Narrow the pick to three.

[GOTA]

Shane Ray
Kevin Johnson
Jaelen Strong

I don't see either Gurley or Gordon still available at #26. Both these guys are legit prospects at the position which is something we haven't seen in a long time. They're going to go higher than most people expect.

I never thought Ray would be available but this injury could put him at #26. If that happens I can't see Ozzie passing him.

Kevin Johnson just seems like an Ozzie kind of guy. The tape is there even if the size and body isn't yet.

Jaelen Strong has gone up and down in the perception of outsiders but as we all know that doesn't happen with teams. The Ravens said their board was in place last week. Now they are in the process of determining what other teams are going to do. If they like Strong, and I believe they do, he's going to be in their top 20 and could be the pick at #26.

[Shas]

Shane Ray
Kevin Johnson
Jaelen Strong

I don't see either Gurley or Gordon still available at #26. Both these guys are legit prospects at the position which is something we haven't seen in a long time. They're going to go higher than most people expect.

I never thought Ray would be available but this injury could put him at #26. If that happens I can't see Ozzie passing him.

Kevin Johnson just seems like an Ozzie kind of guy. The tape is there even if the size and body isn't yet.

Jaelen Strong has gone up and down in the perception of outsiders but as we all know that doesn't happen with teams. The Ravens said their board was in place last week. Now they are in the process of determining what other teams are going to do. If they like Strong, and I believe they do, he's going to be in their top 20 and could be the pick at #26.

I hear you about these two backs. And believe you when you say teams will put a higher value on them than we think. But when I try to put it in a bigger context of history, it's still hard for me to justify the picks.

What was the last time a running back came into the league as a rookie and blew the doors off the league? Peterson in '07?

Are these guys at that level? Both of them?

Maybe we should just conclude the last big swing and a miss for a highly drafted running back, Trent Richardson, was just an outlier.

But in the context of a decade or so of drafting he seems more the norm than the exception. Before him it was CJ Spiller and Ryan Mathews in '10 when it comes to top-12 picks at RB who never lived up to expections. Then Knowshon Moreno. Darren McFadden and Jonathon Stewart. Reggie Bush. Ronnie Brown. Cedric Benson. Cadillac Williams.

These are all the top-12 picks, besides Peterson, who came into the league. You have to go back fifteen years to Jamal Lewis and LaDanian Tomlinson to find worthy picks up in this stratesphere.

I'm not saying Gordon and Gurley will be crummy running backs in the NFL. I'm just saying there's a reason why teams are drafting them later. Too little difference between the crop of backs who are taken anywhere in the first three rounds.

Anyway, I thought about Strong, too. But I had convinced myself that, like running back, the value for wideouts is in rounds 2-4. Whereas Peters and Johnson are better values in the bottom of round one.

If Peters and and Strong were both there at 26, which do you pick? Do you prefer Strong? Or for you was it a matter of Peters likely being off the board or off the Ravens board altogether?

[The Wizard of OZ]

If Peters goes in the first round I'd be shocked. It's not about talent, it's about his coachability. Teams are not just going to overlook that for a guy they are spending a first round pick on. There is a lot of convincing that has to happen and I don't see it. As far as Strong, ultimately, I think most teams value him as a second round pick and not a first. I'm not sure he goes in the first round. We'll see.

As for the HB's. I think Gordon will be close if he gets passed San Diego. And I do think Gordon and Gurley are much more explosive playmakers than the other backs; and Gordon, from college anyways has all of them beat in the durability department. I'm not saying we are going to take him, but I wouldn't have an issue with it. Yes he needs to work on his pass blocking but every back has had to do that. Wisconsin didn't ask him to block very often. He was only in the backfield blocking for 12% of the Badgers passing plays, which is a very low percentage. So that's a weakness, but to me it's not so major that you don't take him in the 1st. As for ball security, he had 8 fumbles this past year, most of which came when he was trying to finish off a run. 8 fumbles vs 369 carries. Of course 1 fumble is one too many but I think it is being overblown. When you look at his fumbles the majority of them are not in critical situations like Ajayi's are.

On tape I just don't see any other backs in this class that have the gear and pull away speed that Gurley and Gordon do running the football. Well, I'd say the Duke is close, but I'm not sure about his durability. Now one thing I will say about Duke and Ameer Abdullah, I think they are guys that can be used more like we used Ray Rice. Their receiving ability is the best of the backs IMO and if you catch the defense in man coverage with linebackers covering one of these two, motion them out of the backfield and get them in the passing game, it's a big problem for the defense because I don't see a linebacker that has the quickness, fluidity, and foot speed to keep up with them as they are running their routes. Add to this they have good hands and are great pass catchers and you create another problem for the defense.

Anyways, I'm still torn on the first round given that I only think two CB's are valued to be selected.

[Section 120 View]

DG-B, Gordon, Peters

[The Wizard of OZ]

For anyone that had Jalen Collins going in the 1st scratch it.

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com...ed-drug-tests/

I still think only two corners go in round 1.

[landshark52]

Shane Ray, Byron Jones, Phillip Dorsett

This draft will be interesting because unlike the last few years, I feel like we have no clue what the Ravens are going to do

[alienstar]

An OLB that can take a year to work on his craft and body (Gregory or Ray). Gordon, Maxx Williams (in Williams - possibly trading down and adding a pick if he lingers late into the round). Double or even triple dipping to hit on WRs past pick 90. It's just one of a myriad of many thoughts on the Ravens draft. Only used 90 as an arbitrary but ballpark past where to get WR help. With Williams they may gamble he goes in the second, thus the trade down. That be nice, we'd have more picks than anyone. Ozzie then jukes and jives his way through out rounds 4 and 5 getting his guys.

I realize Seattle has 11 picks but 4 are 6th round or less. We have one 6th. The rest are 5th and above. Pretty sweet.

BTW, I like Phillip Dorsett...for those that picked him, I'm on board.

[AirFlacco]

Ozzie already said Trae W and Kevin J will be gone.

[The Wizard of OZ]

Ozzie already said Trae W and Kevin J will be gone.

I don't think we'll take a CB in the 1st then.

[PalladinInNC]

I don't think we'll take a CB in the 1st then.

I'm late to the party but here goes:

Malcolm Brown
Shane Ray
and....

The 3rd pick is a problem. If Gurley or Dupree are there, then either would be the pick but I don't think it will happen. I originally wanted to put Lael Collins there but after a prior post on his failed drug tests I said, NO WAY! All of the other CBs have serious flaws: Johnson is a little slight, Peters is a hot-head and over-rated, Rollins is a one-year wonder, Rowe is maybe better as a safety, etc. Agolor, Dorsett, Strong and Smith don't seem good enough for the 26th spot. Maxx Williams seems a better pick for early in the 2nd. And Gordon doesn't have the patience for a ZBS like Gurley and he doesn't have the pass catching skills like Gurley.

I guess if I have to pick someone it's a toss-up between Byron Jones and Eli Harold.

I still say they should trade down and definitely get a low 2nd rounder (in the top ten) where some of the players I previously mentioned should be available and worthy at that spot.

Thursday nite will be interesting!

[RavensFanatic]

I don't think we'll take a CB in the 1st then.

Peters is worthy of a 1st.

[The Wizard of OZ]

Peters is worthy of a 1st.

I think teams are being more cautious with selecting him in the 1st. He's got a few things keeping him out of the first round IMO; Coachability being the main thing. No matter how much people want this to get overlooked I don't think teams are willing to overlook it. It's going to take a great deal of convincing for upper management of any team to buy in to spend a 1st round pick on a guy that had discipline/coachability issues. If he's on the board when the Steelers, Lions, Cards select and they pass over him and don't select another CB, don't expect us or anyone else to take him in the 1st round. I really think that we'll only see two CB's go in the first and he won't be one of them.

No only is coachability an issue but he was suspended twice prior to that. He showed up late to meetings; he failed drug tests for pot in 2013; he was suspended for the first qtr of the Huskies Bowl game in 2013. You see the pattern here? I don't see teams spending a first round pick on him.

The only two CB's I see going in round one is Waynes and Kevin Johnson who both are most likely off the board by 26.

Back to Peters. Think about this, he played 35 games in College but only started 22 of them because of clashes with the coaching staff and other disciplinary issues. That means he did not start 13 games of his college career due to not being coachable and being an asshat.