Ravens Draft Discussion - Page 66

TACKLE · 04-23-2011, 06:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by coordinator0

I don't think the Ravens are necessarily know for dark-horse picks. I guess you could say that guys who weren't expected to be available at our pick could be considered (Kindle and Oher the past two years).

I will say that a RB wouldn't be one of my dark-horses if I were to list them though. The running game isn't going to improve if the OL isn't fixed :/.

This year might be a bit harder to predict dark-horses anyways, we've been linked with quite a few prospects at different positions (at least more than in past years). If there was one guy that I might be able to see us take that hasn't been talked about, it would be... Kyle Rudolph? A stretch and I seriously doubt we take another TE high, but he's a complete TE that's going to be very good IMO. TACKLE had two good ones in Watkins and Liuget, although I don't think Liuget would be too much of a surprise.

Well I've yet to see Liuget mocked to us so it would be a bit of a surprise. Now that I think about it, if he fell to us, that pick would make a lot of sense. Several 3-4 teams have shown interest in him which leads me to believe he could play in this defense. He has pass rush ability albeit not off the edge. I also think he has the power and plays with the leverage to be a Kelly Gregg type player inside but with more upside as a pass rusher. If he fell that far and was one of the top players on the board, I think he'd certainly be an option. I've said this before but I think they go with Jimmy Smith/highest rated front seven player on the board.

coordinator0 · 04-23-2011, 06:43 PM

Yeah he hasn't necessarily been mocked to us, but pretty much every other viable front seven option has so whenever I see a prospect from that group linked to the Ravens I'm not surprised :D. Liuget would be interesting, although I think that only being productive for one year would be a big no-no for the Ravens.

Ravens1991 · 04-23-2011, 08:39 PM

My darkhorse shocker pick would be Ingram if he slipped. He would be good value at 26. And since we have been linked to WR,OL,DL,LB,and CB I consider it a darkhorse. I would say S but there is no safety worthy of 26th pick

BmoreBlackByrdz · 04-24-2011, 10:34 AM

What about Rahim Moore? IDK where his stock is at but we will need an eventual replacement for Reed and IDK is Nakamura is that guy and I feel like Zbikowski(congrats on the most recent win, TKO 2 minutes into the fight!) is best suited at SS.

Ingram would be nice, a good compliment in the run game, especially if we lose McClain and release McGahee but I still think that the key to fixing our run game is to put Yanda back at G and either get Gaither back at LT or find a new RT and keep Oher at LT.

coordinator0 · 04-24-2011, 10:56 AM

Moore isn't a first round pick, and I think that's what we're talking about here. I wouldn't mind taking him at 58 but he probably won't be there due to the weak safety class.

America · 04-24-2011, 11:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by coordinator0

Moore isn't a first round pick, and I think that's what we're talking about here. I wouldn't mind taking him at 58 but he probably won't be there due to the weak safety class.

I'd be very surprised if he lasted that long. Certainly would be a good pick at 58 though.

I'm really just hoping we can get some studs for the defense. I loved it when we just ran the ball and played suffocating defense. For me, that's a lot more fun to watch than Flacco running around likely a chicken with his head cut off throwing to our old slow receivers.

http://www.star-telegram.com/2011/04...r-blowing.html - Steelers have dominated the 1st round.

Ravens1991 · 04-24-2011, 04:44 PM

http://blogs.baltimoreravens.com/201...-will-ever-be/

I agree w/ this article, ill be upset if we take a T in the draft.

America · 04-24-2011, 04:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ravens1991

http://blogs.baltimoreravens.com/201...-will-ever-be/

I agree w/ this article, ill be upset if we take a T in the draft.

The only tackle I'd be OK with is Carimi, because he's got that mauler mentality of a Willie Anderson or Orlando Brown. He's got good size, long arms and tremendous strength, can set a good anchor in pass blocking and has a massive first punch, getting great push in the run game. He can be beat around the arc by edge rushers but he'd be a 10 year starter at RT for a team like us.

Ravens1991 · 04-24-2011, 05:11 PM

its Gaither and Oher are better LTs then anyone we can get at 26. Oher and Yanda are better RTs then anyone in this draft. I guess I could live w/ Pouncey at 26 and keeping Yanda at RT. But I want Gaither back so bad.

coordinator0 · 04-24-2011, 05:15 PM

I don't think we should target a RT early in the draft. If we're fine with Oher at LT then we might as well keep Yanda at RT and play Cousins at RG. We're better off with him at RG, but he was solid at RT and that might be a more favorable spot for him since he'll likely make more money to play RT. I think Chester was one of the main problems of the line last season and I hope we let him walk, he's versatile but he's a weak link at any position he plays. Cousins would be a great fit at RG in my opinion, but we would need to acquire depth at tackle first (guard and center too for that matter).

Ravens1991 · 04-24-2011, 05:29 PM

i know there has been a couple of posters on this board who have been asking for Cousins to be at RG for years. I doubt it happens. Cousins has looked good at RT at times, he just cant handle elite pass rushers.

Also I wouldnt oppose bringing chester back at veterans minimum or close to it. He can play LG,C,RG and come in for jumbo packages. A solid versatile back up.

TACKLE · 04-24-2011, 05:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ravens1991

Also I wouldnt oppose bringing chester back at veterans minimum or close to it. He can play LG,C,RG and come in for jumbo packages. A solid versatile back up.

Versatile? Yes. Solid? No.

Chester struggled last year as was exposed as the weak link. I really do not want to see him in the starting lineup for another year.

Ravens1991 · 04-24-2011, 06:00 PM

Neither do I, but as a back up his versatility is worth us keeping him around IMO

coordinator0 · 04-24-2011, 06:19 PM

Versatility is only helpful if you're effective in different roles. In our offense Chester isn't effective. Maybe if he went somewhere with a different system he would be better but as it stands Chester is like a round peg to our teams square hole.

BmoreBlackByrdz · 04-24-2011, 06:46 PM

yeah let Chester walk.

the 1 main person I want back next year(aside from Ngata) is Gaither. With that man back, our offense is a top 15 unit.

Gaither = MUCH improved run game which lets Flacco establish the play action and that will lead to a much better pass attack.

WE NEED JARED GAITHER

Ravens1991 · 04-24-2011, 06:54 PM

Cam and Harbs need to admit we are wrong and get Gaither back at LT case closed.

Now who would u guys say is our #3 priority FA, Wilson or McCLain?

drd23 · 04-24-2011, 07:00 PM

Assuming that Yanda and Gaither are #1 & 2, then I'd say Wilson. CB is far more important than FB.

Sure McClain is an elite FB, but we have let FBs go in the past and have done well to replace them

BmoreBlackByrdz · 04-24-2011, 07:14 PM

Yeah definitely. Wilson is a much bigger need than McClain.

I don't even think McClain is an elite FB, he's just one of the better running FB's. Vikers and Leach are much better blockers IMHO.

coordinator0 · 04-24-2011, 07:42 PM

McClain's value lies in his versatility. He's a very good running FB, a solid blocker, and he can catch the ball out of the backfield. He might have been the player who was moved around the most in our offense (not sure if that's an indictment on Cameron though). He's not the best blocking FB in the league, but he's so much more than "just" a FB (when used right).

With that said, Wilson is still more important in terms of our free agents. If we take one high I could see us letting one of Wilson or Carr walk though. I don't see us moving Foxworth and I don't really see the point of adding a CB high AND keeping all of our corners. For arguments sake lets say we take Smith, our depth chart would be (in no particular order) Smith/Foxworth/Wilson/Carr/Webb/Williams. That's great depth wise, but can we afford to keep them all?

America · 04-24-2011, 09:33 PM

I'd love to get Gaither back but it really doesn't seem likely. He's been in the doghouse for so long, has injury problems, and will still command big money.

drd23 · 04-25-2011, 05:19 AM

Like c0 said, McClain may not be an elite blocker, but he is an elite allround FB. He is arguably our best blocking TE when lined up at the end of the line, he's a good receiver out of the backfield and one of the better running FBs in the league.

His versatility is important IMO and not easily replaced in this draft.

GoRavens · 04-25-2011, 11:08 AM

- #1 Free agent priority is definitely Jared Gaither. Like you said, he opens up so much more of our offense with his dominating power.
- #2 is Josh Wilson. He played awesome towards the end of the season and his future with the team looks bright. Considering CB is an especially a weak point, I think Ozzie should lock Wilson up on a 3 year deal.
- #3 will go to McClain. I love McClain and I'd hate to see him go, I just hope we can get him for cheap. Such a fantastic short yardage back, who also can somehow block as good as lineman and catch as good as tightends.
- If Yanda leaves, so be it. The draft is might prosporous for young 'consistent' o-liners. Yanda has potential, but he's too inconsistent and lacks the strength to anchor in the NFL. 'IF' he signs for cheap, then hell yeah he's an awesome backup guard.
- If Yanda leaves and Gaither stays.
LT- Michael Oher (let's not get him all confused switching sides all the time)
RT- Jared Gaither--Harewood
LG- Ben Grubbs
RG- Chester/Cousins -- Draft pick
C- Matt Birk -- Chester

coordinator0 · 04-25-2011, 11:49 AM

Are you sure you're not confusing Yanda with Chester? If not...

BmoreBlackByrdz · 04-25-2011, 12:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by coordinator0

Are you sure you're not confusing Yanda with Chester? If not...

Yeah lol, he definitely got his players mixed up.

And I don't think McClain can "block as good as linemen"

niel89 · 04-25-2011, 12:38 PM

Yeah, Yanda is a outstanding player. He is a great guard and a pretty good RT. I think that he will be resigned hopefully. I wonder if he only wants to be a guard or would he sign somewhere else to be a RT.

If there is an actual chance for Gaither to come back then he is #2 priority behind Ngata. Oher is our LT, so Gaither has to accept playing RT if he wants to be here. I just think that its gonna be too hard to compete with the offers that he is going to get on the open market. Young LTs with starting experience are rare.

I think that Wilson needs to be priority also. He showed some good things last year and he has some great tools to work with. I think that he should be pretty reasonable to resign. If we get him back then 1st round corner is not a pressing need, and we just go BPA. We could just sign Nnamdi Asomugha and call it a day ;)

I'm not super sold on McClain as irreplaceable. His versatility is very nice but he isn't a top weapon. I want him back only if we plan to use him as a ball carrier and we bring in another FB. Him running behind Lorenzo Neal was my dream. Just power behind power.

I don't see a T as a round 1 target. There are plenty of good players in round 3 and later that can be solid RT's. We just need more talent in the top of the draft.

I don't think that Chester is very good at all, but having a guy who can fill in at multiple positions on the O line is valuable. He is nothing more that a backup, but he is a backup I would like to see back as long as its a reasonable deal.