Below is the breakdown of offensive linemen prospects from the Ravens perspective.
Note that I’ve updated the Wide Receiver Prospects report with new notations at the top of the post. You can find it here.
The following positions have been reviewed to date:
Offense:
Wide Receivers, which can be found here.
Defense:
Cornerbacks, which can be found here.
Defensive Linemen, which can be found here.
Ravens Current Interior Offensive Linemen Status and Needs
Having lost Ben Powers, who played much better in 2022 than I ever imagined, the Ravens have an opening at left guard. Can Ben Cleveland claim the job? He’s been a “massive” disappointment, unable to stay on the field for any extended period of time, and not upgrading his game as much as you’d like when he was on the field. I originally thought he’d be the starter by now, but I’ve been wrong. There’s clearly a need at guard. But this is a very weak class of interior offensive linemen. Let’s take a look at what might be there.
Interior Offensive Linemen Prospects
This is not a deep list. But as they say, here it is.
John Schmitz
Schmitz is 6’3 and 301 lbs. from Minnesota and 24 years old. Now Schmitz exclusively played center at Minnesota, and he wouldn’t with the Ravens. He gave some great tape at the Senior Bowl practices, stonewalling numerous interior defensive lineman time after time with his anchor and strength. Could he play guard in the NFL? He’s probably best suited at center because I just didn’t see the lateral quickness to consistently pull and be successful. For this reason, I’d be surprised if the Ravens considered him given that their center position is nailed down for years to come. Pass. Round 2-3.
Peter Skoronski
Skoronski is 6’4 and 313 lbs. from Northwestern. He is a heck of an athlete, very strong with excellent explosion and very quick feet. He has very short arms. A left tackle in college, I see him going to the inside. Arguably his greatest trait is his hand usage. He is very technically sound and has a very strong core. Skoronski’s nimble feet and strength allow him to handle second moves from pass rushers consistently. He has a very football IQ. Skoronski will finish his blocks. He will work his butt off and is a natural leader (team captain last year). No doubt some NFL teams will draft him as a short-armed NFL tackle, and I see little chance he would be available to the Ravens even if they wanted him in the first round. But a top prospect. Round 1.
O’Cyrus Torrence
Torrence is 6’5 and 347 lbs. from Florida. He’s a road grader, that’s for sure – the type of guard the Ravens have consistently preferred the last several years. Meaning, of course, that his foot quickness is simply average and his range is a bit limited. He’s not going to be the best in space, but his power game is great. He has better bend than one would expect and he’s simply tough to get away from once his massive paws have you in their grip. In college, he’s been outstanding in pass protect, yielding precisely zero sacks in his three year career (only the last year was major college at Florida). He punches powerfully and has enough quickness to reposition and strike again.
Torrence has enormous hands and he uses them to great effect. He tested way below grade athletically, but that’s not as worrisome given his game day prowess. He’s known as a highly coachable player who is very competitive. Torrence should be the first pure guard taken off the board. Would I draft him at pick 22? Probably not. But there’s a lot to like. Round 1-2.
Steve Avila
Avila is 6’4 and 332 lbs. from TCU. He’s plenty enough athletic for a man of his size, and played center his first two years before settling in at left guard in 2022; he has positional versatility on the interior. He’s thick and powerful. Unlike O’Cyrus Torrence, Avila has very small hands. He generates a fabulous anchor and will keep his quarterback clean (no sacks yielded in 2022 and just four for his entire career). Avila is explosive on the snap. Avila needs to improve his footwork and his hand placement. But he maintains a wide base and when his short arms connect he’ll move a guy backwards. He has a good understanding of responsibilities and easily handled stunts.
Avila is mobile enough, more so than Torrence, but there is room for improvement. Given that he is a short-armer, mastering his hand placement consistently is important. There are times when his pad level is too high. In all, there’s an awful lot to like about Avila. Can he last until the third round? I doubt it. Round 2.
Chandler Zavala
Zavala is 24 years old, 6’5 and 325 lbs. from N.C. State. Zavala has a medical red flag, having missed seven games in 2021 after undergoing back surgery; he recovered to play a full season in 2022. If you can get past that, he’s a player who is explosive on the snap but can punch his short arms a bit too early, overextending himself. This is coachable. Zavala offers solid lateral agility and knows how to seal the backside. He lunges a bit too much in pass protect, and though he’s managed to rebalance himself in college this will be a bigger concern in the NFL without correction. Zavala is an effective puller and as well has an ability to re-anchor. He will grind defenders into the ground.
Zavala is a solid prospect who is still ascending after playing his two seasons at Fairmont State before playing 17 games in the ACC. It’s all about the medicals for him. The Ravens visited with Zavala. Round 3.
Cody Mauch
Mauch is 6’5 and 302 lbs. from North Dakota State. He’s 24 years old. A left tackle in college, Mauch is made to play on the interior in the NFL. He’s very athletic with great feet (he had a 7.33 3-cone which is 95yh percentile stuff). This is a guy who can play in space and on the move. He’s got a lean lower half and initially he may have work to do developing a consistently good anchor in pass protect, which he doesn’t yet have. The weight room should be his best friend. Mauch is an attacker in the run game and will play to the whistle. He will work.
Now Mauch has short arms, and he sometimes punches erratically trying to gain an advantage. There’s technical work to be done here. His pass protection skills on the inside will need work as he tends to win with angles rather than power. I’d be higher on Mauch if he was 22. But he has to transition to the inside and although he’s made to pull and hit the road, he has to further mold his body to be successful on the inside. I grade him a bit lower than others as an interior lineman. Round 3.
Emil Ekiyor Sr.
Ekiyor is 6’2 and 314 lbs. from Alabama. What Ekiyor lacks for the NFL level is a top level anchor. And he is sometimes unbalanced to boot. When he uses his hands poorly, tall defensive linemen get inside of him and push him back. He obviously needs work here. Ekiyor brings good footwork and an ability to pull with adequate knee bend on the interior. He finishes his blocks. He has frequently dealt with minor injuries, but always played through them.
Ekiyor brings excellent leverage to the table and strong hands, though his hands need more work in getting consistent placement. He did play clean in pass protection last year, but as noted he has work to do at the NFL level. Round 4.
Anthony Bradford
Bradford is 6’4 and 332 lbs. from LSU. Bradford is a very good athlete for his size (his bench press reps were outstanding, and his 10 yard split was fantastic). He brings power and more power to the table. Bradford has a great frame to play guard in the NFL. He’s explosive for his size and has decent flexibility. He’s made to be a road grinder in the run game. He will put you on the ground. Bradford’s foot speed is certainly going to allow him to pull and move down the field. And his strength should allow him to develop a superior anchor in pass protection. But he’s a leaner and will overextend himself. His hands need work too, as his placement is not consistent and gets him in trouble.
Counters have given him trouble. His bend is not great which can get him in trouble in pass protect. Bradford has work to do to be a starter in the NFL, but he has enough arrows in his quiver to see him as a solid NFL guard. Round 3-4.
Jordan McFadden
McFadden is 6’2 and 305 lbs. from Clemson, where he exclusively played left tackle the last two seasons. But he’s too short to play there in the NFL so we look at his prospects as a guard, where he has no experience. The strength of McFadden’s game is his hand usage, though he must keep them more inside if he’s going to succeed at guard. He is strong in the upper body and brings good bend and leverage. As a left tackle he had issues in pass protection. He leaned way too much, and his anchoring ability was suspect. That lack of anchor will trouble him on the inside too, where he’ll face constant bull rushers. McFadden has to get stronger from that perspective, and he needs to add some bulk if he’s going to hold up as a guard.
To me, there are too many issues projecting McFadden’s success on the interior. He’s definitely not a plug and play guard at this point, and better fits a team where he can sit and learn about. That’s likely not the Ravens. Round 4-5.
McClendon Curtis
Curtis is 6’6 and 324 lbs. from Tennessee-Chattanooga. Curtis has work to do to become a capable NFL guard. He’s a mauler-type who has not maximized his mauling ability, and he can be a bit of a plodder on the move. Curtis has very long arms (95th percentile) and an excellent wingspan. He is powerful with the ability to anchor well in pass protect. Curtis has relied on his natural strength to defeat defenders in college. He’s got plenty of play strength. He is hard to overpower. From an NFL perspective, there’s a lot of technical work to be done to maximize Curtis’ natural ability. His hand usage techniques are very raw. He’s a high character player and intelligent, with position flexibility. Like a lot of guys with his height, knee bend can be an issue. Round 4-5.
Braeden Daniels
Daniels is 6’3 and 294 lbs. from Utah. He played exclusively at left tackle last year and has limited experience at guard dating back to 2021. He brings positional versatility. But guard is where he fits in the NFL; he’s just too small to make it on the outside. Daniels had outstanding athletic testing at the Combine; he has high end traits, that’s for sure. He is extremely explosive and shows good flexibility. He just blasts off the line of scrimmage and will find his defender, including linebackers.
Daniels gets out of his stance very quickly. This helps in pass protect, that’s for sure, as does his very good knee bend. But his technique needs work. He’s got very good and improving hand skills, which will be essential if he’s going to win on the inside. No doubt he could stand to add some bulk; he’s already started, as he added 13 pounds between the Combine and his pro day, where he weighed in at 307. He could also add a bit more power below the hips to improve his anchoring ability. Daniels is a smart and improving player and a leader. I expect he’ll take to NFL coaching very well. The Ravens visited with Daniels. Round 4.
Nick Broeker
Broeker is 6’4 and 305 lbs. from Mississippi. He is by no means the most athletic of guards. Broeker’s hand usage is not great. He has shown some ability to be successful in zone run blocking schemes with good footwork, but has not been able to consistently sustain blocks. Broeker can get caught leaning too much in pass protect and he lacks a great anchor at this point. He needs to add bulk and power if he can. I just don’t like the player and see him as likely tethered to a backup slot in the NFL. Round 6-7.
Jon Gaines II
Gaines is 6’4 and 308 lbs. from UCLA. Gaines has played everywhere except left tackle in his career. He is an excellent athlete (his 3-cone and short shuttle were the best at the Combine). The issue for Gaines is technical consistency, which he lacks to this point. He is a fluid player and moves very well. Gaines should be an excellent puller in the NFL, but he is not a power run blocker and will not plow you backwards. He is tough. But his hand striking skills are inadequate at this point and that is always the source of big trouble for blockers in the NFL. He winds up leaning and off balance. Gaines is a very smart and hard working player. He sets up reasonably well in pass protect, subject to his hand flaws. But his challenge in pass protection is in being anchor against powerful defenders, who can shove him back.
With Gaines I see a limited player. A reasonably good skillset for a zone scheme, but a suboptimal player in a power scheme, with questions regarding his strength in pass protection. Round 6.
T.J. Bass
Bass is 6’4 and 317 lbs. from Oregon. He played more left tackle than guard in college, but he’ll only make it as an interior player in the NFL. He’s not a great athlete and has comparatively small length. But he’s able to keep his feet moving and uses his hands well to punch defenders backwards. Yet, I don’t see him as being a great zone scheme run blocker as he just doesn’t possess the lateral quickness you look for. His hands are strong and when he latches on he’ll win pass protect battles. But Bass doesn’t keep as wide of a base as he needs in pass protection. Round 6.
Not reviewed: Andrew Vorhees, due to a recent torn ACL.
