FanPost

An early look at FSU's 2019 Offensive Line

Where do things stand with FSU's OL heading into spring practice and then fall camp? Rather than be lazy and uninformed like our rivals and assume it will be like last year, let's look at the pieces the staff has to work with and how they all fit together. (Note where players are listed at doesn't mean they won't get reps at other positions and possibly ending up playing there. I listed players at particular positions based on a balancing act between where they have previously lined up against where they mostly likely project best at and where the biggest needs are at on FSU's OL. This list isn’t exhaustive and doesn’t include linemen not expected to contribute next season. Also Dickerson and Minshew are listed with double asterisk next to their names to indicate they could be limited in spring practice given their level of experience and injury history.)

Left Tackle

Landon Dickerson**- LD could ending up playing either tackle position or LG (where he is ideally suited to play) depending on how the other position battles along the line work out. But right now he is the most proven option FSU has to man the left tackle spot. Up to this point in his career he has been much better run blocking than in pass pro which would usually mean he would fit better at RT or RG but will probably start at LT again unless another athletic O-lineman can step up and lock down the position, allowing LD to slide to RT or LG where he is better suited to play.

Jalen Goss- The staff really likes this rising redshirt freshman who could be the future at LT but needs to add some bulk and additional strength to play at a high level. Ideally he would get another year to develop before being asked to contribute but he should get a shot at playing time this season considering the projected starter at LT is a former guard. (Though a very athletic and versatile guard.)

Jauan Williams- Williams has all the physical attributes to play at LT but was benched for several stretches last season after breaking down mentally several times on the field. (I believe he rated in the teens according to PFF.) He could theoretical develop into decent depth but I think relying on him at this point without seeing a huge leap in progress would be foolish.

Left Guard

Dontae Lucas- Lucas is the highest rated OL prospect FSU has signed in a while. Ideally he would be worked into the lineup slowly to allow him to acclimate to the game at the college level but there are big needs on the OL right now and Lucas profiles better than all the other options on the interior (outside of Dickerson) at LG. Reports are that DL has continued to get into better shape and comes in with starter ready size already. He will get his chance to push for a starting job immediately after enrolling early this spring and benefits from already competing against a high level of competition at IMG and playing at the all star camps and games. It would be a huge plus for the rest of the OL if DL can lock up the LG position and play at a decent level.

There will be other players getting reps and competing at LG but it will also depend on how the position battles go at the other OL positions, particularly at the other interior spots, as none of the 3 guys listed at the RG position (Minshew, Arnold, Meadows) profile well as starters at LG but one of them might end up backing up LG during the season.

Center

Baveon Johnson- BJ is a rising 4th year player who came in as a highly touted interior prospect that redshirted his freshmen year and then missed the entire 2017 campaign with a serious injury. He backed up Eberle last season at center and got a little PT, mainly at center and also a little at guard. Johnson needs to stay healthy and show he is finally ready to be a major contributor at either center or guard.

Brady Scott- The expectation heading into last spring was for Scott to serve as a reserve at center while he continued to develop in the program. But unexpected attrition and injures last season forced him into lineup where he picked up a half dozen starts and played in several other games at tackle. Scott didn't grade out well last season but wasn't bad considering he was a redshirt freshman playing out of position. I don't think he stays at tackle heading into spring and will get the most work at center or possibly guard, depending on how the position battles work out.

Right Guard

Cole Minshew**- CM is the most experienced returning O-linemen this next season but hasn't been able to stay healthy through his career. He lacks the quickness to be very effective pulling but is a mauler who matches up decently with most NGs he faces at RG and is better as a run blocker than in pass protection.

Mike Arnold- Arnold got his 1st major action at FSU last season and started 11 games at RG but finished the year below 50% performance according to PFF. He came in as a high 3* RT but wasn't in good shape last year and got pulled from a couple of games for poor performance. In theory he could make a leap and develop into a serviceable RG if he gets in better shape his 2nd year in the new S&C program and take better to the coaching to build off the experience he got last season. But I wouldn't hold my breath on it happen.

Christian Meadows- Meadows came into the program as a highly sought after guard but injured his shoulder early on and missed most of fall camp as a result and ended up redshirting last year. He should push for a starting role or a spot on the 2 deep if he can stay healthy through spring and into fall.

Right Tackle

Jay Williams- Williams is a legitimately intriguing JUCO prospect who enrolled in the spring and has only played on the OL a couple of seasons after switching over from playing mostly at DE. He needs to add some bulk and continue to learn the finer points of the position but is very athletic and competitive and is expected to push for a starting job this next season. JW could potentially profile as a swing tackle, backing up either tackle position if he doesn't win a starting job this year.

Christian Armstrong- Armstrong is another lineman who came into the program as a highly sought after prospect and ended up redshirting last year. He got some action against UF last year after working with the scout team last spring through the season. He has a leg up over the rest of the last recruiting class after being an early enrollee and should build off the progress he made last season as he pushes for playing time at RT.

Abdul Bello- Bello is a rising 5th year senior who performed in the single digits at tackle last season according to PFF and probably doesn't factor much beyond being a body at practice at this point. But he is listed because he started several games and played in most of the rest of the games last year after the OL was decimated by injuries.

** Dickerson and moreso Minshew are experienced vets who are coming back from injuries from last season and have reputations as being injury prone. Even if they are healthy heading into the spring it wouldn't be surprising and would actually make sense for the staff to limit them during spring practice to avoid potential injury when the staff already knows what they have in each player. But fans shouldn't be surprised if both are penciled in with the 1s heading into fall camp even if neither plays much in the spring.

Grad Transfer(s)

Ryan Roberts is the only grad transfer currently committed to FSU though the staff is still pursuing other options*. Roberts has the length and athleticism to probably play LT, though he played exclusively on the right side at NIU. (NIU's starting LT was a 4 year starter and former freshman All American who is expected to be drafted this April.) RR won't be here for spring practice, as he doesn't enroll until the summer. But he is expected to push for one of the starting tackle spots in fall camp. Along with Jay Williams, RR, is another new comer who could allow Dickerson to possibly slide back to LG if he is able to come in and play at a serviceable level on the outside early on.

* RJ Proctor and Parker Braun are two other grad transfers that have been mentioned as being pursued by FSU. Braun profiles strictly at guard and would probably be the best interior player on the line if he committed. Proctor is an experienced starter at guard but has also been mentioned as a possibility at center and would upgrade one of the spots on the interior if he committed. It would be a nice upgrade to the OL and allow for better depth if FSU were to land one of the two.

Where things stand right now

First the positives for FSU's 2019 OL: FSU enters this spring with more options and experience than last spring (even if Minshew and Dickerson are limited during spring ball) and the staff should have a much better idea of what it has in each returning player (whereas last spring there were so many unknowns with close to zero college level experience), the incoming signees expected to contribute immediately (Lucas & Williams) enrolled early and are already on campus for spring ball, and the OL group will get another boost over the summer by adding a ready made starter(s) in Ryan Roberts and maybe also RJ Proctor or Braun (IMO Proctor is the more likely addition). Adding Proctor or Braun as a grad transfer could actually make FSU's interior OL a strength in terms of depth and quality of the starters.

The biggest weakness of the line is that it looks like tackle will be thin again this year (though not near as thin as last season) and the uncertainty of who the starters will likely be heading into spring, with Ryan Roberts not arriving until this summer and Dickerson probably being limited at least somewhat during the spring and probably also getting worked at multiple spots on the line between now and the opener. (As opposed to settling into one spot and working there exclusively.) And even though the OL group is more experienced than last year, it still is far from being considered a veteran group in terms of experience.

Heading into spring practice I think Dickerson is probably the presumed starter at LT (even if he is limited this spring), with Lucas getting a clear shot to lock down the starting job at LG, Baveon Johnson and Brady Scott will battle it out for the starting center job, while Jay Williams will be pushed by Armstrong at RT. RG is a little murkier, with Minshew probably the presumed starter right now (though there is a good chance he will be limited this spring), with guys like Mike Arnold and Christian Meadows battling in the spring for the chance compete for the starting job over the summer and into fall camp.

It is much harder to predict what the depth chart will look like heading into fall with the grad transfer(s) not arriving until after the spring. Probably the most certain thing is that Dickerson will be a starter at one of the tackles spots (or LG in the event two average starter level tackles emerge before game prep for Boise starts). A lot of how everything else works out will depend on what other players emerge at other positions.

The most ideal situation would be for either Baveon Johnson or Brady Scott to lock down the center spot and Armstrong and Jay Williams to show they can be counted on as starter level players (which doesn't always mean you will be a starter) this spring to go along with Ryan Roberts this summer, as it would allow for Dickerson to move back to guard (where he is best suited to play), and add another starter caliber grad transfer like Braun or Proctor to solidify the interior of the line. FSU doesn't need all those things to happen to have a serviceable OL in 2019. But most of those things happening would give FSU a much deeper and more talented group than the team had to work with last season.


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