Offensive tackle Ryan Ramczyk was the 32nd overall selection in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft out of Wisconsin by the New Orleans Saints. Since drafting Ramczyk, the Saints have consistently been one of the NFL's best offensive lines.
Ramczyk has been a starter since the first game of his rookie year. Initially, he was at left tackle for three of the first four games of 2017 in place of an injured Terron Armstead. Upon Armstead's return, Ramczyk has been a fixture at right tackle for the remainder of his six seasons.
The 6'6" and 314-Lb. Ramczyk has been a dominant force for the Saints since the first time he took the field. A 1st Team All-Pro bid in 2019 was sandwiched between 2nd Team All-Pro honors in 2018 and 2020. He's been a mauler as a run blocker and routinely silences the league's best pass rushers one-on-one.
After missing just one of a possible 71 contests over his first four years, Ramczyk has had some injury issues the last two campaigns. A knee injury sidelined him for seven games in 2021. He only missed one contest last year, but knee and shoulder problems severely limited his practice time.
Ramczyk's level of play has declined a bit in the last two years. However, he's still considered one of the NFL's better linemen and remains one of the keys to the New Orleans offense.
Gordon McGuinness of Pro Football Focus ranked that network's top 32 offensive tackles, according to their criteria. Ramczyk was ranked 11th among all tackles and fourth among right tackles specifically. Here's what McGuinness wrote about Ramczyk on May 25:
We’ve probably already seen the peak of Ramczyk’s career, but the 29-year-old's floor is still likely a top-five right tackle in 2023. Across six NFL seasons, his PFF pass-blocking and run-blocking grades have yet to drop below 70.0.
Frankly, Ramczyk's ranking seems a little low even with his recent dip in play. The three right tackles ranked ahead of him were Lane Johnson (Eagles), Tristan Wirfs (Buccaneers), and Penei Sewell (Lions). Trent Williams (49ers) and Laremy Tunsil (Texans) were two left tackles that were understandably listed above Ramczyk. Left tackles Andrew Thomas (Giants), Christian Darrisaw (Vikings), Jordan Mailata (Eagles), Kolton Miller (Raiders), Rashawn Slater (Chargers) joined Sewell as highly questionable choices above Ramczyk.
Former New Orleans LT Terron Armstead, now with the Dolphins, was listed at Number 17 according to McGuinness and Pro Football Focus. James Hurst, who played left tackle for the Saints in 16 games last season, was not listed in the PFF top-32 offensive tackles.
Ryan Ramczyk has always been criminally underrated throughout his career. While injuries have limited his effectiveness in the last two years, he's still far better at less than 100% than what most teams have at either tackle. A bounce back to his elite All-Pro form of three years ago would be a massive jolt to the entire New Orleans offense.
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