[3rd round #80] Martinas Rankin, OL, Mississippi State

People are loosing their s**t after reading some crap on a website scouting report and the echo chamber is reinforcing misconceptions. I was listening to the radio this morning and John Lopez said he was "exactly like Davenport, a project with long arms" which is the exact opposite of what he is.

He was a blue chip recruit and he performed at an elite level against top competition in the SEC.

I'd he were a bit longer he'd have been talked about as a first rounder. He has stuff to work on but so does everybody.

The only other thing is he doesn't have that one dominant trait - over distance, he is kind of slow with heavy feet and he doesn't maul people. But in short spaces he is a very good athlete and he is a good technician.

The one thing he is relative to the other people available when they picked is ready to go on day one. Hes not a project or some D3 slappy whos been beating up on 220 pound DE's. Maybe you bump him inside at some point and draft a tackle in a year or two when you have a first round pick. He may have some physical limitations that limit him to "just ok" as a tackle, but he's not unskilled or out of his depth.

 

I'm not sure how one of the best OTs in the SEC made it into the 3rd round but it sounds like we got exceptional value in this pick.

If he can stick at tackle (even if RT) then we did very well.

 

Do you even follow the draft? Arms are obviously too short to play tackle.

 

https://www.sbnation.com/nfl/2018/4/27/17292436/nfl-draft-grades-2018-live-pick-results

I hope he proves everybody wrong though

 

What I would give to have just an average line.

 

Still don't get why this kid is playing left tackle over Davenport.


He's far better suited to play right, if not guard, like everyone else had him pegged as.

 

Because the Texans coaching staff think they are smarter than everyone else

 

Ya didn't really understand it. Even with Davenport getting benched in favor of Lamm, think they are better suited at each other's position.

 

You can follow the logic: Rankin never playing an NFL snap, let's put him at the position he's actually practiced at and throw e second year guy over to right, thinking that the little experience he has would make him more prepared than the rookie.

In the end, this might be entirely irrelevant because they're both terrible at either side. Rankin hasn't played RT, but you can't get much worse.

Get Watson out of the pocket, sub in Brandon Weeden for the two games against Jacksonville, and spend our first 3 picks on linemen.

We only have so little time to maximize Watson's ability relative to his contract, let's not internally sabotage it by having him run for his life or get injured.

 

so in other words, he's a bust at this point

 

Unfortunately after seeing Davenport suck at both LT/RT he's where he should be. (On the bench) Rankins is play LT because not only is he the best LT they have (Sad) it's where he's most comfortable after not practicing all of training camp and starting at LT in college. Rankin is reallt a LG or C. I personally would put Kelemete at LT since he played there some with the Saints and was serviceable last year

 

I believe it was Zierlein that said Rankin could be an All-Pro at guard but would be overmatched at Tackle. Along with most of the draft community, no surprise here. We may only be one stud LT away from a solid OL with Rankin, Martin & Fulton in the interior potentially next yr. Kelemete is ideally your 6th guy. Those don’t grow on trees though

 

Rankin will have a long career, but as a Guard, not a left tackle. They simply don’t have a left tackle. They should have left Davenport over there, but instead they ruined his confidence by playing him out of position, and they ****ed up any semblance of continuity that the line may have had by playing musical chairs with them. I hate how the Texans have handled the whole situation, but the line should eventually improve with some experience I would think. They aren’t talented enough to be good, but they should eventually be at least slightly better than abysmal.

 

It's not their job to make other people's jobs easier.

 

Clutchfans knew this on draft night

 

Hasn't played as much. Still has rookie jitters.