The 2014 Ravens Draft Thread

[BcRaven]

I would also throw in an dominating MLB to pair with Brown.

This post is still like a dig at D. Smith. If you think the Ravens can replace his 2013 stats (see my post #218) then you're in for a rude awakening. I also see you've anointed A. Brown as a starter in 2014. While I hope you're right, and I know he was hurt beginning the season, he did not exactly show the talents of a 2nd round draft choice... Bc

[BmoreLove]

This post is still like a dig at D. Smith. If you think the Ravens can replace his 2013 stats (see my post #218) then you're in for a rude awakening. I also see you've anointed A. Brown as a starter in 2014. While I hope you're right, and I know he was hurt beginning the season, he did not exactly show the talents of a 2nd round draft choice... Bc

With all our holes I'm not sure we have much a choice.

[Igotstoknow]

True, but to some of these QBs, it has to be getting to the point they want to think of delaying, considering how QB heavy this draft is...

Manziel
Carr
Bridgewater
Bortles
Boyd
McCarron

By going back to school, Hundley is getting a bigger shot at being the #1 pick. Though, obviously the roll of the dice is that he could be hurt or regress and end up out of first round instead.

I will be interested to see how Bortles' game translates to the NFL. Somehow the name Blaine Gabbert keeps running through my head. He's a Fla boy. Maybe Jacksonville will take him too.

[wickedsolo]

Unfortunately, Watkins, Evans and Lee could all be gone when Baltimore picks at 16/17.

And the top OT's could be gone as well.

Honestly, someone like CJ Mosley, Ra'Shede Hageman or Stephon Tuitt could be the top player available in round 1.

Does Baltimore pick one of those guys? Or trade down?

I'd love to see Mosley and Arthur Brown lined up together. That would be a pretty dynamic ILB combo.

[BigPlayReceiver]

This post is still like a dig at D. Smith. If you think the Ravens can replace his 2013 stats (see my post #218) then you're in for a rude awakening. I also see you've anointed A. Brown as a starter in 2014. While I hope you're right, and I know he was hurt beginning the season, he did not exactly show the talents of a 2nd round draft choice... Bc

And to add... while anyone can decline/fall at any time, 31 year old Daryl >= 31 year old Ray... and a ishtload cheaper.

[bmorecareful]

Unfortunately, Watkins, Evans and Lee could all be gone when Baltimore picks at 16/17.

And the top OT's could be gone as well.

Honestly, someone like CJ Mosley, Ra'Shede Hageman or Stephon Tuitt could be the top player available in round 1.

Does Baltimore pick one of those guys? Or trade down?

I'd love to see Mosley and Arthur Brown lined up together. That would be a pretty dynamic ILB combo.

If you actually block out the first 16 picks I have a really hard time seeing all 3 of those 1st-round caliber WRs coming off the board. A lot of teams are going to reach for QBs and OL in the top half of the draft. The only two teams that are really strong candidates to take a WR in the top half are Detroit and Pittsburgh, and even if they both take WRs, one of the 3 top WRs is probably going to be available at 16/17.

I've been going back and forth in another thread about this, and I seem to be in the minority, but I don't really see Sammy Watkins as a lock for the top 5. I'm not saying he isn't top 5 caliber, he is, but he's not quite the level of prospect of an AJ Green/Julio Jones. He's close, but not quite there, partially because I don't think he's as pro-ready as either of those guys and he's a little bit more limited of a player, being primarily a vertical threat at this point in his development.

[BigPlayReceiver]

If you actually block out the first 16 picks I have a really hard time seeing all 3 of those 1st-round caliber WRs coming off the board. A lot of teams are going to reach for QBs and OL in the top half of the draft. The only two teams that are really strong candidates to take a WR in the top half are Detroit and Pittsburgh, and even if they both take WRs, one of the 3 top WRs is probably going to be available at 16/17.

I've been going back and forth in another thread about this, and I seem to be in the minority, but I don't really see Sammy Watkins as a lock for the top 5. I'm not saying he isn't top 5 caliber, he is, but he's not quite the level of prospect of an AJ Green/Julio Jones. He's close, but not quite there, partially because I don't think he's as pro-ready as either of those guys and he's a little bit more limited of a player, being primarily a vertical threat at this point in his development.

Techniques-wise, there's a small cluster of excellent WRs in this class. None of them are elite IMO, and I believe that only one of them is a superior athlete. None of them are among the college elite of the past 3-4 years IMO.

[wickedsolo]

If you actually block out the first 16 picks I have a really hard time seeing all 3 of those 1st-round caliber WRs coming off the board. A lot of teams are going to reach for QBs and OL in the top half of the draft. The only two teams that are really strong candidates to take a WR in the top half are Detroit and Pittsburgh, and even if they both take WRs, one of the 3 top WRs is probably going to be available at 16/17.

I've been going back and forth in another thread about this, and I seem to be in the minority, but I don't really see Sammy Watkins as a lock for the top 5. I'm not saying he isn't top 5 caliber, he is, but he's not quite the level of prospect of an AJ Green/Julio Jones. He's close, but not quite there, partially because I don't think he's as pro-ready as either of those guys and he's a little bit more limited of a player, being primarily a vertical threat at this point in his development.

I totally agree, but you can't account for teams trading up, down and whether or not they'll gamble on a QB dropping.

I'm just thinking that the Ravens could be in an interesting situation. Do they take arguably a top 5 defensive player that lands there? Or, an offensive player that may not even be in the top 10 offensive players or top 20 players in the entire draft?

Regarding Sammy Watkins...top 5? I don't see that. However, I think top-12 is completely plausible. And considering that the Jets, Steelers, Ravens, Titans, Bills, Giants, Lions and the Rams are all picking within a few picks of each other...I could completely see Lee, Evans and Watkins coming off the board. I actually have Sammy Watkins going to Detroit right now.

[leachisabeast]

Personally, I have Watkins as a top 5 talent, Evans as a top 20 talent, if either drop to 16, that would be my pick, I'd even consider trading up for Watkins (not Evans though). I just can't get over Lee's 2013 season, it was very under whelming, and I don't see him as a dominating WR in the AC offense, you need guys like Mike Evans in this offense (should we stick to the AC offense under Norv or whoever), Sammy Watkins has the freakish speed and athleticism to excel in the ACO. Lee is a better fit in the WC offense imo, so if we go with a guy like Kubiak or Kyle, I'd probably be more inclined to go for him. I still see Marquise Lee as a late first rd pick/early 2nd rd type talent at this point, so trading back to get him would offer reasonable value.

What I'd do personally (if Evans and Watkins are gone) is go for one of the dominating defensive prospects like CJ Moseley or better yet, Stephen Tuitt. Tuitt is a freak, and he is as close as you're going to get to a JJ Watt type prospect. He would immediately come in to replace Art Jones, and even offer an upgrade from day 1 possibly. CJ Moseley is a Lawrence Timmons type player, and I think he could be a day 1 starter on this defense.

[wickedsolo]

Personally, I have Watkins as a top 5 talent, Evans as a top 20 talent, if either drop to 16, that would be my pick, I'd even consider trading up for Watkins (not Evans though). I just can't get over Lee's 2013 season, it was very under whelming, and I don't see him as a dominating WR in the AC offense, you need guys like Mike Evans in this offense (should we stick to the AC offense under Norv or whoever), Sammy Watkins has the freakish speed and athleticism to excel in the ACO. Lee is a better fit in the WC offense imo, so if we go with a guy like Kubiak or Kyle, I'd probably be more inclined to go for him. I still see Marquise Lee as a late first rd pick/early 2nd rd type talent at this point, so trading back to get him would offer reasonable value.

What I'd do personally (if Evans and Watkins are gone) is go for one of the dominating defensive prospects like CJ Moseley or better yet, Stephen Tuitt. Tuitt is a freak, and he is as close as you're going to get to a JJ Watt type prospect. He would immediately come in to replace Art Jones, and even offer an upgrade from day 1 possibly. CJ Moseley is a Lawrence Timmons type player, and I think he could be a day 1 starter on this defense.

Lee's 2013 season was undoubtedly impacted by poor QB play.

[bmorecareful]

Techniques-wise, there's a small cluster of excellent WRs in this class. None of them are elite IMO, and I believe that only one of them is a superior athlete. None of them are among the college elite of the past 3-4 years IMO.

I agree. I don't think Watkins is at the level of AJ Green/Julio Jones, but I also grade him out below Justin Blackmon and Dez Bryant. Nobody else is even in that conversation. Probably my overall favorite WR in the class is Brandin Cooks... I think he compares favorably to Percy Harvin.

I'm not sure he's a scheme fit for the Ravens though, unfortunately. Marlon Brown looks like he has Marques Colston potential in the slot, so the Ravens WR need is really for an outside playmaker to replace/upgrade on Jacoby Jones. I don't think Cooks fits on the outside in a Coryell offense in the NFL, but Watkins is an excellent fit in that position, which is why I have him ranked as my top first round target for the Ravens.

I totally agree, but you can't account for teams trading up, down and whether or not they'll gamble on a QB dropping.

I'm just thinking that the Ravens could be in an interesting situation. Do they take arguably a top 5 defensive player that lands there? Or, an offensive player that may not even be in the top 10 offensive players or top 20 players in the entire draft?

Regarding Sammy Watkins...top 5? I don't see that. However, I think top-12 is completely plausible. And considering that the Jets, Steelers, Ravens, Titans, Bills, Giants, Lions and the Rams are all picking within a few picks of each other...I could completely see Lee, Evans and Watkins coming off the board. I actually have Sammy Watkins going to Detroit right now.

It's hard to predict at this point. In my opinion, there are 3 blue-chip defensive players in this draft: Jadeveon Clowney, Anthony Barr, and Khalil Mack. After those 3, the next defender on my big board would probably be CJ Mosley at around the #15 spot. Again, teams could definitely reach, but right now I think the top 16 in the draft is going to be anywhere from 3-5 QBs (depending on who declares), the 3 defenders I mentioned, maybe as many as 6 OTs, and 2-3 of the WRs I mentioned.

Personally, I wouldn't take Mosley at #16. He's a good player, but not a Luke Kuechly type, and the dropoff between Mosley and the next tier of ILBs is not very big, plus the Ravens just took Arthur Brown last year. You don't spend a 1st round pick on an ILB unless they're an extremely special prospect and Mosley is not.

The ONLY defender that I'd be really excited about the Ravens drafting at #16 overall, unless one of Barr/Clowney/Mack falls, is Stephon Tuitt. That would be a good pick. IMO the Ravens options at #16 are going to be threefold: 1) one of the 3 top WRs, Watkins/Evans/Lee; 2) Eric Ebron; or 3) Stephon Tuitt. Or, of course, trading back.

[Dirt1]

I really want the Ravens to get Sammy Watkins. If he somehow fell past #10, I would even be in favor of trading up to get him.