RayRocks

1 minute ago, Cillmatic said:

But if he can't play for a long time what's the point?

You can't predict the future - someone we draft instead may end up suffering significantly worse injuries.  If you think Jack is one of the top 3 guys on the board, you take him, unless you really believe this injury is going to effect him in the next 2 or 3 years.

It's also very likely that this information is a smokescreen from a team in the top 10 that wants Jack to fall to them.

1 minute ago, rmw10 said:

More of a long term issue.

Yeah, he may need some micro fracture surgery in 5-6 years.  I don't think most execs worry about longevity like that because so much can happen between now and then.  He's still a top 10 pick regardless.

Mike Thomas from Southern Miss is a very intriguing prospect.  Physically he has all of the tools to be a #1, but he just needs some refinement.  I'd definitely consider him with our first 4th rounder.

I have Correa as an early 2nd round pick and would actually love him at our pick if we don't get an edge rusher (Bosa) in the first round.  He's extremely athletic, explosive and versatile, but he's a bit raw.

I think some team will reach on Shaq Lawson, but I also have him as a second round pick so anything in the first is a reach for him.

24 minutes ago, ellicottraven said:

Man ESPN's Todd McShay has us picking Stanley over Tunsil saying teams have cooled off a bit on Tunsil because of his injury history. He had us pick Stanley over Buckner and Myles Jack. Doesn't make any sense to me, but I'm guessing he may know something most of us don't. Do the Ravens really prefer Stanley over Tunsil, Buckner and Myles Jack you think? If this were to play out, I'll be so devastated considering the excitement and the build up to this draft, it'll feel crushing to many of us. Hopefully, he's just guessing and has zero inside information about what the Ravens are thinking or might do.

I honestly would say that the chances are pretty slim that this happens.  The Ravens likely know that there are 4, maybe 5, elite prospects in this class.  They're guaranteed to have their choice from at least one of them by default with 2 QB's going in the first 2 picks.  The only way I see us not taking Tunsil, Ramsey, Bosa or Jack is if they have Jack or Bosa off their boards due to injury concerns.  In that scenario, I think they'd take a trade back even if the value of the trade wasn't perfectly ideal.  The talent between 7 and 20 in the draft really seems to be pretty even, so I think they'd rather pick up an extra 3rd or 4th to move back a few spots, allowing them to move up later if one of their guys starts to slide.

In my opinion, Stanley's ceiling is about that of Monroe, which isn't worth a top 10 selection.  Monroe is an above average left tackle when healthy, and I really don't think he's a good fit for our zone scheme AT ALL.  I think the worst part about his game is his movement in his lower body, and that is critically important to the zone scheme.

10 hours ago, sflegend89 said:

I'm also curious why Webb was drafted to play corner? If he played safety in college, supposedly has the frame to play safety in the NFL, why would we put him through an unnecessary transition to a new position? Was it perhaps that we didn't think he had the frame to play safety in the NFL. My point is just that we shouldn't assume we have a sure fire starter at FS, I'm highly skeptical of the long term success Webb is going to have at FS dealing with the cumulative, physical nature of an NFL season at an even more physically demanding position.

Well, we had Reed in the prime of his career at FS when we drafted Webb so we had a far bigger need at corner than we did at safety.  Plus, corners are generally more valuable than safeties unless that safety ends up being Ed Reed, Earl Thomas, Troy Polamalu, etc.

26 minutes ago, DomMcRaven said:

 I know right. Jeez time flies by too quick. Next thing you know, in maybe 3 years or whatever, I'm sure a good portion of draft talk is going to be our future starting QB. 

I think Joe has more time than that.  Big Ben has had a lot of injuries over the years, has been in the league 4 years longer, and I don't think anyone expects him to retire in the next couple of years.

I fully expect Joe to play 6-8 more years, assuming he's still playing well.

11 minutes ago, Edgar said:

Switch to a 4-3 alignment deemed as being," so likely it is becoming assumed"

http://www.baltimorebeatdown.com/2016/4/17/11446768/are-the-ravens-moving-to-4-3

I've honestly been calling for it for a while.  I think our personnel fits that system well, and really the only position that we need to fill if we make the switch is linebacker. 

I think the 3-4 defense was great when smashmouth football was the key to winning games, but I think in today's NFL you want as much speed on defense as possible and the 4-3 defense allows for more speed than a 3-4 without sacrificing much pass rushing.

39 minutes ago, JoeyFlex5 said:

stiff is definitely the wrong word. i think first step is the wrong word here too. because those 2 things simply dont apply, not in the least bit.

His bend at the waist is pretty average, at best.  I went back and watched tape from OSU to make sure I wasn't missing anything.  Even in the sack he gets at 2:30 in the game below, he gets by on speed and doesn't bend to get by the tackle.  He sticks his foot in the ground and uses his momentum to get by the tackle.  In the NFL, this wouldn't translate to a sack 95% of the time because NFL left tackles are quicker and have better technique.

In the near-sack he gets at 5:04, he starts lined up outside the TE and the tackle uses terrible technique but still manages to push him past the QB.

In the sack he gets at 6:57, it was a hail marry play and he used speed to get around the tackle again.

Even when you watch his get off the ball (first step), he's often behind the other guys on the line.  This was consistent through his time at OSU and EKU, in the tape I watched.

Again, I don't think he's a bad prospect and this has nothing to do with the 'concerns' people have with his history with party drugs.  Just from a football perspective, I have him as a second round pick, slightly below Kamalei Correa (based off potential).  If you watch Correa, and a lot of other pass rush specialists that are mostly speed guys, you'll notice that they have a lot more bend in their hips going around the corner of a tackle.

Spence isn't nearly as explosive as some people are making him out to be.  If he was as explosive as Von Miller (as one poster said he was the only one with that potential), then he should have had at least 20 sacks last year.

He tested pretty well, but he looks pretty stiff on tape a lot of the time and his first step isn't that impressive.  I think he could turn out to be an okay player and someone you can use as a complimentary pass rusher, but he's definitely not a guy you build a defense around.

I would be furious if we traded away a 2nd, 3rd, 2 4ths and a 5th for Noah Spence.  I'd honestly be furious if we traded away that much for anyone in this draft.

We're almost guaranteed to get at least 2-3 solid players out of those picks based on drafting history.  Unless you're nearly positive that a player is going to be a hall of famer, that is FAR too much to trade.  

I honestly think Noah Spence is pretty overrated by fans and media as well.  I believe he's a top 50 talent, but he's definitely not top 20.  The "top 5" hype was vastly overstated.  I'd be willing to bet a good amount of money that he's not taken in the top 30 and that he'll be taken somewhere between 32 and 50.

7 minutes ago, Maryland said:

I think that might be a little too cheap. Was thinking our 3rd was more realistic. 

Keep in mind we'll be competing with several other teams for such a trade most likely. 

I don't think we'd give up a third - it's so close to a 2nd round pick that we'll have a lot of really good choices there.  I could maybe see a 4th and a future 4th if the front office was absolutely enamored with one of the guys, but we don't trade away 3rd round picks very easily.

1 minute ago, Maryland said:

If it does go QB with the top 2 picks, I can't help but think the odds of Dallas trading with the Ravens increases substantially. Ravens could trade a mid-round pick and get Tunsil or Ramsey (our FO loves Ramsey), and Dallas could get Elliott, whom they really covet. 

Seems like a win-win deal

Would definitely be alright trading our second 4th rounder for that, and maybe swapping a 6th or something (they'd move up 7 slots).

DraftBreakdown just updated their servers this weekend so it shouldn't be running slow anymore.

This is a fantastic mock draft.  Very thought out, realistic and would be exciting.  Good work!

41 minutes ago, usmccharles said:

Yea no one saw Watt coming.  Watt had him on vertical and bench press by a good amount, everything else was identical.  Although i dont want us to get Bosa, i am little more excited about us getting him and  seeing what he becomes if he had a chance to play with Suggs and Doom.  That being said....i dont think we get Bosa or Jack, i see VH3 being our pick. 

I definitely wouldn't say "no one" saw him coming as I know there were a lot of people on the Draft Countdown forums who loved the kid, myself included.  If you watch this video of him, you can definitely see that he was a very, very special player.

I don't think Bosa is as physically talented as Watt, but there are some pretty significant similarities in their game.  Watt is more explosive and stronger, and Bosa is sneakier and probably more refined in his technique than Watt was, coming out.

I personally prefer Bosa, but I like both players.  I have Bosa ranked as the third best player in the draft, and Buckner/Jack tied for 4th.

Buckner and Jack may have higher ceilings than Bosa (although personally I think all 3 have perennial Pro Bowl potential), but I think Bosa is a safer pick. 

44 minutes ago, Winchester said:

Would prefer Stanley Ngakoue and Cravens. I do not really want a cornerback in early rounds. I like will Davis a lot. If he could play 16 games he was clearly the best dback when he played.  Nkemdiche Spence and Cravens completely retools the front 7. it would be cool to trade down and get Stanley at 8 then pick up Cravens and Ngakoue in round2. Then Boyd in early round3 but that is a stretch. Then Demarcus Robinson round4.

I agree that our corner depth isn't nearly as bad as it's made out to be and that Will Davis could be a pleasant surprise.  Between Smith, Wright, Davis and Arrington, (and Webb having the ability to play slot) I think 1 more solid corner as a development/ST guy would be great.  I'd be happy with taking one in the 3rd or 4th round.

Watched some of Clark last night, he's very much a project at this point.  I expect him to be a 5th round pick.

I definitely anticipate Correa to be taken in the top 50 - he's definitely raw, but I think if he was more refined in his technique he'd be getting looks at a top 20 prospect.  He's extremely athletically gifted and looks more natural to me as a rusher than Spence does.

Appreciate the feedback everyone  This wasn't meant to be a "dream" mock, but one I'd be very happy with.

This is the first time I've put out anything more than a 1 round draft mock since my days back at Draft Breakdown with Will Spencer, but here it is:

Round 1, Pick 6:  Deforest Buckner DE Oregon

My current top 5 is (in order) Tunsil, Ramsey, Bosa, Buckner and Jack with VH3 at 6th, but the gap between Jack and VH3 is pretty far, in my mind.  I think if each of my top 5 guys is off the board when the Ravens pick, it means that a QB wasn't taken in the top 5 and we'll trade back with a team looking to jump SF for the QB of their choice.  I think that it's pretty unlikely that a QB won't go in the top 5, and I think of my top 5, the most likely to still be there are Buckner and Jack.

Buckner and Jack have equally high potential, but superstar pass-rushing defensive lineman are much more valuable than a superstar linebacker, in my opinion.

Round 2, Pick 36:  Kalamei Correa, OLB Boise State

Noah Spence has been the "hot name" thrown around here, but his tape really looks like the tape of a mid second-third rounder then it does of the "top 10 talent" that has been thrown around.  Personally, I think Spence may be either off our board completely or ranked lower than fellow pass rusher Kalamei Correa.  Correa is an interesting prospect because of how he was used as Boise, where he looked downright dominant at times as a rush linebacker, but he also dropped into coverage and even played some inside linebacker.  Personally, I have him as a top 30 talent.

Round 3, Pick 70:  Kyle Murphy, LT Stanford

One of the better mid-round left tackle prospects.  Could turn out to be a very good starter, but at least is an upgrade over our current backup, Hurst.

After these picks, I would guess that we'd focus our attention to Corner and ILB help somewhere in our 4 picks in the 4th round.

Thoughts?

The reason I don't think Stanley would be the pick under any circumstance except maybe a trade back, is I don't think he's really the right player for our system.

He's a very good pass protector, and an average (at best) run blocker.  However, I don't think his run blocking style fits the zone scheme at all.  He would do alright in a power system even though he's not that powerful because it just requires him to block the guy in front of him.  Zone schemes require more nimble feet, and that actually stuck out to me as one of his worst qualities.

2 hours ago, Maryland said:

Last year they met with Randy Gregory before deciding they didn't want him. Interviews aren't necessarily an indication of genuine interest. 

I have a feeling they would only take Nkemdiche if he fell kind of far, which seems unlikely considering the Bengals, Seahawks, Bills, Raiders, Cowboys, Rams, Titans, and several other teams have a history of overlooking character concerns, whereas we only tend to forgive players for substance problems.

Nkemdiche is likely to fall at least into the second, if not the third round.  I think there is really very little chance he still goes in the first unless some team falls in love with him (doubtful).

Jack is definitely the BPA in this scenario and I'd be fine with it, although I'm really starting to feel that 2 Qbs will be taken in the top 5 (likely through a trade),  In that scenario, we'd have our pick of Jack and Bosa/Ramsey/Buckner.  I think either of these 3 players would be our pick over Jack, but Jack is my "worst case" scenario in the scenario that at least 1 QB is taken before us.

The rest of the draft looks good to me although I'm starting to think Cyrus Jones will be gone by our 4th.

3 minutes ago, sami said:

how can we have pick #36 in round 4. Wouldn't that be pick #4 in the 5th round?

Compensatory picks