Strongest position group post-draft

[RavensDieHard21]

Pretty straight forward. After the draft where do we think our strength is? We could also discuss which unit will be a surprise and our Achilles heel.

[Tru11]

hands down dline.

we added like 4 guys to what already was our strongest position with Correa being the only one i see having a shot at being a quality OLB.

[Daft Classic]

If healthy, our O-Line can be pretty dirty. Healthy Monroe (Keep Dreaming)- Stanley - Zuttah - Yanda - Wagner can be dominant. If they actually will be that good is yet to be determined. Plus we have decent depth with Urshel, Jensen, and Lewis if he works out

 

Tight End is also extremely deep, with or without Pitta. Everyone besides Boyle could arguably be a starter (Even Mad Max). Running back we don't exactly have all starters, but Dixon, Buck, LT, and even Richardson if he works out all can be solid pieces

 

If anything, I'd say our thinnest positions are LB and Secondary. We have Mosley and Doom, but Suggs is coming back from a major injury and we don't really have any sure fire depth behind them. Heck, outside of Mosley, who is gonna play ILB? Same with the secondary. We have Jimmy and Weddle, but who else? Us hoping Wright is gonna keep playing the way he has? Davis and Arrington somehow breaking out? Young being a beast? Our depth is questionable to say the least

[52520Andrew]

We are pretty loaded in terms of depth outside of ILB and CB. 

[bMore Heathen]

RB is the deepest imo. Guys that we cut WILL play for other teams. TE too, I could see Boyle on the outside looking in with his suspensions. 

[RavensDieHard21]

3 hours ago, Tru11 said:

hands down dline.

we added like 4 guys to what already was our strongest position with Correa being the only one i see having a shot at being a quality OLB.

Who do you think makes the cut? I know it's early, but I see Williams, Jernigan, Davis, Urban, Bronson, Henry, and Guy making it lol a seven man rotation would be sick especially going between a 34 and 43.

[RavensDieHard21]

3 hours ago, bMore Heathen said:

RB is the deepest imo. Guys that we cut WILL play for other teams. TE too, I could see Boyle on the outside looking in with his suspensions. 

I see Dixon being a star, he is a better runner than buck but with hands that are just as good, if not better.

[ravensdan]

Rb without a doubt 

[ravensdan]

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[BOLDnPurPnBlacK]

I think it depends on what you mean by best.. Is it an average of every player at the position (meaning has to be strong top to bottom), is it weighted where starters count more and depth less, and how do you compare a group like the O-line where 5 guys play with possibly 3-4 backups to say RB where we may have 1 guy get most of the snaps with another 1-2 getting a few in behind?

Regardless of definition the only real candidates IMO are TE, RB, O-line, and D-line.

D-Line: was my original gut choice... but on 2nd thought, Williams is an obvious stud in the group, but outside that Jernigan has shown flashes but also disappeared a lot last year. Urban and KLM have looked good in camp previous years but havent been on the field much. Guy is a solid starter or great depth. And then Davis, Kaufusi, and Henry have big upside but have yet to play a snap or really break out.

• Conclusion - while theres a stud, and an incredibly tight competition among a very deep and talented group... the majority are far too unproven and the excitement is based way too much on potential and not enough substance to be the winner here

O-Line: Has a player considered the best at his position in the entire NFL in Yanda. Wagner was rated the top RT in the league just 2 years ago. Stanley has elite LT potential, and could start at LT, RT, or LG this year. Zuttah and Monroe are both better than average starters that their positions when healthy, but both are coming off season-ending injuries. Jensen and Urschel are young backups that have played well when thrust into starting duty and will compete for starting LG and C. Alex Lewis has been projected as an eventual starter at RT or guard by many talent evaluators. Then theres a few unproven guys developing. 

• Conclusion - There are arguably 8 starter quality guys in this group fighting for 5 spots. The problem is, they're fighting for just 5 starting spots and some of the top end talent play the same position (Monroe/Stanley, Stanley/Wagner). Very deep group, but until we know who the starting 5 will be and at which positions its really tough to tell... this group more than any other is effected by chemistry. Ultimately a contender, but undecided at this point.

RB: A former Pro Bowl starter, coming off an injury. Taliaferro has shown ability to be a good goal line and short yardage back but has had nagging injuries and missed all last year. Might be odd man out. Buck Allen is young, but showed well when forced into action last year, kept the running game going and seemed to get better as the season wore on. West is a contributor in an NFL backfield, but in this group hes JAG. Dixon has the traits to be a 3 down back, and has the talent to lead this group early on. At the very least should be a 3rd down specialist early on. Could be great. And Richardson is the biggest X-Factor. Former top 5 pick, who's motivated and in the best shape of his life. Could be camp fodder (more likely) but has talent and upside to steal the starting job. Might win a roster spot if he can show signs of his old self.

• Conclusion: This group has the potential to run away with this... Top end talent, diverse skill sets, and depth that's NFL starter quality if players return healthy, can regain their previous form, can take the next step in their sophomore season, can finally seize their opportunity to put it together and reach potential, or can come in as a rookie and beat out solid vets for snaps early... if some of those happen we could have the absolute best backfield in the entire NFL. Problem is that's a lot of ifs, and it could just as easily end up average.

TE: An aging vet coming off a career year that was among the best in the NFL in Watson. Great pass catcher, route runner who can block. Has 2 young draft picks in GIllmore and Williams who both showed last year that they can be starters in this league. Gillmore is a beast blocker and is developing quickly in the passing game. His imposing size/strength makes him a matchup nightmare. Williams is savvy with soft hands but needs to develop a bit in blocking, but set the rookie records for receiving as a TE. Pitta is a former up and coming TE, who was Joes favorite target and probably our most clutch play maker. He is the X-factor, but the difference in this group is that its not counting on any X-factors to be top notch. He could be his old self, in which case we have 4 TEs that could start on most NFL teams. And then there's Boyle who's suspended, but early last season honestly looked to be developing more quickly than Williams and certainly out played him at times. 5 TE's than are at least adequate receivers (3 who actually excel at it) and 2 that can block wiht the best of them.

• Conclusion - this group has top end talent, youth with upside, diverse skill sets that fit what we try to do on offense, starting caliber talent top-to-bottom. With just Watson, Gillmore, and Maxx could be the strongest group on the team, but if Pitta comes back anywhere near his old self this group is by far the best group imo. Boyle becomes icing on the cake at this point. When you have a group where you dont know who's going to start bc arguably 4 players could start at just 1 position, and you could potentially withstand 3 season ending injuries to one position and still trot out an above average NFL starter - that's tough to beat.

 

Ultimately, with the info we have right now - I say it's Tight End. However, if Zadarius take another big step and Correa is a play maker as a pass rusher right away, linebacker could make an argument bc you have a DPOY, a potential NFL sack leader, an almost DROY, and a couple situation pass rushers that really get after it in Judon and Ochi... but thats top end talent we dont have anywhere else on the team and a potential stable of 5-6 guys that can really rush the passer.

RB could get there too. If Forsett is his old self, Buck takes a step forward, Dixon hits the ground running, and somehow Richardson becomes what he was supposed to be? My gosh... thats just scary. If that happened i could see the depth chart being Richardson, Dixon, Forsett, Buck... your 3rd RB was a pro bowler just 2 years ago.

If the O-line goes together right away and they find a way to get Monroe, Stanley, Yanda and Wagner on the field together.... with Urschel/Zuttah, Jensen and Lewis as backups? Thats a great starting group with 3 starter quality players who can fill in almost seamlessly.

And D-line.... well theres a lot, A LOT of question marks... but it has the biggest gap between floor and ceiling of any position group on the team. If all those young guys can play up to the potential their talent indicates, thats a machine you just cant slow down. Non-stop motors rotating in, all playing violently and relentlessly? HUGE UPSIDE.

 

But, the real winner might not even be listed as an option. If Flacco is 100%, with finally a 2nd year in an offense that hes comfortable in with all these weapons? Hes going to show the NFL what he really can be finally given an offense around him. And Mallett showed he can not just manage a game and keep the seat warm while a starter is out - he was attacking defense down field, and picking them apart. Looked like he finally put it together. And since it's the most important position on the field it gets a lot of extra credit points.

 

FINAL: Right now I say Tight End of the choices given, but QB may be the right answer.

Edited May 7, 2016 by BOLDnPurPnBlacK

[BOLDnPurPnBlacK]

On 5/3/2016 at 7:45 PM, RavensDieHard21 said:

Who do you think makes the cut? I know it's early, but I see Williams, Jernigan, Davis, Urban, Bronson, Henry, and Guy making it lol a seven man rotation would be sick especially going between a 34 and 43.

Yea i think you nailed it in terms of who will make it. There could be a darkhorse candidate as always, but that looks good to me. I think the starting group at least early in the season will be Urban or Guy, Williams and Jernigan... with Davis backing up Williams, Kaufusi and Guy or Urban rotating in with the starter, and Henry backing up Jernigan... though we should just have guys flying in and out to stay fresh and relentless collapsing the pocket and shooting gaps. 

[Winchester]

Offensive line without KO still the strongest unit. Young talent and vet leader. Ron Stanley finally in a full time weight training and nutrition program should easily pack on 12 lbs of muscle and he will be all pro!! He is just so natural at protecting the edge. Like I Said Tunsil is slightly better now but he is roided up. While Ron Stanley was a full time actual legit college student that was to busy to commit to a full time workout program.  So he has far more upside than Tunsil. When he packs on 12-16 lbs of muscle and naturally leans out some from the muscle, he will be leaps and bounds better than Tunsil!! He will eventually play at a leaner stronger 6'6 320 lbs with 36" arms and his elite athleticism, unique feel for the position and and play with more violence than in college once he plays beside Yanda and Jensen. He is going to be a force!! Then take into account Jensen stepping up as a force at guard. Urschel settled in and adjusted at center. He is far stronger and more physical than Zuttah atb6'3 320. Then an injury free Wagner dominating at right tackle and the ravens oline is the strength of the team. Monroe can back up tackle and guard. Zuttah is a very reliable backup and good center in his own right. But as Harbs pointed out Urschel brings more power violence and athleticism. As good as KO is, Jensen is not much of a downgrade. He is 327 lbs very strong athletic and nasty. Jensen could play left tackle if necessary. He to is dedicated to the weights now. In college he was not much of a workout warrior yet did like 31 reps. Quite impressive for somebody that did not lift weights all that much at the time.Ravens oline is again going to be the engine that powers theteam

[BOLDnPurPnBlacK]

Man, cant believe that D-Line has that much of a lead.

Aside from Williams, no one has really proven to be all that great. Jernigan has flashed but was very inconsistent. Davis started strong but faded... he should improve but idk how much to expect. I love Urbans potential, but hes only played a few games. Guy is solid - but not much more upside to him. And then Kaufusi and Henry are talented but rookies. Kaufusi should contribute right away but has Urban and Guy to contend with. And Henry is all potential as he's still very raw.

Theres a lot to hope for, and by seasons end they could prove to be our best unit... but right now thats a lot of hoping.

The only guys you can really hang your hat on are Williams and Guy. And Williams is definitely a beast, but Guy can only be counted on to be solid (which is better than was expected of him). Everyone else is a projection and counting on best-case scenarios to take place. 

Other position groups have nearly as much upside with young players but also have more top end, consistent talent. I cant make an argument for D-line over TE or O-line. Can someone explain why they picked D-line over those 2? Im open to having my mind changed, but just dont see it.

[JoeyFlex5]

Call me crazy, but I picked secondary. If shareece wright is the same player he was in the second half, and if Jimmy is recovered, with weddle and Webb both being very high iq safeties, I think all we needed was a slot corner and I think tavon young is ideal there. 

I still think TE is the strongest unit but this was draft related so I picked secondary. OL also deserves a mention

[TurkishRaven]

On paper dline. On the field TE. 

[RavensDieHard21]

On 5/7/2016 at 11:00 PM, BOLDnPurPnBlacK said:

Yea i think you nailed it in terms of who will make it. There could be a darkhorse candidate as always, but that looks good to me. I think the starting group at least early in the season will be Urban or Guy, Williams and Jernigan... with Davis backing up Williams, Kaufusi and Guy or Urban rotating in with the starter, and Henry backing up Jernigan... though we should just have guys flying in and out to stay fresh and relentless collapsing the pocket and shooting gaps. 

I just love the depth of the unit. keeping these monsters fresh will pay big dividends in the 4th quarter of games, especially the better equipped pass rushers, such as Jernigan, Bronson and eventually Henry!

[RavensDieHard21]

On 5/7/2016 at 11:58 PM, Winchester said:

Offensive line without KO still the strongest unit. Young talent and vet leader. Ron Stanley finally in a full time weight training and nutrition program should easily pack on 12 lbs of muscle and he will be all pro!! He is just so natural at protecting the edge. Like I Said Tunsil is slightly better now but he is roided up. While Ron Stanley was a full time actual legit college student that was to busy to commit to a full time workout program.  So he has far more upside than Tunsil. When he packs on 12-16 lbs of muscle and naturally leans out some from the muscle, he will be leaps and bounds better than Tunsil!! He will eventually play at a leaner stronger 6'6 320 lbs with 36" arms and his elite athleticism, unique feel for the position and and play with more violence than in college once he plays beside Yanda and Jensen. He is going to be a force!! Then take into account Jensen stepping up as a force at guard. Urschel settled in and adjusted at center. He is far stronger and more physical than Zuttah atb6'3 320. Then an injury free Wagner dominating at right tackle and the ravens oline is the strength of the team. Monroe can back up tackle and guard. Zuttah is a very reliable backup and good center in his own right. But as Harbs pointed out Urschel brings more power violence and athleticism. As good as KO is, Jensen is not much of a downgrade. He is 327 lbs very strong athletic and nasty. Jensen could play left tackle if necessary. He to is dedicated to the weights now. In college he was not much of a workout warrior yet did like 31 reps. Quite impressive for somebody that did not lift weights all that much at the time.Ravens oline is again going to be the engine that powers theteam

truthfully I voted o line for the reasons you stated. Jensen is a bull dozer and I hope he continues to improve and I think Urschel might end up the starter come week 1 if Zuttah doesn't really step it up

[RavensDieHard21]

On 5/8/2016 at 5:29 PM, JoeyFlex5 said:

Call me crazy, but I picked secondary. If shareece wright is the same player he was in the second half, and if Jimmy is recovered, with weddle and Webb both being very high iq safeties, I think all we needed was a slot corner and I think tavon young is ideal there. 

I still think TE is the strongest unit but this was draft related so I picked secondary. OL also deserves a mention

`If Pitta returned do you think Trestman would get creative with that pack of four high quality TEs. Maxx and Gilmore on early downs to block and Pitta and Watson on 3rd and 4 or 5 to go in order to move the chains. Heck, even some 3 TE sets could be sick to use in the red zone.

[JoeyFlex5]

4 hours ago, RavensDieHard21 said:

`If Pitta returned do you think Trestman would get creative with that pack of four high quality TEs. Maxx and Gilmore on early downs to block and Pitta and Watson on 3rd and 4 or 5 to go in order to move the chains. Heck, even some 3 TE sets could be sick to use in the red zone.

I don't see pitta playing a full season ever again, at least not at a moderate level. Ben Watson certainly got overpaid but I think he's gonna be a HUGE contributor in his time here, he's just a skilled well rounded guy who has the smarts and veteran leadership. I think Crockett takes a step back and maxx takes a step forward. I think maxx and Crockett are both the starters because they block and catch very well. 3TE sets in the red zone could be huge, TE screens with maxx and Crockett blocking for Watson or juice on a bunch formation, shuffle passes, hitting the 9 gap behind 3 TEs blocking, even jet sweeps because we'll have a lot of blocking and mismatch advantages causing panic on misdirection plays. 

Having a good run game and line and great TEs gives us a huge advantage. We just have to execute

[RavensDieHard21]

2 hours ago, JoeyFlex5 said:

I don't see pitta playing a full season ever again, at least not at a moderate level. Ben Watson certainly got overpaid but I think he's gonna be a HUGE contributor in his time here, he's just a skilled well rounded guy who has the smarts and veteran leadership. I think Crockett takes a step back and maxx takes a step forward. I think maxx and Crockett are both the starters because they block and catch very well. 3TE sets in the red zone could be huge, TE screens with maxx and Crockett blocking for Watson or juice on a bunch formation, shuffle passes, hitting the 9 gap behind 3 TEs blocking, even jet sweeps because we'll have a lot of blocking and mismatch advantages causing panic on misdirection plays. 

Having a good run game and line and great TEs gives us a huge advantage. We just have to execute

Omg the nightmares of watching a rather bad 2015 red zone offense would be over. O love that Crockett and Maxx can block as well as they do because it should give Trestman that much more confidence to run the ball more

[BOLDnPurPnBlacK]

I'd like to see us use the 4TE formation that the Pats used at times last year. They used it a handful of times against the Steelers in their opener and scored 3 TDs on 4 pass attempts, once to Chandler and the other 2 to Gronk. Twice they split 3 TE's out wide and left one in to block, on the other they left 3 TEs in to block and Gronk was the lone one split out wide. The Steelers had to bring in linebackers, and had a safety as the lone DB on the field. He pulled out wide on the first TE, which then allowed Gronk/Chandler to motion out wide and pull LBs with them in coverage.

With a QB that has half a brain, it's checkers... not even chess... that you can win almost every time pre-snap.

In the red zone, this could be impossible to defend for us. We don't have a single monster guy like Gronk, but 1-4 we're far more talented than NE was last year if Pitta is remotely healthy. 

The flexibility to pass or run effectively is awesome, and the only downfall to the formation is that you don't really stretch the defense deep, but in the red zone that space isnt there anyways. 

It could literally go from a Jumbo-like package for a goal line run, to an empty backfield with 5 wide pass play in a matter of seconds.

Edited May 10, 2016 by BOLDnPurPnBlacK

[Jaybirds]

44 minutes ago, RavensDieHard21 said:

Omg the nightmares of watching a rather bad 2015 red zone offense would be over. O love that Crockett and Maxx can block as well as they do because it should give Trestman that much more confidence to run the ball more

I think this is where Moore shines as well.  He's one more 6ft, 200+ lbs target that has to be covered. 

But for the original question, I think it's TE.  I think Watson still has a year or two left in him.  I think he, Williams, and Gilmore could all be starters for other teams.  That's three guys when usually we'll only need one, and doesn't include Pitta.  It could be the rookies step up and prove me wrong, especially on one of the lines.  But for now, I have to say tight end. 

[RavensDieHard21]

On 5/10/2016 at 10:30 AM, BOLDnPurPnBlacK said:

I'd like to see us use the 4TE formation that the Pats used at times last year. They used it a handful of times against the Steelers in their opener and scored 3 TDs on 4 pass attempts, once to Chandler and the other 2 to Gronk. Twice they split 3 TE's out wide and left one in to block, on the other they left 3 TEs in to block and Gronk was the lone one split out wide. The Steelers had to bring in linebackers, and had a safety as the lone DB on the field. He pulled out wide on the first TE, which then allowed Gronk/Chandler to motion out wide and pull LBs with them in coverage.

With a QB that has half a brain, it's checkers... not even chess... that you can win almost every time pre-snap.

In the red zone, this could be impossible to defend for us. We don't have a single monster guy like Gronk, but 1-4 we're far more talented than NE was last year if Pitta is remotely healthy. 

The flexibility to pass or run effectively is awesome, and the only downfall to the formation is that you don't really stretch the defense deep, but in the red zone that space isnt there anyways. 

It could literally go from a Jumbo-like package for a goal line run, to an empty backfield with 5 wide pass play in a matter of seconds.

That is what I am saying! We need a real element of surprise once we hit the red zone! The 3 or 4 TE set gives us so much flexibility, especially when it comes to deceptive plays. 

[jdynamite]

I think the Strongest group post draft is the O-line... With my belief being LT-Monroe LG-Stanley to begin the season. If Monroe stays healthy then the team will have a solid line going forward... If Monroe is injured Stanley slides over then Jensen/Lewis takes over LG.    Zuddah is okay at center, but I'm hoping there is competition between he an Urshel with Urshel winning the starting job. Wagner will be full strength, it goes over-looked that he was also recovering from Lisfranc surgery.  And of course there is Yanda the All Pro. 

 

DLine - has the potential, but is an unknown to me with so little game experience and/or injuries...   B.Williams is a stud ( they must sign him to an extension ). Jernigan is a solid player although I think expectations for him last year may have been too high, as he took on a bigger role in the defense .  I'm really hoping to see Davis & Urban step up in a big way...  Anything the rookies give is a plus and needed  

 

[RavensDieHard21]

3 hours ago, jdynamite said:

I think the Strongest group post draft is the O-line... With my belief being LT-Monroe LG-Stanley to begin the season. If Monroe stays healthy then the team will have a solid line going forward... If Monroe is injured Stanley slides over then Jensen/Lewis takes over LG.    Zuddah is okay at center, but I'm hoping there is competition between he an Urshel with Urshel winning the starting job. Wagner will be full strength, it goes over-looked that he was also recovering from Lisfranc surgery.  And of course there is Yanda the All Pro. 

 

DLine - has the potential, but is an unknown to me with so little game experience and/or injuries...   B.Williams is a stud ( they must sign him to an extension ). Jernigan is a solid player although I think expectations for him last year may have been too high, as he took on a bigger role in the defense .  I'm really hoping to see Davis & Urban step up in a big way...  Anything the rookies give is a plus and needed  

 

I agree, I voted offensive line too as there are more proven players at this point, while at least coming out of college in addition to our starters. The defensive line has the potential, but outside of Williams, there is a lot of competition for playing time