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Baltimore Ravens: 5 questions for Offensive Line

By Chris Schisler

BALTIMORE, MD - SEPTEMBER 11: Guard Marshal Yanda #73 of the Baltimore Ravens cools off prior to the game at M&T Bank Stadium on September 11, 2016 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
BALTIMORE, MD - SEPTEMBER 11: Guard Marshal Yanda #73 of the Baltimore Ravens cools off prior to the game at M&T Bank Stadium on September 11, 2016 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /
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BALTIMORE, MD – SEPTEMBER 11: Guard Marshal Yanda #73 of the Baltimore Ravens cools off prior to the game at M&T Bank Stadium on September 11, 2016 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
BALTIMORE, MD – SEPTEMBER 11: Guard Marshal Yanda #73 of the Baltimore Ravens cools off prior to the game at M&T Bank Stadium on September 11, 2016 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /

Here are 5 questions for the Baltimore Ravens offensive line:

The Baltimore Ravens offensive line is a real area of interest moving into football mode. Training camp is here. Now is the time when the Ravens will figure out who they are as a football team and what they have to do moving forward. We continue our five questions series with five questions the Ravens must answer up front, moving forward.

5. Which Orlando Brown Jr. are the Ravens getting?

The Baltimore Ravens may have gotten one of the biggest steals in the history of the NFL Draft, if Orlando Brown Jr. is the real deal. The problem is that nobody really knows which offensive tackle the purple and black are getting. Will the Ravens get the All-American stud that Brown has shown to be on the field, or will they get the player who had a sub par performance at the NFL Scouting Combine? The Ravens probably intend to start Brown Jr. right away at right tackle. The dream scenario gives the Ravens two bookend tackles that can dominate, but is that the reality the Ravens are going to get?

Brown’s combine is concerning, but he’s worth the risk:

The NFL Combine may have been exactly what Brown Jr. needed. At Oklahoma he made it look incredibly easy. The truth is when you’re a 6’8″ tackle with all the features of a future NFL great, and you’re throwing guys off you like it’s nothing, you might need a pre-NFL wake up call. Brown Jr. looked great as a college player. He showed to be a sturdy offensive tackle who could anchor down and stop edge rushers in their tracks. If the Ravens are getting peak Brown Jr., they are improving their run blocking dramatically.

The Ravens have options at right tackle. Alex Lewis and James Hurst figured to compete for the spot before they drafted Brown Jr. The team isn’t desperate for Brown Jr. to fill the spot, but it would really help. Baltimore is thin at offensive tackle. They have guards that can play tackle, not a surplus of tackles stuck at guard. The combine numbers look really rough, the game tape looks great. Brown Jr. is either going to be amazing or amazingly frustrating and there isn’t going to be much in between.

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