Maryland

8 minutes ago, Tank 92 said:

It was a part of the plan, the decision was made to kill it when they went to the new platform. 

Those bastärds!

I really want to believe it's Perriman... but I don't. I think he'll be better, but only somewhat better. I don't think he'll ever be clear-cut #1 WR material.

I'll go with Dixon. As of right now, I really don't see anyone on the roster to hold him back if he continues to progress. We'll probably be longing for him to return before his suspension is up. I don't even think Harbaugh will be able to justify sitting him in the doghouse (especially when you consider his job might be at stake if they start out with a losing record, so he won't have the luxury of sitting good players).

Judon, Alex Lewis, and Correa are all solid picks too, imo. 

Seriously though, find someone who has never visited this site before and challenge them to find the forum page. See how long it takes them to find it. You'll wonder no longer why traffic to this forum is dying: no one can find the damn thing because it's practically hidden.

RSR has the "forum" link as the very first tab in their banner at the top. That's an example of proper website design.

Honestly, if it wasn't so difficult to find this forum from the main page, it would probably have more traffic and new users. It's pretty well hidden as-is. 

When I found this forum, I found it completely by accident. I clicked someone's timestamp in the comments section beneath one of the news articles, which led me to the forum thread where comments are logged. I then navigated to the main forum page where these subsections are by clicking the "Forum" tab. Had I not made that first misclick, I never would have found these forums. To this day, that's the only way I know of to navigate to the forums section from the main page. 

If the Ravens main site had a "Forum" tab alongside all of their other tabs (News, Videos, Photos, Lifestyle, Gameday, etc...) then I can guarantee you more people would post here. As is, it's almost like the site designers don't want anyone to find the forum. 

On 4/30/2017 at 4:58 AM, purplepittabread88 said:

Hey guys, I know coming from someone with nearly no posts this seems strange, but I have been a daily reader of these forums dating back to 2011 and  I've had a few different accounts here and there. I am currently a studying graphic designer, and me and my friend are currently producing a new forums page and I would appreciate it if  you guys could check it out at launch, I know you will love it. I am working hard to duplicate it as close to these forums as possible, but adding a small point of my personal touch. I would hate to see this community fall apart, ranging from Biolizzard, to sami, and even wizards doomsday posts, I've learned to love this community just as much as my ravens. I don't want to deal with clueless Facebook fans, and you guys sure know your stuff. The launch date of the new forum will be May 5th. Apologies for the time, but as a student I'm extremely busy with finals this week. If you have any feedback or suggestions please just email me: forums@purpleflock.com ; this will be a well run and developed community. I only share this now to spread the word before the boards close. This community doesn't have to die. It will take some time to get to full potential, but I can ensure you a safe and efficient board with lots of room to grow. Later down the line (after launch and growth), I would love to write some articles myself, along with having those wiling and capable submit their own articles for use!  Thanks for the read and check us at https://purpleflock.com !!

I must say, that forum is aesthetically pleasing lol. 

18 hours ago, jazz1988 said:

Marqise Lee caught 60  percent of his passes  and had 800 receiving yards with 3 touchdowns.  According to .sportingcharts.com he only had 3 drop passes and his route running at this moment probably far exceeds Chris Moore. Lee also could help with giving The Ravens some depth at kick/punt returner if not start . This is  Jordan Matthews contract year and if Nelson Agholor or Dorial Green Beckham start to show signs of improvement and actually look good in training camp then Matthews could  be the odd man out because those guys bring more to the table and have more upside than Matthews.  The Eagles also drafted two receivers in this years draft with one in the fourth and the other in the fifth but of course it's still possible Agholor and Beckham could be the ones that are cut or traded instead.

Watch Lee play: he's a body-catcher. He's not what this team needs. 

6 minutes ago, Halshayeji said:

I think a 5th gets the job done. Matthews is not great but he's certainly better than just average and certainly better than anyone WR we get in the fifth.

eagles should take whatever they get because they already have 1st rounders on that squad and just drafted 2 more guys. Unless they plan on losing Matthews for nothing then they should take what they can now. 

You don't lose players for nothing in the NFL; you get compensatory picks. 

I would not want to trade a 5th rounder for 1 year of Jordan Matthews. You can get similar production from a street FA like Boldin for ~1 million more in salary without losing a draft pick (assuming you sign them after May 9).

3 hours ago, BOLDnPurPnBlacK said:

And i think its unfair to say Moore has terrible hands. Thats been thrown on him a lot, but i feel like everyones basing it on 2 plays. They were bad drops, sure... but he was a rookie playing in big spots early on. I give him credit for getting that open... and he made a few, very difficult diving catches prior to that. I think he actually has very good hands, he just suffered from making 2 high profile mistakes.... and then wasnt given much of a chance to redeem himself after that.

Moore had bad hands in college, and he was outright terrible at the senior bowl. I remember watching Wentz throw two perfect passes right to him, and he dropped them both. I thought to myself "well, there's no way this kid is getting drafted," and then sure enough... lol. 

That said, maybe he can improve his hands. I doubt it, since that's not something that usually gets better, but I've seen it happen before (Brandon Marshall comes to mind). I hope he proves me wrong. 

And I don't see the Ravens offering enough to get Matthews, but I suppose anything is possible. I honestly don't want him unless it's for a late round pick; he's pretty average.

Also, if y'all just want a forum full of intelligent people to discuss draft prospects, I recommend Walterfootball's forum. A lot of the people there seem pretty knowledgeable. I've honestly learned quite a bit about x's and o's just by observing the conversations that go on there sometimes. Plus there's a few Ravens fans there. And there's a couple Steelers and Browns fans there who are not obnoxious homers, surprisingly enough, which helps keep me abreast of how our division foes are doing roster-wise.

And I'm not talking about the conversations that occur beneath Walt's terrible articles, I'm talking about the actual forum

I guess I'll be moving to reddit's r/ravens subforum. 

There's a learning curve involved, but it seems like a decent forum content-wise. Plus I know reddit has other forums worth reading. Maybe I'll see y'all there. 

Wow, am I the only one here whose username is their irl name? 

15 hours ago, jazz1988 said:

I  like Boldin and always will but I think The Ravens should try to explore other options before even considering him.  I would like to see The Ravens try to explore trade options for players like Jordan Matthews or Marqise Lee. I also wouldn't mind seeing The Ravens express interest in Micheal Floyd who could bring more to the offense than Boldin.

Lee provides nothing that Chris Moore doesn't already provide: quickness and terrible hands.

And I think the only WR the Eagles would be willing to trade is Agholor. They probably see themselves as competing for the postseason this year, so I don't see why they'd part with their 2nd best receiver in Jordan Matthews, especially when he's on a cheap rookie deal.

1 minute ago, Davesta said:

A lot of B- from "draft analysts." I tend to agree. Borderline B, C+. Selecting no offensive skill players is worrisome. Unless Ozzie gave Steve bisciotti a 2 year plan and promise to build him a offense next year. I understand the draft was defense heavy so a lot of teams reach on offense knowing they can grab a good defensive pick in later rounds, ozzie just sitting back and scooping up all the BPA defensive players, but still. Perriman, Wallace, and mike camp is your starting WRs. Dixon out for 4 games. Hmmm 

Honestly, I'm pretty interested and excited to see how our young WRs will play. Will they stay healthy? Will they rise to the occasion? Or will they be injured? Will they outright suck? We'll get much-needed closure on Perriman, Moore, and Campanaro while having the excitement of watching a potential train-wreck! Haha!

@frozen joe flacco fan

I think if we're just grading the draft, it deserves a B. If we're grading the whole offseason, then a different grade might apply.

You can't realistically fill all your holes in one draft. They made each pick count until the Clark pick, and that was in the 6th round. We needed multiple pass-rushers, multiple O-Linemen, and CB depth (or possibly a better starter than Carr, who is old and declining). Replace any of the picks that were made with someone else and you have a hole or decreased depth somewhere else. 

Also, Siragusa was introduced during the post-draft presser as a center/guard, for whatever that's worth. Perhaps he can become that Center you're looking for. In the meantime, he can play LG, which is just as big of a hole.

Anyway, FA isn't over yet. They'll probably add a veteran WR and OL in free-agency before TC starts, maybe even Boldin or Mangold. They also could trade for someone or pick up a cap casualty before the season begins. 

They introduced him as a potential Guard and Center in the post-draft presser... Interesting. 

For what it's worth, he had a high Wonderlic. Intelligence is an important trait to have in a Center: identifying what the defense is doing and keeping his fellow O-linemen on the same page is what Birk excelled at. 

Overall, I'm giving the Ravens a B. They attacked two of their biggest weaknesses, EDGE and OL, by doubling-up at those positions, but they completely ignored the skill positions on offense, WR and TE, which were considerable needs. All of the picks had value somewhere in the "B" range, I thought; no big steals or reaches. The offense is going to be frustrating to watch for 2017, but the defense should at least make games winnable. Here's hoping Ozzie homers Calvin Ridley in the 2018 draft. 

5 hours ago, GrimCoconut said:

I think we didn't want to waste a pick on a guy in a weak WR class. That's what I think happened here. I think we decided to load up on areas where the Draft is strong and avoid those that aren't. We haven't always done this but I think we've changed our strategy in the draft this year. 

Maybe... or maybe Ozzie is targeting Calvin Ridley for 2018 lol

1 hour ago, Static said:

I dont have a problem with this draft but IF the offense sputters this season i don't want anyone saying anything about Joe Flacco.

If Flacco's mechanics are still terrible in 2017, then he will deserve criticism for not improving himself. Yes, OL was part of the problem, but Flacco threw off his back foot on plenty of occasions when he didn't have to.

Craig Ver Steeg is his new QB coach. Hopefully he does a better job than Marty did last season as QB coach. Flacco's mechanics were the worst I had ever seen them in 2016. 

Title says it all. Give me your opinions on strengths, weaknesses, scheme fit, and career outlook for the Ravens' 2017 class of drafted and undrafted players. I linked their respective Draft Breakdown pages for easy watching. (Eluemunor doesn't have any vids, fyi)

Marlon Humphrey

Tyus Bowser

Chris Wormley

Tim Williams

Nico Siragusa

Jermaine Eluemunor

Chuck Clark

UDFA class will be posted later after information becomes official

Updated original post

Looks like we finally bucked the trend of interviewing our first-round pick. 

I will highlight UDFA signings as more information comes in. For now, the only UDFA on this list is Tim White.

For the reasons others have mentioned, I am not going to act like the sky is falling regarding our offensive outlook for 2017, at least not yet. There's some room for optimism.

Cons:

Lost Juszczyk, Wagner, Steve Smith, Aiken, Ducasse in FA. 

Pros:

Marty gets to start the season as OC instead of inheriting Trestman's offense. The chemistry and playcalling should be intrinsically better than last year's. Plus Greg Roman has been brought in to help our running game and TEs. 

Drafted Siragusa and Eluemunor, one of whom might fill the hole at LG (most likely Siragusa) while Alex Lewis moves to his natural OT position on the right side.

Losing Zuttah is irrelevant, as Jensen is an equivalent player. 

Signed Woodhead to be the pass-catching RB we haven't had since Rice. Dixon looked good his rookie season, so hopefully he breaks out (after his 4-game suspension is up).

Nick Boyle (knock on wood) will finally get to play a full season, transitioning to FB most likely, which gives us an intriguing replacement for Juszczyk. 

Perriman (knock on wood) will get to participate in TC for the first time in his career. Year three is usually the year players breakout... if they breakout.

Free-agency is not over. We can still look to someone in FA to fill our biggest holes. Some names to consider: Boldin, Vjax, Mangold, Clady, King Dunlap, Evan Mathis. 

So, while I'm not expecting a good offense, I'm thinking/hoping we can be average. After pouring so many resources into defense, an average offense should be enough to win, since the defense should make it so that our offense doesn't need to score a lot of points. If we end up with a bottom-ranked offense, then, well, you can just say 'I told you so,' lol. 

I thought more of the big-name UDFA WRs would want to come here considering the lack of competition. Sad to see Stringefellow and Dural go elsewhere, but it's possible our scouts had no interest in either one anyway.

Oh well. Hopefully one of Quincy Adeboyejo, Tim Patrick, Tim White, and/or whoever else we sign can be the next UDFA gem. Source

2 hours ago, Davesta said:

So are we making that call to mangold and boldin soon? 

I sure hope so; we seriously need a possession receiver. We're already set with tons of speed, but I don't feel comfortable with Wallace, Perriman, Moore, and/or Camp as our only receivers. Wallace is a body-catcher, Perriman is injury-prone and drops too many passes, Moore drops waaaay too many passes, and Camp has never played more than 4 games in a season due to injuries. Boldin is just what we need: someone who can make a tough catch. 

As for Mangold, although it's possible we could enter 2017 starting a center who is already on our roster, I can bet you he's not as good as Mangold. Signing him would provide peace of mind at the position. That said, I wouldn't feel terribly vulnerable without Mangold. Jensen played better than Zuttah last season, which isn't saying much, but he's a capable starter. 

Problem, as usual, is cap space. They have yet to cut Watson and Arrington (they need to pass a physical exam before they can be cut without cap penalty). Those two, if cut, would combine for 6.7 mil in cap savings, so perhaps it's possible to make a small FA signing or two. We still need to sign our draft picks first though... 

Here's hoping we can find another Alex Lewis on day 3... and then a 3rd Alex Lewis to play center (since Harbaugh said he's so versatile he could do that, lol, yeah right). OL, WR, Safety depth, receiving TE, ILB... all areas to address. 

Mini-big board for day 3:

I loved Malachi Dupre at LSU. He's seriously underrated due to their terrible OC and QB situation. Kid can make tough catches and get open. Stringefellow has the physical attributes to be a big, tough possession receiver, though he seriously lacks speed.

Carl Lawson might be a decent edge LB, although I kind of doubt we draft a 3rd edge LB (plus he may not even be on our board for medical reasons).

Jake Butt could sit on IR for a year and then seriously compete as a starting TE for 2018 (this might work well since then we wouldn't have to release any TEs this year). Bucky Hodges could be a serious redzone threat at TE.

Desmond King could be a good developmental FS or depth S/CB. Nate Gerry impressed me last year with his instincts, could be a good overall safety. 

Oh, and since we need a P/K returner, let me throw Will Likely's name into the mix as a UDFA returner and nickle corner. 

First, I want to say that I love the strategy of just attacking the draft to address one shallow position. Our FO attacked the LB position and came away with some nice talent on the edge. Suggs, Judon, Bowser, Williams... we now have excellent depth. Correa may even contribute as well. Same goes for our CB corps: Jimmy, Carr, Young, Humphrey. ...Hopefully this strategy works better than the time they drafted 3 TEs in 2015 (Maxx, Boyle, Waller) 

-

I like the Bowser pick if he develops into an every-down edge LB. He's got insane athleticism (near top of the list in all drills at the combine among LBs), and he has experience playing off the line as a traditional 3-4 LB, but he's a bit inexperienced as a legit pass-rusher. He's going to need to be coached up.

I was somewhat underwhelmed with the Wormley pick (I really wanted someone with more upside like Kpassagnon), but Wormley is guaranteed to be a solid player. He's going to come in and immediately upgrade the 5T position with only Urban and Kaufusi as his competition. He's not going to provide much of anything as a pass-rusher, but he's going to be solid and versatile, kind of like Lawrence Guy. Plus he's a very high-character person, so that's a plus. 

Tim Williams is the best pure pass-rusher in this class, but his ability to pass drug tests is a major concern. He's going to be a great DPR from day 1, but he needs to stay off the suspension list, otherwise he'll be the next Randy Gregory. I love watching him play though: he's always the first person off the line, nearly blowing by the OT before he's even out of his stance.