He had a bad year but his only problem really is hand placement. He struggles to get those palms under someone's shoulders and that's a huge element of whether you successfully block someone or not.


Outside of that his footwork is pretty polished for such a young player, and he has phenomenal athletic traits. Not many OT's can really move like he can in the running game. Once he gets his hands in the right spot he completely mirrors the guy and controls the point of attack. But when he doesn't, Blake is usually running for his life.


To call him a bust already after 19 games, though, is ignorant to all the things he does well, that most young OL do not. In the NFL it's not like you're either perfect at everything or you get cut. There are a lotttt of details that go into being a good pass protector and Joeckel has most of them. Everybody has flaws and shortcomings -- becoming a good player means learning how to use your skillset to your advantage. It means overcoming those few flaws that make you look bad even though you're solid everywhere else. It means studying film to catch up with the opponent mentally and working hard in the weight room to catch up physically. Joeckel still has plenty of time and potential for major improvements. He's not even 24 yet, he came to the league a year ahead of most prospects.


Just because he's allowing sacks now doesn't mean he isn't showing the coaching staff some signs that he's worth working on. If he takes another two years to blossom? He definitely wouldn't be the only one. OT is just a very hard, high pressure, and nuanced position to learn, and let's not forget the guy who got picked over Joeckel, OT Eric Fisher, is also still sucking and he wasn't even injured his rookie year.

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