2016 DB Prospect Thread

[The Oakland Cathedral]

What do you guys think of Clemson's cornerback, Mackensie Alexander? If the Ravens pick around 10-ish, he could be the next best DB after Ramsey and Hargreaves. I was reading up on him and he definitely sounds like the type of player you'd want to add to the Raven's defense. http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/13467468/clemson-tigers-cornerback-mackensie-alexander-best-worked-it

This is the part that really stood out to me:

It reminds me a bit of the way Lewis and Reed would constantly review game tape to see how to improve and how to beat their next opponent.

I think he's got some great work ethic but honestly I'm not a huge fan so far after watching. At least that high in the draft. High 2nd or late 1st sure. But top 15 I just don't see it.

[Maryland]

We need a pure coverage CB IMO. Not some guy with length and potential. We've taken too many gambles like that, though Jimmy did work out well. This is becoming a pass happy league. I believe that our defense is a few pieces away from becoming good at least, maybe not elite but good. Hargreaves just seems to be that piece to the puzzle. 

 

Last CB to be taken in the top 5 is Patrick Peterson, I don't think Hargreaves has reached that hype. I think he's at the 7-10 range. 

 

My thing is, if Hargreaves is gone, then I'm automatically trading back for at least a 2nd and if I can, a future 1st. My fingers are crossed that he's there for us. If he is, we need make Goodell sprint to the podium. 

Is this a Tray Walker reference

 

Our CB corps isn't nearly as bad as it was to start the season though: Webb actually doesn't look like a sure-fire cut candidate anymore (though he still could be because of his injury history). Shareece Wright is actually playing decent. Will Davis seemed like a decent zone corner. 

 

But having said all that, I think I would rather just draft a bona fide starting CB and just have everyone else I just mentioned as decent depth. You look at teams like the Bengals and see how much CB depth they have--that's why they're good even after losing some starters. 

What do you guys think of Clemson's cornerback, Mackensie Alexander? If the Ravens pick around 10-ish, he could be the next best DB after Ramsey and Hargreaves. I was reading up on him and he definitely sounds like the type of player you'd want to add to the Raven's defense.  http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/13467468/clemson-tigers-cornerback-mackensie-alexander-best-worked-it

 

This is the part that really stood out to me:

It reminds me a bit of the way Lewis and Reed would constantly review game tape to see how to improve and how to beat their next opponent.

That was a good read. I haven't watched him at all, but I love his work ethic and think we need more guys like that. Ray and Ed would hold extracurricular tape-watching parties at their homes and invite the guys. I don't know if we have someone like that anymore. 

[PurpleCity5]

Is this a Tray Walker reference

Our CB corps isn't nearly as bad as it was to start the season though: Webb actually doesn't look like a sure-fire cut candidate anymore (though he still could be because of his injury history). Shareece Wright is actually playing decent. Will Davis seemed like a decent zone corner.

But having said all that, I think I would rather just draft a bona fide starting CB and just have everyone else I just mentioned as decent depth. You look at teams like the Bengals and see how much CB depth they have--that's why they're good even after losing some starters.

Ecen though Webb has played better and Will Davis has shine in limited playing time, can we say with confidence that either of them will be here long term? I honestly can't say for sure.

As far as the Tray Walker reference goes, I really meant that for all mid-late CBs teams tend to be so obssessed with.

I always hear someone say, "Yeah he may be raw but hes got great length" or "Raw prospect, but has great potential". I'm just sick of it honestly.

Edited December 2, 2015 by PurpleCity5

[January J]

Is this a Tray Walker reference

 

Our CB corps isn't nearly as bad as it was to start the season though: Webb actually doesn't look like a sure-fire cut candidate anymore (though he still could be because of his injury history). Shareece Wright is actually playing decent. Will Davis seemed like a decent zone corner. 

 

But having said all that, I think I would rather just draft a bona fide starting CB and just have everyone else I just mentioned as decent depth. You look at teams like the Bengals and see how much CB depth they have--that's why they're good even after losing some starters. 

That was a good read. I haven't watched him at all, but I love his work ethic and think we need more guys like that. Ray and Ed would hold extracurricular tape-watching parties at their homes and invite the guys. I don't know if we have someone like that anymore.

completely agree. I will be pretty happy with shareece wright and will Davis as solid depth behind Jimmy , Hargreaves and maybe Webb. I didn't think Webb would make the cut next season but He has been doing a lot better as of late,.

[JoeyFlex5]

i think hargreaves is a pipe dream at this point. however i do like mackensie alexander, i think he requires a trade up from our 2nd rounder, and id be thrilled with that. i think one of the best case scenarios would be to trade back from 6-8 to 10-12 for an extra 2nd. grab ogbah, lawson, or treadwell, and then use the extra picks to trade up from our original 2nd to get mackensie alexander, i think we would have to get to 29 or 28. if we have that extra 2nd we very well could get fuller as well, or even boyd or doctson, this is the year for double dipping imo and cb, edge, and wr look like the positions to do it at in the middle of the top 2 rounds.

[GrimCoconut]

I am very behind on Clemson football but I plan on watching him and Lawson. I'll give my opinion when I do, but I love the write-up. He sure sounds like a guy Harbaugh would want here.

[JoeyFlex5]

I am very behind on Clemson football but I plan on watching him and Lawson. I'll give my opinion when I do, but I love the write-up. He sure sounds like a guy Harbaugh would want here.

I'm personally not a fan of shaq. He reminds me a lot of Upshaw, slow and strong and seemingly just average in the pass rush, I think Carl is the more appropriate Lawson for us

[PurpleCity5]

i think hargreaves is a pipe dream at this point. however i do like mackensie alexander, i think he requires a trade up from our 2nd rounder, and id be thrilled with that. i think one of the best case scenarios would be to trade back from 6-8 to 10-12 for an extra 2nd. grab ogbah, lawson, or treadwell, and then use the extra picks to trade up from our original 2nd to get mackensie alexander, i think we would have to get to 29 or 28. if we have that extra 2nd we very well could get fuller as well, or even boyd or doctson, this is the year for double dipping imo and cb, edge, and wr look like the positions to do it at in the middle of the top 2 rounds.

I really disagree. What do you project our record to be? I have us at 4-12, with that record, you're talking about picking extreamly close to the top 5, maybe at the top 5.

Last CB to go into the top 5 was Patrick Peterson, I don't think Hargreaves has reached that type of hype honestly. I love Hargreaves but coming into the draft Peterson was looked at as the next Dion Sanders.

I think from 7-11 is where he'll get drafted around. I wouldn't rule out a team leapfroging us but I don't see Hargreaves going into the top 5, its very rare a CB goes thay high. I think he has a good shot to fall to us.

Edited December 2, 2015 by PurpleCity5

[GrimCoconut]

I really disagree. What do you project our record to be? I have us at 4-12, with that record, you're talking about picking extreamly close to the top 5, maybe at the top 5.

Last CB to go into the top 5 was Patrick Peterson, I don't think Hargreaves has reached that type of hype honestly. I love Hargreaves but coming into the draft Peterson was looked at as the next Dion Sanders.

I think from 7-11 is where he'll get drafted around. I wouldn't rule out a team leapfroging us but I don't see Hargreaves going into the top 5, its very rare a CB goes thay high. I think he has a good shot to fall to us.

Trae Waynes was hyped like crazy and he went to the Vikings at #11. 

[PurpleCity5]

Trae Waynes was hyped like crazy and he went to the Vikings at #11.

For sure, if I can recall, with Marcus Peters character issues, Waynes hype was really overloading. I really think Hargreaves has a good shot to make it to us, even with a 6-10 record.

Edited December 3, 2015 by PurpleCity5

[GrimCoconut]

For sure, if I can recall, with Marcus Peters character issues, Waynes hype was really overloading. I really think Hargreaves has a good shot to make it to us, even with a 6-10 record.

Yeah, I think he very well may. It's hard to say. People often exaggerate where guys go around here, and I even fall into that category. It happens. We all get caught up in the hype. I do think Hargreaves is the best CB prospect in years, and maybe that means that he goes higher than expected and perhaps in-line with what people here think. Who knows.

Edited December 3, 2015 by GrimCoconut

[Inqui]

Yeah, I think he very well may. It's hard to say. People often exaggerate where guys go around here, and I even fall into that category. It happens. We all get caught up in the hype. I do think Hargreaves is the best CB prospect in years, and maybe that means that he goes higher than expected and perhaps in-line with what people here think. Who knows.

Word. I think what happens a lot is people get caught up in the "I like this guy, so every other team will too" mentality. Now that everyone seems to have at least cooled on Ramsey, I'm not seeing the same kind of hype for losing and getting into the top five. If nothing else, it's definitely something to at least keep in mind when projecting where players go.

[JoeyFlex5]

Yeah, I think he very well may. It's hard to say. People often exaggerate where guys go around here, and I even fall into that category. It happens. We all get caught up in the hype. I do think Hargreaves is the best CB prospect in years, and maybe that means that he goes higher than expected and perhaps in-line with what people here think. Who knows.

hes pretty consistently being mocked in the top 5, not that that really means anything but waynes was never getting the level of praise that hargreaves is, and i personally wasnt a big fan of waynes to begin with, i thought he was good, not great, hargreaves is another animal. 

 

anyways, ive been looking into jayron kearse and hes really grown on me, despite being 8 foot tall he seems to be more of a FS than a SS, he appears to be rangier on the back end than ramsey and he has great instincts in coverage of all areas of the field, i havent really been able to get a guage on his top end speed though but overall it seems to be just be decent so that could be an issue that limits him to SS in the NFL which we definitely dont need more of. thoughts on the guy for us?

[PurpleCity5]

Yeah, I think he very well may. It's hard to say. People often exaggerate where guys go around here, and I even fall into that category. It happens. We all get caught up in the hype. I do think Hargreaves is the best CB prospect in years, and maybe that means that he goes higher than expected and perhaps in-line with what people here think. Who knows.

Its hard to tell at times because wven we don't know what other teams are thinking. I understand what you mean but just because we like a guy a lot doesn't mean other teams like him more or less.

[GrimCoconut]

I don't want to quote three posts but I agree with all of you. It's hard to say where someone falls but Hargreaves appears to be similar to Cooper in that it's hard to imagine him legitimately falling far beyond #5 overall.

I'm watching a ton of Clemson once my semester finishes. I need to see this Kearse.

[JoeyFlex5]

I don't want to quote three posts but I agree with all of you. It's hard to say where someone falls but Hargreaves appears to be similar to Cooper in that it's hard to imagine him legitimately falling far beyond #5 overall.

I'm watching a ton of Clemson once my semester finishes. I need to see this Kearse.

i pigeonholed him as another bam-bam safety because hes 6'5" but i was quite surprised to see a large chunk of the plays he made was in intermediate to deep coverage and he has a real nose for the ball, he always seems to be where the ball is thrown and his size gives him a real advantage in playing the ball when he gets there, and he is also a sure tackler and a good blitzer. like i said my only concern with him is that his size inhibits his first step a little bit, i am concerned that if he ever gets outsmarted by a qb in the NFL he doesnt have the recovery speed to make up for it, because of that he may be limited at the next level. a definite weapon against teams that run screens and forcefeed the ball to wingspan wr's, he would be deadly in the NFC north and probably in our division as well considering how heavily we use TE's here

[GrimCoconut]

i pigeonholed him as another bam-bam safety because hes 6'5" but i was quite surprised to see a large chunk of the plays he made was in intermediate to deep coverage and he has a real nose for the ball, he always seems to be where the ball is thrown and his size gives him a real advantage in playing the ball when he gets there, and he is also a sure tackler and a good blitzer. like i said my only concern with him is that his size inhibits his first step a little bit, i am concerned that if he ever gets outsmarted by a qb in the NFL he doesnt have the recovery speed to make up for it, because of that he may be limited at the next level. a definite weapon against teams that run screens and forcefeed the ball to wingspan wr's, he would be deadly in the NFC north and probably in our division as well considering how heavily we use TE's here

Yeah he's interesting from what I've read. I don't like to go off other opinions because sometimes people don't see it the same and it's all subjective anyway for the most part. After looking at him, he looks like an ideal fit across from Earl Thomas if Chancellor leaves as expected.

[JoeyFlex5]

Yeah he's interesting from what I've read. I don't like to go off other opinions because sometimes people don't see it the same and it's all subjective anyway for the most part. After looking at him, he looks like an ideal fit across from Earl Thomas if Chancellor leaves as expected.

i think he would be far superior. if you have that rangy back end guy like thomas, then i think kearse could take your defense to a new level, if you dont have to worry about assigning 2 safeties to a task to mask deficiencies and you have one guy who can already roam deep, allowing kearse to roam the intermediate would make them almost impossible to move the ball on at all, he can play the run faster than the average linebacker, and as long as he doesnt have to turn his hips and break halfway across the field(like in deep coverage) then he will excel, he may not hit as hard as kam but i think in terms of coverage and blitzing assignments there is no contest between the 2. cant really say that about a guy still in college but i believe thats how he pans out.

[ravensnation5220]

http://www.baltimorebeatdown.com/2015/12/5/9853942/2016-scouting-report-vonn-bell-nfl-draft-ohio-state-safety-ravens

Love this report on vonn bell.

[Maryland]

VH3 actually didn't look that great vs Bama. At least he was in position and tried to defend the first deep ball. The 2nd deep ball he just mistimed his jump, wasn't in position. Plus he got fooled on a comeback early in the game iirc. Ridley might be a top-5 WR in a couple seasons though, so maybe it's not all that embarrassing. 

 

Mentioned in another thread but Desmond King had a pretty good game vs MSU. He was not even targeted often, and when he was he showed the ability to look back at the ball/QB. Seems like a decent off-coverage CB like Kevin Johnson at WF last year (now with Texans). 

[sflegend89]

I think VH3 still hasn't gotten close to his ceiling, he's still just 20! That's even younger than Maxx when he declared. Hargreaves seems like a money pick in my eyes, very much in the mold of a Chris Harris Jr/Joe Haden. We have so many directions we could go in, really excited to see what Ozzie/Eric do with this draft position and new ability to trade comp picks.

[allblackraven]

I think VH3 still hasn't gotten close to his ceiling, he's still just 20! That's even younger than Maxx when he declared. Hargreaves seems like a money pick in my eyes, very much in the mold of a Chris Harris Jr/Joe Haden. We have so many directions we could go in, really excited to see what Ozzie/Eric do with this draft position and new ability to trade comp picks.

Comp picks can be traded from 2017, not next year.

Edited December 7, 2015 by allblackraven

[JoeyFlex5]

I think Alexander has the highest ceiling. I've become a real fan. He is so fluid and shut down in coverage. He is just so rarely targeted that I wonder about his ball skills, but he's such an explosive and controlled athlete that I think he will be fine. I love the stories I hear of his film study habits. That's the kind of initiative we need I our secondary

[GrimCoconut]

I think Alexander has the highest ceiling. I've become a real fan. He is so fluid and shut down in coverage. He is just so rarely targeted that I wonder about his ball skills, but he's such an explosive and controlled athlete that I think he will be fine. I love the stories I hear of his film study habits. That's the kind of initiative we need I our secondary

He kinda reminds me of Jimmy Smith to an extent. Teams stopped targeting him and he didn't get many chances to get the ball. I'm not talking about him looking like Jimmy as a prospect, but more of the situation. 

 

It's hard to get film on him but I will. I watched Clemson recently just to see Shaq Lawson, so I do need to see more of their defense.

[JoeyFlex5]

He kinda reminds me of Jimmy Smith to an extent. Teams stopped targeting him and he didn't get many chances to get the ball. I'm not talking about him looking like Jimmy as a prospect, but more of the situation.

It's hard to get film on him but I will. I watched Clemson recently just to see Shaq Lawson, so I do need to see more of their defense.

yeah it's a comparable situation. You can see on tape why qbs don't look his way though. He is in the back pocket at all times and always seems to be in perfect position to make a play on the ball I the rare event that he is targeted. If he declared next year instead, I think he gets all the hype that hargreaves is getting Now

[52520Andrew]

I liked King a lot from what I saw of him against Michigan State

[PurpleCity5]

I think VH3 still hasn't gotten close to his ceiling, he's still just 20! That's even younger than Maxx when he declared. Hargreaves seems like a money pick in my eyes, very much in the mold of a Chris Harris Jr/Joe Haden. We have so many directions we could go in, really excited to see what Ozzie/Eric do with this draft position and new ability to trade comp picks.

One so-so game shouldn't even dictate his stock. This was honestly one of the up-down games I've seen from Hargreaves. Other than that you won't see him much in other games simply because hes not targeted, which works against him in terms of evaluating. Thats why you'll have different opinions. Hes still on the top 3 IMO with Bosa and Tunsil.

[ravensnation5220]

yeah it's a comparable situation. You can see on tape why qbs don't look his way though. He is in the back pocket at all times and always seems to be in perfect position to make a play on the ball I the rare event that he is targeted. If he declared next year instead, I think he gets all the hype that hargreaves is getting Now

word is he will be declaring early. I do agree with the fact that there isnt much tape but i found some on draftbreakdown.com. you can also watch other players films like shaq lawson and just look for mackensie when you get there

[ravensnation5220]

I'm personally not a fan of shaq. He reminds me a lot of Upshaw, slow and strong and seemingly just average in the pass rush, I think Carl is the more appropriate Lawson for us

shaq is actually growing on me. He had a strong game against notre dame against ronnie stanley. Check it out on draftbreakdown

[JoeyFlex5]

shaq is actually growing on me. He had a strong game against notre dame against ronnie stanley. Check it out on draftbreakdown

he showed a lot of what he's known for and if anything I think it raised more concerns about Stanley than anything