Kelechi Osemele

So far, the best rookie from this year's Ravens draft class has been guard/tackle Kelechi Osemele, the second-round pick out of Iowa State. He may not be starting now, but he will be soon, possibly in the season opener against the Cincinnati Bengals. Yes, Osemele is that good. He has great size, foot speed and athleticism. For a young player, he has shown poise and experience in learning the game and picking up blitzes. Plus, he has those long arms, which allows him to keep defensive linemen away from his body.

Last season, the Ravens got meaningful contributions from a few rookies, including second-round draft picks Courtney Upshaw and Kelechi Osemele. But where did they rank in terms of snaps played by first-year players? According to ESPN, the Ravens ranked 17th in the NFL with rookies accounting for 9.7 percent of their snaps . The Cleveland Browns, led by starting quarterback Brandon Weeden and top running back Trent Richardson, led the league in snaps by rookies. Their 17 rookies played 26.4 percent of Cleveland's snaps last season.

If he had it his way, Kelechi Osemele wouldn't be moving anywhere. The Ravens would re-sign free agent left tackle Bryant McKinnie and the offensive line, minus the retired Matt Birk, would start the 2013 season like it ended last year. "It would be good to have that same lineup but things change and you have to be able to adapt," Osemele said Tuesday. After just one NFL season, Osemele has learned that lesson already. A second-round pick in 2012, Osemele started all 16 regular-season games for the Ravens at right tackle, a position that he hadn't played extensively in several years.

So far, all is good as far as left offensive tackle Bryant McKinnie and the Ravens. The word from The Castle is that the often-troubled McKinnie has been attending conditioning sessions and working hard. His weight is down and reasonable, and the expectations are high that he will be ready when the team opens training camp in late July. That would be perfect for the Ravens because they wouldn't have to move other players around, like guard Kelechi Osemele or right tackle Michael Oher, to fill in for McKinnie.

Rookie Kelechi Osemele said that he found out that he'd be playing right tackle the day before Thursday's preseason finale against the St. Louis Rams so he had little time to consider who he'd be lining up against. But it took just one Chris Long bull rush for Osemele to realize that he would be tested by the Rams' defensive end. “He was way stronger than I thought he was going to be,” said Osemele, the Ravens' second-round pick out of Iowa State who started all four preseason games, two at right tackle and two at left guard.

Kelechi Osemele, a second-round pick in the 2012 NFL draft, has been challenged throughout his rookie year. Growing pains were to be expected, but Osemele has passed most of the tests. The latest came in Sunday's 24-9 win over the Indianapolis Colts in the wild-card round, and he aced it. After starting every game during the regular season at right tackle, Osemele slid inside to left guard when the Ravens inserted Bryant McKinnie in the starting lineup and moved Michael Oher from left tackle to right tackle.

If the Ravens started the season today, they would play Kelechi Osemele at left offensive tackle, and that would be a problem. Osemele, who started at right tackle and left guard last season, could be a left tackle down the road, but he has to improve his foot speed during this offseason. He struggled with speed rushers on the outside as a right tackle and it would be worse for him on the left side if there isn't significant improvement. Osemele is a tremendous talent. He is athletic, has good bend and punch and the ideal torso to be a left tackle.

When left tackle Bryant McKinnie reported to Ravens training camp five days late, many figured that 11-year veteran would need some time to get back in shape, but would soon regain his spot on the first offense. That hasn't happened yet. McKinnie is still playing with the second offense while Michael Oher and rookie Kelechi Osemele man the left and right tackle positions, respectively, with the starting offense. McKinnie's presence would appear to set the stage for Oher to return to right tackle and for Osemele to find a spot with the second offense.

Ravens rookie offensive lineman Kelechi Osemele says the coaching staff has told him he would play a very substantial role this season. I agree. In fact, they should start him at left guard in the season opener Monday against the Cincinnati Bengals. The Ravens have shuffled offensive linemen throughout the preseason, and the No. 1 group should be Bryant McKinnie at left tackle, Matt Birk at center, Marshal Yanda at right guard, Michael Oher at right tackle and Osemele. It wasn't the upgrade Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome promised at the end of last season, but it's a good, solid starting five.

Ravens coach John Harbaugh took the bold initiative of stating that rookie Kelechi Osemele could start at right tackle. The organization's second-round pick in April's NFL draft didn't disagree with that sentiment. “Right now, it'll come down to practices and reps and stuff,” Osemele said after Saturday's practice at the team's training complex in Owings Mills. “I still don't have it down 100 percent. So right now, I'm just trying to learn from the older guys, but come September, I'll be ready.” Osemele's confidence comes on the heels of Harbaugh's post-practice comments on Friday when he was asked whether Osemele could open the regular season against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sept.

Over the last couple of weeks, the Ravens have added and retained seven offensive linemen, further complicating what figures to be one of the more competitive -- if not interesting -- position battles in training camp. They drafted Wisconsin tackle Rick Wagner in the fifth round and Ryan Jensen , a tackle from Colorado State University-Pueblo, in the sixth. Immediately after the draft, they agreed to undrafted free agent deals with tackles Jordan Devey (Memphis), Rogers Gaines (Tennessee State)

The common conclusion from the Ravens' decision to re-sign Bryant McKinnie was that the organization wasn't yet comfortable with the idea of Kelechi Osemele starting at left tackle. I'm sure there is plenty of truth to that even though team officials suggest that's not the case. However, the reason why the McKinnie move was a no-brainer - at least in my mind - was that the Ravens couldn't risk potentially weakening two positions along the offensive line. Osemele may very well develop into a quality left tackle in the NFL. However, who replaces Osemele at left guard?

OK, so now that the Ravens have re-signed left offensive tackle Bryant McKinnie to a two-year contract, the real drama begins. We're starting the official McKinnie Watch here. When will he report to training camp? How much will he weigh? When will he be in condition to play his first game? Will his annual visit to coach John Harbaugh's doghouse last 16 games like last season, or will McKinnie not dog it this season? With McKinnie, there is always theater. Just about everybody around town wanted the Ravens to upgrade at the tackle position in the offseason, but when that didn't happen in the NFL draft , the Ravens had virtually no choice but to bring back the often-disgruntled giant left tackle.

Last summer, it looked as if the Ravens might enter the regular season with one of the oldest starting offensive lines in the NFL. Matt Birk, Bryant McKinnie and Bobbie Williams were all in their mid-thirties and expected to start. But as it turned out, both McKinnie and Williams started the season on the bench and only Birk played. With voluntary organized team activities and a mandatory minicamp coming up on us quickly, all three of those guys are gone (though there is a chance the Ravens may bring McKinnie, a free agent, back if the price is right)

The Baltimore sports scene is blessed with a bunch of talented bloggers who bring their unique perspective to the conversation. Each week, I hope to chat with one of them in a regular feature called Blogger on Blogger. This week, I exchanged emails with blogger Gordon McGuiness, who writes about the Ravens for Pro Football Focus and also contributes to Russell Street Report and the Purple Reign Show . MV: What are your thoughts on the team's 2013 draft class, specifically Matt Elam and Arthur Brown?

The Ravens still have holes. They need to find a starting left tackle, and they could use a No. 2 receiver and add depth at the linebacker and offensive line positions as well. But as the NFL draft ended Saturday night and the Ravens walked out of the auditorium at the team's training complex in Owings Mills, the defending Super Bowl champions appeared to be potentially as good as last year. Because of retirement and free agency, which led to the exodus of several important veterans, the Ravens are lighter on experience but bigger, stronger and faster than a year ago on defense.

They gathered in the living room at their mother's Northwest Houston home the way they did so many times growing up. But for Kelechi Osemele, this April night was all about moving forward rather than looking back. The sibling rivalry he endured with his three older sisters had helped prepare him for this moment. His relationship with his mother was turbulent at times, but he now knew why Imelda Osemele had always been so strict and demanding. His father was not present for his big night, nor had he been around for much of his life.

Jack Cornell has gone from being undrafted to manning the right tackle position on the Ravens' first offense. The rookie has been rotating with second-round pick Kelechi Osemele at that spot. Those days may be numbered if Bryant McKinnie passes the conditioning test and returns to left tackle, which would shift Michael Oher back to right tackle. But for now, Cornell is living a dream. “It's definitely pretty awesome,” he said of lining up with Oher, center Matt Birk and guards Marshal Yanda and Bobbie Williams.

If he had it his way, Kelechi Osemele wouldn't be moving anywhere. The Ravens would re-sign free agent left tackle Bryant McKinnie and the offensive line, minus the retired Matt Birk, would start the 2013 season like it ended last year. "It would be good to have that same lineup but things change and you have to be able to adapt," Osemele said Tuesday. After just one NFL season, Osemele has learned that lesson already. A second-round pick in 2012, Osemele started all 16 regular-season games for the Ravens at right tackle, a position that he hadn't played extensively in several years.