Quick Late-March 7 Round Ravens Mock Draft

**bmorecareful** · 03-26-2013, 03:03 PM

Here's a quick 7 round mock draft I dreamed up for the Ravens now that we're past the Combine and the first few weeks of free agency.

1. (32) - Matt Elam, S, Florida - Could the Ravens trade back a few spots and still get Elam? Possibly, but he could be on San Francisco's radar at #34 overall, so I'm hesitant to mock the Ravens to trade back. No matter what the Ravens do at one safety spot--whether they sign a FA or a 2012 backup like Thompson or Ihedigbo steps in--they need another safety, and Elam can play strong or free at a very high level. He is a playmaker, plain and simple, and flourished in a pro-style Florida defense that was quietly among the best (if not THE best) in the SEC last year, and Elam was their best player--even better than Shariff Floyd, a top-5 lock. Elam has great instincts and range as a deep-zone safety but also flourishes in man coverage in the slot and against TEs. He plays like a Raven and needs to be on this team next year.

2. (62) - Khaseem Greene, ILB, Rutgers - If Greene drops this far, he's a lock to be among the BPA and the best ILB available. A tremendous leader on and off the field, Greene was the heart and soul of a surprisingly stout Rutgers defense in 2012. A converted DB, he projects to be possibly the draft's best overall coverage LB not named Ogletree or Brown, and he has a physicality and playmaking edge that those two--nor any of the other top ILB prospects in this class--don't possess. Nobody can fill Ray Lewis' shoes, but the closest we're going to get in this draft is Khaseem Greene.

3. (88 - TRADE UP with Packers for Ravens' 3rd and 5th round picks) - Da'Rick Rogers, WR, Tennessee Tech - I'm projecting a trade up here, but moreso because I believe the Ravens will move up at least once in the 2nd or 3rd rounds. I don't definitely think it will come here, but somewhere in the top 100 the Ravens are going to see someone they like slide a little and they're going to make a move. I think they could make a move for Rogers because based on pure talent alone, he has no business being around in the 3rd round at all. On tape he is a late-1st early 2nd caliber talent, and I may be too optimistic slotting him as low as #88. Rogers is a freakish, explosive physical talent with Julio Jones-level upside, and he would likely be an immediate starter in 2013 for the Ravens.

4. (119 - TRADE UP with Redskins for Ravens' 4th and 6th round picks) - Alvin Bailey, G, Arkansas - Projecting another trade involving these picks, don't know if it will really happen. This may seem like an odd pick, but I'm accepting the reality that the Ravens will likely plug Osemele and Oher into the two OT spots next year. Nobody available at OT in this mock is really a very good prospect either short-term or long-term, but Alvin Bailey is a GREAT guard prospect. He could absolutely compete to start at LG immediately and is a great fit in either a zone or man-blocking scheme. Powerful, technically sound, and with excellent foot speed and quickness, Bailey could be another Marshal Yanda.

4. (130) - Tony Jefferson, S, Oklahoma - If the Ravens don't fill a safety spot in free agency, they have very little depth at the position in 2013 and even less in 2014. Jefferson is talented, but inconsistency could drive him down to this spot. The two safety spots for 2013 would likely come down to a four-way competition between Thompson, Ihedigbo, Elam, and Jefferson; starting two rookie safeties seems to be a bit too much, but by 2014 Elam and Jefferson could easily be the Ravens' starting safety tandem.

5. (168) - Joseph Fauria, TE, UCLA - The Ravens need a 3rd TE, and Fauria is a good value here. He's not much of a blocker at this point, but he has coachable tools to improve to at least an acceptable level, and his upside is far higher than a more conventional 3rd/blocking TE like Michael Williams or Nick Kasa. 6'6 260 with adequate speed and good body control, Fauria is already a proficient red-zone weapon but must improve his route running.

6. (200) - Kyle Juszczyk, FB/HB/TE, Harvard - The Ravens get their 2013 fullback. He's a fairly big downgrade as a road-grading run blocker, but an athletic upgrade who should offer more than Leach in the passing game. Primarily an H-back and TE at Harvard, his extremely soft hands made him Harvard's all-time TE receptions leader, and he demonstrated solid lead-blocking ability at the Senior Bowl.

6. (203) - Eric Martin, OLB, Nebraska - Martin is a versatile defender who is a little light to play rush LB in the NFL, but should offer special teams value early in his career, and eventually blossom into at least a nickel rush option.

7. (238) - Dalton Freeman, C, Clemson - The Ravens need to add another player to the roster for 2013 who has experience snapping the football. Freeman is a good value here and a nice fit for the ZBS. He's a very good athlete at 6'4 295 who lacks power, but if nothing else he will be an asset in the OL room with his smarts.

7. (247) - Brad Sorensen, QB, Southern Utah - The Ravens add a strong-armed drop-back passer who offers a backup option closer to Joe Flacco's skill-set.

**arnie_uk** · 03-26-2013, 03:16 PM

I like it, but you haven't addressed left tackle and have drafted a guard. Are you assuming ko is left tackle and bailey starts, or what?

I love Greene and I have him rated as my third choice MLB. Elam plays like a raven. They are my. Second 1 and 2 picks to brown and armstead, who I have as my number one choice for one and two currently.

**bmorecareful** · 03-26-2013, 03:37 PM

Originally Posted by arnie_uk

I like it, but you haven't addressed left tackle and have drafted a guard. Are you assuming ko is left tackle and bailey starts, or what?

I love Greene and I have him rated as my third choice MLB. Elam plays like a raven. They are my. Second 1 and 2 picks to brown and armstead, who I have as my number one choice for one and two currently.

Yes, as I mentioned in the Bailey pick, I think the Ravens' starting OTs next year are Osemele and Oher. I don't know which is which, there's been some smoke arising lately that Osemele may be seen as the LT of the future, and we know they like Oher at LT and would have played him at LT in the playoffs if Reid didn't hurt his toe.

I know Oher and Osemele at OT scares people, it scares me a little bit, but they can scheme around it if the interior OL is strong. That's why I mocked a new LG of the future in Bailey.

**Kyle Cactus** · 03-26-2013, 03:42 PM

Originally Posted by bmorecareful

I know Oher and Osemele at OT scares people, it scares me a little bit, but they can scheme around it if the interior OL is strong. That's why I mocked a new LG of the future in Bailey.

Without Osemele I don't see the interior OL being strong. In this scenario you've got Yanda and two unproven 4th rounders as your interior OL. You've also probably got sub-par play at LT.

I almost feel like we'd be better off accepting mediocre LT play as long as we were reasonably confident in the other 4 spots (exceedingly confident at both guard positions). Obviously that's not ideal, but if they can't find a good LT solution in FA or the draft I don't see any solution that's better.

**bmorecareful** · 03-26-2013, 03:58 PM

Originally Posted by Kyle Cactus

Without Osemele I don't see the interior OL being strong. In this scenario you've got Yanda and two unproven 4th rounders as your interior OL. You've also probably got sub-par play at LT.

I almost feel like we'd be better off accepting mediocre LT play as long as we were reasonably confident in the other 4 spots (exceedingly confident at both guard positions). Obviously that's not ideal, but if they can't find a good LT solution in FA or the draft I don't see any solution that's better.

But who's going to provide that mediocre LT play? If it's Oher, and you leave Osemele at LG, this team has no RT--I think the ship has sailed on Jah Reid at RT--and that's not an option. If it's Osemele at LT, then you have an obvious hole at LG. I really do not see them going out and getting a stopgap LT, and I didn't have an OT option available that I rated better than Alvin Bailey at that spot.

Osemele had a very good 4-game run at LG, but he's not irreplaceable, particularly not if the team feels he can be a good starting LT or RT. OT has a much higher positional value than guard. The lineup of Osemele/Oher-Bailey-Gradkowski-Yanda-Osemele/Oher is the best one the team had available in my scenario and I envision the actual 2013 OL looking something like that. Again, remember that McKinnie would have never played in 2012 if not for Jah Reid's toe injury.

**Kyle Cactus** · 03-26-2013, 05:36 PM

I meant ???-KO-Gradkowski-Yanda-Oher

??? = stop gap vet or draft pick or whatever

It's very much not ideal, but I think it's better than pulling Oher and Osemele out of their natural positions and having weaknesses at 2 or 3 spots instead of just one. I don't see either of them playing well at LT.