2021 NFL Mock Draft: Washington Football Team goes offense in Round 1

27 of 32

Alabama center Landon Dickerson. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /

. Center. Baltimore Ravens. Landon Dickerson. 27. player. 26

The Baltimore Ravens regressed in 2020 after a stellar 2019 campaign, and that was largely thanks to the overall regression of Lamar Jackson. The 2019 MVP was still explosive, but he was far less consistent than he was the previous year.

The reason for that is simple. Jackson’s offensive line regressed significantly after being one of the league’s top blocking units in 2019. Future Hall of Famer Marshal Yanda retired. Star left tackle Ronnie Stanley suffered an injury at the midpoint of the season. And the team had trouble snapping the ball all season long at center.

The center issue was the most prevalent, as that directly led to some of the worst plays of the team’s season. Neither Matt Skura nor Patrick Mekari could consistently snap the ball and their snaps would sail over Jackson’s head or to his side. Needless to say, that cannot continue.

More from Riggo's Rag

Though Baltimore could use another receiver, adding help to the offensive line is probably the more important move at this juncture. Otherwise, Jackson will continue to get pressured and have to run, which will render the Ravens one-dimensional. Luckily for them, both Landon Dickerson and Creed Humphrey are available here, and one of them should fill the void at center nicely.

For now, we’re giving Dickerson the nod for a couple of reasons. First, he’s an Alabama player and the Ravens have a penchant for taking Alabama players in the first round. It started under Ozzie Newsome and has continued under Eric DeCosta, to a degree.

Second, Dickerson is a valued leader with a lot of experience playing in college. In just two years at Alabama, his teammates warmed up to him very quickly and he was a driving force for their offense’s elite team chemistry in 2020. He made 24 starts for the team and even after a season-ending knee injury in the SEC Championship Game, he was a massive presence on the sideline in the College Football Playoff.

And actually, he even played one snap late in the game despite the injury. It was a kneel-down situation, but it still goes to show how much he cared about the team and being on the field again.

Dickerson seems like a high-character guy, and the Ravens should value that. He does have a somewhat concerning injury history dating back to his days at Florida State, but his team-first mentality and 6-foot-6, 325-pound frame will have some offensive line-needy teams drooling. He’s worth a shot late in the first round of the draft, provided that his medicals check out.

Home/Commanders News