Ryan Jensen got his first NFL start just over a month ago, yet the third-year guard’s impact has already been noticed by his teammates, the team’s reporters, and many others. Yet, three short games ago against the Seattle Seahawks, Jensen was a turnstile. He was a sieve in pass protection and completely ineffectual in the ground game. How much can change in a few weeks?
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Turns out, a lot. Jensen’s past two performances have been dramatic improvements since his Week 14 shellacking at the hands of the Seahawks, and they’ve been good enough to raise the question, can Jensen be part of the Ravens’ future as a starting lineman?
After watching his tape, I was able to put together a scouting report on Jensen to answer that very question.
Strengths
Aggressiveness
Jensen is a true whistle-to-whistle player, always looking to make a physical block and not letting go once he has made contact. His search for contact has been valuable in the ground game, as Jensen excels on the Ravens’ long-developing zone running plays. On occasions that the runner cuts back toward Jensen, he almost always has maintained his block long enough for the runner to find a hole on the back side.
Positional blocking in the ground game
Expecting physical domination on every snap just isn’t feasible against NFL level talent. Jensen’s tendency to go for the pancake rather than just opening a hole worked against him early in his starting experience, resulting in whiffed blocks and technical mistakes. He has learned quickly, though: Jensen has done a great job on inside zone runs sealing off the outside defensive tackle, ensuring there is a crease for the running back to get through.
See how Jensen used the defensive tackle’s aggressiveness in attacking upfield against him, sealing him off from the runner with minimal physical effort. The result speaks for itself, a 15-yard gain.
Arm extension
Fans who watch the combine probably hear a lot about arm length in offensive linemen, and Jensen illustrates why that is. Jensen’s upper body strength allows him to make contact, then extend his arms to keep the opponent’s hands off him, and accordingly, control the opponent.
Notice how Jensen’s arms are extended, his hands are on the defensive tackle’s frame, yet the defensive tackle’s arms are not engaged. This is excellent technique, and it’s a big strength of Jensen’s.
Teamwork with Kelechi Osemele
Working well with teammates is a crucial and underrated skill for offensive linemen. You can win more one-on-one blocks than anybody, but failing to communicate with teammates, or worse yet, failing to execute double team blocks, will result in a struggling offense. Fortunately for the Ravens, Jensen and Osemele have natural chemistry in this regard.
Weaknesses
Pad level when pass blocking
The first few snaps I watched Jensen play as a starter, I saw a guy who looked like he had never gone against game speed before. Technically, his blocking was fine, yet he was getting driven right into Joe Flacco, then Matt Schaub, then Jimmy Clausen. As a run blocker, Jensen’s natural aggression kept this from happening, but in pass pro, he looked at first like he was going through the motions. He was meeting opposing linemen, rather than aggressively punching them, and his pad level was much too high.
Notice how much higher Ryan Jensen is than Cliff Avril. Quite frankly, he looks helpless, and not surprisingly, Avril managed to get pressure that resulted in an incompletion on this play.
Since those first few starts, Jensen has looked more comfortable in terms of taking on pass rushers, but his pad level can still get too high, resulting in a pushed pocket, which keeps the quarterback from stepping up.
Open-field blocking
In a phone booth, Ryan Jensen has been excellent, but asked to block linebackers downfield or on pull blocks, Jensen has struggled. On multiple plays, I saw linebackers dodge Jensen like matadors in a bullfight, which typically results in Jensen lunging, and accordingly, falling.
These are difficult blocks, but those downfield blocks are the difference between a two-yard gain and a 20-yard gain. Jensen needs to work on his quickness and ability to quickly transition from running downfield to setting his base to block.
Tunnel vision in pass blocking
Frequently, Jensen will turn his attention to the outside to the outside in pass protection against three-man rushes. Unfortunately, if the outside pass rusher speed rushes, that leaves Jensen with no one to block, and he does not do a good job resetting and helping John Urschel, the center. A bit more field vision would serve Jensen and the Ravens’ pass protection well.
Conclusion
There is no question that Jensen has improved dramatically throughout the season, and in general, throughout his career. This is an ascending player who the Ravens would be wise to keep around. That said, I’m not ready to declare Jensen a sure-fire starter. He struggles against speed and shorter players, and this week’s matchup against the Bengals talented and quick defensive line should provide a lot of insight into Jensen. Keep an eye on how he handles the Bengals’ defensive tackles, especially if he gets a shot at Geno Atkins.
Shawn began his writing career with Bleacher Report as a Ravens featured columnist and Breaking News Team writer. He moved on to write for Yahoo! and work on the Ravens Central Radio podcast. Most recently, he was an Editor at the Baltimore Wire. Shawn is a 2013 graduate of the Catholic University of America.