Baltimore Ravens
The Draft Was
... A reach.
Paul Kruger was a nice find in teh second round, but Lardarius Webb, Jason
Phillips, and Davon Drew were all fliers who are hardly sure-things to make the
team. This draft is all about Michael Oher. If he's not great, the draft will be
a bust.
Best Value Pick:
Oher. He's a top ten talent who slid to
the 23. If wouldn't have been a shock if he had gone where any of the ealier
tackles went, outside of No. 2 (where Jason Smith was taken by St. Louis).
Biggest Reach:
Davon Drew, 5th round. There's upside, and no one knows
tight ends like the Raven front office, but he's a bit of a project who might
not get the time needed to blossom.
They Should've ...
Picked up a few weapons for Joe Flacco.
Davon Drew isn't the help the passing attack needed. A No. 1 wide receiver
would've been nice to help the explosiveness of the offense. Linebacker was a
need coming into the draft, and the Ravens didn't pick one up.
|
# |
Pick |
|
|
23 |
23 |
1st Round (from New England)
Michael Oher, OT Ole Miss 6-5, 310
There’s absolutely no question that from
the neck down, with a year in a pro weight room and with a
little bit of work, he has perennial Pro Bowl written all over
him. But from the neck up … well, from the neck down he’s a
great physical talent. There’s a major concern about his desire
to be the best in the game and there’s a bigger concern that he
could struggle to handle everything that goes with being a
franchise-caliber tackle who’s supposed to stick on a left side
for the next decade. He needs the right coaching staff and a
mentor who’s willing to provide a bit of a push, but to be fair,
he was groomed by one of the best in the business, former Ole
Miss head coach and current Tennessee assistant, Ed Orgeron.
Orgeron isn’t exactly known for being soft and is peerless when
it comes to line development. It might take a little while, but
Oher will be solid as long as he’s able to overcome adversity
quickly and easily.
CFN
Value Rank: First
Round
CFN Position Rank: 3 |
|
25 |
57 |
2nd Round
Paul Kruger, Utah DE
6-3, 265 (3rd year Soph.)
One of the more
interesting prospects with a wild story, he was beaten up and
stabbed in a fight, was lucky to live, spent two years on an LDS
Church mission, and blew up into one of the stars on last year’s
unbeaten Ute team. A mature, athletic pass rusher who always
goes full-tilt, he’s ready to go right now. However, this is it.
While he can still get a bit bigger, this is basically it.
There’s a ceiling on how good he can become, and he’s not the
type of player who’ll blossom in three years. While he’s not
elite in any one area, he doesn’t have a major, glaring
weakness. There are going to be health issues considering all
the crazy things that have happened to his insides from various
surgeries, but he could be a poor man’s Chris Long.
CFN Value Rank: Second Round
CFN Position Rank: 5 |
|
24 |
88 |
3rd Round
Lardarius Webb, CB Nicholls State 5-10, 180
Originally a Southern Miss Golden Eagle, Webb was booted off the
team and ended up at Nicholls State where he was a star returner
and do-it-all defensive back. He’s not all that big, but has
tremendous leaping ability to make up for it. More than anything
else, he’s really, really fast, coming up with a 4.35 in Indy to
go along with good quickness in the agility drills. For good and
bad, considering his size and frame, he’s not afraid to mix it
up to try to make the big hit. He’ll have to learn how to play
corner at an NFL level after spending a lot of time playing
safety in college, but he has the attitude and the raw skills to
be a sleeper.
CFN Value Rank: Fifth Round
CFN Position Rank: 18 |
|
1 |
137 |
5th Round (from Detroit through Seattle)
Jason Phillips, LB TCU
6-1, 235
Tremendously
productive, Phillips was an all-star over the last few years for
a fantastic Horned Frog defense. Extremely tough, he plays
though injuries and he’s able to get in on every play on sheer
want-to. A mediocre athlete, he’s not going to fly all over the
field and he’s not going to be used much as a blitzer, but he’ll
be a major stat producer in a 3-4 alignment and he won’t miss
any tackles. While bumps and bruises haven’t bothered him, he’ll
have a hard time staying healthy with is smallish size and
history of never being afraid to shy away from contact in any
form.
CFN Value Rank: Fourth Round
CFN Position Rank:
8 |
|
13 |
149 |
5th Round
(from Denver)
Davon Drew, TE East
Carolina 6-4, 260
Big and athletic,
Drew is a former quarterback who grew into the job over the
course of his ECU career. A good receiver and a strong route
runner considering his background at QB, he has the potential to
become a strong target. He's not a good enough blocker for his
size and he'll struggle in pass protection, but he can be
taught. He has the raw tools.
CFN Value Rank: Free Agent
CFN
Position Rank: 21 |
|
12 |
185 |
6th Round (from Denver)
Cedric
Peerman, RB Virginia 5-10, 220
The are a few
teams that will have him as a must-have pickup from the fourth
round on, and more than a few will be ticked off when he’s off
the board. While not a top 100 talent, he’s a tough, smart
player who’ll do anything a coaching staff asks hm. He’s not all
that quick for his size and he doesn’t do anything at an elite
level, he does a little of everything well with the toughness to
be a good ten-carry back who can step in and produce a game or
two here and there. Early on he’ll be a specialist and a special
teamer, but he could be the surprise of the camp and a coaching
favorite.
CFN Value Rank: Fourth Round
CFN
Position Rank: 10 |
2008
The Draft Was
... Filled with second-tier prospects. The Ravens filled
several holes and had plenty of picks to play around with, but
they kept getting players with major question marks. Is Joe
Flacco really a QB to build a team around? Ray Rice is a great
RB pickup, but they already have Willis McGahee. There isn't an
obvious ten-year starter in the lot.
Best Value Pick: Allen Patrick, RB Oklahoma. 7th round.
Considering Baltimore used a second rounder on Rice, getting a
speedy, change-of-pace back like Patrick late was an interesting
flier. It wouldn't have been a shock if the former Sooner had
gone in the fourth round.
Biggest Reach: Joe Flacco, QB Delaware. 1st round. With
his arm and size, the upside is there to be the best quarterback
in the draft, but that's not really saying too much; this could
be a very, very overrated lot of passers. Ray Rice was taken one
pick ahead of Brian Brohm and Chad Henne; Flacco might turn out
to have been a calculated gamble gone wrong.
They Should've ... Gotten more defensive help. This was a
corner-rich draft. Baltimore needed one and didn't get one. The
defensive line wasn't addressed, either.
|
# |
Pick |
|
|
18 |
18 |
1st Round
(from Houston) Joe
Flacco, QB Delaware
The
hot prospect coming out of the off-season workouts, the 6-6,
232-pound bomber has the best arm of anyone in the draft and
it's not even a debate. While he might not have JaMarcus
Russell's cannon, he can fit the ball into any space, anywhere
on the field. The biggest question will be his consistency which
was a big problem in his workouts and will be an even bigger
issue under pressure. He can't move, doesn't have a quick
release, and will be a sitting duck at times unless he can make
quicker reads and can get the ball out of his hands. If he has
the tools around him, especially a killer pair of tackles to
provide protection, he could be a superstar. If he has make
everyone around him better, it's not going to happen.
CFN Value Rank: Second Round CFN Position
Rank: 6 |
|
24 |
55 |
2nd Round
(from Seattle)
Ray Rice, RB Rutgers
It all depends on how much of a chance someone is willing to
give him. Rice has a lot of tread on the tires. A LOT. On the
plus side, he proved he could handle a big workload and was
ultra-durable. However, if you're a believer that a back only
has so many carries in him, the 935 total touches in three years
at Rutgers might mean a short shelf live. Who cares about five
years from now? For the next few seasons, Rice could turn into a
productive, consistent runner at a high level if he's allowed to
pound away. His size, around 5-8, could be a positive as he'll
dart in and out of the line behind his big blockers. Much faster
than he looked on the field, he has the speed to hit the home
run, but that's just gravy. He'll be a consistent
positive-yardage machine if he's a featured back for a stretch.
He's not the type to get a few carries here and there; he'll
need a few series here and there.
CFN Value Rank: Late Second Round
CFN Position Rank: 6 |
|
8 |
71 |
3rd Round
(from San Francisco)
Tavares Gooden, LB Miami
With excellent size to play inside or our, the athleticism to be
a disruptive force in the right system, and coming off a
productive year on a bad team, Gooden has the potential to be a
great pro. The problem is that he'll need time and coaching. He
made a lot of tackles being moved inside in his senior season,
but he has to be on the outside in the NFL. Is he tough enough
and can he handle an NFL playbook? There are just enough
question marks to keep him from being a sure-thing starter.
CFN Value Rank: Late Second Round to Early
Third Round CFN
Position Rank:
17 |
|
23 |
86 |
3rd Round
(from trade)
Tom
Zbikowski, SS Notre Dame
The ultimate tough guy, he was a four-year starter and a good
leader for an Irish defense that was miserable at times before
coming through with an underappreciated 2007. He's a good punt
returner who always makes something happen, and he's a huge
hitter against the run. The problem is his pass coverage
ability; he doesn't have any. He needs to be in a secondary with
some really good corners.
CFN Value Rank: Fourth Round
CFN
Position Rank:
8 |
|
36 |
99 |
3rd Round
Oniel Cousins, OT/OG UTEP
If he can play as big as he looks, and if he can get a few years
to develop, the upside is there. But he's a risk; a massive one.
Originally a defensive lineman, he was good when he didn't have
to use his feet and could simply hit someone, but he struggled
in a big way when given a shot on the left side. The athleticism
is there and the size could make him a guard if need be, but
he's a prospect and is far from a finished product.
CFN Value Rank: Third Round CFN
Position Rank: 8 (as an OT) |
|
7 |
106 |
4th Round
Marcus
Smith, WR New Mexico
With a good combination of size and speed, he's a nice
all-around prospect who can make plays deep and also make things
happen on short to intermediate routes. While he wasn't quite
the deep threat as a senior he was as a junior, he was more
reliable, caught 38 more passes, and produced against the better
defensive backs when he had a shot. He'll need to be in the
right system and in the right situation to stick around, but
there's a good chance he could grow into a special teams/third
receiver role.
CFN Value Rank: Fifth Round CFN
Position Rank:
17 |
|
34 |
133 |
4th Round
David Hale, OT Weber State
There are a ton of warning flags. He has a back problem, is a
bit too old having served two years on a Church mission, and he
didn't really do much against the top shelf players, but he's a
potential player. While he's just not talented enough to start,
he has good size, will battle, and was terrific for Weber State.
He'll be tough to cut.
CFN Value Rank: Sixth Round to Seventh Round
CFN Position Rank:
25 |
|
40 |
206 |
6th Round
Haruki Nakamura, S Cincinnati
Undersized and not that fast, but ultra-productive, he's
simply a football player. Watch tape of him and he'll look like
a world-beater, but he doesn't have NFL measurables or ability.
A nasty run stopper for his size, and a tough producer who'll do
anything needed, he'll be tough to cut.
CFN Value Rank: Free Agent
CFN
Position Rank:
NR |
|
8 |
215 |
7th Round Justin
Harper, WR Virginia Tech
With 6-3, 220-pound size and decent speed, he has the
package of goods, but it never came together on a consistent
basis at the collegiate level. Not a big fan of contact, he
doesn't use his size as well as he should and he isn't polished
as a receiver. He doesn't do any one thing at an NFL level and
is purely a prospect on his measurables.
CFN Value Rank: Free Agent
CFN
Position Rank:
NR |
|
33 |
240 |
7th Round Allen Patrick, RB Oklahoma
Supremely quick with an extra gear he can get to in a hurry.
While he's not all that big, he's not afraid to take a bit of a
pounding. That's a positive and a negative since he doesn't have
the body to take a full-time NFL workload. If he's asked to find
a hole and run through it, he'll shine. If he's asked to be a
starter for any stretch of time, he won't be able to hold up and
will get worse as the game goes on.
CFN Value Rank: Fourth Round
CFN
Position Rank:
18 |
|