Gino Gradkowski

[JohnJohnson]

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

And what happens when you have a third round grade on a guy who is in the fourth round, but you decide to gamble and wait and hope for him to fall to the fifth? Maybe we should have waited on Ray Rice, because maybe he would have been there. Or Webb, he might have been there in the fourth. Why not just wait for everyone to be undrafted free agents?

Oh yeah....because you DON'T KNOW WHAT OTHER TEAMS WILL DO. That's why you take high value when you see it, and you trade up sometimes to ensure that you get someone. Did we have to trade up to get Pierce? We don't know for sure, but we wanted him and didn't want to take the risk.

[Kwothdaraven]

[quote name='rmw10' timestamp='1335633641' post='1064102']


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.
[/quote]

This. There were probably a bunch of teams waiting to get irving in a later round but ends up going like 14th overall. If he ends up being a stud then it was a brilliant move. We have to see how gradkowski turns out to see what kind of pick thid was worth. If the ravens were willing to take him 3 rounds ahead of most projections then they obviously saw something they loved.

Im just disappointed we didnt take reuban randall when he was there. The giants??? Dont they already have multiple probowl wideouts and one of the best young wrs in the game.

[izvoodoo]

[quote name='arnie_uk' timestamp='1335631147' post='1063827']
reach imo, many had him going undrafted or 6/7th, we could have got him later, or philip blake
[/quote]

I would agree, but I defer to Ozzie on this. I felt the same way to Webb, so if Ozzie says he goes there I assume ozzie's right and they were wrong.

[JohnJohnson]

It doesn't matter where "many" or "most" had him going, all it takes is one team to grab him before he gets to us in the fifth round or later. If we didn't think anyone else was interested, we wouldn't have taken him. Obviously our FO projected that other teams were interested, and that there was a possibility of him not being there in the fifth.

[jimmypowder]

[quote name='ArmyRavensFan' timestamp='1335633494' post='1064081']


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.
[/quote]
We need another speedy receiver bad!!!

[BloodRaven]

Another one:


[quote][size=4][background=transparent][b][u]Scouting Report[/u][/b][/background][/size]
[size=4][background=transparent][b]Strengths[/b][/background][/size]
[size=4][background=transparent]Gradkowski has good size for his position and is versatile enough to play all three positions in the center of the line: center, left guard and right guard. He's also heavily experienced with three years starting at Delaware and has won playoff games.[/background][/size]
[size=4][background=transparent]Gradkowski is athletically gifted and can pull out quickly on screens and running plays and has ideal leverage when attacking defenders. He's smart and picks up a playbook quickly and is a hard working player who will fight for every play.[/background][/size]
[size=4][background=transparent][b]Weaknesses[/b][/background][/size]
[size=4][background=transparent]Gradkowski isn’t that nasty Harvey Dahl-type mauler and is more of a zone player. He’s not aggressive in the second level of the defense and didn’t play against [url="http://bleacherreport.com/nfl"]NFL[/url] level competition while at Richmond for three years.[/background][/size][/quote]


[size=4][background=transparent]There were 3 or 4 centres I wouldn't have minded as long as we didn't take Konz (always hurt) or Ben Jones. This guy seems to have more upside and athleticism than the others (except for Polk who is undersized), he actually has a bit more athleticism than the remaining guards. Hopefully this guy is a stud and pulls it all together.[/background][/size]

[JaxFlaccoFan]

Good pick at the right time. He would not have lasted like some of you are saying. The Texans needed a center and picked Ben Jones right after. Also, the 49ers were high on Gradkowski and likely would have nabbed him. By the way, Delaware is not a D-II school. They are I-AA, now called FCS, a big difference. Anyone who knows football knows Delaware has had an excellent football program for the last 50 years. They have three coaches in the Hall of Fame.

[Crabcakes&Football]

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

Entirely based on speculatory mock drafts.

[MARYLANDMIKE21224]

if you go back and look a lot of really good centers came from smaller schools

[kennygee90]

we need all the linemen we can get for depth.. seems we're getting people to specifically play in our zone blocking scheme..

[Ravenseconbeast]

The more i find information about him, the more i like him. Hope he can see some field action this season next to birk.

[Blex64]

[quote name='Ravenseconbeast' timestamp='1335637953' post='1064567']
The more i find information about him, the more i like him. Hope he can see some field action this season next to birk.
[/quote]

I'm sure he'll be competing for the LG spot with KO and Reid. I'm sure were going to try and groom him to succeed Birk.

[CapoRocky]

I guess Reid feels like McCoy right now. The FO told him that he is going to get a shot at starting at RG and we signed Ose and Grako to compete with him.

[CapoRocky]

This is the land of the free and home of the brave. I would know since I live in Little Italy next to where the Ft. McHenry flag was made. I'm the freest and the bravest of them all. I don't care about neg ratings or when you try to call me names. All I want is to be heard whether or not you can take the message. I want a receiver on the next pick. The NFL is a competitive sport. We have drafted replacements for several positions. Now we need to upgrade the #3 receiver slot. I'm not sure who will return kicks now that the best returners are off the board. The next area to address is kicker. Zuerlein or any other kicker will probably not get drafted. Let's bring him in to compete with Mr. "No-confidence, wide-to-the-left" Cundiff. The people have spoken. Deal with it.

[Blex64]

[quote name='CapoRocky' timestamp='1335639735' post='1064686']
This is the land of the free and home of the brave. I would know since I live in Little Italy next to where the Ft. McHenry flag was made. I'm the freest and the bravest of them all. I don't care about neg ratings or when you try to call me names. All I want is to be heard whether or not you can take the message. I want a receiver on the next pick. The NFL is a competitive sport. We have drafted replacements for several positions. Now we need to upgrade the #3 receiver slot. I'm not sure who will return kicks now that the best returners are off the board. The next area to address is kicker. Zuerlein or any other kicker will probably not get drafted. Let's bring him in to compete with Mr. "No-confidence, wide-to-the-left" Cundiff. The people have spoken. Deal with it.
[/quote]

Protip: Ozzie doesn't take drafting advice from random people on message boards.

[arnie_uk]

[quote name='CapoRocky' timestamp='1335639735' post='1064686']
This is the land of the free and home of the brave. I would know since I live in Little Italy next to where the Ft. McHenry flag was made. I'm the freest and the bravest of them all. I don't care about neg ratings or when you try to call me names. All I want is to be heard whether or not you can take the message. I want a receiver on the next pick. The NFL is a competitive sport. We have drafted replacements for several positions. Now we need to upgrade the #3 receiver slot. I'm not sure who will return kicks now that the best returners are off the board. The next area to address is kicker. Zuerlein or any other kicker will probably not get drafted. Let's bring him in to compete with Mr. "No-confidence, wide-to-the-left" Cundiff. The people have spoken. Deal with it.
[/quote]we got a KR, ask the media who

[truthistold2u]

[quote name='berad' timestamp='1335633402' post='1064071']
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.
[/quote]

Streeter is a great example of what I was talking about. Some fans wanted him at pick 98 and Ravens got him at 198. That's called getting value as they got other players inbetween

[berad]

[quote name='truthistold2u' timestamp='1335647326' post='1065509']
Streeter is a great example of what I was talking about. Some fans wanted him at pick 98 and Ravens got him at 198. That's called getting value as they got other players inbetween
[/quote]

Or it's called being over-valued by the draftniks [i](notice Mel Kiper's top players has barely changed at all for the last few rounds)[/i].

It's only "value" if he amounts to be a good player. Again, it's about how they perform.

[J-man]

Have him sit behind Birk for a year and learn the ropes, then unlease him when Birk decides to hit the road. I like the pick.

[truthistold2u]

[quote name='berad' timestamp='1335647514' post='1065527']
Or it's called being over-valued by the draftniks [i](notice Mel Kiper's top players has barely changed at all for the last few rounds)[/i].

It's only "value" if he amounts to be a good player. Again, it's about how they perform.
[/quote]

It's always about how they perform but if you can get a guy late and other players who can perform with the earlier round picks it just makes the team better

[CapoRocky]

We suddenly have quite a few candidates at guard.

[PurpleReign92]

I think the Guard we picked up with the 2nd pick in the 2nd is going to start day 1 on the left side..

[BMORElegacy]

[quote name='CapoRocky' timestamp='1335639735' post='1064686']
This is the land of the free and home of the brave. I would know since I live in Little Italy next to where the Ft. McHenry flag was made. I'm the freest and the bravest of them all. I don't care about neg ratings or when you try to call me names. All I want is to be heard whether or not you can take the message. I want a receiver on the next pick. The NFL is a competitive sport. We have drafted replacements for several positions. Now we need to upgrade the #3 receiver slot. I'm not sure who will return kicks now that the best returners are off the board. The next area to address is kicker. Zuerlein or any other kicker will probably not get drafted. Let's bring him in to compete with Mr. "No-confidence, wide-to-the-left" Cundiff. The people have spoken. Deal with it.
[/quote]Spoken like a true patriot. By the way. We signed Texas' kicker/punter. He's got quite a leg.

[BMORElegacy]

My only knock on him is his family is a cohort of Pittsburgh fans lol

That youtube video highlighting him has him sitting on the couch in a PENGUINS jersey!! The Caps fan in me wants to slap this kid across the face....but not really, because he could probably break me in half.

[BMORElegacy]

[quote name='PurpleReign92' timestamp='1335680955' post='1066921']
I think the Guard we picked up with the 2nd pick in the 2nd is going to start day 1 on the left side..
[/quote]K.O.!!

[gdwy89]

[quote name='tctony' timestamp='1335630394' post='1063740']
The same [s]small Div-II[/s] FCS (formerly Div 1-AA) 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.
[/quote]

Fixed that for you. Otherwise, well said.

[Ravenslifer]

He'll no doubt get looks at both guard and center this year. I think in 2014 our line will look like this (some left tackle - holding out a sliver of hope Oher turns it on)-KO-Gino-Yanda-Reid.

[truthistold2u]

[quote name='Ravenslifer' timestamp='1335753665' post='1067800']
He'll no doubt get looks at both guard and center this year. I think in 2014 our line will look like this (some left tackle - holding out a sliver of hope Oher turns it on)-KO-Gino-Yanda-Reid.
[/quote]

Jah has a better shot at left tackle than Oher. I'm sure they'll draft more lineman between those years though

[BloodRaven]

[quote name='CapoRocky' timestamp='1335639378' post='1064664']
I guess Reid feels like McCoy right now. The FO told him that he is going to get a shot at starting at RG and we signed Ose and Grako to compete with him.
[/quote]

He still gets a shot but he's not going to just get handed the position.

[CapoRocky]

[quote name='BMORElegacy' timestamp='1335687327' post='1066950']
Spoken like a true patriot. By the way. We signed Texas' kicker/punter. He's got quite a leg.
[/quote]

He can punt,too.