The big men in the trenches is our focus today as we rank and analyze the 3GML offensive lines.
4. New England Patriots - Marcus Gilbert, Andrew Norwell, James Daniels, Mark Glowinski, and Ju'wuan James. Let me start by saying the Patriots could have easily been number three or even two on this list. It was that close when it came to the offensive line. New England's interior is definitely their strength as Daniels and Glowinski are better than most people think. Norwell has taken a step backwards which, honestly hurt their overall ranking, but he is still a productive player at the position. Tackle has a much dimmer outlook for this squad. For starters they are asking Marcus Gilbert to play out of position at left tackle. We for one are not optimistic he can do a good job of protecting Luck's blindside. Ju'wuan James is a quality starter but we question the massive contract he just received. Will he live up to it? Only time will tell. We are excited to see the rookie Jawaan Taylor in camp as we think he is a dark horse candidate to sneak into the starting lineup.
3. New York Jets - Kelvin Beachum, Kelechi Osemele, Matt Paradis, Brian Winters, Andrew Peat. The Jets have the same DNA as the Patriots, a solid interior and questionable exterior. The inside, though, is stronger and by just enough to tip them into the number three spot on our list. The Paradis signing immediately makes this unit relevant as he he is a top 5 center in the league. Osemele and Winters are veterans with much left to contribute. If we were calling the plays, we'd feel very comfortable with A gap runs. Their tackle situation on the other hand is subpar. Beachum is too inconsistent, has some injury history and we haven't seen anything from Peat that would allow us to say he's lived up to the hype of a first round draft pick. They have some work to do moving forward to improve this position, but with Yodny Cajuste waiting in the wings, it might not be long before we see an upgrade.
2. Miami Dolphins - Laremy Tunsil, Cody Ford, Erik McCoy, Dion Dawkins, Marcus Cannon. The question we had to ask ourselves was what is more valuable, tackle or interior line? At the end of the day, we think every NFL GM would say tackle and that is what landed the Dolphins at number two. Tunsil is the best left tackle in the division and paired with Cannon, could make an argument for the best duo in the 3GML. On the interior, Miami obviously had huge holes to fill and drafted to do just that. Whether we can say those holes have truly been filled remains to be seen. Will Ford and McCoy pan out or will they be busts? We like the upside here and believe it will be the former. At right guard, Dawkins is currently the projected starter but Quinton Spain could absolutely steal the job in camp. Are the Run MIA days back in the Sunshine State? Stay tuned.
1. Buffalo Bills - Jake Matthews, Will Hernandez, Dalton Risner, Quenton Nelson, Ryan Ramczyk. While the two through four spots on this list were very tight, number one was a run away. This line isn't quite as strong as the group in New York the last couple of seasons, but it comes pretty close. Ramczyk is an elite right tackle and Matthews is one of the best pass-blocking left tackles in the game. Together these two make things pretty tough on edge rushers and make Rodgers that much more dangerous as he will have a lot of time to make throws. While Buffalo lost two of it's longtime workhorses in Josh Sitton and TJ Lang, the Bills have a very exciting young core on the interior. Hernandez, Risner, and Nelson are all in their first or second year in the league. Nelson has already been a pro bowler and we see that potential in Hernandez and Risner as well. This group makes the Bills offense that much scarier.
We will be assigning cumulative points to these rankings to determine the best overall team in the 3GML.
Buffalo - 17
New England - 14
Miami - 12
New York - 7
