The left tackle prospects in the 2023 NFL draft are reviewed below from the Ravens perspective. The following positions have been reviewed previously:
Offense:
Running Backs, found here.
Wide Receivers, which is located here.
Interior Offensive Linemen, which can be found here.
Defense:
Safeties, located here.
Edge Linebackers, located here.
Cornerbacks, located here.
Defensive Linemen, located here.
Ravens Current Situation and Need at Offensive Tackle
The Ravens are set on the right side for 2023. Morgan Moses had an excellent year in 2022 and will start this year on the right side. Daniel Faalele is being groomed to take his place in 2024 and is the clear backup. Ronnie Stanley had an excellent comeback year in 2022 on the left side. He once again was one of the better left tackles in the league. But he is getting older and injury concerns have to stay top of mind with him. Utility infielder Pat Mekari is his current backup. The Ravens could stand to find some depth at left tackle. That’s the focus here.
There’s no way the Ravens are spending draft capital in the first three rounds for backup protection for Stanley. That leaves us looking at the handful of left tackle prospects who could become available beginning in round four. It’s not a great group. I did not look at pure right tackles.
Left Tackle Prospects
Unfortunately, this is a short list.
Jaelyn Duncan
Duncan is 6’5 and 306 lbs. from Maryland. He had excellent athletic testing, but brings small arms and hands. The key to Duncan’s future in the NFL is his ability (or inability) to upgrade his hand usage. They are a bit too weak, can be very late and way too wide. They also allow defenders to get into his body and under his pads. Poor balance results, and Duncan struggles with balance issues too frequently. Some say this is what should push him inside to guard, and perhaps that’s right. Duncan is a guy who fails to bring natural motivation. He brings good foot quickness, can move laterally and presents a solid base. Duncan just doesn’t finish regularly enough and leaves you wondering how he can waste his athletic ability. Sounds like another Maryland left tackle who played for the Ravens not too long ago. Pass. Round 5.
Carter Warren
Warren is 6’6 and 311 lbs. from Pittsburgh. He’s 24 years old. He has the type of frame you look for in an NFL tackle, with very long arms though tiny hands. Unfortunately, he doesn’t use his frame to great advantage. He doesn’t maintain contact as well as he should and he’s not a consistent pile driver in the run game. He tore his knee and missed the last nine games last year. His leverage is not consistent. Warren positions his hands well but has only an average punch. He plays too upright too often but he’s competent in both the run game and the pass game. Warren is well suited to be a swing tackle in the NFL, and the Ravens could see him as insurance for the 2023 season. A future starter at left tackle? I wouldn’t bet on it. Round 4.
Blake Freeland
Freeland is 6’7 and a very light 302 lbs. from BYU. Freeland is obviously very tall but lacks mass. He needs to add 20+ pounds of muscle, mostly below the hips. Consequently, he is easy to knock off balance. Freeland is simply a great athlete for a left tackle, with outstanding movement ability and tremendous explosiveness. But he lacks necessary strength to this point. He simply must develop more power to play against NFL defenders. Freeland is just not going to have the anchor you need right now, and won’t be a pile driver in the run game, but get him in space and he should be terrific. Freeland knows how to use his hands. Clearly, Freeland is a developmental prospect with a lot of athletic tools. There is plenty of technical work to do along with building out that body. He obviously has upside, but he’s not ready to contribute. Round 5-6.
Asim Richards
Richards is 6’4 and 307 lbs. from North Carolina. Some have speculated Richards will be moved inside in the NFL, but he continued to work at left tackle at the Senior Bowl. As a pass protector, he uses his arms reasonably well and he has a variety of different sets that he has used to good effect. He is not explosive out of the blocks, however, and this becomes problematic to me as a left tackle against speed rushers in the NFL. It’s why I have difficulty seeing Richards at left tackle. I’m not going to get into his run blocking ability, because if you can’t seal off edge rushers or push them up the arc on a regular basis, you’re not the left tackler for me. Pass as a left tackle. Round 6.
Tyler Steen
Steen is 6’6 and 321 lbs. from Alabama. Steen is a short-armed very good athlete. Many see him moving to the inside, if only because of the raw power that he displays in the lower half of his body. You can see him as an inside mauler, and perhaps the Ravens should consider him in that role too. As a left tackle in pass protection he found himself reaching and lunging quite a bit, allowing himself to get knocked off balance. But his hands are very active and he has learned reasonably well how to reset himself. Counter moves in pass protection can find him lacking. To his detriment, Steen only played tackle in college, and if you draft him to stay there he’s probably a fifth round type of prospect. But if you move him inside, you might well get more out of him. Round 4-5.
