Scouting the Ravens Offensive Rookies

NFL Draft season is an exciting time for every franchise.  What new tools can the coaching staff use in the coming season to replace those departed and/or bolster the current roster?  For months, us Ravens fans had only college film to go by, wondering how each player's respective college system would project into the Ravens offense.

With the preseason in the books, we've gotten to see just how the Ravens rookies fared in their first NFL(-esque) appearances.

A brief note: Scouting players using the TV tape is very difficult.  I've tried to mitigate this disadvantage by watching every preseason snap of every Ravens rookie.  Here's what I found:


Crockett Gillmore
Tight End
Round 3, 35th pick (99 overall)
Colorado State

With the increased usage of tight ends under Gary Kubiak, Ravens fans hope that Crockett Gillmore can provide a viable back-up option to Dennis Pitta and the injury-prone Owen Daniels.  After the experiment with Visanthe Shiancoe and Dallas Clark flopped last season, the Ravens hope that an injection of youth will reinforce this all-important position.  If Gillmore can use his 6'6" 260lb frame to block and periodically leak into the flat off of play-action, he will be a worthwhile investment.

Blocking

The Ravens will ask their tight ends to block in a number of ways in 2014.  Frequent use of 12 and 22 personnel (2 tight ends) means they will be asked to run block in the zone blocking scheme as well as pass protect under "max protect" circumstances.  Gillmore is the largest tight end on the roster but his run blocking ability is below average at this point of his development.

The Ravens cannot be confident in running behind Gillmore in their zone rushing attack due to his propensity to play too high which forces him back into the backfield:

Within the zone blocking scheme, timing is extremely important.  In the above play, Gillmore is the 'Y' tight end on the line of scrimmage and his role is to block the defensive end in this "Outside Zone" play.  This block is the running back Taliaferro's first read and he will base his path off of the leverage created (inside or outside).  Gillmore muddies this initial read by getting pushed into the backfield, forcing Taliaferro to cut back early into the teeth of the defense.

Gillmore manages himself well on the back-side of zone running play-calls, but back-side blocks are simple and have much less impact on the path of the running back relative to front-side blocks.

Although run blocking is not Gillmore's strong suit, I saw him improve throughout the preseason.  He has clearly taken to coaching but simply needs to learn to sink at the hips and keep defenders at arms-length.  Additionally, relying on his feet to maintain his positioning rather than lunging with his upper-body will serve him well.  Fortunately, mediocre run-blocking from the tight end position is adequate in the zone blocking scheme and he has the tools to reach mediocrity by mid-season.

In pass protection, Gillmore struggles like most tight ends do, regardless of age/experience.  The Ravens likely won't leave Gillmore in pass protection very often as protecting with seven (5OL, 1HB, 1TE) is relatively uncommon.  Regardless, his footwork is very poor which leads to balance issues and susceptibility to counter-moves.  It would behoove the Ravens to minimize using Gillmore in these situations.

In the Pass Game

True duel-threat tight ends are hard to come by.  Gillmore can be used in spot duty in the passing game but his preseason tape exposed his naivete in a pro passing offense.  For a tight end, he has impressive control of his body but he seemed unsure of spacing in three-level flood combinations off the boot-action game and was ineffective at running away from linebacker coverage in the middle of the field.

Gillmore's role in the passing game is likely to be minimal in 2014, barring injuries.  He can be of use running the "swap boot" from the H-back position and leaking into the flat for a screen on the backside of zone-run-action.  He is simply not ready to be flexed into the slot as a complementary receiving threat or running seam/nod routes in the red-zone.

Ultimately, Gillmore is a work in progress.  He doesn't currently possess the mental prowess to be a big difference maker but can provide adequate support in spot duty.  Being #3 on the depth chart, this is the best the Ravens can ask for at this point.


Lorenzo Taliaferro
Running Back
Round 4, 38th pick (138 overall)
Coastal Carolina

Ravens fans are well-aware of the running back situation in Baltimore.  The team will be without Ray Rice for the first two weeks.  If Bernard Pierce can resolve his issues of hesitancy, he will be very good in the new zone blocking system and Justin Forsett is a reliable veteran back-up.  So where does Taliaferro fit?

Taliaferro, at first glance, did not seem to be a back that fit the Kubiak system particularly well.  In the zone rushing attack, you want backs who can make the correct reads, run with patience, and explode through a quickly collapsing hole.  Taliaferro is more of a downhill power back who runs with his head down and tends to excel only in the vertical plane.  It therefore surprised me how much Taliaferro flourished in the zone blocking scheme.

Making incorrect decisions based on your first level blocks is a good way to get benched in the zone blocking system.  Taliaferro was very good at selecting the correct lane given his offensive line play.  He was decisive in that he established his intended path by his third step and punctured the defensive front with power.  Taliaferro runs noticeably low and consistently impressed by breaking through arm tackles on his way to the second level.

The above play shows Taliaferro running the ball in the Inside Zone Lead concept.  The fullback (yellow) will fit up on the Buck (weak inside linebacker) and Taliaferro will read 1) the play-side defensive end (5-tech) and then 2) the nose-tackle.

Taliaferro makes the correct reads early and gets downhill in a hurry.  His propensity to run close to the ground, coupled with his low center of gravity, makes him very difficult to tackle.

Although he was impressive in the preseason, his lack of lateral agility could hurt him somewhat if the Ravens plan to use him in the outside zone (stretch) attack.  Taliaferro's power style could prove detrimental if he is forced to play with patience while running toward the sideline.  However, the Ravens have the luxury of choosing their spots for him as a runner during the season as he will likely not top #4 on the depth chart after Week 2.  I don't necessarily see him as a third down substitute because, although he pass protected well, he doesn't provide much in the passing game.


James Hurst
Tackle
Undrafted
North Carolina

Pass Protection

Hurst is listed as the back-up left tackle to Eugene Monroe for the beginning of the season.  If injuries plague Monroe, Hurst will be called upon to fill his natural left tackle position that he manned admirably at North Carolina.  Unfortunately, Hurst has a long way to go in pass protection to be as effective in the Kubiak scheme as Monroe.

Hurst has a large frame and has the strength to hold up consistently against NFL talent.  However, technical issues kept him from succeeding against second and third stringers deep into preseason games.  Many of these problems stem from his footwork.  When kick-sliding (45 degree angle away from the line of scrimmage) to block edge rushers you want your feet to move rhythmically and quickly while keeping the flexibility of dropping your hips to punch against interior rush moves.

While Hurst slid his feet well at times, he consistently showed a lack of requisite speed in getting into his pass set.  This caused him to sink his hips and punch far too late in the play.

In the above play, Hurst is blocking the edge rusher Dan Skuta (#51).  By the time Hurst finishes his kick-slide (image #2), Skuta is already into his chest.  This forces Hurst to bend at the waist prior to sinking his hips.  Since Hurst had barely completed his slide before Skuta arrived, he was also not able to give an adequate punch.  By image #3, Hurst is off balance with no feasible way to anchor against the rusher.

After detailing his weaknesses, my ultimate grade of Hurst's pass protection is not negative.  Given his current developmental position, I think he can be a solid pass protector.  He simply needs to improve his foot speed in order to set more quickly which will maximize his ability to punch and mirror rushers.

Run Blocking

Hurst, at 6'5" 300lbs is not an ideal zone blocking lineman, at least not when asked to do it repetitively.  Hurst does a very good job at providing vertical displacement in the power run game but his footwork (again) needs substantial improvement in order for him to succeed in the reach blocks and double-teams necessary to execute the zone blocking scheme.

This play is Inside Zone Lead where Hurst (#74) and Shipley (LG; #68) are working to double-team the defensive tackle before Shipley works to the second level.  Shipley does a great job of blocking the tackle's inside shoulder so that Hurst maneuver to cut him off.  Hurst gets in good position but relies too much on his hand placement and doesn't bring his feet.  This allows the defensive tackle to work down the line and potentially (although not successfully) disrupt the play.

Ravens fans should not feel too optimistic about the offensive line if Monroe goes down for an extended period.  James Hurst is an adequate back-up but, provided that a defense has time to game-plan, the rushing attack (and by extension the entire offense) could be in trouble.


Michael Campanaro
Wide Receiver
Round 7, 3rd pick (218 overall)
Wake Forest

When the Ravens moved up in the draft to nab Michael Campanaro, they must have believed he could progress to be among the new breed of slot receivers in the NFL (Welker, Amendola, Edelman).  Complexion resemblances aside, he certainly has the quickness and change-of-direction agility to garner this comparison.

Campanaro had a minimal impact on the Ravens preseason (outside of special teams) so his value to the team is unclear.  He certainly has a worthy mentor in Steve Smith on the roster and assuming he can internalize the mental aspects of the game, he can be a contributor in the quick-hitting underneath routes that Kubiak's variant of the West Coast Offense uses.

Campanaro's injury history is a minor concern, however.  Especially in light of the violent shots from linebackers and safeties that slot receivers tend to take.  Assuming Campanaro provides a back-up return role on the Ravens roster in 2014, he can develop nicely into an extra receiving threat to complement Torrey Smith and possibly replace Steve Smith in the future.


John Urschel
Wide Receiver
Round 5, 35th pick (175 overall)
Penn State

John Urschel was clearly not ready for NFL action this preseason, and the Ravens agreed (played ~40 snaps prior to PreWeek 4) playing mostly with the Keith Wenning offense.

Urschel struggled in pass protection for a number of reasons, many of which stem from his stance:

Though seemingly minor, Urschel's stance impacted the rest of how he played.  He was overpowered by bullrushing defensive tackles because he stood straight up after the snap of the ball.  Playing an interior line position with poor posture handcuffs what you can do due to lack of strength.  Urschel was slow in pulling around the edge because of his stance as well.

Urschel's legs are at a "right" angle while his teammates legs are in obtuse angles. This stance doesn't allow Urschel to play with the necessary power.

Urschel simply looked uncomfortable, as though he was trying to apply new techniques but could not put them all together on any given play.  Given his excellent mental acumen on his college tape (i.e. in pass protection, run-blocking), he can likely become a respectable back-up, but the idea of him making an impact in the near future seems farfetched.