Notre Dame football: 10 best players to play in the NFL this past decade
By Matt Clark
Ronnie Stanley showed immense talent immediately upon arrival in 2012 at the University of Notre Dame, even starting two games as a true freshman. His sophomore year he would start all 13 games at right tackle before becoming the starting left tackle in his junior year and continuing through his senior season.
A starter in all four years Stanley became one of the best young tackles in college football. In 2015, he would be named as an All-American, following a stellar year at left tackle for the Notre Dame football team.
He would enter the 2016 NFL Draft and would be selected in the first round by the Baltimore Ravens with the 6th overall selection in the draft. Stanley would be named the starting left tackle for the Ravens his rookie year and would be ranked as PFF’s 17th-best left tackle in the league with a score of 74.8.
Since his rookie year, Stanley has improved steadily each year in the league. In 2017 he finished as the 13th best-left tackle per PFF with a grade of 75.1. In 2018 he was their 11th best tackle with a 77.5 grade.
Last season was the best of Stanley’s career as he was the top-ranked pass protecting left tackle in the NFL and received a grade of 87.2 from PFF. In addition, he was named to a Pro Bowl and was a first-team All-Pro.
Ronnie Stanley has developed into arguably the best left tackle in the NFL and at the very least a top-5 left tackle. With only four seasons played so far in his career, his trajectory is sky-high and if he can sustain his current level of productivity throughout the prime of his career, he may very well be on his way to Canton, Ohio to be fitted for a yellow jacket when his playing days are over.