Gino Gradkowski

[Ravenseconbeast]

Who is this guy??

I just looked him up and every board has him at best 7th or undraftable lineman in a small Div-II college.


Anyone know anything about him? Any film/video about him..?

[rmw10]

He's been a steady riser lately. According to La Canfora, "smart teams" put a 3rd round grade on him.

[tctony]

The same small Div-II college that Mr. Joe Flacco came from.

UD has an excellent football program with a great head coach and are consistent contenders, don't knock the guy because he came from UD.

[BirdWatcher]

Mayock raved about him and expects him to play Center for us, eventually.

[Ravenslifer]

Good center, falls mostly because he's from a small school (the one we took our quarterback out of). I would have taken him a bit later, but obviously the FO was high on him. He has been talked about as a fast riser and a sleeper prospect. Most sites I've seen had him in the 4-6 range. Not a good value as a guard IMO, but as a potential center I think it was a good pick, but like I said I would have snagged him in the late fourth or fifth.

[Perfekt]

What happened to in Ozzie we trust. Yea I wanted Joe Adams but our Oline needed to be addressed more then anything.

[Free Agent]

Apparently we really like him when we brought him in for a visit. Walter Football had us taking Gradkowski with our later 4th round pick for a couple of weeks now. Hopefully he can develop into Birk's replacement at center, and at the very least, provide us with some quality depth at center and guard.

[Ravenseconbeast]

Im still trying to look him up. Nothing...lol.

[Free Agent]

[quote name='Ravenseconbeast' timestamp='1335630852' post='1063800']
Im still trying to look him up. Nothing...lol.
[/quote]

Here's some info on him.

[url="http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/players/1272356/gino-gradkowski"]http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/players/1272356/gino-gradkowski[/url]

[arnie_uk]

reach imo, many had him going undrafted or 6/7th, we could have got him later, or philip blake

[truthistold2u]

Better lineman on the board. He could be ok, but he also would have still been there later in the draft

[Ravenseconbeast]

[quote name='Free Agent' timestamp='1335630991' post='1063812']
Here's some info on him.

[url="http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/players/1272356/gino-gradkowski"]http://www.cbssports...gino-gradkowski[/url]
[/quote]

thx...anyone got video of him?

[berad]

[quote name='Ravenseconbeast' timestamp='1335630852' post='1063800']
Im still trying to look him up. Nothing...lol.
[/quote]

Nothing? Google is an excellent search engine - [url="http://profootball.scout.com/2/1175212.html"]LINK[/url]

Played all three interior positions at 1-AA Delaware

[Free Agent]

This should help get to know him a little bit.

[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmrEXDIvmow"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmrEXDIvmow[/url]

[Ravenslifer]

Gino Gradkowski, yeah why the front office took him, I don't know.

What I do know is, in 2008 they drafted a small-school quarterback from a spread, and I said it wasn't a smart move with a 4 year starter like Chad Henne and Brian Brohm still there. They drafted a small scat back in the second round when we just signed Willis McGahee the year before. 2009 they drafted some small-school safety (Nicholls State), what was his name again - Lardarius Webb? 2010 they drafted not one, but two tight ends back to back when Heap was still 28 years old. 2011, who the heck was Pernelle McPhee, and I thought they reached on Jah Reid. Let's give this pick a year or two before we start questioning WHEN he was taken.

[truthistold2u]

Always question when a guy was taken. You can get another player and still get some of the players when you reach

[berad]

[quote name='truthistold2u' timestamp='1335631870' post='1063914']
Always question when a guy was taken. You can get another player and still get some of the players when you reach
[/quote]

You can question it but you really won't know until a few years down the road. Despite what pundits and draftniks publish, they don't have access to the same resources the NFL teams do and often times can't gauge league-wide interest in a player.

[Crabcakes&Football]

Jeez, what happened to "work your magic Oz" "Ozzie will find another late round gem"? No faith.

[truthistold2u]

[quote name='berad' timestamp='1335632455' post='1063968']
You can question it but you really won't know until a few years down the road. Despite what pundits and draftniks publish, they don't have access to the same resources the NFL teams do and often times can't gauge league-wide interest in a player.
[/quote]

How will you know if a player would have still been available later in the draft a few years from now?

[rmw10]

[quote name='truthistold2u' timestamp='1335632568' post='1063984']
How will you know if a player would have still been available later in the draft a few years from now?
[/quote]

And how do you know Gradkowski would have been available when our next pick came around? There were apparently some other teams kind of high on him.

[berad]

[quote name='truthistold2u' timestamp='1335632568' post='1063984']
How will you know if a player would have still been available later in the draft a few years from now?
[/quote]

I was saying you don't know what a "reach" is until a few years down the road.

[Ravenseconbeast]

[quote name='berad' timestamp='1335631344' post='1063854']
Nothing? Google is an excellent search engine - [url="http://profootball.scout.com/2/1175212.html"]LINK[/url]

Played all three interior positions at 1-AA Delaware
[/quote]

thanks for the great help. I can always count on you berad

(moderator3, please take this guy off moderator)

[RavensAllTheWay]

Definitely fills a hole. Plus he'll be under Birks tutoring for at least a season, so I won't complain.

[truthistold2u]

[quote name='berad' timestamp='1335632698' post='1063996']
I was saying you don't know what a "reach" is until a few years down the road.
[/quote]

Sure you can. It's not about if he'll work out. Even if he ends up in a pro bowl you can still speculate who else the Ravens could have had as well as him later.

Lineman were falling all draft. The only thing that would give the pick more credibility is if he works out and none of the other possible players end up doing anything

[da#1ravensfan]

First reaction was bad value but the more i think about it it makes some sense even though most projected him to go in the 7th. The only thing he really lacks is elite strength and size. He is very similar to Birk and Birk was drafted in the 6th and he became a pro bowl player.

[berad]

[quote name='truthistold2u' timestamp='1335633221' post='1064049']
Sure you can. It's not about if he'll work out. Even if he ends up in a pro bowl you can still speculate who else the Ravens could have had as well as him later.

Lineman were falling all draft. The only thing that would give the pick more credibility is if he works out and none of the other possible players end up doing anything
[/quote]

It's all about how he works out. The Ravens and other NFL offices have a better concept of where players will go than Kiper or Mayock. Joe Flacco was probably considered a "reach" at the time but, now, it looks like he should have been drafted even higher than 18.

[JohnJohnson]

[quote name='truthistold2u' timestamp='1335633221' post='1064049']
Sure you can. It's not about if he'll work out. Even if he ends up in a pro bowl you can still speculate who else the Ravens could have had as well as him later.

Lineman were falling all draft. The only thing that would give the pick more credibility is if he works out and none of the other possible players end up doing anything
[/quote]

Um...I'm sorry, do you have a crystal ball? I'm trying to figure out how forum posters apparently know more about where a player should go than our front office. Because it seems to me that you would have absolutely no way of knowing whether or not he would have fallen to our next pick.

[ArmyRavensFan]

[quote name='Perfekt' timestamp='1335630518' post='1063747']
What happened to in Ozzie we trust. Yea I wanted Joe Adams but our Oline needed to be addressed more then anything.
[/quote]

I agree and I wouldnt be upset if we drafted a couple of more lineman and used preseason to find out who is the best. We are pretty stout everywhere else.

[truthistold2u]

The later you can get a guy the better you drafted

[rmw10]

[quote name='truthistold2u' timestamp='1335633495' post='1064082']
The later you can get a guy the better you drafted
[/quote]

As stated earlier, you never know if we could have drafted him any later. He could have been gone. Look at it from both ends of the spectrum.