Top OL prospects are few, far between
PITTSBURGH – Though they are rarely picks that fire up the fan base, there always seem to be a half-dozen or more offensive linemen selected in the first round of every NFL draft.
This year’s draft, which will be held April 27-29, could be a notable exception.
With a plethora of talented defensive players available and an offensive line class that does not have an obvious top prospect, we might not see a lineman selected in the upper half of the draft. At the very least, it should challenge the 2005 draft for the latest pick in recent years of an offensive lineman. New Orleans selected Oklahoma offensive tackle Jammal Brown 13th that season and just four linemen overall were taken in the first 32 picks.
The lack of top-end talent on the offensive line in this draft won’t necessarily bother the Steelers. They have all five starting offensive linemen under contract for the upcoming season and only left tackle Alejandro Villanueva is not under team control in 2018.
Valued backups B.J. Finney and Chris Hubbard, along with 2016 third-round draft pick Jerald Davis, also return to provide depth.
As the Steelers have done nearly every year, however, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see another offensive lineman taken in this draft – just not early. Pittsburgh has eight selections in the draft, including the 30th pick in the first round and two third-round choices.
Wisconsin offensive tackle Ryan Ramczyk could be the first lineman taken this year, with Utah’s Garrett Bolles and Cam Robinson of Alabama challenging him for the top spot.
Ramczyk (6-6, 310) was recruited by then-Pitt coach Paul Chryst, a former offensive coordinator at Wisconsin, to play for the Panthers but decided to stay close to home at Winona State, an NCAA Division II program.
Before playing a down there, however, he decided to transfer to Mid-State Technical School, which does not offer any athletics.
Finally, Ramczyk transferred to Wisconsin-Stevens Point, which plays at the Division III level. He played there for two seasons before contacting Chryst, who had left Pitt to return to Wisconsin as head coach. He had to sit out a year before starting in his final two seasons for the Badgers.
“It was an amazing journey for sure,” Ramczyk said. “(I) enjoyed every step of it, wouldn’t change a thing, enjoyed my time at both schools and played some good football.”
Ramczyk did have surgery after the season to repair a hip injury, but is expected to be ready to play right away, even if he doesn’t grade out as highly as some of the players selected ahead of him.
If teams are looking for a tough guy, they might not get past Bolles (6-5, 297). He might have had the one-liner of the NFL Scouting Combine when he said, “Football is the greatest game that anyone’s created on this earth. It’s a game where you can literally beat somebody up and get away with it.”
Like Ramczyk, Bolles has an interesting back story. He was in and out of trouble throughout his youth and working after high school as a garage door repairman when he enrolled at Snow College, a junior college program. He also cleaned up his act off the field and, after transferring to Utah, became an All-Pac 12 performer in his only season as a starter.
“I think that’s a positive thing for me, because that’s just less wear and tear on my body,” Ramczyk said of his lack of experience. “I’ve never been cut open, I’ve never had a surgery, I’ve never had a major injury. You’ve got to knock on wood because football is rough game.”
Former Pitt left tackle Adam Bisnowaty is considered a mid-round draft pick in this class, while teammate Dorian Johnson, a guard from Belle Vernon, likely won’t get past the end of the second round.
Western Kentucky’s Forrest Lamp could be the top guard selected. An offensive tackle in college, Lamp (6-4, 309) lacks the overall size and arm length to play tackle in the NFL, though he could move there in a pinch.
At center, West Virginia’s Tyler Orlosky is considered one of the top five available. Orlosky (6-3, 298) should be selected in the middle rounds.