Three questions for Oregon's veteran-heavy offensive line group

Oregon’s summer offseason is in full swing. While we count down the days until kickoff in Atlanta on Sept. 3, ScoopDuck has you covered with position-by-position breakdowns ahead of fall camp. Next up are the wide receivers.

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The expectations are through the roof for Oregon’s offensive line in 2022.

A season ago, the Ducks’ promising collection of talent along the offensive front was hindered by injuries. They were without multiple starters during some key points of the season and were forced to shift starters to other positions in order to compensate.

But Alex Forsyth and the rest of Oregon’s starters felt they had unfinished business together, and all five of them have opted to put their pro careers on hold and return to Eugene for one last ride together.

That figures to be monumental for Dan Lanning in his first year at the helm of the program.

Forsyth, T.J. Bass, Ryan Walk, Steven Jones, and Malaesala Aumavae-Laulu will form one of the most experienced and talent-rich offensive lines in the country. Phil Steele recently tabbed the Ducks’ OL group as the fifth-best in the nation, and there’s reason to believe it could perform even better than that.

Here are three questions for the group that figures to be the heart and soul of Oregon’s offense in 2022.

Who will start where?

This will be one of the more intriguing storylines to track during fall camp.

Bass, Walk, and Jones have all shown the ability to play multiple positions and did so at times last year. When Forsyth and Walk missed time due to injury, Bass shifted from left guard to left tackle. He performed well there, but is regarded as one of the top guards in the nation and has a very good chance to be a productive NFL player at that position.

Oregon offensive line coach Adrian Klemm spent the spring experimenting with different combinations up front and did not display a hard and fast starting five during the portions of practice that were open to reporters. That was partially due to the fact that Forsyth missed the start of spring while recovering from an injury.

Time will tell where Klemm opts to play each of his five starters. But one thing is for sure; his philosophy for rotating his players will differ from that of his predecessor, Alex Mirabal.

“I wouldn’t say anything is wrong with that. But that’s not what I like to do,” Klemm said in April when asked about the idea of rotating his players as frequently as Mirabal did in 2021. “My preference is to develop some form of continuity amongst the group. I think it’s better that way if guys can play together that they get a better feel for one another.”

Which players will emerge as contributors?

While Oregon’s starting five offensive linemen form a very, very strong first unit, there are still some question marks behind them.

Because the Ducks had the ability to chop and change Aumavae-Laulu, Bass, Forsyth, Jones, Walk, and George Moore IV last year, they did not necessarily need to rely on their younger linemen.

Here’s a breakdown of the snaps played by returning Oregon linemen in 2021, according to Pro Football Focus.

• T.J. Bass: 931
• Steven Jones: 781
• Malaesala Aumavae-Laulu: 710
• Alex Forsyth: 647
• Ryan Walk: 577
• Dawson Jaramillo: 329
• Jackson Powers-Johnson: 126
• Faaope Laloulu: 16

The dropoff after Oregon’s starting five is apparent. Jaramillo was a swiss-army knife for the Ducks who did a really nice job at multiple positions, and Powers-Johnson has returned to the offensive line after splitting time between offense and defense during spring ball.

But the Ducks are going to need some of their young, talented linemen to emerge — not just for this season, but also for the future. Jones is the only starter who will be eligible to return in 2023, and he contemplated entering the NFL Draft last offseason.

Will Josh Conerly Jr. make an instant impact?

The answer to this question could also be the answer to the previous question.

Josh Conerly Jr. is the gem of Dan Lanning’s 2022 recruiting class. He was one of the more highly-coveted offensive tackles in the nation for a reason and he has the talent required to be a superstar in Eugene.

In April, shortly after Conerly signed, Lanning was asked what his addition could mean for Oregon’s immediate future. His response was rather cryptic, but also indicated that the Ducks could lean on Conerly to contribute very soon.

“You need a certain amount to operate, but he’s not just a number by any means,” Lanning said. “He’s coming in to compete and be able to help us get better up front.”

Obviously every recruit’s situation is different, and it would be unrealistic to bank on Conerly making that same type of immediate impact that Penei Sewell did as a true freshman. But if he hits the ground running during fall camp and cracks the rotation this fall, it would be a really positive development for the Ducks.