bioLarzen

Character issues don't make a young guy a good palyer automatically, so no, we do not "need" red flag guys. What may be argued for is that if a great talent falls in our way because of character issues, should it count or not... And this isn't really an argument - the ravens have drafted guys with baggages... There are certain baggage types that are a no-go in Baltimore, and that's why everybody knows that, for example, Joe Mixon won't be a Raven... And just think about it... going with a guy you know isn't in full command of himself is no joke. Some of them, of course, go on proving that they have matured - like our very own Jimmy Smith for example, who was labelled as a potential trpuble guy - and that sank him down the draft order, tight to our roster. BUT For every Jimmy Smith, there is a Titus Young, an Aaron Hernandez, a Randy Gregory, a Rolando McClain, a Justin Blackmon, a Johnny Football, a Josh Gordon... guys who are known to be risky coming out of college - and then go on justifying any fears... Think about that too... not just the potential gain of getting a Lambo at a Prius price... Because it may very well turn out that the Lambo is broken beyond repair and you would be better off with a Prius...

This could be a great draft. Yep, Barnett is likelier gone than still on the board even at #165 let alone at #27 - but one week before the draft last year every single mock had Tunsil go in the 3-6 range, after it became clear the first two picks would be Goff and Wentz, in whicehever order... and look where Tunsil was then drafted... Yep, it took a bong video, but still: strange things can happen until the draft opens next Thursday...

Yep, it could very easily be a pass rusher, a CB, an ILB... I'm still saying at #16 Ozzie simply cannot pick the wrong position. Maybe the wrong guy, but not the wrong position (assuming of course that it won't be a QB, a P, a K and a LS). Even a good TE and S would be welcome - not to mention all the other positions, if real starting caliber talent of that specific position is still on the board when we're n the clock in the first round..

I actually do think this is the likeliest scenario. Trading down would probably not yield us an extra 3rd rounder - maybe a swap of our fourth rounder and their third rounder, maybe even our higher third rounder with their second rounder if they get desperate enough - but an extra fourth rounder and then some (like a siixth rounder) - at least the TVC seems to suggest that. But that would be a gain too, and I'm quite sure there wil lstill be genuine first round talent to find in the 20-25 region.

"Brugler wrote of the selection, “Adding Ross would give the Ravens a track team at wide receiver and plenty of toys for Joe Flacco to play with." ... which would mean pretty little if the O-line doesn't support Flacco and doesn't leave him pocket time enough to dart those big bombs... No matter how much separation these speedsters can get and how well Flacco can throw the ball deep downfield if he's either on his back or running for his life from the likes of James Harrison, Khalil Mack, Jamie Collins and JJ Watt, 2 seconds after snap... And right now we have quite a situation with the O-line... So, I think trying to arm Flacco with a "track team" at WR BEFORE addressing the O-line's issues would be kind of putting the car before the horses...

We haven't signed a receiver - YET. The off season is still young, and there are still gonna be WR's becoming available when the roster cuts start.

I stil lthink that both Mike Williams and Corey Davis will be off the board at #16. And since I cannot imagine Ozzie trading up for either in a draft where he only has 7 picks to begin with, and I also think he won't pick up Ross with such a high pick, I think he won't pick a WR in the first round. And, since there is a definite chance that at least one of the Zay Jones / Cooper Kupp / JuJu / Chris Godwin quartet will still be on the board at #47, we can still get potential starting caliber WR value there. And these 4 guys are the kind of possession/slot receiver types we need, unlike Ross who's a speedster - something we already have in-house in both Wallace and Perriman. Also, the fact that the combined talent value of (a 1st round pass rusher + a 2nd rounder WR) is almost surely higher in this draft crop than that of (a 1st round WR + a 2nd round rusher) - especially that this 1st round WR is almost surely would neither be Mike Williams not Corey Davis... - it seems pretty likely that even if the prevailing forecast of Ozzie picking a puss rusher and a WR with his first two picks, it will much more probably be a rusher in the 1st and a WR in the second. But I'm realizing all this amounts to nothing more than another round of big fat speculation... And it would become obsolete the moment either Williams or Davis sinks to #16 for some reason...

Agree. Stay at #16. Even if there is a trade offer on the table which is VERY favourable for us?

I highly doubt this is the prevailing mindset in the Castle. Any such artificial extra expectation hinders objective analysis of the actual draft situations. I highly doubt Ozzie will draft any different than he would if we won the Super Bowl...

I don't really understand this Blandino-thing. Was there really only one man in the universe who can really understand and apply the rule book, has eyes to see and a voice to communicate? Now that he's gone, are there no more qualified men?

I can only say: thank god Chad Reuter isn't our GM...

"In his latest mock draft, ESPN's Todd McShay went three rounds as if he was running each team's war room (these are not his predictions). For the Baltimore Ravens, McShay addressed four significant needs with their four picks. McShay selected one of the top wide receivers (Clemson's Mike Williams) in the first round, an underrated cornerback (Colorado's Chidobe Awuzie) in the second, and a pass-rusher from Ozzie Newsome's favorite school (Alabama's Ryan Anderson) and a massive right tackle (Vanderbilt's Will Holden) in the third. (Hensley: http://www.espn.com/blog/baltimore-ravens/post/_/id/35167/mcshay-mock-ravens-land-top-wr-in-first-round-underrated-cb-in-second) Dunno, I'm not superstitious and whatnot - and anyway, "what's in a name" - but I'm not sure how I would feel about having a tackle called "Will Holden"

Trade back. One of them will still be available 7-8 spots later, and you net one or two more picks. Solid choice... you think we can pick up a 2nd or a 3rd rounder? to move back 7-8 spots Moving back 7-8 spots to #16 means a net trade value gain of around 250 points (according to the "standard" TVC which most experts still use). That would easily net us a trhird rounder PLUS a fifth or sith rounder in the pick #24-27 region. A second rounder would be a huge steal - those picks are worth about 40-70 points more than 250 points. Not totally out of question if a team gets desperate enough - but I don't think it's a likely scenario. If, however, one of the #28-32 teams wanted to trade up... that could net us their first and second rounder - and maybe then some... However, jumping up that much in the first round doesn't happen too often...

Trade back. One of them will still be available 7-8 spots later, and you net one or two more picks. I agree , trading back and maybe getting another third would be my choice.... Assuming an organization in the 20-32 region trades up wiuth us, it could even net a 3rd rounder and a 5th/6th rounder...

Not to mention his value as a mentor. Without him we only had relatively young and inexperienced guys in the RB classroom... His experience may come invaluable.

They keep projecting everyone to us. Mock drafts should be treated as what they are... mocks. I've seen mocks giving us 2 TE's, a QB and a RB, with no CB and WR... I've seen mocks giving us two WR's with the first two pick...

Trade back. One of them will still be available 7-8 spots later, and you net one or two more picks.

Unfortunately, it's a tad more complicated than that.

And how would you fit his cap figure under the limit?

It's a pet peeve for me... Why do we have to go all through this EVERY SINGLE TIME a big name player MAY become available for trade? 90% of them wouzld not make any sense, if only for cap reasons... It's like hearing that Megan Fox is single, do I start contemplating giving it a try? :)

If there was a draft where Ozzie trading down in the first round was likely, this one is. It seems pretty sure that there will still be prime talent available in the 20-25 region, a trade which could give us a good player PLUS a third and fifth rounder... I would think unless there's a guy Ozzie "covets" still on the board at #16 or there's no suitor for the #16 pick, it's almost obvious he'll trade down into the 20's.

We have a ton of talent - but we have the fewest draft picks in recent memory. Don't expect Ozzie to give up any of them in trades for players.

In fact, it seems like Groundhog Day every single time the draft is nearing... Every single time people seem to go through the same cycle, trying to fish out relevant info from what these guys say, tghen realize there is no such info there.... Every single time. YXear after year... As if they haven't gone through the same thing multiple times... And of course there won't be any real specifics in what they say... these are company secrets, folks. Wha company execs would give away company secrets?

That's usually the case with guys who have a market - Mangold apparently doesn't really have one at this point. It's far less risky to let him walk than it would have been to let guys like Steve Smith or Wallcae walk out of the Catlse without a deal, knowing thjey have other serious offers. That said, it's hard to say anything wise about the Mangold situation with so little info. Maybe we'll be wiser as time goes on.

Our cap situation, on the other hand, would be a nightmare to watch...