Behind Enemy Lines

[WNCRavensFan]

The others are spot on but Mattavious Bryant was well on his way to being very good.

Personal issues and struggles with addiction led to him being out of the league. Not because he was bad.

It's part of the draft process - people fall though the draft because of character concerns and well, often times those concerns show up. Sometimes you get a Tyreek Hill, sometimes you get a Martavis Bryant.

[GOTA]

The others are spot on but Mattavious Bryant was well on his way to being very good.

Personal issues and struggles with addiction led to him being out of the league. Not because he was bad.

I agree but that's always part of success and failure. We can say the same thing about Darren Waller who now that he's over his addiction does look very good. Everyone who gets drafted has great talent. That's not enough to make it in the NFL. You need to be driven and stay stay healthy and continue to improve to succeed in this league

[PTORaven]

i'm going to do my best to avoid bringing up the unmentionable subject here, but i feel compelled to point out that a big difference between Steelers and Ravens WR draft picks for the last many many years is that the Steelers WRs all had a HOF QB throwing them the ball. i'm sure some of our picks were destined for the bustbin of NFL history, but maybe some would've gone the other way.

[Desert Raven]

i'm going to do my best to avoid bringing up the unmentionable subject here, but i feel compelled to point out that a big difference between Steelers and Ravens WR draft picks for the last many many years is that the Steelers WRs all had a HOF QB throwing them the ball. i'm sure some of our picks were destined for the bustbin of NFL history, but maybe some would've gone the other way.

Maybe but most go to other teams and flame out too. I don’t know that they were ruined by the Ravens, they just weren’t very good in the first place.

[footballfan]

Not sure what happened with Fort there, I guess there wasn’t an extended role, but I remember liking him as a Steeler and thinking he was a really good player. Not sure how a guy like that was a street free agent but good for us I guess.,

I cannot remember exactly why they let LJF go. I think they were making room. I didn’t like it then. I didn’t like when the Ravens picked him up and don’t like it now!!! Lol

[JimZipCode]

i'm going to do my best to avoid bringing up the unmentionable subject here, but i feel compelled to point out that a big difference between Steelers and Ravens WR draft picks for the last many many years is that the Steelers WRs all had a HOF QB throwing them the ball.

That's fair. And it's not just a shot at Joe. Our revolving door of 2000-07 wasn't gonna help any WR develop: Tony Banks, Elvis G, Jeff Blake, Pro Boller, Arm-fallen-off McNair. You could probably say the same about our revolving OC situation after '12: Caldwell, Kubes, Trestman, Marty M.

Our current situation is a more stable environment. A WR doesn't have to split the atom, to find a way to succeed. He can concentrate on doing one thing well, and let Lamar & Roman & Culley find a role for him to contribute in.

I also think the WR drafting has been better, last couple years. But the environment is definitely more conducive than it has been.

[Shas]

i'm going to do my best to avoid bringing up the unmentionable subject here, but i feel compelled to point out that a big difference between Steelers and Ravens WR draft picks for the last many many years is that the Steelers WRs all had a HOF QB throwing them the ball. i'm sure some of our picks were destined for the bustbin of NFL history, but maybe some would've gone the other way.

That's fair. And it's not just a shot at Joe. Our revolving door of 2000-07 wasn't gonna help any WR develop: Tony Banks, Elvis G, Jeff Blake, Pro Boller, Arm-fallen-off McNair. You could probably say the same about our revolving OC situation after '12: Caldwell, Kubes, Trestman, Marty M.

Our current situation is a more stable environment. A WR doesn't have to split the atom, to find a way to succeed. He can concentrate on doing one thing well, and let Lamar & Roman & Culley find a role for him to contribute in.

I also think the WR drafting has been better, last couple years. But the environment is definitely more conducive than it has been.

It is fair. But I doubt it fully explains it. Nor may it be the primary issue.

Because if it was true that the WRs the Ravens drafted are just as good as the WRs other teams drafted, but they were never given the environment to succeed, then why didn't they exceed after leaving here?

Breshad Perriman, after a small buzz in Tampa (which really ended up no better than his rookie season in Baltimore) is now with his fourth team in five years--a starter on a Jets team only because Mims is hurt, is still going no where.

Travis Taylor. Mark Clayton--the other first round Raven picks, never caught fire elsewhere. Scott, Lasley, Moore, Darling, Doss, Johnson, Smith, Campanaro...you name him, and you won't find a wide receiver who flourished in another system. Even guys with modest success here, like Torrey Smith and Brandon Stokley were pretty much the same guy after they left.

I have long maintained that the organization simply did a poor job of evaluating WRs as prospects. They over-emphasized size or speed in a lot of cases, rather than emphasizing production.

Look at Travis Taylor, a guy they traded up to the tenth pick to get. His numbers as a Gator: 72 catches, 1,150 yards, 15 TDs. That's a great season. Except those were his numbers in three seasons at UF. They fell in love with his measurables and his 16 yards a catch. They drafted who they wanted him to be, not who he was.

Plaxico Burress, taken just two picks ahead of Taylor by the Steelers in the 2000 draft had 66 catches and 1,100 yards in EACH of his two seasons at Michigan State. Peter Warrick, also taken by the Bengals ahead of both of them, had 207 catches for 3,517 and 32 TDs in his career at FSU.

Jim, I've locked horns with you over Miles Boykin because I expressed concern that he didn't have much production track record at ND, and it concerned me. Maybe the gamble will pay off. Maybe he'll be fine as a third or fourth option and a great blocker and teammate.

But I was super stoked by the selections of Hollywood, Duvernay and Proche because of the production I could see in their college games.

[beavery]

Brandon Stokley was a more than serviceable receiver that we drafted and can't recall why we let him go.

[moose10101]

Brandon Stokley was a more than serviceable receiver that we drafted and can't recall why we let him go.

IIRC, too many injuries. In four years, he played more than 8 games once.

[Shas]

Don't recall all the specifics, but his last season in Baltimore was 2002. Recall that the team had gotten themselves into really bad cap situation trying to extend their Super Bowl window. It caused them to let Jamie Sharper and Jermaine Lewis walk after the '01 season. And they had prioritized McCrary, Mulitalo and McAlister, who were also free agents after '02.

They basically signed Marcus Robinson as a free agent rather than retain Stokley because Billick also liked big receivers.

[JimZipCode]

They basically signed Marcus Robinson as a free agent rather than retain Stokley because Billick also liked big receivers.

God. Billick was so terrible at personnel.

[Shrubbs]

yep JuJU will be on a new team next year

Big if true