Marshal Yanda retired and there has been a lot of talk about how it will impact the offseason priorities for the Ravens. The Ravens abilities to find gems for the offense, deep into the draft is something to consider.
The Baltimore Ravens don’t necessarily need to replace Marshal Yanda with a first round pick or a big splash in free agency. Yanda was a third round pick and he’s just one of the examples of the Ravens finding starters after the first two rounds in the draft. Since Eric DeCosta has been around basically the entire time, the entire draft history of the purple and black is relevant. This is certainly one lesson Ozzie Newsome could have given him. Let’s take a look at what I’m talking about here.
Bradley Bozeman (sixth round 2018)
Bradley Bozeman was a late day three pick who ended up becoming a starter. Bozeman was a center at Alabama and he ended up at left guard in Baltimore. Bozeman only started one game in his rookie season. In year two, he started all 16 games and performed at a high level. There were some inconsistencies early in the season yet he was exactly what the Ravens needed with their offensive system.
The Ravens have to hope that Ben Powers can have similar success. Powers was a fourth round pick from Oklahoma, who was inactive most of the season and only started one game. If Powers can follow Bozeman’s lead, the Ravens could have two young guards holding down the fort on the offensive line.
Matt Skura (Undrafted free agent, 2016)
In three years for the Ravens Skura has started 39 games. That’s what you call getting value out of an undrafted free agent. Skura has played fairly well and if he’s ready to go he will be the starting center when the Ravens kick off next season. Skura is the perfect center for the Ravens because he has the athleticism to reach his blocks in the run game and he’s very solid in pass protection
Patrick Mekari (Undrafted free agent 2019)
The most impressive thing about Patrick Mekari is that he filled in for Skura against the Los Angeles Rams and the offensive line didn’t miss a beat. When Skura went down you would have thought that it would have been a major chance for Aaron Donald to change the game. He didn’t. The Ravens kept on rolling.
Mekari had some trouble with his snaps in the game against the Buffalo Bills. It was the one concerning thing you saw from Mekari as the Ravens closed out the season. With Skura and Mekari, you see exactly what the team is looking for with interior offensive linemen. They want an athlete, not just a mean bruiser that weighs over 300 pounds. Knowing exactly what traits translate into their offense is a huge advantage for the Ravens. Mekari and Skura looked the part and they gave them a chance as undrafted free agents.
More Examples:
Orlando Brown Jr. (Third round, 2018)
Orlando Brown Jr. had his stock plummet after failing to perform well at the NFL Scouting Combine. The Ravens were lucky to have Brown Jr. fall to the third round. They knew they were getting a player with a lot of potential because he performed so well with the Oklahoma Sooners. This is an example of the Ravens trusting the tape, not he measurables. It paid off.
Brown Jr. played for the AFC in the 2019 Pro Bowl. He’s one of the best right tackles in the league. With Ronnie Stanley on the other side Baltimore has the best situation when it comes to starting offensive tackles. Brown Jr. is a huge man that’s almost impossible to get around. He improved a great deal in his second season.
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James Hurst (Undrafted free agent, 2014)
James Hurst has played both good and bad football for the Ravens. The low moments for Hurst have been low. The playoff game against the Los Angeles Chargers was a great example of how frustrating Hurst’s performance can be. Hurst was a player whose draft stock was sky-high before getting hurt at the end of his collegiate career at North Carolina. He ended up as an undrafted free agent and he has shown great staying power in a league that weeds out players that don’t belong very effectively.
Hurst has started 44 games for the Ravens and he has played at tackle and at guard. Last year he provided value as a player who could back up multiple positions. That’s what he is, a serviceable back up with the potential to get the team through a few games.
Rick Wagner (Fifth round, 2013)
Rick Wagner is now the right tackle for the Detroit Lions. His time with the Ravens got him a great payday for a player who is strictly a right tackle. He’s started 40 games for the Lions and has 87 starts in his NFL career. This is an example of what the Ravens do best. They found a starting caliber player in the fifth round. It’s a very familiar pattern. He doesn’t do much in his first season and then becomes a full-time starter in year two. It’s almost like it’s easy for the Ravens to do this.
Ryan Jensen (Sixth round, 2013)
Remember when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers made Ryan Jensen the highest paid center in the NFL? That was a huge contract for a center that came out of the sixth round of the draft. Jensen became a 16 game starter in his last year in Baltimore. He hasn’t missed a game in the last three years and is one of the best interior offensive linemen in football. PFF has him graded at 79.3 which is in the above average category.
Three more diamonds in the rough:
Edwin Mulitalo (Fourth round 1999)
Mulitalo was a legend from the first Super Bowl run for the Ravens. According to NFL.com, he started 128 out of 132 games in his career. He was with the Ravens from 1999-2006 before finishing his career with the Detroit Lions. Mulitalo was one of the toughest players in Ravens history and he was a consistent player who was one of the best run blockers in team history. Having him and Jonathan Ogden on the same side of the offensive line was one of the best duos in the history of football. The Ravens used to be able to run to the left side better than any team in the NFL.
Casey Rabach (Third round, 2001)
Rabach started 23 games for the Ravens. He started all 16 games for the Ravens in 2004. He will be known much more by Washington Redskins fans because he was a starting center for them for six seasons.
Mike Flynn (Udrafted free agent, 1997)
Flynn started 115 games in 10 seasons with the Ravens. He spent his entire career with the Ravens. He became a starter at right guard in 2000, the year the Ravens won Super Bowl XXXV. When Jeff Mitchell moved on from the purple and black after winning it all, Flynn became the starting center. A good way to remember Flynn is as the Kelly Gregg of the offense. He was a fixture in the middle of the line of scrimmage, who didn’t always get a lot of attention for it. Flynn is one of the most underrated players in franchise history.
The main takeaway here is that Baltimore can find starters anywhere in the draft process when it comes to offensive linemen. The Yanda retirement doesn’t mean the team must change their entire offseason thinking. If history keeps repeating itself, Ben Powers will fill in at right guard.