I had Three Little Birds talk to me about the OL today and they said "Don't worry about a thing cause every little thing is gonna be alright". No namebrand linemen have been brought in to be penciled in as starters and I'm kind of thinking we won't take an OT in the 1st like many expect us to. I'm expecting my fellow 12s to have a complete meltdown, but I'm going to listen to these three little birds sing a sweet song that is pure and true. I think they were saying this message is for you.
Between Gilliam and Sowell battling it out at LT, I'm comfortable with the winner of that battle starting for us. Ignore the PFF statistics. Ignore the negativity. Both Sowell and Gilliam got off to a rough start when they were thrown into a starting role, which caused their PFF statistics to nosedive right off the bat. What PFF statistics don't show is how they progressed. Both progressed extremely well as starters and both were very solid by the end of the season when they started. Whoever wins the start at LT will be locked in by the end of preseason and both of them have fared well against elite competition in the NFL when they're locked in. I think Webb's best shot is at RT, but maybe he surprises at LT, and I don't see us moving anybody that's over 6'6" to the inside, so just forget about Webb on the inside. Russell Wilson has to see over the line and putting a 6'7"+ lineman on the interior doesn't help that cause. Look for our staff to keep the interior height below 6'6".
As for the draft... I think a lot of 12s are going to be disappointed, but don't worry about a thing cause' every little thing is gonna be alright. I'm not sold on us taking an OT early. In consideration of the measurables, SPARQ and the schools our FO seems to target in the draft; my gut feeling tells me we're targeting Stephane Nembot out of Colorado, who's projected as a 6th or 7th round pick on most draft boards. Size, length, athleticism, demeanor, converted DE, and the program he comes from makes him the most likely target for us at OT when I look at the OTs in this draft. I wouldn't be surprised to see us go Ryan Kelly with our 1st pick, Connor McGovern in the 2nd or 3rd round and Stephane Nembot on the 3rd day to round out the depth and competition on our offensive line. All 3 players fit the mold we look for at the positions they're slotted at and all 3 come from programs that are system-friendly to our coaching staff.
I realize that no namebrand players is sending a vast majority of the 12s into a complete meltdown when it comes to the offensive line, but I like the direction our line is heading. By the time training camps roll around; we'll have Gilliam, Sowell and Webb competing for the start at left tackle. The losers of the battle at LT will be competing for the start at RT with Connor McGovern and Stephane Nembot. McGovern is likely a better fit for guard and his length isn't perfect for RT, but I could see our FO overlooking his length if he excels at RT. Then we'll have Lewis, Kelly and Pericak competing for the start at Center. If Lewis wins out at Center, Kelly and Pericak can compete with Glowinski, Britt, Sokoli and McGovern for the start at guard on either side. We have a ton of youth and a ton of depth on the line heading into the training camps. This is better than having a few penciled in guys with minimal depth competing for the start heading into preseason. Their is no upside in a unit with minimal depth and penciled in starters. That's a stagnant unit.
As of right now, I'm kind of thinking we'll end up with Gilliam or Sowell at LT, Britt or Glowinski at LG, Lewis or Kelly at Center, McGovern or Sokoli at RG and Webb or Nembot at RT. Of course... Training camps could tell us a different story, but this seems like the most likely scenario based on who we have and the tendencies of our FO in the draft . I just hope they find good fits before preseason, so they can start working the guys into their positions during preseason and let them develop some continuity before the regular season hits. If our staff can determine where these guys are best fit to play heading into the preseason and just use preseason to develop some continuity and let them settle in, I see us looking real good on the line heading into the regular season. Lots of quality depth, youth and athleticism. People just need to sit back, listen to the Three Little Birds and trust the process. Every little thing is gonna be alright.
