My Argument for the First Pick

[winnipegraven]

I concur, except that I wouldn't double-dip @ TE. One would be enough in a TE thin draft. Otherwise, I like your breakdown, and trade up aside, certainly like the ten draft choice positions you've chosen... Bc

Oh, what I wouldn't give to magically make Todd 10 years younger. Getting sick of drafting TE's year after year

[BcRaven]

Oh, what I wouldn't give to magically make Todd 10 years younger. Getting sick of drafting TE's year after year

Canada, I tell ya, it hurts me that Heap wasn't on one of the Ravens Super Bowl champions. He was an outstanding ROH TE, warrior-like, man to be admired, type Raven... Bc

[GreatWhiteNorthRaven]

I won't negate that our secondary was the reason, BUT at the same time I will say, while 124 yards is great, take that up to 200 yards which is what a guy like Gurley and Gordon bring into a situation like that. Defenders start making business decisions. That's the difference. Forsett can get tackled by a shoe string, Gordon or Gurley are still running. And it's not just that them not being able to stop the run demoralizes the defense. When a team cannot stop the run, it has a clustering effect of demoralizing the entire team because they know no matter what they do on offense, it's not going to matter. Their play calling changes on offense. Rather than being aggressive they have to game manage and try to keep their defense off the field.

Lastly, it's not simply about need. It's about value relative to need; need within value; and lastly, value itself.

That claim is the same as saying Forsett will have a repeat season. Both, IMO, are not valid. We have no idea what Gordon or Gurley will look like in the NFL, just like we have no idea what Forsett will look like without Kubiak and while being relied on as a #1 (which I also think is a silly argument by the original post because Forsett did play under Kubiak - I think Forsett's success was timing, he got a chance, he thrived, he built on his confidence and he played very well).

[redramsam]

This reminds me of the story of how Ed Reed was drafted. Player > Position

As the Ravens prepared to make the 24th overall selection in the 2002 Draft, it became clear that they would have an opportunity to draft one of the top remaining defensive backs left on the board. Bisciotti wanted Lito Sheppard, a cornerback out of Florida. General manager Ozzie Newsome and his staff, however, had their eyes on another player.



“The top two guys left on the board were Lito Sheppard and Ed Reed,” Bisciotti recalled last week. “We had Ed Reed above Lito and I said to Ozzie, ‘I don’t understand this. If they both have the same grade, why would you not take a corner over a safety? It seems like that’s a more important position.’ Ozzie said, ‘Because I am true to my board.’”

As you know, the Ravens drafted Reed, the play-making safety out of Miami. Two picks later, the Philadelphia Eagles selected Sheppard.

Sheppard, who has been out of the NFL since playing for the Oakland Raiders during the 2011-12 season, played for four different organizations over 10 years, collecting 19 interceptions and being selected to two Pro Bowl teams.

Reed, meanwhile, just completed his 11th season with the Ravens and is regarded as one of the best safeties to ever play the game.

http://articles.baltimoresun.com/201...ravens-address

[PerpetuallyBored74]

After watching tape of both, I don't think either Gordon or Gurley deserve to be 1st rounders. Gordon fumbles too much and is poor at pass protection while Gurley is just average running between the tackles because his vision is average and he doesn't lower his pads correctly and stay on his feet, instead leaning and falling forward. Are these flaws correctable? Maybe, but you don't draft RBs in the 1st round unless they are a ''sure thing'' (of course, no one is truly a sure thing). In any case, neither is better than Forsett right now--vision is crucial in our ZBS and Forsett's is superior to both.

I doubt Harbaugh is going to agree to draft any RB who fumbles a lot in college, since that's one of the fastest ways to end up in his doghouse (typical of many coaches, especially old school ones). So, I don't see Gordon, Yeldon or Ajayi getting picked by us.