Many thanks to Noah Seligman, writer for Badger of Honor, for taking the time to do this Q&A with us on Ryan Ramczyk.
Andrew Juge, Saints Nation: I don’t really have a stat to back this up, but the Saints and injuries go well together. Fans have learned to distrust our medical staff. So when a guy gets draft in the first round that isn’t healthy and is coming off hip surgery, we’re nervous. Should we be?
Noah Seligman, Badger of Honor: I would be a little nervous. You drafted Marshon Lattimore and his chronic hamstrings at #11 and were supposedly on the phone with Reuben Foster and his shoulders when the 49ers pilfered him so I guess injury risk is something the Saints will tolerate. I can’t/won’t speculate on what Ramcyzk’s surgery and what it means moving forward. But I totally think some murmuring of concern is warranted.The injury prevented him from participating in the Combine or the Wisconsin Pro Day so we were not able to get athletic testing numbers to confirm or question what we saw in his game film.
Some rated Ramczyk as the best tackle in the draft. Granted, this was a weak class at that position – but how good do you think he is?
No question this was a weak class. Ramcyzk was one of two OT taken in the 1st round. I wrote a willfully tendentious piece arguing for him to be the first OT picked but the Denver Broncos evidently only skimmed it. He was Pro Football Focus’ top rated run blocker and I think on balance is a fairly safe pick.He’s not going to be Joe Thomas, but like most Wisconsin OL, he has an above average, solid floor. Kevin Zeitler and Ricky Wagner got paaaaiiiddd this offseason, Travis Frederick is arguably the top C in the game, and Thomas continues to string together dominant seasons in Cleveland. Ramcyzk’s first Division I game was against LSU and he put the NFL notice with a solid performance there. He was not troubled by Michigan State, Michigan, THE Ohio State, or Iowa this season either.
Character wise, can you tell us a little about the player? Good locker room guy?
Absolutely no red flags which is not something you could say about the other top OT in Bolles and Robinson. Wisconsin coaches loved him. One thing that supposedly was an issue according to ANONYMOUS SCOUT is that he quit football after high school. He has since resumed of course, but given the physical and mental demands of the pro game, there could be some question as to his passion and what that means in terms of work ethic. Again, no problems during his season in Madison but definitely something to keep an eye on. Especially if he suffers an unfortunate injury and has to work his way back.
If you had to point to the main weaknesses in his game, what are they?
We know he can mash you. The passing game is a different question. Wisconsin as you know is built around the running game. Aside from one awesome Russell Wilson year in 2011, the quarterback situations has been a struggle over the last decade. That means lots of rushing attempts and passing off play action. I’m not saying he can’t pass protect but like most Wisconsin OL, run blocking is his strength. The Badgers use a lot of heavy personnel packages with extra OL, TE, or FB.He had one tremendous season for the Badgers but that was it. Only one season of Division I football. That’s a small sample size especially compared to a Cam Robinson who started for Alabama for three seasons.
How do you think he fits in with what the Saints like to do? For context, they’re a pass heavy team that likes to occasionally take shots, but mostly keeps the defense honest with high volume high efficiency short passing. The running game has always been an extension of the passing game, but some think the Saints may commit more with Brees’s age, the addition of Adrian Peterson, and the trading of Brandin Cooks.
If I were the Saints I would commit to the run to set up play action and try to keep your own defense off the field. You made an expensive trade for Alvin Kamara so I do think the fantasy football hype train on him will be insane, and he will catch a lot of passes. This is where it would be nice to see athletic testing numbers for Ramcyzk to better project how he’d fit blocking down field for screens and other short completions.I wrote a post after Round 1 noting that your current RT Zach Streif will turn 34 early this season (as Mike Mayock said during draft coverage). Terron Armstead’s deal is structured such that he is a Saint for at least the next two, and probably three, years. So if Armstead and last year’s first rounder Andrus Peat are the left side of the line, I would think Ramcyzk is there in the wings to take over the RT job sooner rather than later.
Anything else we should know?
Ramcyzk has the size in terms height, weight, arm length, hand size, etc. to be an OT. But I wouldn’t rule out the possibility of him getting some reps at OG to perhaps compete with free agent acquisition Larry Warford or at least backup Warford and Peat.Keep an eye on Wisconsin football this season because despite losing TJ Watt and Vince Biegel to the NFL, the Badgers are still loaded with pass rushers.
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