High Level OL Breakdown

Here's my take on the Michigan OL situation, and the issues that the coaching staff has to balance as they move into the season. Note that this leans heavily on previous performance where available, but also has to take into account some sort of projection. The scale of quantitative words goes something like: worst, terrible, very bad, bad, below average, average, above average, good, very good, great, elite, and is based on the start of this year, not some future year.

OT: 
Runyon

Runyon is on the shorter end for what most OTs can get away with, and he's shaped like an OG to boot (shorter, squaty). That said, he is the most athletic OL on Michigan's roster. He has very good feet, can move laterally well, but still struggled last year at getting adequate depth in his drop step and ID'ing his pick ups when he did get reps. His lack of length means that if he doesn't get in proper position, it will be difficult for him to recover as he loses the battle for position and leverage. That said, he probably has the highest floor of the battling OTs because of his athleticism. You can trust he's a guy that can get leverage on down blocks, can pull or scoop on outside runs, and can generally work to the second level. If he can get the mental part a bit better, he should be a solid OT that grades out average in the pass game and is a plus in the run.

Ceiling - Very good run blocker. Above Average pass pro.

Flood - Average run blocker. Bad pass pro.

Projection - Good run blocker, average pass pro. Consistent.

JBB

JBB's biggest problem is that he's stiff and has heavy feet. What this generally means is that he doesn't maintain great balance and ends up leaning a lot. That said, he has length for days. So when he latches on he moves people, a lot. But if he doesn't latch, he will fall off blockers. If he can get position in pass pro, he's very difficult to get around because of his length, but if he misses his initial punch he struggles to re-direct at times. JBB is a bit like Braden used to be in this regard. If he can improve the mental part of the game and speed up his processing, he's a guy that can move people in the run game and at least form a formidable wall in pass pro (meaning it's relatively static, but at least people have to work to get around it). That would be an improvement from last year. The run threat is a little more limited to his side, because he doesn't move as well, he's more of a hit or miss guy in the run game, and your hope is that he turns into a steady (albeit not great) performer in pass pro. That's how he will see the field if he does.

Ceiling - Very good run blocker. Average pass pro.

Floor - Average run blocker. Very bad pass pro.

Projection - Above average run blocker (very good at some things, below average at others), below average pass pro. Relatively consistent.

Hudson

Hudson may be the OT with the most upside on the roster. That said, coming out of HS, he was a physically gifted try-hard when it came to OL play. At camps, he was a DT. He spent most of his time focusing on the other side of the ball. So while he's spent a year in the system, he's coming from further away. Being a RS FR, he probably doesn't quite have the physical strength you prefer at the position either. But again, he is probably the best blend of length and athleticism on the roster right now, so if from a mental part of the game and technique part of the game he can be average, your overall upside is going to improve pretty drastically, probably not this season so much, but if the downside is negligible, it makes sense to roll with him.

Ceiling - Good run blocker. Above average pass pro.

Floor - Below average run blocker. Bad pass pro.

Projection - Average run blocker (flashes, but some ID issues and doesn't move people), below average pass pro (some ID issues, but more upside as season progresses and could move to average or above average once he gets feet wet). Flashes toward ceiling, but inconsistent.

Mayfield

He's bigger than I thought he would be at this stage, but like any incoming FR, he's probably the size he is with a bit more bad weight than you want. He's still going to need 3 years to get his body close to the way it will be when he leaves. That said, in some ways size is size and momentum. He has decent, not great length, and is athletic. But Harbaugh's offense, even if simplified, isn't a very easy one to pick up. And college defenses are pretty complex. This move would come with the biggest downside attached to it, but also pretty significant long term upside. I hate play true FR on OL, they make busts and busts kill plays. Michigan needs to be more efficient on offense, so I question that this would be the appropriate move right now, and think it's more of a JBB/Hudson battle at this point.

Ceiling - Average run blocker. Above average pass pro.

Floor - Bad run blocking. Bad pass pro.

Projection - Average run blocker (similar to Hudson with a little less upside as he's further from play strength), below average (similar to Hudson). Flashes toward ceiling, but very inconsistent.

OG:

Bredeson

Good athlete with good technique, but still needed to get stronger (and has some small areas to clean up in technique). People forget he was a true SO last year, his body still isn't finished growing. He added some weight this offseason, and has really taken on a leadership role. If someone takes a huge jump this year, my money would be on Bredeson, who has NFL upside if he can get that strength and maintain his other strengths. Last year he was more a guy that got position on defenders but didn't move them. If he can add movement to his game, this could be a 1st All-Big player.

Ceiling - Elite run blocking. Great pass pro.

Floor - Above average run blocking. Above average pass pro.

Projection - Good run blocking. Good pass pro. Consistent.

Ruiz

Natural Center, but has to be careful not to get too big. Has good feet, but showed last year he still had to get stronger at the point of attack. You hope the extra weight does limit his footwork, which was a strength for a guy his size and why he was so touted as a center prospect. Also has large upside, but is probably still at least a year away from reaching there. Outside Gary, may be the best pure recruit of the Harbaugh era, so the hope is that he's on the good end of the spectrum leading to great in his JR year.

Ceiling - Good run blocking. Good pass pro

Floor - Average run blocking. Average pass pro.

Projection - Above average run blocking. Above average pass pro. Relatively consistent.

Onwenu

Still over weight. Has stretch armstrong arms in a squaty build with good feet *for his size*. But you always have to put that disclaimer in there. *For his size*. Imagine carrying around 30 lbs extra weight and playing at your peak. You can't, regardless of how strong you are. What this means is that he's often slow out of his stance, and can struggle re-directing in pass pro. He's very nimble when he gets going or when he can perform small movements in tight space to latch on to people. But getting up to speed has been an issue. Clean that up, he could be good. Lose weight on top of it, he could be great. He won't be there this year, so the hope is on good.

Ceiling - Very good run blocking. Good pass pro.

Floor - Average run blocking. Below average pass pro.

Projection - Good run blocking. Average pass pro. Relatively inconsistent.

Spanellis - Heady, smart player. Knows the system inside out, has solid technique, and actually plays pretty mean. That said, his biggest issue coming in what a bad body configuration. He had heavy feet and was middle heavy. He's re-worked that a bit, but he's never going to be a great athlete for the position, which limits his upside. But his floor might be higher than Onwenu at this point, which is why they are battling.

Ceiling - Good run blocking. Good pass pro.

Flood - Average run blocking. Below average pass pro.

Projection - Above average run blocking. Average pass pro. Consistent.

OT Group

Ceiling: Good run blocking with average pass pro.

Floor: Average run blocking with bad pass pro.

Projection - Runyon and Hudson start, resulting in above average run blocking and below average pass pro, making for average OTs. Wouldn't be surprised though if JBB first few games due to consistency and getting an O rhythm and got moved out if he isn't performing toward ceiling.

Interior Group

Ceiling: Great (not elite) with great LG play and very good C/RG play.

Floor: Average with above average run blocking and below average pass pro.

Projection: Good; not sure Bredeson takes the full step, and still a learning curve at Center; Onwenu wins RG and Spanellis is backup at all 3 spot without huge drop off it he has to fill in at C/RG.