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drd23
Joined: 26 Oct 2010
Posts: 5004
Location: Melbourne, Australia
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 Posted: Mon Aug 22, 2011 8:34 am Post subject: Baltimore Ravens 2012 Draft Talk |
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Since there seems to be a bit of draft talk around, I figured it might be good for there to be a thread to talk about prospects and what various posters think of their strengths and weaknesses and their fit in our schemes. Posting good prospect videos to illustrate your thoughts and to generate discussion would also be good.
It can also be a place where we can talk about our likely needs heading into the 2012 draft next April.
Here’s my (very early) list of draft needs:
The listed needs from #4 onwards are dependent on the play and development of young players already on the roster imo
1. C - Birk is 36 and has shown signs of wearing down
2. ILB - Ray Lewis can't play on forever and the guys behind him on the DC aren’t really guys to lead the D like Lewis does.
3. FS - Ed Reed will probably retire in 2-3 years so now might be a good time to start looking for a replacement
4. LT – Michael Oher is a RT who looks overmatched when playing LT. If his play doesn’t improve, finding a LT may become a need
5. G - Dependent on what happens with Grubbs in FA next year, a mid round G may also be targeted.
*Cousins may well develop into a starter quality G, negating this need somewhat.
Lesser needs (particularly depending on current players)
6. Hybrid 5-tech/4-3DE - Redding will probably let go in FA in 12 months time. We also need to get more pressure on the QB from this position.
*If Art Jones and Pernell McPhee continue their pre-season form in real games, this is not a need at all.
7. 3-4 OLB - A pass rusher opposite Suggs would be great.
*Not a need if Kindle performs well this season.
8. RB - Low level need maybe requiring a mid to late round pick only, but a power back to develop behind Rice might be looked at.
*Anthony Allen could develop as the power back we need to replace Ricky Williams
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drd23
Joined: 26 Oct 2010
Posts: 5004
Location: Melbourne, Australia
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| Posted: Mon Aug 22, 2011 8:34 am Post subject: |
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Some prospects at positions of need that are likely to be taken in the early rounds include:
Center
Michael Brewster (OSU) - Prospect Videos - vs Miami
Peter Konz* (Wisconsin) - Prospect Videos - vs TCU
Ben Jones (Georgia) - Prospect Videos - Georgia O vs UCF D
Phillip Blake (Baylor) - Prospect Videos -
William Vlachos (Alabama) - Prospect Videos - Alabama O vs LSU D
Moe Petrus (Connecticut) - Prospect Videos -
(Interesting Center evaluations thread in the NFL Draft sub-forum: http://www.footballsfuture.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=456416)
Inside Linebacker
Vontaze Burfict* (Arizona State) - Prospect Videos - vs Cal, vs Arizona, vs Stanford, vs Oregon State, vs Oregon
Manti Te’O* (Notre Dame) - Prospect Videos - vs Utah, vs Stanford
Luke Kuechly* (Boston College) - Prospect Videos - vs FSU, vs Clemson
Dont’a Hightower* (Alabama) - Prospect Videos - vs Auburn & Miss St, Alabama D vs LSU O, vs Arkansas
Courtney Upshaw (Alabama) - Prospect Videos - vs Florida, vs Auburn & Miss St
Tank Carder (TCU) - Prospect Videos - vs Wisconsin
Korey Williams (Southern Mississippi) - Prospect Videos - vs Louisville
James-Michael Johnson (Nevada) - Prospect Videos - vs Cal, vs Boise State
Emmanuel Acho - Prospect Videos - vs Oklahoma, vs BYU
Audie Cole (NC State) - Prospect Videos -
Free Safety
Janzen Jackson (Tenneessee) - Tenn D vs UNC O
Robert Lester* (Alabama) - Prospect Videos -vs PSU & Miss St
T.J. McDonald* (USC) - Prospect Videos - vs Virginia
Trumaine Johnson (Montana)
Left Tackle
Matt Kalil* (USC) - USC O vs UCLA D
Riley Reiff* (Iowa) - Iowa O vs Mizzou D
Jonathan Martin* (Stanford) - vs Arizona
Mike Adams (OSU)
DJ Fluker** (Alabama)
Andrew Datko (FSU) - vs Miami/Clemson/UNC
Nate Potter (Boise State)
Bobby Massie* (Ole Miss)
Levy Adcock (Oklahoma State)
* Junior
** RS Soph
(All credit for the videos goes to the original uploaders)
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Last edited by drd23 on Wed Nov 02, 2011 8:27 am; edited 3 times in total |
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DreamKid
Joined: 12 Jan 2009
Posts: 598
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| Posted: Mon Aug 22, 2011 8:46 am Post subject: |
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Right now I am really high on Vinny Curry. You can never have to many pass rushers and he is good. Amazing burst, and just relentless. He skill set and build should translate well to our system as well.
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DanFS#7
Joined: 28 May 2007
Posts: 2208
Location: Copenhagen Denmark
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| Posted: Mon Aug 22, 2011 8:52 am Post subject: |
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I think, unfortunately, that we with the draft of Jah Reid put ourselves out of the mix for an OT in next years draft, which makes ILB/FS the most glaring need.
In my perfect world we would go offensive line with our first pick, whether it would be OC or OT, but then we would invest a whole lot of money in that oline, and I doubt we would do that.
With the players we have at Dline, I hope we for once would consider a trade up, if there is some special talent at the linebacker or safety position.
If Kindle misses out this season, a pass rusher would be a good choice as well as our top pick.
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drd23
Joined: 26 Oct 2010
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Location: Melbourne, Australia
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| Posted: Mon Aug 22, 2011 8:53 am Post subject: |
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Dreamkid, I'd be interested in finding out why you are down on Burfict
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DreamKid
Joined: 12 Jan 2009
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| Posted: Mon Aug 22, 2011 9:10 am Post subject: |
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| drd23 wrote: | | Dreamkid, I'd be interested in finding out why you are down on Burfict |
He is one of those guys who just completely can not wrap when he absolutely has to. He goes for the big hit so much, that it is detrimental to his game. I am not saying he will completely suck or anything like that, I am saying he is being hyped to be the next P Will or Ray and he isn't even James Laurinaitis. He can whiff a little to much and is stiff in coverage. He does have good points to his game though such as he is the most violent player I have seen come out ever. Dude can blow up O-Lineman, and wants to kill people. He can generate crazy power, and is good at diagnosing plays quickly. But then it just goes back to his original problem he can not form tackle. Just like Rolando Mclain he can not for the life of him form tackle. It is the weirdest thing, I just can't throw my hat in the ring for a guy who has problems tackling at ILB. Now maybe he has improved this year which will be interesting to see, but I just don't think so.
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| 1/20/13- SnA ExclusiVe wrote: | I'M GOING TO BE THE MOST ANNOYING RAVENS FAN ON THIS BOARD FOR THE NEXT TWO WEEKS!
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diamondbull424
Joined: 02 Dec 2007
Posts: 10033
Location: Baltimore, MD
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| Posted: Mon Aug 22, 2011 9:51 am Post subject: |
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Was going to post this in the other thread, but its more relevant to this one.
| diamondbull424 wrote: | | drd23 wrote: | | diamondbull424 wrote: | EDIT: And on the Oher point, I agree. It won't happen this year, but put me in camp Riley Reiff for LT camp.
Riley Reiff- Marshal Yanda- Peter Konz- Oniel Cousins- Michael Oher
ME =  |
Only way we'll ever see that line is if Konz comes out in the 2013 draft though. Brewster and Konz are 1a and 1b in terms of C prospects and are likely to both be 1st rounders |
I don't know, 3 centers all going before our pick in the 2nd round? It's possible, but I don't think I've seen it happen in recent draft memory. Tbh I don't think Brewster is 1 at all. I think Konz and Jones are both better centers, not that I think Brewster is chopped liver or anything. I'm comfortable with either 3 of them.
I think the most unlikely of the above scenario might be Reiff making it to us though, OT is a funny position where the top prospects tend to rise and fall a decent amount as the year passes. Also with how teams have been drafting OTs high as of late, Reiff could go top 20 in one of those "run on tackles" that tend to happen every draft.
But hey, I can dream, can't I? |
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diamondbull424
Joined: 02 Dec 2007
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| Posted: Mon Aug 22, 2011 10:06 am Post subject: |
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To follow up on my last post, draftscout also agrees that Ben Jones (2nd) is currently the better player over Brewster (2nd-3rd). I just look at Brewster and I think his hips are slightly more stiff than the other two and he certainly plays with less power, while all seem to possess similar abilities in pass blocking. Brewster might run the best 40, but I'd probably pin Konz to have the best 10 yard split. Konz is my favorite of the 3, but with his injuries history, you never know.
In terms of the ILB discussion, Burfict is a beast. I suppose I could see the argument about him not always wrapping up and too often going for the big hit, but he's an animal. IF... SOMEHOW Burfict falls past 20 (with the falling having nothing to do with serious injury or serious character concerns) to us, than we have to pounce on him. I don't think he's the next Ray Lewis, but Ray is the best LB in NFL history. I think Burfict possesses the talents and instincts to be a HOF linebacker, at the very least probowler. You compared him to McClain, well just imagine if we could have Ray and McClain playing side by side for the next 1-3 years.
Just imagine the defense for a second:
CB- "Jim"my Smith
CB- "Cary" Williams
FS- Ed Reed
SS- Bernard Pollard/Tom Zbikowski
LOLB- Paul Kruger
ILB- Vontaze Burfict
ILB- Ray Lewis
ROLB- Terrell Suggs
DE- Pernell McPhee
NT- Terrence Cody
DE- Haloti Ngata
With the expect improvements of certain young players, that looks like a #1 ranked defense right there. Plus the depth would consist of such players as Sergio Kindle, Art Jones, Nak, the other safety, Carr, Webb, Brown, McKinney?, etc. That defense would be scary... could compete with the 2000 Ravens and 2006 Ravens defenses for the best in the history of the franchise in fact.
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diamondbull424
Joined: 02 Dec 2007
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Location: Baltimore, MD
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| Posted: Mon Aug 22, 2011 10:13 am Post subject: |
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| DanFS#7 wrote: | I think, unfortunately, that we with the draft of Jah Reid put ourselves out of the mix for an OT in next years draft, which makes ILB/FS the most glaring need.
In my perfect world we would go offensive line with our first pick, whether it would be OC or OT, but then we would invest a whole lot of money in that oline, and I doubt we would do that.
With the players we have at Dline, I hope we for once would consider a trade up, if there is some special talent at the linebacker or safety position.
If Kindle misses out this season, a pass rusher would be a good choice as well as our top pick. |
Not necessarily. I think this only becomes the case if Jah Reid not only starts this year, but grows into a good player of Yanda's RT caliber this year. The front office/coaches know that Ohers is an elite/all pro RT. Oher is much more comfortable on the right side- that there is no question. If Reid looks average at RT his first year they'd be well justified in going BNA and if a LT is there, why not take him? It'd be enough of a need to take him. We'd have the option of trading him away for a pick to an OT needy team if we want to get some value for him OR more likely we could keep him as depth at both OG and RT and know he could contribute. The team could then pay Oher as a great RT and not as a "good" (on name recognition) LT and save some money. With the price tag on 1st rounders going down, LT at the back end wouldn't necessarily be investing too much money into our OL- especially if we can get another deal in bringing back Cousins for cheap (if he doesn't start, his value should be low, if he does start he should still be affordable).
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BigPlayReceiver
Joined: 27 Jan 2010
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Location: Baltimore, MD
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| Posted: Mon Aug 22, 2011 10:30 am Post subject: |
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I'm just fired up that there will most likely be ZERO talk of going after a #1 receiver or a shutdown corner.
I'm really happy with the depth that we seem to have onboard right now, and I think we'll draft to be strong up the middle: C, G, ILB, FS (in no particular order).
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DreamKid
Joined: 12 Jan 2009
Posts: 598
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| Posted: Mon Aug 22, 2011 10:38 am Post subject: |
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Hey just cause we drafted G2 does not mean if Janoris is there in the 2nd we would not take him.
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| 1/20/13- SnA ExclusiVe wrote: | I'M GOING TO BE THE MOST ANNOYING RAVENS FAN ON THIS BOARD FOR THE NEXT TWO WEEKS!
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BigPlayReceiver
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BigPlayReceiver
Joined: 27 Jan 2010
Posts: 1218
Location: Baltimore, MD
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| Posted: Mon Aug 22, 2011 10:48 am Post subject: |
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| DreamKid wrote: | | Hey just cause we drafted G2 does not mean if Janoris is there in the 2nd we would not take him. |
Dig it. The FO definitely wouldn't let him slip by.
But what I mean to say is that the media monkies and fan base (most likely) won't be singing the same ol' song.
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DanFS#7
Joined: 28 May 2007
Posts: 2208
Location: Copenhagen Denmark
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| Posted: Mon Aug 22, 2011 11:00 am Post subject: |
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| diamondbull424 wrote: | | DanFS#7 wrote: | I think, unfortunately, that we with the draft of Jah Reid put ourselves out of the mix for an OT in next years draft, which makes ILB/FS the most glaring need.
In my perfect world we would go offensive line with our first pick, whether it would be OC or OT, but then we would invest a whole lot of money in that oline, and I doubt we would do that.
With the players we have at Dline, I hope we for once would consider a trade up, if there is some special talent at the linebacker or safety position.
If Kindle misses out this season, a pass rusher would be a good choice as well as our top pick. |
Not necessarily. I think this only becomes the case if Jah Reid not only starts this year, but grows into a good player of Yanda's RT caliber this year. The front office/coaches know that Ohers is an elite/all pro RT. Oher is much more comfortable on the right side- that there is no question. If Reid looks average at RT his first year they'd be well justified in going BNA and if a LT is there, why not take him? It'd be enough of a need to take him. We'd have the option of trading him away for a pick to an OT needy team if we want to get some value for him OR more likely we could keep him as depth at both OG and RT and know he could contribute. The team could then pay Oher as a great RT and not as a "good" (on name recognition) LT and save some money. With the price tag on 1st rounders going down, LT at the back end wouldn't necessarily be investing too much money into our OL- especially if we can get another deal in bringing back Cousins for cheap (if he doesn't start, his value should be low, if he does start he should still be affordable). |
I just believe, that us drafting another OT is wishful thinking. Drafting a left tackle, moving oher to RT, Yanda to center and let whoever compete for the RG spot would be awesome, but that is most likely just me who would like that. I am a sucker for drafting linemen.
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BigPlayReceiver
Joined: 27 Jan 2010
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| Posted: Mon Aug 22, 2011 11:09 am Post subject: |
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| DanFS#7 wrote: |
I just believe, that us drafting another OT is wishful thinking. Drafting a left tackle, moving oher to RT, Yanda to center and let whoever compete for the RG spot would be awesome, but that is most likely just me who would like that. I am a sucker for drafting linemen. |
Thinking about the past two drafts, there's been so many tackles taken in rounds 1 and 2, I maybe, just maybe from a moderately deep class of OTs, we might be able to snag an LT pretty late in the 1st.
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