there may be required as well. I know I did something similar to this last week but this time I am going to focus more on those five areas. It seems that they are the five we focus most on in our diaries and comments. I want to break down who we have as well as the draft potential at each position. Without further ado......

Offensive Tackle-

One of the most solid Tackles in the NFL has retired. While wishing him well most people acknowledge that Matt Lepsis left an unusually large hole for the broncos to fill. The last nine seasons the organization has not had to worry about that spot and has been drafting in later rounds so that the guys can learn under Matt and Ron Dennison. Matt leaves a hole of mentor on the line (yes Nalen and Hamilton are also mentors but it is always nice to have one per position!) as well as a starting left tackle. I am sure there are guys who can better break down the difference between right and left tackle, the basic idea is that the left tackle is usually the team's best pass blocker. Of the two tackles, the left tackles will often have better footwork and agility than the right tackle in order to counter-act the pass rush of defensive ends. Most quarterbacks are right-handed and in order to throw, they stand with their left shoulders facing downfield, closer to the line of scrimmage. Thus, they turn their backs to defenders coming from the left side, creating a vulnerable blind spot that the left tackle must protect. The right tackle is usually the team's best run blocker. Most running plays are towards the strong side of the offensive line. Consequently the right tackle will face the defending team's best run stoppers. He must be able to gain traction in his blocks so that the running back can find a hole to run through. Now Matt was solid in both areas and that is what we will look for to replace him. There is plenty of talent on the line as well I will list a few of them.

Ryan Harris-
Ryan when first drafted was to me the heir to Matt. He is player who plays his best as a pass protector who has learned to block as a runner better through Denver's system. I would give Ryan the benefit of the doubt as starter because of his time on the team in this position.

Erik Pears-
A solid contributor last year despite the many Offensive Line injuries we had. Erik is well adapted to his role as the right tackle. From what I saw this season he will probably not be moved as he is a great asset in the Running game.

Chris Kuper-
On the roster Kuper is listed as a guard although as Coach has said he has some time as a tackle in college. This move seems unlikely as I believe the Broncos are going to push our younger guys to stay in their positions because of the looming injury retirement risks that are Nalen and Hamilton. However he could very well be in line to compete for this job.

With all of that out of the way now we move on to the draft and this position.

Jake Long-
I won't type anything because we won't get him!<- I have to change my statement here. with some of the moves we have made we coudl very well swing for the fence and grab Jake Long. don't be too surprised if we do. The boy is a beast and can play both right and left tackle as well as just plain boddy guard for Jay Cutler. Massive, Fast, Agile, Coachable he is everything we need in a OT. Of course he is everything everyone else needs as well.

Ryan Clady-
Ryan Clady had a solid Pro Day by improving his 40 time a bit and had a vertical of 31 inches. Not bad for a 310-pound tackle. I would look for Clady to be out of the picture at #12 with other teams needs

Chris Williams-
Chris Williams solidified his status as a top-20 prospect with a good combine.
After a solid Senior Bowl, Williams very well could be the third tackle taken. Co-captain of Vanderbilt's football team, Williams simply doesn't allow sacks. His 40 at his size is remarkable. He would fit well regardless of Cutler. Once again getting him would be good and it all depends on which position the Broncos feel is most important in the draft.

Jeff Otah-
Looked slow at the combine but there are some attributing it to an ankle sprain (unconfirmed). Not a bad pick but a ZB could pick better than him.

Sam Baker-
Baker could end up a round two or three pick because of his workouts. Absolutely brilliant in USC's zone scheme and is a pure ZB player. Very few teams will be interested in a guy who would have to learn something besides zone blocking. hint hint

More OT's at:
http://walterfootball.com/draft2008OT.php

This is a Fan-Created Comment on MileHighReport.com. The opinion here is not necessarily shared by the editorial staff of MHR

0 recs | Comment 4 comments

Story-email Email Printer Print

Comments

Another great job Professor Jon!

I agree with your breakdown on the difference between RT and LT. The only thing I can think of to add is that in our ZB scheme we need fleet footed tackles on both sides. While our LT is predominantly pass blocking as you pointed out, our RT needs the agility and quickness as well since our run blocks require those traits more than other teams.

I also very much agree with you that Harris looks like the right man at LT more than Kuper. Pears belongs on the right side. Kuper should compete with Holland for guard, and the loser should be ready to step up if Hamilton gets another concussion.

A big part of this mess (at OL depth) was created when we lost Meyers. Meyers wasn't great at center, but held his own (he is more of a guard). But to lose a player that can step in at both guard and center is a blow, especialy when we have two major injury risks at center and guard (Nalen and Hamilton). Meyers problem is that he deserves a starter's salary, and Denver just can't pay that to a guy who is going to be in a back-up role.

As far as the breakdown of college guys goes, it is my opinion that a player doesn't have to have zone block experience, but he must have agility and "quick feet in limited space". I really would prefer that we get any OLs in mid or late rounds. I firmly believe (as with RBs) that Denver has the advantage of only needing a certain type of player more than a certain quality level. But if we draft an offensive lineman high and he pans out I'll be fine with the decision.

I remember when we took Foster and I was just shaking my head. Foster was supposed to be great, but he didn't seem the right type of player.

My last comment is that I see OL as a high priority need, but not critical. We have starters for every OL position right now. What we don't have is any depth at OL. On the other hand, I don't feel we even have a credible starter at #2 receiver, and I would categorize our current DTs as rotational at best. I would target DT and WR as equaly critical, OL as high priority, then RB and SAF.

Again, great job Jon!

"Greater is an army of sheep led by a lion, than an army of lions led by a sheep" Defoe

by Steve Nichols on Apr 11, 2008 5:50 AM MDT reply actions 0 recs

Thanks

DT is actually my next piece. I agree we need certain types of players as well. The hint at the end for Baker is mostly because I would love to see some of the SC guys land in Denver especially those with the skill sets we are looking for.

Davis to the Hall!

by Jon Tollerud on Apr 11, 2008 10:27 AM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

Good post Jon

I'm linking to a column that Ross Tucker wrote a few days ago in which he ranks the OL positions in terms of difficulty and provides decent analysis of what it takes to play each position:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/ross_tucker/04/02/oline.rankings/index.html

I ceratainly agree with HT that Denver has had a great track record of turning late picks and CFAs into solid(even tremendous) starters: Lepsis, Nalen, Hamilton, Pears, Kuper etc.
But because of this, it makes me wonder how good Harris can be. A third round pick for an OL is pretty darn high during the Shanahan era. So they must have thought highly of him then, and probably do now. I'll qualify this line of thought by recognizing that George Foster (1st) and Lennie Friedman (2nd) were busts.
I also agree that because of the scheme in which Denver linemen play, it isn't absolutely necessary to have studs with great measurables at each position.
At the same time, it would be nice to have an elite LT for ten years or so. Walter Jones and Jonathan Ogden type players can be an awful nice security blanket for any QB, let alone one who's still picking up the finer points of the game.
While I think that there are bigger problems to address in order to get our boys back in the hunt, I won't be dissapointed in the least if they draft a T early.

"The angel is no more than the shark well-governed." -Herman Melville

by jadunn on Apr 11, 2008 9:35 AM MDT reply actions 0 recs

I agree

I left the link at the bottom for anyone to go check out some of the other prospects. I put down the Stud (Long) and then those that the Mile High Report Faithful have put out there to be noticed. Honestly I would be MORE than ok with us using our fourth and fifth rounders to pick up guys.

Davis to the Hall!

by Jon Tollerud on Apr 11, 2008 10:29 AM MDT up reply actions 0 recs