[News] Late For Work 2/11: Mel Kiper: Ravens Will Need To Trade Up For Top Defensive Talent

[RavensFanMania]

6 hours ago, YankeeRaven said:

Shouldn't Ravens pick at no. 5 since the Jags beat them and they both ended with the same record?

It doesn't work that way.  It's based on strength of schedule and they had the weaker sos. 

[bioLarzen]

  4 hours ago, bioLarzen said:

Indeed, that would be the case if it was a 2-way tie. But it's a 3-way tie with these two teams and the 49ers, and those are always trickier to resolve.

Goes by strength of schedule, regardless of 2 way or 8 way ties.

Indeed. I stand corrected.

[billiejean]

Joey Bosa will have his stock go down after the combine.

i have to agree with you on this. his times are going to be slow and his lack of hip flexibility is going to hurt him

[Ugly Ball]

Man, that Oher-slide sure looks like a Madden bug...

Yeah somebody should have told Oher two wear cleats instead of his sneakers !

[DENNYK]

DB or Pass Rusher is a must on the first pick. The cost to trade up just a few selections may be a little to high. We definitely need to restock our defense with quality players. It is very obvious as to where those needs are.

[Crusader]

How is that Pitts win feeling now?

[rmcjacket23]

30 minutes ago, Crusader said:

How is that Pitts win feeling now?

Pretty good, thanks.

[Drew P]

14 hours ago, rmcjacket23 said:

You're making some really ridiculous leaps...

1. No, having a great LT or even a great OL doesn't guarantee you SBs...but then again, having a great anything doesn't guarantee you a SB either. The list of dominant players at practically every position on the field except QB is a mile long with players on bad teams and teams without rings. Pass rushers, corners, WRs,  RBs, etc...all great players at those positions who can't win a thing.

That's why it's a TEAM sport.

2. As for the teams you mentioned who won with backup LTs, sure, you can win in the short term doing that, but it's not sustainable. If the Pats didn't value LT, they wouldn't have used a first round pick in 2011 on Nate Solder and then sign him to an extension worth $10M a year...but they did.

If Denver didn't value LT, then they wouldn't have signed Ryan Clady to a $10M a year deal either, but they did.

If Seattle didn't value LT, then they don't use a top 10 pick on a LT in 2010, but they did.

As a general rule of thumb, when evaluating how important the NFL values a position, all you have to do is follow the money. LT continues to be one of the highest paid positions in the league, which is a direct reflection of the leagues value of them.

Well thanks for supporting my very point. Monroe is also a guy the Ravens invested heavily in like a Solder or Clady. To think the Ravens are already planning on his departure due to an injury contradicts your argument.

The article is what Kiper thinks and it is absurd at the core of his delusional theory. A LT, out of a pool of 700+ players that are eligible for the draft, is the only guy that can have immediate impact at # 6. Completely asinine. I think Mel spends way too much time watching the Bachelor.

How does a LT whom according to you will be playing LG over a perfectly capable Urshel going to prevent the great Josh McKown (minus Gordon mind you) from putting up 457 yards?

I'm confident the Ravens see the glaring weakness isn't on the offensive side of the ball.

 

[Drew P]

16 hours ago, balfan23 said:

I have a hard time believing that Bosa and Ramsey are the only defensive players that will have an impact in the NFL. They may be the most obvious choices at the moment, but someone else will emerge. We just have to determine who it is and get him.

Well said, no doubt about it.

[rmcjacket23]

20 minutes ago, Drew P said:

Well thanks for supporting my very point. Monroe is also a guy the Ravens invested heavily in like a Solder or Clady. To think the Ravens are already planning on his departure due to an injury contradicts your argument.

The article is what Kiper thinks and it is absurd at the core of his delusional theory. A LT, out of a pool of 700+ players that are eligible for the draft, is the only guy that can have immediate impact at # 6. Completely asinine. I think Mel spends way too much time watching the Bachelor.

How does a LT whom according to you will be playing LG over a perfectly capable Urshel going to prevent the great Josh McKown (minus Gordon mind you) from putting up 457 yards?

I'm confident the Ravens see the glaring weakness isn't on the offensive side of the ball.

 

Not the point. Just because they are looking to move on from the guy (due to injury and a high price tag) doesn't mean the position is de-valued or non-important... it actually means quite the opposite. It means that they aren't content with just having a high priced player at the position.

The Seahawks and Broncos are likely already planning for Clady and Okung's departure too... doesn't mean they're just going to throw some mid-round guy at there and say "hey, go protect our highest paid player". They'll invest heavily in that position one way or another. Heck, the Broncos were unbelievably close to trading for Joe Thomas, the best LT on the planet, less than six months ago. They valued the position so much they were willing to simultaneously play TWO players at the exact same position a gigantic price tag... and that's from the SB champs.

I'm not saying I agree with Kiper's assessment that LT is the ONLY position we can draft at #6, because I don't agree with it. Its an assumption based on the estimation that certain players won't be available when we draft. I'd prefer if we didn't draft a LT. But just completely dismissing the idea of taking one because we already have a highly paid, under-performing player on the roster just isn't at all a valid reason to dismiss it.

I'd rather have a corner or a pass rusher personally, but I also don't want us to take one just for the sake of taking one (basically filling a need when we might like another player better). That's how you end up with guys like Morris Claiborne or Barkavious Mingo.

As for Urschel, I certainly haven't seen nearly enough to suggest he's a starting-caliber Guard in this league, and I'm also not going to assume that he won't be the starting Center either. I suspect he ultimately does end up being a reserve lineman, which is what we need, since injuries on the offensive line (particularly the interior) are practically a guarantee every single year.

I'd also point out that we have a RT who is due to be a FA after this season (and he wasn't very impressive last season), and if we have another poor year from Monroe, you have the potential of looking at replacing both tackle positions in 2017. Good luck with that.

Edited February 12, 2016 by rmcjacket23

[ravenpic]

Ozzie should spend some on OT's and DB's. We have a QB who needs protection and a secondary that needs another experienced player. The Ravens are real close to being a top contender. You can't predict the injury bug, but you can spend the money and draft to add strength to your weaknesses. Kipers' view is an opinion. Everyone has one.

[Crusader]

  15 hours ago, Crusader said:

How is that Pitts win feeling now?

Pretty good, thanks.

Illogical for long term

[rmcjacket23]

9 hours ago, Crusader said:

Illogical for long term

What long term? That win will have no effect once this draft is completed.

It's completely short term.

[ravenstime]

I hope we draft Hargreaves III, from Florida.  Also, I see our WR's excelling this year and Flacco, too!  I really think it's going to be hard to miss a talented guy with the 6th pick.  Of course, I hope he plays a great bit of time next year and we don't experience another Perriman-type of setback, which would simply be cruel for our team.  I hope we turn a corner and don't have hardly any injuries to speak of this year.  We've had 2 year's worth in 2015.

 

[Tenacious Faulker]

I don't necessarily agree with Kiper on Ramsey or Bosa not falling even with two QBs taken in 5 picks. There's a lot that an happen between now and the draft. If the draft happened today and two QBs were drawn inn the top 5, that means that the Bosa and Ramsey might be taken with the other three. Since OT Tunsil, CB Hargreaves, QBs Wentz & Cook, WRs Treadwell & Cook, D-linemen like Robinson & Nkemdiche and other rising edge-rushers like Jack and Lawson, Floyd and Ogbah anything crazy can happen especially when Dallas, Cleveland and Jacksonville are concerned.

That said, I could see Ozzie turning the #6 into a gold mine of draft picks in deep defensive draft.