Wide Receivers/o Lineman Or Defense: Where Would You Go In The Draft This Year?

[Milton145]

Next year our cornerback corps will be better as we will have Foxworth back in the lineup. While a lot of this plays on Free Agency, if we can retain Wilson or Carr (whichever comes cheapest) we should still look good in our CB core with Foxworth/Webb/Wilson or Carr or retain both if we can.

Ray Lewis is showing no sign of retirement and McClain and Ellerbe just keep getting better and better but it would make sense to draft a highly ranked linebacker to bring in some good competition at the position.

Ed Reed is always a mystery to us so it'd be fine to draft another FS as Nakamura is hot and cold and Zibby (while very talented) doesn't have the same playmaking ability at FS that our defenses needs.

Landry, who is a solid tackler and a very rough player which I like, constantly looks like a fool in coverage. He doesn't have the speed or burst to make up a lot of ground which causes us to give up big plays.

While we have a good mix of youth and vets at D Line, our pass rush isn't where we want it to be. It's getting there, but not quite the dangerous unit we want. Headlined by Ngata and Suggs, we have Terrence Cody who got more and more involved as the year went on and Paul Kruger who really showed spark in the pass rushing game at times. Corey Redding was also a difference maker as the year went on.

Jarret Johnson didn't have one of his best years at OLB and at times lost a few snaps to Prescott Burgess because of conditioning. He missed a lot of tackles and is hot and cold in the pass rushing department. With Johnson's declined play and questions surrounding Sergio Kindle's return, it may be wise to draft a highly rated hybrid DE/OLB.

On the offensive side, Birk (much like JJ) has declined in play and gets pushed off the line and gets muscled at times. Chris Chester proving to not be very reliable at Guard, should we spend a high pick on one in the draft if Gaither does not return so Yanda can be in his rightful spot?

Derrick Mason and T.J. are another year older. Do we go for their replacements with our first 2 picks or do we slowly bring our WRs up and hope guys like Justin Harper or David Reed develop and eventually push them for more snaps?

My personal opinion leans towards bringing in more playmakers on defense. Your thoughts?

[Ed_Reed20]

[quote name='Milton145' timestamp='1295292640' post='613061']
Derrick Mason and T.J. are another year older. Do we go for their replacements with our first 2 picks or do we slowly bring our WRs up and hope guys like Justin Harper or David Reed develop and eventually push them for more snaps?
[/quote]

There are numerous questions and some situations will become clearer in the coming months.

To answer that speciific point though, a WR [i]has[/i] to be drafted within the first three rounds. Reed has talent but is just one guy and I don't have much faith in Harper.

[Milton145]

[quote name='Ed_Reed20' timestamp='1295293227' post='613101']
There are numerous questions and some situations will become clearer in the coming months.

To answer that speciific point though, a WR [i]has[/i] to be drafted within the first three rounds. Reed has talent but is just one guy and I don't have much faith in Harper.
[/quote]

Forgot to put this in my original post but which guys do you actually see, or would like to see the Ravens draft at Wide Receiver? (or the position you think we should draft) I don't watch college football very much so I would just like to know.

EDIT: Also I know he's probably just a camp body but we shouldn't look past James Hardy who might have a turn around season. You never know.

[Ed_Reed20]

[quote name='Milton145' timestamp='1295293443' post='613110']
Forgot to put this in my original post but which guys do you actually see, or would like to see the Ravens draft at Wide Receiver? (or the position you think we should draft) I don't watch college football very much so I would just like to know.

EDIT: Also I know he's probably just a camp body but we shouldn't look past James Hardy who might have a turn around season. You never know.
[/quote]

The ideal guy is Julio Jones but he'll likely be long gone. Dwayne Harris, Greg Little, Ronald Johnson and Titus Young are guys I like personally.

Like Harper, I have little faith Hardy will do much but I'd love for him to surprise me.

[reediddy]

[quote name='Milton145' timestamp='1295292640' post='613061']
Next year our cornerback corps will be better as we will have Foxworth back in the lineup. While a lot of this plays on Free Agency, if we can retain Wilson or Carr (whichever comes cheapest) we should still look good in our CB core with Foxworth/Webb/Wilson or Carr or retain both if we can.

Ray Lewis is showing no sign of retirement and McClain and Ellerbe just keep getting better and better but it would make sense to draft a highly ranked linebacker to bring in some good competition at the position.

Ed Reed is always a mystery to us so it'd be fine to draft another FS as Nakamura is hot and cold and Zibby (while very talented) doesn't have the same playmaking ability at FS that our defenses needs.

Landry, who is a solid tackler and a very rough player which I like, constantly looks like a fool in coverage. He doesn't have the speed or burst to make up a lot of ground which causes us to give up big plays.

While we have a good mix of youth and vets at D Line, our pass rush isn't where we want it to be. It's getting there, but not quite the dangerous unit we want. Headlined by Ngata and Suggs, we have Terrence Cody who got more and more involved as the year went on and Paul Kruger who really showed spark in the pass rushing game at times. Corey Redding was also a difference maker as the year went on.

Jarret Johnson didn't have one of his best years at OLB and at times lost a few snaps to Prescott Burgess because of conditioning. He missed a lot of tackles and is hot and cold in the pass rushing department. With Johnson's declined play and questions surrounding Sergio Kindle's return, it may be wise to draft a highly rated hybrid DE/OLB.

On the offensive side, Birk (much like JJ) has declined in play and gets pushed off the line and gets muscled at times. Chris Chester proving to not be very reliable at Guard, should we spend a high pick on one in the draft if Gaither does not return so Yanda can be in his rightful spot?

Derrick Mason and T.J. are another year older. Do we go for their replacements with our first 2 picks or do we slowly bring our WRs up and hope guys like Justin Harper or David Reed develop and eventually push them for more snaps?

My personal opinion leans towards bringing in more playmakers on defense. Your thoughts?
[/quote]

I agree about the secondary. I'm thinking that a secondary with Foxworth/Wilson/Webb/Carr can be borderline elite. If we can sign Asomugha, though, that'd be wonderful.

In terms of MLB, I think Ray Lewis probably has one more year in him, and I absolutely love what I see out of Ellerbe. He plays the run ferociously and isn't too bad in coverage. I think he successfully played his way out of Harbaugh's doghouse this year. McClain, I really think he is more suited for OLB. Again, when he burst onto the scene, he was at the OLB, wreaking havoc off the edge. I would call for him to spell or maybe start over JJ next season.

In terms of the DL, I think Terrence Cody can supplant Kelly Gregg as our next great cog in the middle, along with Ngata. We haven't seen the pass rush ability of Kruger that we've been hoping for, so it'd be safe to assume we could go for a pass-rushing DL in the draft, someone to learn behind Redding and possibly start over him next season. There's a lot of good DL talent coming from college.

The OL definitely needs some work and I think resigning Gaither is a top priority. By having him at LT, we move Oher back to RT, and Yanda in at RG, and that makes a monstrous OL. Chester absolutely wasn't cutting it at RG. At center, Birk is solid but the position needs to be addressed. Why we didn't retain Jason Brown still stuns me.

Finally, the WRs. I personally want TJ to stay, and I think Mason will retire. Hence we need to find a #1 target or something resembling a #1 target in the draft. Someone needs to create separation, and that's also in part reliant on the plays called by Cam. I hope this offseason he works on creating plays that can maximize the playmaking ability of our receivers.

[Ravenslifer]

I agree, a wideout needs to be drafted early, a guy that has the potential to make an impact right away. It all comes down to bpa though, especially in the first round. If we picked up a wideout, I'd be thrilled, but another pass rusher, a top corner, or a good olineman would also be welcome here. If not the first round though, then definitely by the second or third we need to take somebody at the receiver position. We have only taken one in the first two rounds since 2000.

[OLD SCHOOL SMASH BALL]

TRENCHES- O Tackle, Edge Dline pass rusher. Get best available first