The Baltimore Ravens identified their offensive line as a key need heading into the 2021 offseason. After adding a good guard in Kevin Zeitler, the team most likely isn’t done adding protection for Lamar Jackson, as they’ve seen some of their former linemen in Matt Skura and D.J. Fluker depart for other opportunities. While both Skura and Fluker would most have likely seen their roles in Baltimore decrease this year, the organization can add impact linemen to fill their roster spots.
University of Alabama center Landon Dickerson could be an option for the Ravens if they feel comfortable with his medicals and injury history. When healthy, Dickerson is arguably the best interior offensive lineman in the 2021 class, as he uses his strength, hand power, and awareness to stifle oncoming defenders.
Landon Dickerson would solidify the interior of the Ravens’ offensive line, assuming he can stay healthy pic.twitter.com/0Rhe6B5hQe
— Kevin Oestreicher (@koestreicher34) April 21, 2021
The 6-foot-6, 326 pound Dickerson is technically sound and does a little bit of everything well. He can line up all over the offensive line, but most project him as a center at the next level, the position he played the most during the last part of his college career. Baltimore would gain a great player if they ended up selecting Dickerson, but unfortunately there are some concerns that make teams wary of adding the former Crimson Tide center to their roster.
With Dickerson, his medical history is not pretty. He’s suffered a litany of serious injuries, including multiple different ankle issues and ACL tears. Organizations are reportedly so concerned with what they’ve seen that Dickerson could fall all the way to Day 3 of the draft.
There’s no doubt that Dickerson would provide the Ravens with an immediate starting option on the interior in 2021 and beyond assuming he’s healthy. However, the medical reports are looking to have scared some teams off, especially after having so many lower leg injuries in such a short amount of time. It’s up to Baltimore’s decision makers to determine how comfortable they are with the center’s injury history, but if Dickerson does end up staying relatively injury-free during his NFL career, he could be the steal of the draft.