09-23-2021, 03:31 PM
In terms of recent history, part of the problem is the current state of line play in the college game. The majority of top college programs run wide open offenses predicated on the passing game and skill players. Linemen needed for that style of play are more pass-block oriented than the traditional NFL behemoth that used to be able to be had in middle rounds. The players are more athletic but less dominant at the line of scrimmage. That's going to make for a rude awakening for a lot of players when they get to the league and have to face NFL d-linemen.
I guess what I'm saying is that in the past, there were just a lot more NFL-ready guys on the interior that you could draft without spending a high pick. They could be plugged in and play passable football because they came from run-heavy offenses at the college level. The power game is de-valued until they get to the pros.
Our o-line sucks over the last half-decade or so, but if you look around the league, it seems like a majority of teams have middling to shitty offensive lines. Few have good to elite units out there anymore. I hear lot of talk about teams wanting to get good enough to be average up front, because it's hard as hell to actually be great with the talent pool being so diminished.
The Bengals were double screwed in 2019 when Boling retired, Glenn acted out, and Jonah never made it to the field. They had to scrap together a group of outcasts and raw linemen, and that's a recipe for disaster in this era. Without heavy investment in established free agents, it's going to take a long time to rebuild from that kind of rock-bottom.
I guess what I'm saying is that in the past, there were just a lot more NFL-ready guys on the interior that you could draft without spending a high pick. They could be plugged in and play passable football because they came from run-heavy offenses at the college level. The power game is de-valued until they get to the pros.
Our o-line sucks over the last half-decade or so, but if you look around the league, it seems like a majority of teams have middling to shitty offensive lines. Few have good to elite units out there anymore. I hear lot of talk about teams wanting to get good enough to be average up front, because it's hard as hell to actually be great with the talent pool being so diminished.
The Bengals were double screwed in 2019 when Boling retired, Glenn acted out, and Jonah never made it to the field. They had to scrap together a group of outcasts and raw linemen, and that's a recipe for disaster in this era. Without heavy investment in established free agents, it's going to take a long time to rebuild from that kind of rock-bottom.
