Tag: weakness

Pro Football Focus sees offensive line as Sooners biggest weakness

Pro Football Focus tabs OU’s offensive line as the team’s weakness going into the SEC.

It’s preview season in the world of college football, and the Oklahoma Sooners football team got the spotlight this past week from Pro Football Focus in their College Football Preview (subscription required).

PFF gave the Sooners just a 4% chance to win the SEC this year, but did have OU 13th in their power rankings.

Max Chadwick and Dalton Wasserman, who co-wrote the article, named Oklahoma’s offensive line as their biggest weakness heading into the new season.

Here’s what PFF had to say:

The Sooners won’t return any starting offensive linemen from last season. While SMU transfer [autotag]Branson Hickman[/autotag] is a terrific addition in the middle, there will be uncertainty around the other four spots.

Hickman was a big get for [autotag]Bill Bedenbaugh[/autotag] out of the spring [autotag]transfer portal[/autotag] window. He should be a plug-and-play piece at center to begin the season. [autotag]Troy Everett[/autotag] and [autotag]Joshua Bates[/autotag] provide depth in the case of an injury to Hickman.

It may very well be two transfers at the guard positions as well.[autotag] Febechi Nwaiwu [/autotag] and [autotag]Geirean Hatchett[/autotag] have the most experience in the room. Nwaiwu comes from North Texas and was a Freshman All-American in 2022. Hatchett is a veteran with big-game experience, transferring in from Washington after playing in the national championship game. [autotag]Jacob Sexton[/autotag], [autotag]Heath Ozaeta[/autotag] and [autotag]Eugene Brooks[/autotag] headline the homegrown talent at this position.

Rounding out a transfer-heavy offensive line, [autotag]Michael Tarquin[/autotag] and [autotag]Spencer Brown [/autotag] could make it five-for-five on o-line starters who weren’t Sooners last year. Tarquin transferred in from USC, while Brown comes by way of Michigan State. [autotag]Jake Taylor[/autotag] is a younger option at tackle, and Sexton can kick outside if needed.

One thing Bedenbaugh has at his disposal is that many of these players are capable of playing multiple positions. Everett, Nwaiwu, Hatchett, Sexton, and Ozaeta all have some experience lining up at least two different spots. Sexton and Ozaeta could play anywhere but center in a pinch and Hatchett is capable of playing all five positions. He’s lined up at tight end as a blocker for the Huskies before, as well.

[autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] has surely heard all of the talk about this unit heading into his third year in Norman. The offensive line looks like the hinge point of the entire 2024 season for the Sooners. Don’t be surprised if these players have a chip on their shoulder and a fire lit underneath them.

After all, they’ve been hearing for months that they aren’t good enough to play in the [autotag]SEC[/autotag].

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Left tackle labeled the Saints’ biggest weakness after NFL draft

The Saints entered and left the draft with Trevor Penning as the starter at left tackle, but B/R says left tackle is the team’s biggest weakness:

The New Orleans Saints addressed a few holes in the NFL draft, most notably selecting Oregon State right tackle Taliese Fuaga in the first round. There’s no team without a weakness, and some teams have more than others. The Saints find themselves in the latter position.

New Orleans entered the draft with too many holes to fill with their premium draft picks. You could argue they chose to not fill prominent voids for players who may have their largest impact in future seasons. Bleacher Report’s Matt Holder assessed the condition of all 32 teams’ rosters after the NFL draft. He feels left tackle is the biggest weakness on the Saints’ roster, shared with the division-rival Carolina Panthers, but his logic is a bit shaky:

On a similar note, while Taliese Fuaga ranked within the top-25 prospects on B/R’s final big board, he was listed as a guard due to concerns about his ability to hold up in pass protection on the edge.

However, the Saints spent a first-round pick on Fuaga to replace Trevor Penning.

Essentially, all New Orleans did was swap out one tackle prospect who is a great run-blocker but better suited on the inside since he’ll likely struggle with NFL speed rushers for another one. Also, the Oregon State product exclusively lined up at right tackle in college, so he’ll be switching positions this season.

Left tackle was the second-biggest need heading into the draft. Trevor Penning and Ryan Ramczyk both come with their own set of significant question marks, so it was clear the Saints would address the offensive line early on. Fuaga was the only tackle drafted until their final pick, when they added Eastern Kentucky right tackle Josiah Ezirim in the seventh round. Penning struggled last year, so left tackle could is one their biggest weakness entering the year until proven otherwise.

Holder just came to the conclusion in an odd way. The biggest problem is that Fuaga was not drafted to replace Penning. By all intents and purposes, Fuaga is the heir apparent for Ramczyk at right tackle. Holder clearly doesn’t have faith in Penning either. The Saints’ draft strategy says they believe in Penning to a certain extent. That’s a gamble that must pay off.

Another issue is the Saints don’t view Fuaga as a guard, either. Fuaga projected high as a tackle prospect. This is simply a difference in scouting opinions, but it shouldn’t concern Saints fans. Bleacher Report scouting likely views Fuaga as best suited on the interior due to his arm length. We’ll find out whether that matters when pads come on later this summer.

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