Looking Back: 2008 Draft Class

[flynismo]

I was thinking about our draft class last year, and wondering how it will measure up in comparison to our classes from years gone by.

For those who do not remember or were not following us last year, here is how our draft went:


1st Joe Flacco
2nd Ray Rice
3rd Tavares Gooden
3rd Tom Zbikowski
3rd Oniel Cousins
4th Marcus Smith
4th David Hale
6th Haruki Nakamura (sp?)
7th Justin Harper
7th Allen Patrick


My initial grade for the draft was a solid A-. At the time, I felt Flacco was the best prospect at QB (still do!), and was absolutely elated when Rice fell to us in the second round. I loved grabbing Gooden in the third; I've always thought of him as a faster Bart Scott.
Truth be told, although I was very pleased with our first three selections, I hated the rest of our draft. Felt that Zbikowski was a reach, and too much of a project to be taken so soon. Oniel Cousins was a bust waiting to happen, and other than Nakamura, I had no idea who the rest of these other guys even were.
I would have dropped the grade to an overall B, but I felt that Flacco and Rice were superstars in the making, and on their talent alone I decided to give us an A-.


Now that we've had a full season to evaluate everyone, I thought it would be a good time to reflect on the draft and where our franchise is heading.

1) Flacco- We all know his story by now; no need to rehash. Baltimore hit the lotto with this pick.
2) Rice- Has been dominant throught TC/Pre-Season. Will be McGahee's replacement when the time comes. Expected to get the majority of the carries this year already.
3) Gooden- Groomed from day one to be Bart Scott's successor. Still has a lot to prove; but has all the tools to follow in the steps of Sharper, Hartwell, Thomas and Scott as a product of a great system.
4) Zibby- Excellent production when he was on the field, and even took over kick returning duties. What I thought was a reach is looking like an absolute steal; he will probably push Landry out of town if he progresses.
5) Cousins- So far, has been horrible. Bust.
6) Smith- Remains to be seen. Was my personal sleeper pick on the Ravens' offense until he got placed on the IR.
7) Hale- Eww. Some people seem to like him. I'm not one of those people.
8) Nakamura- The Asian Ed Reed. Well, at least in style. Very intelligent kid with a nose for the ball and a nasty streak. No one can ever replace Reed, but when it's time for Nakamura to take his place, I will feel comfortable knowing Ed left us in good hands.
9) Justin Harper- Has performed well the last several months. Will fight for a back up role, and could very well get it. Has flashed some potential, and could eventually start for us one day if he progresses.
10) Allen Patrick- Good riddance.

The selections of Flacco and Rice layed the foundation of our offense for years to come. Both have Pro Bowl potential. In addition to them, we found another starter in Gooden, and two safeties who in all likelihood will be starting as well within the next couple years. And Smith and Harper are wild cards; they each have potential to have productive NFL careers.

Our 2008 draft class appears to be the deepest in Ravens history, and for that matter, the deepest and most talented in recent memory for any NFL team (honorary mention goes to Atlanta for a spectacular class last year as well).

Up to this point in time, I'm going to revise the grade from A- to A+. Amazing job by our FO.

[Alexir]

1st Joe Flacco-Pretty solid so far, looks real great this year and has taken the leadership position of the offense (which was my biggest gripe on him)

2nd Ray Rice- Oh Jeez, dont burn me at the stake. But I am not impressed by Ray Rice due to the fact we got him in the 2nd round. The same round where backs like Matt Forte, Lendale White, Maurice Jones Drew and even JJ Arrington came out of and put up solid numbers as a rookie. Not to mention even Kevin Smith, 3rd Rounder, put up some pretty decent numbers compared to him. Hopefully he will be a great asset to this team but for the 2nd pick in the 2008 draft, I feel we could have gotten better talent especially since even then we had CB and WR problems and Willis, Musa, and Cory were still on our roster.

3rd Tavares Gooden-T Good is now a starter on Defense and basically Ray Lewis Lite. I thought he was one of the best LBs in the draft besides Rivers, Mayo and Lofton.

3rd Tom Zbikowski-Haven't really seen anything great from him at training camp or in preseason. I think we should try him out at PR though...good ST though...

3rd Oniel Cousins-Adds depth to the line but thats about it. Will probably never be a starter in the NFL.

4th Marcus Smith-0 catches last year and on the IR this year.

4th David Hale-He can play guard, tackle and center. Great to have on a team.

6th Haruki Nakamura (sp?)-Great value for going in the 6th. Is the 3rd best safety on the team after Reed and Landry. Awesome ST'er too.

7th Justin Harper-Don't want to jinx it but is he our Marques "7th round" Colston? Possible Gem.

7th Allen Patrick-Guess who was taken off the board 9 picks after Patrick? Chris Horton [img]http://boards.baltimoreravens.com/public/style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif[/img]


Overall B because we got a Franchise QB, Bart's replacement (ray's someday), A good RB in Rice (still dont like the value but he will be good) and a Gem in Harper. Also if Reed/Landry go down Ruki can step up. Wish we got Chris Horton instead of Zibby though.

[BloodRaven]

I always wondered why we passed on OT Carl Nicks (beastin it up in New Orleans no less)

At least its no 2005 draft *shudders*

[T-Sizzle55]

[quote name='flynismo' date='26 August 2009 - 09:39 PM' timestamp='1251337183' post='225220']
1st Joe Flacco
2nd Ray Rice
3rd Tavares Gooden
3rd Tom Zbikowski
3rd Oniel Cousins
4th Marcus Smith
4th David Hale
6th Haruki Nakamura
7th Justin Harper
7th Allen Patrick
[/quote]

That was an amazing draft for us. Most of these guys are stars already. The rest just need a little more time. Oniel Cousins is not a bust. We took him for his potential. We knew he was a 3 year project. He has great power and I counted at least 3 pancakes against the Skins. He needs to work on technique and get more comfortable. That will help in his consistency. Hale is going to be a great protege at center for Matt Birk. He just needed to find his niche and i think he found it at center. He was a great pass protector in college and didn't give up a single sack his senior year.

We cut Allen Patrick, but later picked up Jalen Parmele. We also picked up an undrafted Jameel McClain. He's now fighting T. Gooden to start next to Ray Lewis. Great Draft!

[Bltravens]

Rice`s versatility and potential vastly outweigh lendale whites, the players you all pointed out actually played their rookie years except for MJD who split time. JJ Arrington lost his job his sophmore year in the season with the cards drafting of Hightower and the re-emergence of Edge, and now all of them have lost their starting jobs to beanie wells. Rice only had 107 carries last year

[Alexir]

[quote name='Bltravens' date='27 August 2009 - 12:27 AM' timestamp='1251347271' post='225290']
Rice`s versatility and potential vastly outweigh lendale whites, the players you all pointed out actually played their rookie years except for MJD who split time. JJ Arrington lost his job his sophmore year in the season with the cards drafting of Hightower and the re-emergence of Edge, and now all of them have lost their starting jobs to beanie wells.
[/quote]

As for Kevin Smith and Steve Slaton? I am just saying for a 2nd rounder we could have gotten better or just got Rice in the 3rd.

MJD's 2006 rookie year was amazing!

[ravensgurl]

[quote name='Alexir' date='27 August 2009 - 12:30 AM' timestamp='1251347419' post='225291']<br />As for Kevin Smith and Steve Slaton? I am just saying for a 2nd rounder we could have gotten better or just got Rice in the 3rd.<br /><br />MJD's 2006 rookie year was amazing!<br />[/quote]<br /><br /><br />

i do not think that ray rice will have dropped to the 3rd round, wasn't he suppoesed to get drafted in the late first to early second round?

[Ravensfan23]

I still think it is too soon to judge last years Draft. You generally need about 3 years to get a good ideal of what you drafted. So with that time table, i'll look back to the 2006 draft and see how well we did.

Here is an write up from Ravens 24x7 from three years ago about the [url="http://www.ravens24x7.com/column_view.php?cid=14&id=133&view=archive"]2006 Draft Grade[/url]

The stand outs from this draft are Ngata, Landry and Koch, which both Chester and Marting still around providing good depth, and DWill hoping to have a breakout year.

That's 6 guys from that draft that's helping this team, i would say that makes a good draft.

I remember going into and coming out of that draft many Ravens fans were bashing Ozzie. Saying Savage was the brians and the real draft guru. Phil got one over on Ozzie making him trade up for Ngata, how many people would trade up for Ngata now?

When you think about that draft it was pretty much Ngata for Wimbley and Oshinowo. I think if you ask Browns fans they would gladly take Ngata.

Landry, Ngata, and Koch are all studs and don't be surprise to see all 3 in the Pro Bowl this year.

Last years draft was sexy with the picks of Flacco and Rice, but i would say be patient. Many will call Cousins a bust, but he is really following the same path as Chester. Chester is starting to come into his own 3 years later and Cousins could do the same. Hale could be a swing Olinemen, playing OG and C. Zibby and Nakamura could both be big players, T. Good could be our started this year. Both Marcus Smith and Harp could be good WRs for us. That would be 9 players from that draft to have an impact, but right now we just don't know. Wait and see.

Next year this time we will be able to put that 3rd year stamp on the 07 draft. Grubbs, Yanda, Troy, McClain, Barnes, Gaither, and Bugress could all have some type of impact for the Ravens this year. It'll be interesting to see how people view these guys this time next year.

It's too soon for 2008, but for the 3 year progress of the 06' class, i have to give them an A for Ngata, Landry, and Koch, possible A+ depending on how DWill, Martin, and Chester perform this year.

[Ed_Reed_Pick_Six]

I must admit I was thinking of this years draft when I selected a 'B' grade! That's definitely an A, great draft. Getting Flacco and Rice alone was huge.

[flynismo]

I know it is a bit early to make any concrete evaluations regarding the '08 draft; just thought since we have a year under the belt it would be cool to take a look back and see where this draft is headed.

[Ed_Reed_Pick_Six]

Of course - I thought it was an interesting article. It's good to see everyone we picked on paper; and I think its safe to say we did an excellent job. Didn't we get Gaither from the supplementary draft also?

[flynismo]

[quote name='Ed_Reed_Pick_Six' date='27 August 2009 - 01:27 AM' timestamp='1251350829' post='225306']
Of course - I thought it was an interesting article. It's good to see everyone we picked on paper; and I think its safe to say we did an excellent job. Didn't we get Gaither from the supplementary draft also?
[/quote]

Yep, Gaither was a fifth round supplementary pick. Not too shabby, eh?

[Ed_Reed_Pick_Six]

Not bad at all. Physical beast that man. I'm hoping Michael Oher has a great career; especially considering his upbringing.

[Samari]

I think it might go down as the best draft in Ravens history after 96 of course...

[Ed_Reed_Pick_Six]

Does someone have a list of the 1996 draft?

[berad]

Too early to accurately access, give it a couple more years.

[Elmo]

[quote name='Ed_Reed_Pick_Six' date='27 August 2009 - 08:48 AM' timestamp='1251355736' post='225322']
Does someone have a list of the 1996 draft?
[/quote]

1996 - Baltimore Ravens
Rd Sel # Player Position School
1 4 Jonathan Ogden G UCLA
1 26 Ray Lewis MLB Miami (Fla.)
2 55 DeRon Jenkins DB Tennessee
5 153 Jermaine Lewis WR Maryland
6 172 Dexter Daniels LB Florida
6 186 James Roe WR Norfolk State
7 238 Jon Stark QB Trinity International

[PIG 20]

I give it an "A". Next to 1996, the 2008 draft has potentially landed us a franchise QB and the running back of the future in Ray Rice. Not to mention what we will see from Gooden, Zibby, and Haruki. Then you have the unknown in Justin Harper.

So essentially we have 5 guys who already will make the 53 man roster and a WR who has some potential. I'm not really adding Marcus Smith into anything because he really didn't show me much last season and at this point, he's pretty much done for this entire season this year.

Although IMO you can't even grade the 1996 draft. Two HOF 1st round draft picks and both of those picks will finish their careers with the same team. And they both will retire as Super Bowl champions no matter what happens this season or beyond. They never left, Ravens for life!

You can't put a grade on that. In a world of free agency, things like that just don't happen.

[Ravensfan23]

[quote name='flynismo' date='27 August 2009 - 02:06 AM' timestamp='1251353209' post='225313']
Yep, Gaither was a fifth round supplementary pick. Not too shabby, eh?
[/quote]

Gaither was slected in the 07' draft. That was the we started building the offense.

Yanda, Grubbs, Gaither, and McClain were taken from that 07 draft. Nothing special on draft day, but now looking at those guys grow. That draft could be special.

That's why I say its too soon for the 08 Class. As good as Flacco and Rice look right now, we just don't know. They both could have a bad year and never recover mentally.

Cousins could continue to work hard and become a much improved player this time next year. Harper and Smith could be solid WRs for Flacco.

Haruka and Zibby could have poor seasons. Think about the rookie Ronnie Prude. He had a really good rookie year in 06', but then was out of the leauge by 08.

So you have to give these guys time.

[tweety]

How can you not give the grade an A with 3 of the players as starters. Finding a franchise QB alone is an A in anybody's draft. That is the hardest position to fill.

[MKdave]

Anytime you draft your franchise quarteback, it's a great draft. But to find your starting running back aswell, and to have them both starting just one year later. Plus 3 guys who figure to contribute this year (Zibby, Nakamura, and Justin Harper). That, after one year, warrants an A in my opinion.

[BuckWilds]

[quote name='Alexir' date='26 August 2009 - 10:19 PM' timestamp='1251339540' post='225231']
1st Joe Flacco-Pretty solid so far, looks real great this year and has taken the leadership position of the offense (which was my biggest gripe on him)
[/quote]

You had a gripe with a rookie QB, learning a system for the first time, insofar as you think he didn't show enough leadership?

sigh...

[ravensfan160]

[quote name='tweety' date='27 August 2009 - 08:29 AM' timestamp='1251376161' post='225365']
How can you not give the grade an A with 3 of the players as starters. Finding a franchise QB alone is an A in anybody's draft. That is the hardest position to fill.
[/quote]
+1

[jfc13]

I give it an A.

It has the one-two-three punch of Flacco, Rice and Gooden? If they become what it looks like they are becoming, anything the other guys on the list do well is just icing on the cake.

Of course, we need a couple more years to know for sure, but I'm confident in those guys.

I give the 1996 draft an A also, because ... Ray and Ogden... It may be only two players, but... dayum.

[bce086]

We could have gave away all our picks after Flacco and Rice, and I still would have graded it an A+. That was an excellent draft for us.

[Alexir]

[quote name='Zhamtao' date='27 August 2009 - 08:52 AM' timestamp='1251377531' post='225371']
You had a gripe with a rookie QB, learning a system for the first time, insofar as you think he didn't show enough leadership?

sigh...
[/quote]

No my biggest gripe was the fact that I did not think he can take on a leadership persona with the quiet, laid back personality he has.

[Alexir]

Also, one of the best parts of the 2008 draft that no one mentioned so far: Fabian Washington! We would have struggled a lot if we didn't end up getting him. Still think we should have gotten Terrell Thomas as well in the second but oh well we got Ray Rice, lets see what this kid can do.

[Bltravens]

[quote name='Alexir' date='26 August 2009 - 10:30 PM' timestamp='1251347419' post='225291']
As for Kevin Smith and Steve Slaton? I am just saying for a 2nd rounder we could have gotten better or just got Rice in the 3rd.

MJD's 2006 rookie year was amazing!
[/quote]

Slaton and Smith both were their respective teams feature backs, with Slaton earning the role after the 1st third of the season. if rice gets the ball the same amount as those two and doesnt produce you have your answer. But its impossible to compare rice, smith and slaton right now when rice has 107 carries to his name. And MJD was drafted in 06, its not everyday your gonna find a 5'6 bulldozer who can actually move too.

[Alexir]

That is exactly my point on Rice. If he was so good we had to take him as a number 2 how come he didnt contribute like a second rounder. McGahee missed alot of training camp and Rice couldn't push a Full back for more playing time? [img]http://boards.baltimoreravens.com/public/style_emoticons/default/rolleyes.gif[/img] We had trouble with KR/PR and he barely got any attempts at that too. I am just saying the value really isnt there seeing how Smith beat out all competition and Slaton beat out all competition.

[flynismo]

Ironically, Rice is very similiar to MJD. Doesn't quite have his power, but other than that I think those two are a great comparison.