Ranking the AFC North OLs, Pre-NFL Draft Edition

My, my, my does the AFC North have issues on the offensive line. Though the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens ranked near the top in run protection (according to Football Outsiders) and the Bengals in the top five in pass protection, all four teams' squads were inconsistent in 2011.

So that makes the task of ranking the offensive lines extra difficult. There's a lot of data to consider in these rankings, so bear with me while I try to break it down as simply as possible.

1. Cincinnati Bengals

Though the Cincinnati Bengals didn't have much success running the ball last year, much of it had to do with the team simply turning away from that part of the offense and focusing on passing.

Football Outsiders has them ranked 20th for 2011 in run blocking, with second-level numbers and open field yardage not impressive, and a higher percentage of running plays going for no gain or a loss. 

The offensive line—particularly the guards—take some of the blame for this, but again, the lack of a dedicated run game and the struggles of Cedric Benson are also responsible for their 3.9 yards-per-rush average last season.

In the passing game, the Bengals were a top five team, putting up an average of 208.8 pass yards per game, allowing just 25 sacks (for a loss of 167 yards—the best rate in the division).

Quarterback Andy Dalton was hit just three times while throwing (stat via Pro Football Focus, premium access required to see it), which shows that protection held up very well for him in his rookie season.

The Bengals will almost certainly look to upgrade at offensive guard in the draft and renew their focus on the run. Considering how well the Bengals performed last year on pass blocking and protection, they should improve on doing so with the run this year.

2. Baltimore Ravens

The Baltimore Ravens come in at a close second to the Bengals, but fall behind only because of their trouble with pass protection last year. Quarterback Joe Flacco was sacked 33 times (for 206 yards lost) and was hit a whopping seven times while throwing.

Clearly, protection troubles were part of the reason why Flacco had trouble putting up big yards—the team averaged 213.9 passing yards per game—but run blocking was far more successful for them. 

Baltimore averaged 4.3 yards per carry and 124.8 rushing yards per game last season and had the sixth-best run blocking in the league. Their only failing was in second-level yards, but that can be more attributed to fullbacks and the running backs (primarily Ray Rice in this instance) than to the offensive line.

The Ravens are also a team that may go with an offensive lineman in the first round of the draft, considering they lost starting guard Ben Grubbs to free agency and will need a replacement center at some point down the line for Matt Birk. Protecting Flacco is of the utmost importance this year if they want greater production in the passing game.

3. Pittsburgh Steelers

It may seem surprising, but Football Outsiders ranks the Steelers' run blocking for 2011 third overall. They started slow in the ground game last season but found their rhythm—which isn't to say that the line got much better.

In fact, injuries required so many line shuffles that one has to applaud the skills of the running backs to get to the point where the Steelers averaged 118.9 rushing yards per game.

In the passing game, the Steelers' line fared much worse—20th overall in pass protection, in fact. Though the team averaged 253.4 passing yards per game, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was sacked 42 times, for a loss of 279 yards and was hit twice while throwing.

The Steelers need to improve their line this year in order to protect Roethlisberger better. He's injury-prone as it is, and while he's resilient and stubbornly takes the field while hurt, that's not a strategy worth hanging their collective hat on for long.

4. Cleveland Browns

The Cleveland Browns had problems passing and running the ball last year. Though a lot of that can be attributed to Peyton Hillis' nagging injuries (and low production) and quarterbacks Colt McCoy and Seneca Wallace not having reliable receiving targets, it all really starts with the offensive line.

Cleveland's run blocking ranked 23rd overall last year, and second-level yards were at a serious premium. They averaged 3.7 yards per rushing attempt and 95.7 rush yards per game.

Colt McCoy and Seneca Wallace were sacked a total of 39 times (with McCoy hit three times while throwing) for a loss of 210 yards. It's not surprising, therefore, that the team averaged just 193.1 passing yards per game.

The Browns need to bring on a right tackle in the draft, which should help with protecting McCoy better in 2012 as long as they make the right pick. A running back like Trent Richardson will help with any run blocking issues that may continue, considering he's a one-man wrecking crew.

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