John Urschel - does anyone else get the feeling he could become a Ravens Great

[alienstar]

I know there was an earlier thread on his being on "Hey Rookie", I have not seen the whole thing yet. What I have done is read some of his papers and writings from academia. I can relate somewhat because I had some heavy coursework in college that involved a lot of mathematics and statistics. Hydrology being one of the heavier. This was no where near the levels this guy has achieved, but I did have a taste of it trying to make grades.

How does this relate to his future in football? I'm not certain exactly, but he did say he was "addicted" to leveling defensive lineman. So while he could pretty much take a lifelong, high earnings career from day one (already has a master's at 4.0 gpa), with an illustrious array of academic awards.......he wants to chance getting that marvelous bell of his rung in the trenches of the NFL. He envies other players who were in his position and chose life outside of football. Granted, not many players are ever in his position, but he cites Chris Borland as an example. The way I kind of read into is "just as a drinker must take alcohol, his inner self above all else is a football player, and he MUST play". My quote, not his, but I think he might agree. We've already seen that he was certainly worth a 5th round pick and that he can play.

If he eventually becomes the Ravens center or OL leader, that big brain of his is going to help Joe immensely IMO. Processing a defense in a nano second perhaps, why wouldn't he use that to his advantage. I think he also has a killer instinct which is probably part of why he used the word "addicted" to hitting. I don't want to put the cart in front of the horse, so it is just another one of my gut feelings. I think OZ may have drafted another future pro bowl offensive lineman in the mid rounds. It's hard not to like his future. It's the pre draft doldrums, so I apologize if the material is redundant or a mite bit lame. It's that time of year and even RSR can get a little stale in the slowest part of the off-season, so I'm sorry if this is boring.

Edit: Also, its not lossed on me that a stint in Pro football can help boost any career due to popularity and prestige. Yet, my guess is that he's in it for the long haul.

[GOTA]

I don't know if he'll become a great player but Urshel is clearly a great mind and from all accounts a great person. If he does end up starting the Ravens are clearly going to have a real leader the same way Matt Birk was. Both seem very similar only this time we get the brainiac as rookie. Urshel is an exciting guy. He's everything you want in a Raven. My prediction is we're going to start seeing some Urshel jerseys in the stands in the not so distant future.

[JoeCool5]

There is no way we're keeping both Yanda and KO beyond next season, so, yes, Urschel will be a BIG factor moving forward. He certainly possesses the intelligence to become an all-time great.

[Bigfish]

His performance as a rookie is very encouraging. It's not a stretch to think he'll be a solid starter when given the opportunity knowing he's passionate about football and advanced mathematics. Also, I don't see a guy like him slapped a whore or being arrested for drugs or a DWI.

[Bigfish]

There is no way we're keeping both Yanda and KO beyond next season, so, yes, Urschel will be a BIG factor moving forward. He certainly possesses the intelligence to become an all-time great.

Hopefully we can extend/restructure Yanda at something below his current 8.5m contract. Combine that with dead money coming off the books for Rice and Ngata alone, it's possible.

[BlackBeak]

Yanda is the Ravens one truly dominant player. He is the best at his position in the NFL and he is so good, there really aren't too many who would argue the point. If he was at any other position short of kicker, he would be a superstar, but he's just a guard and no one really knows who the hell he is. So what I'm saying is Urschel has a tough road to hoe to get into the "great" conversation. But I really do like the guy. I think he can apply that freak brain of his to "figure out how to make it work" as the narrator said in the Hey Roomie show.

[Bigfish]

Yanda is the Ravens one truly dominant player. He is the best at his position in the NFL and he is so good, there really aren't too many who would argue the point. If he was at any other position short of kicker, he would be a superstar, but he's just a guard and no one really knows who the hell he is. So what I'm saying is Urschel has a tough road to hoe to get into the "great" conversation. But I really do like the guy. I think he can apply that freak brain of his to "figure out how to make it work" as the narrator said in the Hey Roomie show.

PFF rated him as the best offensive lineman in the NFL last year, and it wasn't close. That includes him playing RT. But I agree, he doesn't get the credit he deserves.

[NC Raven]

Its' too early to think about Urschel in those terms.

But as far as being a fan favorite? Absolutely. We already love the guy and his profile is only growing as he goes. There's so much to like about him. For a backup lineman, he's off to a hell of a start in his career. We know who he is, we're rooting for him, and that in itself says something; how many teams in the NFL have backup O linemen that fans are excited about and talking about? How many fans around the NFL could even name their team's backup G/C?

Urschel has a lot going for him, and of course we'd all love it if he becomes a team legend. Time will tell, and it's way too early. Let's see him win a starting job first, eh? :)

[alienstar]

JO #75, was a very cerebral presence as well. It worked for him. I didn't want to make a massive leap in comparison, as JO was a legit top draft choice. I think this is going to work out for us in a big way none the less. As top centers can scan a defense to help the QB and blocking assignments, I think our high hopes for that are warranted with JU. I'm already a big fan of his written material. That does not equivalate to being special on the field, but it certainly can't hurt. Wouldn't mind taking enough leap of faith with an Urschel jersey myself, I'm long overdue for one. I have Reed, Baxter, my own name, and by gosh a black Boller jersey, there I admitted it. It's my lend-out jersey for friends going to games that don't have any (a slightly sick prank in a way). I just tell em , he did whip Farve in prime time back in 2005.

[The Excellector]

His performance as a rookie is very encouraging. It's not a stretch to think he'll be a solid starter when given the opportunity knowing he's passionate about football and advanced mathematics. Also, I don't see a guy like him slapped a whore or being arrested for drugs or a DWI.

Hopefully he doesn't have bodies in his backyard and ends up on City Confidential one day.

"He was the perfect guy, a great teammate, a great father"......

[Dirt1]

Hopefully he doesn't have bodies in his backyard and ends up on City Confidential one day.

"He was the perfect guy, a great teammate, a great father"......

LOL! Add to that, "He was a quiet fellow, who mostly kept to himself..."

I actually see Urschel as the long-term Center for the Ravens. I think he could have a similar career to Matt Birk.

[Ravenalytics]

I think Urschel is going to be our center and may even beat out Zuttah for the starting job. He did very well, and I think we'd have a monstrous line with Monroe-KO-Urschel-Yanda-Wagner (who was graded as the top RT in the league before getting hurt)