Ravens Didn't Want A Center In Draft

**leachisabeast** · 05-01-2021, 11:27 AM

Ben Cleveland pulled a lot at Georgia and done a fine job of it. We have had two years of Bozeman doing a good job of it who I think is less athletic than Cleveland is. People are looking too deep into things thinking Cleveland can't play LG in this offense because he's a big guy. Bozeman is a big guy and is below average in athleticism.

**Ravenswintitle** · 05-01-2021, 11:28 AM

Originally Posted by leachisabeast

Ben Cleveland pulled a lot at Georgia and done a fine job of it. We have had two years of Bozeman doing a good job of it who I think is less athletic than Cleveland is. People are looking too deep into things thinking Cleveland can't play LG in this offense because he's a big guy. Bozeman is a big guy and is below average in athleticism.

I'm sure he can adjust but I don't think he's every played on the left side

**JimZipCode** · 05-01-2021, 11:31 AM

Originally Posted by AmishlandRavenFan

We may be getting a bit over our skis with the day-1 starter talk. Plan could be that he’s Zeiter’s replacement in a year or two.

Good point. Tyre P or Powers may be the more likely starter; Cleveland as year-one depth / grooming to start later.

**JimZipCode** · 05-01-2021, 11:38 AM

Originally Posted by rhapsody

EDC may yet draft Trey Hill from Georgia, a guy formerly with high upside, but who is coming off knee surgery.

Originally Posted by GOTA

Troy Hill started a ton on games against top competition. I know he doesn't grade out as a high prospect but he sure has the experience and passes the eyeball test. I'd be very if that happens.

Ooooo, he's a center! Ok.

**leachisabeast** · 05-01-2021, 11:42 AM

Originally Posted by Ravenswintitle

I'm sure he can adjust but I don't think he's every played on the left side

Neither had Bozeman

**John Reglarperson** · 05-01-2021, 11:58 AM

Originally Posted by TIGERBLOOD

Who do you like today?

Sent from my SM-N981U using Tapatalk

For months now I was talking about Blocking TE who is also Swing Tackle and can be RT of the future. And that was Spencer Brown, who was taken 1 pick before Cleveland.

And when I would mention Spencer Brown, I would also mention Drew Himmelman of Illinois State. They're like the same guy in many respects. In high school, they both were TE/DE and no OL. They both played basketball, they both were baseball pitchers. Himmelman was offered a basketball scholarship. Both the same size, 6'9 320, give or take an inch and a few pounds. Villanueva is the same size with the similar resume, Villanueva was a WR at Army. I couldn't have guessed that they would have taken Ben Cleveland, because it seemed like they have a new and good RG, and it doesn't seem like Cleveland is a play anywhere on the line type, but they did. And Center Meinerz was available when they took Cleveland.

But back to Drew Himmelman. He played spring football, 4 games before Illinois State cancelled the season, didn't do pro day, so we really don't know his pro day numbers. I really like to look at those pro day numbers, and I can't. And Spencer Brown has 10/10 RAS, so, Drew Himmelman can't have better numbers than that.

On the other hand. Drew Himmelman was First Team AP All American at the FCS level at Left Tackle. So, he couldn't have been better playing football at that FCS level. Spencer Brown was in the same FCS and the same Missouri Valley, and Himmelman was the one who won the AP All American at LT.

Additionally, he was one of the 12 finalists for the William V Campbell Trophy, which goes to the best scholar athlete, any position, any conference, FBS, FCS, Division II, Division III. So, he's smart, probably good character and such things.

So, still like him.

I just saw on the list of draft picks that Ben Cleveland was listed as a C/G. What about Ben Cleveland as Center? That seems good to me. If the Ravens can get that to work, a true mauling road grader at Center, that seems great.

3 31 94 Baltimore Ravens from Chiefs Ben Cleveland, C/G, Georgia

Other players - backup DT/NT, massive TJ Slaton from Florida. Was the #3 OG coming out of HS who played RT in high school. 330 and 5.09. 7.96 RAS. I was looking at a bunch of the massive DTs, and what seemed to happen with a lot of them is that they all slimmed down and none of them ended up with awesome numbers to get me enthused. Quinton Bohanna didn't end up with great numbers. RAS below 3. Tyler Shelvin LSU had a RAS below 1. 350 is big, but 5.51 is slow. So, out of the class of giant DT/NTs, Slaton seems to be the best of them. Not sure that the Ravens actually need that though.

Back, days and weeks and months ago when people were saying the Ravens should draft the most expensive WR possible, trade up for whoever Kiper wanted or something like that, I thought that the Ravens WRs were good, but there wasn't a big one who Lamar liked to throw to in the end zone in playoff games. I pointed out that most if not all of the top WRs weren't generally tall, so they would solve the problem that didn't really exist of moving the ball downfield, but despite being costly, they wouldn't really help that much in the playoffs with the ball in the red zone. And I did point out that this year seems to be a good year for tall, heavy, fast, day 3 type guys who can run into the end zone and jump and catch the ball. Those players are still there, but I do like the Ravens WRs, they just got an expensive WR, I'm not sure they should get these guys, but, again, I mentioned them before, might as well mention them again.

Jacob Harris WR Central Florida 9.88
Michael Strachan WR Charleston 9.22
Simi Fehoko WR Stanford 9.17

Those numbers are RAS. It seems like everywhere you look though, every time you get a classic sized Split End, X, there's going to be a lot of people who then say "oh, make that guy into a Tight End". I'd like the idea of having BIG WRs and BIG TEs, and I don't want small TEs, so the process of getting BIG WRs often is aggressively pulled away from BIG WRs to small TEs.

We've had people here all enthusiastic about the new WR because he's a big red zone threat despite the fact that he's 6'0 and 190. It seems like he can do a lot of stuff, but 6'0 190 is not big. So, I dunno, I'm just listing the big WRs with height,weight and speed who are still available.

Center Drew Dalman Stanford. 9.90 RAS.
https://relativeathleticscores.com/i...PlayerID=18542

Great numbers across the board, except that he's light. 299 light. All of the jumps and the runs and the bench, and he did them all, were 8+,

Marco Wilson 9.99 RAS CB from Florida. 4.35 40. It's day 3. Thats fast for day 3. All the numbers are good there. 43.5 vert.
https://relativeathleticscores.com/r...PlayerID=18185

Elerson Smith DE Northern Iowa 9.72 RAS.
https://relativeathleticscores.com/r...PlayerID=19403

All I'm doing now is going down the RAS list - here's the RAS list.
https://relativeathleticscores.com/2...aft-class-ras/

**JonAB** · 05-01-2021, 11:59 AM

Given the size and athletic profile of Cleveland, it’s kind of surprising he never played tackle

**John Reglarperson** · 05-01-2021, 12:06 PM

Originally Posted by JimZipCode

Ooooo, he's a center! Ok.

I like the idea of going huge. Ben Cleveland, who stood right next to Troy Hill at RG, is listed as C/G.

What it is that I exactly want is one thing, and there are other things that might be good or bad.

Ben Cleveland as massive Center who is also fast, strong, etc., definitely holds appeal, but the Ravens might not be thinking that at all. 343 and 5.05 is rare, not extraordinarily rare, but rare, and the Ravens could definitely have been thinking "want this" without having an absolutely concrete idea about where exactly he'd play.

**John Reglarperson** · 05-01-2021, 12:08 PM

Originally Posted by JonAB

Given the size and athletic profile of Cleveland, it’s kind of surprising he never played tackle

It's pretty common for the Ravens to play a player where he didn't play in college. Ben Cleveland at RT? Ben Cleveland at Center? Ben Cleveland sitting and waiting a couple years to play?

**Mark** · 05-01-2021, 12:12 PM

Originally Posted by BRfan96

Cleveland is too top heavy and slow to be an effective puller IMO. He had occasional pulling reps at UGA and they were just ok. And just ok against college competition isn't gonna cut it in the NFL. Cleveland is perfect for blasting people off the LOS and generating push.

Cleveland is not nimble but he moves well enough to pull in our offense. There is zero chance they draft him if they think he can’t pull. Also ,5.0 40 speed at 350 lbs is insane

**JimZipCode** · 05-01-2021, 12:33 PM

Originally Posted by John Reglarperson

Ben Cleveland, who stood right next to Troy Hill at RG, is listed as C/G.
...
Ben Cleveland as massive Center who is also fast, strong, etc., definitely holds appeal, but the Ravens might not be thinking that at all.

Yeah. I'm reluctant to assume that any Guard can play Center. There are additional technical skills (snapping) and cognitive demands (calling out blocking schemes and so forth). It's not the same job.

Originally Posted by John Reglarperson

343 and 5.05 is rare, not extraordinarily rare, but rare, and the Ravens could definitely have been thinking "want this" without having an absolutely concrete idea about where exactly he'd play.

Ha yes. I'm sure Joe D (the OL coach) can figure out a way to make use of this lump of raw material.

**JimZipCode** · 05-01-2021, 12:36 PM

Originally Posted by Mark

Also, 5.0 40 speed at 350 lbs is insane

It is.

How much should we believe it? Seems like all the 40 times this year are inflated. (Or deflated, I guess.) I've never seen so many 4.3's in a WR class in my life. Hell, our OLB draftee ran in the 4.3's at ~260#.