Ravens draft Ohio State RB J.K. Dobbins, will he take away touches from Mark Ingram?
In the Yahoo Fantasy Football Podcast, Liz Loza and Matt Harmon examine the former Buckeye running back's new home in Baltimore and what it means for Mark Ingram whose deal could end after next season. Subscribe to the Yahoo Fantasy Football Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
Video Transcript
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LIZ LOZA: JK Dobbins, running back at Ohio State-- this was actually my favorite running back in this year's class. I liked it more than Jonathan Taylor and D'Andre Swift, which was not the consensus. I liked him because he announced his authority when he first got to Ohio State as a freshman, and he ended up the starter as a true freshman for part of the time.
He is drafted by the Ravens. Now, people think, huh, but Mark Ingram is there. One of the things that I really like about Dobbins, and obviously Mark Ingram's deal is going to expire at the end of this year, I believe. Isn't that right?
MATT HARMON: They can get out of it after this year and be like, totally be fine, but technically, he was signed to a three-year deal.
LIZ LOZA: Signed to a three-year deal, so there's some opportunity for Dobbins to learn under Ingram-- Ingram obviously not a spring chicken, either. So Dobbins has the fresher legs. And this is the thing I like the most-- he's pro-ready in pass protection. He took over 100 snaps blocking for his quarterback in 2019.
And you definitely want to keep that quarterback in Baltimore, Lamar Jackson, pretty healthy. That's one that really we're all worried about. One of the things I even said last year, I'll own it, like, Lamar Jackson might get hurt. Well, if you have a rookie running back who is ready for pass pro on the NFL level, which is rare, then you get him. And you help shore up that line and create more holes, and he gets to be like the bruiser of the future.
MATT HARMON: Yeah, and I think he's, like, not incapable as a pass catcher, either--
LIZ LOZA: No.
MATT HARMON: --which is, you know, I mean, I think that's how Ingram has been throughout his career. He was also really good [? out ?] of [? shotgun ?] in college, statistically as a runner. And I also think that you want to run a lot of shotgun spread stuff with the Ravens offense as it is.
Yeah, do you want to pick a running back in the second round? I think you could pick some nits with that. But it's a great landing spot for Dobbins, and I think he's a good fit here, so overall it's a win for him.