"The NFL season is right around the corner, signaling that it's time for us to debut our position rankings. And what better place to start than down in the trenches at offensive tackle? The last thing coaching staffs want in the modern-day NFL is a tackle who consistently ends up in the lap of the quarterback. Poor play at the position is a hindrance to both the quarterback — especially less-experienced ones — and the offense as a whole. That is part of the reason why 25% of the top 20 picks in the 2020 NFL Draft were offensive tackles. Nonetheless, these 25 tackles have put their offenses in positions to consistently succeed.
1. MITCHELL SCHWARTZ, KANSAS CITY CHIEFS
While Schwartz wasn't named a top-10 offensive tackle by coaches, executives and his peers across the NFL, numbers never lie. And for that reason, Schwartz rings in at the top spot in our eyes. "
Originally Posted by WhiteWhale:
Fisher is an above average tackle who struggles against power rushers.
Nobody should have been surprised Bosa handled him.
Bosa handles everyone.
He got so damn good, so damn fast. That playoff run was just unreal.
And there's really not a weakness in his game. He can beat you with power, speed or technique. He can set the edge. I'd imagine the !@#$ing guy can drop into coverage on zone blitzes if he needs to.
He might be the most complete defensive player in the sport right now. Just an absolute horse. And as he gets a little older, he'll probably end up playing around 15-20 lbs heavier than he is now and I just don't know how you stop that. A 285 lb missile w/ those levers and those hand-skills...lord. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Chiefspants:
Fisher’s taken some heat amongst KC fans for Bosa’s performance in the Super Bowl, but the wild thing is that Fisher’s performance against Bosa was arguably equal to how the Vikings and Packers tackles did against Nick in the playoffs. Bosa was just that dominant. Had the 9ers won and Bosa pulled down Pat in the 4th - that would have been considered an all time playoff performance.
Honestly, one could make a case Bosa had a GOAT run anyway. He set the all time record for SB pressures (eclipsing Reggie White, who had three sacks to go along with it in the 96 Super Bowl). It just didn’t result in a Championship because he ran into Patrick Mahomes. To give Fish some credit, it also seems like him and Pat were in sync for how Fish could maneuver so Pat could escape Bosa’s pressure. Hell, if Pat had both hands on the ball in the 3rd, Bosa might have gone the whole game without recording a single sack.
Bosa is simply incredible. I'd love to have him as a Chief. He's going to destroy the bank when his contract comes up. [Reply]
The purely objective football fan in me wishes we would have seen a few matchups between Schwartz and Bosa - the elite chess matches that Kollmann highlighted between Schwartz and Watt this year we’re just a joy to watch (while Kollmann made me realize “Holy **** watching lineman is cool”).
The Niners probably made the right call by sticking Bosa on Fish through the game, but I have to wonder how it would have gone had they stuck Armstead (with his power) on Fish while putting Bosa on Schwartz. The Chiefs fan in me is thrilled they stuck with Dee Ford. Ford was going to be overmatched on either side of the line and by the end of the game it didn’t even seem like he wanted to even touch Mitch anymore. [Reply]
Originally Posted by DJ's left nut:
Bosa handles everyone.
He got so damn good, so damn fast. That playoff run was just unreal.
And there's really not a weakness in his game. He can beat you with power, speed or technique. He can set the edge. I'd imagine the !@#$ing guy can drop into coverage on zone blitzes if he needs to.
He might be the most complete defensive player in the sport right now. Just an absolute horse. And as he gets a little older, he'll probably end up playing around 15-20 lbs heavier than he is now and I just don't know how you stop that. A 285 lb missile w/ those levers and those hand-skills...lord.
Bosa is primarily a power rusher. That's his bread and butter. James Harrison said before the SB Fisher shouldn't be able to block him because he knows his weakness better than anyone. He pushed Fisher around.
You're not wrong though. Nick Bosa is disgustingly good. I wasnt ashamed of Fisher. Bosa is just a better rusher than fisher is a blocker... and hes far from lonely in that.
Nick isnt that polished. Yet. That's the scary part. Glad Joey isnt that good... and joey bosa is pretty good! [Reply]
Originally Posted by WhiteWhale:
Exactly. Hes pretty raw and still dominates.Hes filthy.
He has elite speed and power and usually uses his speed as a decoy before obliterating fools on the inside.
I think we as a board underestimated him a bit because he had an early season injury and his stats looked fairly comparable to his brother (who Schwartz just owns).
But good lord, he likely had the most dominant performance out of any player in the SB (not the most valuable, but the most dominant). I think Schwartz is a close second and Jones is third.
Pat I would place fourth, but because he’s Patrick Mahomes he can throw two INT’s and still be by far the most valuable player on the field. [Reply]
Hopefully Niang can fill one of those spots if needed. It will be interesting see what they do with him. I know there was a lot of talk about whether he’d be a guard or a tackle at this level. With the injury depletion at tackle this year I wonder if they’ll focus him more on that or if the plan to switch to guard will still be in play. [Reply]