08-24-2020, 05:23 PM
(08-24-2020, 10:09 AM)Au165 Wrote: The importance of a single offensive lineman has been seriously diminished over the last decade. As pass rushers began moving around more it has become way easier to negate top pass protectors. The rise in pay of the other line positions has kind of coincided with this shift along with just a really talented interior pass-rushing group league-wide that has flipped the idea of pass rush being an edge thing.
If you look at weights of players who generated the most sacks, pressures, and QB hits from the past few years you'll see that the majority of them have an edge build (260-280 lbs.) QBs run around a lot too, meaning that a DT might move them off of their spot but you might need a more agile player to chase them down and finish.
Your comment about a "single" linemen being less effective might be accurate. An elite player can't compensate for the rest of the line if the defense sends its best rushers toward the laggards. I'd argue that it's more important than ever to have 5 or 6 guys who are at least solid in pass protection.
