Mock Drafts from the Media

[Jonah DeVito]

4 minutes ago, Darhk_Raven said:

My big problem with the pick in the first round is that Derek Barnett was still on the board. 

Oh that changes some things...definitely have to take Barnett over Lamp. We would also be drafting 3 UT Vols. 

[Darhk_Raven]

15 minutes ago, Jonah DeVito said:

Oh that changes some things...definitely have to take Barnett over Lamp. We would also be drafting 3 UT Vols. 

After taking Barnett all the other draft picks are blown up, due to the fact that you wouldn't have to draft Tim Williams. 

[Jonah DeVito]

18 minutes ago, Darhk_Raven said:

After taking Barnett all the other draft picks are blown up, due to the fact that you wouldn't have to draft Tim Williams. 

Actually I wouldn't mind keeping it the same. Could you imagine having Judon, Barnett, AND Williams for the next several years at least? That would be amazing. 

[Darhk_Raven]

1 hour ago, Jonah DeVito said:

Actually I wouldn't mind keeping it the same. Could you imagine having Judon, Barnett, AND Williams for the next several years at least? That would be amazing. 

There is actually a mock draft like. Draft Utopia had us taking Charles Harris and Tim Williams in the first two rounds last week.

[RavensDieHard21]

Zierlein 3.0 has us taking Mike Williams. The mocks are just becoming a joke now though sadly. Most are just trying to throw random round 2-3 guys in early to have the I told you so factor. Trying to pick this year's batch of Eli Apples, Leonard Floyd, EJ Manuel, etc. 

The thought of certain guys like White and Awuzie going in the top 15 would blow my mind.  

[RavensDieHard21]

As it stands, here are my thoughts of who I think our pick will be at 16 from likeliest onward. 

1.) John Ross--i just think this is his consistent value point and rumor is we have some interest in him based on bringing him in. Random intuition has led me to calling the pick now. 

2.) Derek Barnett--i think he is our hopeful pick, but a team like Indy or NO will likely ruin that. 

3.) Tim Williams--Bisciotti has made it clear he wants a young dynamic edge rusher, if Ozzie's sources clear Tim, he is likely coming here. 

4.) Marlon Humphrey--Bama trend continues, but I think he checks almost every box. He had the size of Jimmy Smith plus even more speed. He is aggressive in the run game and plays well in zone coverage. He has a high ceiling. 

5.) Corey Davis--I tend to think he will be gone, but coming from a small school and not having participated in the combine could catapult both Ross and Williams ahead of him. 

[BOLDnPurPnBlacK]

12 hours ago, RavensDieHard21 said:

As it stands, here are my thoughts of who I think our pick will be at 16 from likeliest onward. 

1.) John Ross--i just think this is his consistent value point and rumor is we have some interest in him based on bringing him in. Random intuition has led me to calling the pick now. 

2.) Derek Barnett--i think he is our hopeful pick, but a team like Indy or NO will likely ruin that. 

3.) Tim Williams--Bisciotti has made it clear he wants a young dynamic edge rusher, if Ozzie's sources clear Tim, he is likely coming here. 

4.) Marlon Humphrey--Bama trend continues, but I think he checks almost every box. He had the size of Jimmy Smith plus even more speed. He is aggressive in the run game and plays well in zone coverage. He has a high ceiling. 

5.) Corey Davis--I tend to think he will be gone, but coming from a small school and not having participated in the combine could catapult both Ross and Williams ahead of him. 

If Barnett gets past NO, we're getting him. Cant see Ozzie letting him go 1 pick ahead of us. I'd imagine a trade up at that point with maybe the Eagles where we give up one of our comp comp 3rd or 4th rd pick to move ahead and get him.... they fall back and still get their guy in Cook.

Just my intuition. Dont think we'd give up the ammo needed to leapfrog NO.... but i have a feeling they absolutely LOVE Barnett, and if its just a cpl spots to guarantee getting him -- cant see them passing it up.

Edited March 28 by BOLDnPurPnBlacK

[RavensDieHard21]

18 minutes ago, BOLDnPurPnBlacK said:

If Barnett gets past NO, we're getting him. Cant see Ozzie letting him go 1 pick ahead of us. I'd imagine a trade up at that point with maybe the Eagles where we give up one of our comp comp 3rd or 4th rd pick to move ahead and get him.... they fall back and still get their guy in Cook.

Just my intuition. Dont think we'd give up the ammo needed to leapfrog NO.... but i have a feeling they absolutely LOVE Barnett, and if its just a cpl spots to guarantee getting him -- cant see them passing it up.

Ya it's a tough call. I think Indy desperately needs a pass rusher now and Barnett would make sense so I hope if he does make it past NO that we in fact leap frog Indy with a deal with Philly unless they pull a Dallas like move where they are afraid the one team in between will take their valued RB. 

[RavensDieHard21]

The thing with NO is that I 100% believe they will go all defense with their first three picks. 

Just think about it, they gave up Cooks who was an explosive receiver for them in exchange for the very last pick in the first. Their mentality has to be that Brees can put up points with whoever he has on the field, especially with the emergence of Michael Thomas. 

Saints desperately need help across the board so I think they will go BDPA. Best defensive player available could surprisingly be Foster, Hooker, or even Allen at 11 though so we will see. 

[rossihunter2]

42 minutes ago, BOLDnPurPnBlacK said:

If Barnett gets past NO, we're getting him. Cant see Ozzie letting him go 1 pick ahead of us. I'd imagine a trade up at that point with maybe the Eagles where we give up one of our comp comp 3rd or 4th rd pick to move ahead and get him.... they fall back and still get their guy in Cook.

Just my intuition. Dont think we'd give up the ammo needed to leapfrog NO.... but i have a feeling they absolutely LOVE Barnett, and if its just a cpl spots to guarantee getting him -- cant see them passing it up.

 

17 minutes ago, RavensDieHard21 said:

The thing with NO is that I 100% believe they will go all defense with their first three picks. 

Just think about it, they gave up Cooks who was an explosive receiver for them in exchange for the very last pick in the first. Their mentality has to be that Brees can put up points with whoever he has on the field, especially with the emergence of Michael Thomas. 

Saints desperately need help across the board so I think they will go BDPA. Best defensive player available could surprisingly be Foster, Hooker, or even Allen at 11 though so we will see. 

i hope the front office love barnett as much as i do because then he really could be a superstar for us

as for new orleans - i think the only way they pass up on barnett is if foster/allen are there or they are in love with solomon thomas or one of the corners (they might be - especially if they dont get Malcolm Butler (which they probably wont at this point) - at that point i could see barnett getting past the saints - the browns probably wont take him because they'll have garrett, the cardinals probably wont take him because they have chandler jones franchise tagged and marcus golden who was also a sack artist last year, so that leaves the eagles and the colts - i think the eagles might still take a wide receiver at their pick but they still might not - could also see them taking running back (if cook is there) and the colts really need to emphasise both of their lines (hopefully they pick the offensive side - or defensive tackle rather than end - or they really fall in love with the brute athleticism of takk mckinley/buy into the hype for charlton)

it would take a lot for barnett to fall to 16 but its not out of the realm of possibility which gives me some hope - if a trade up happened it would have to be with the cardinals i think because the browns might not trust on the cards to pass on a qb (which they might want) and beyond that they might not want to trade within the division (fair enough)

[RavensDieHard21]

7 minutes ago, rossihunter2 said:

 

i hope the front office love barnett as much as i do because then he really could be a superstar for us

as for new orleans - i think the only way they pass up on barnett is if foster/allen are there or they are in love with solomon thomas or one of the corners (they might be - especially if they dont get Malcolm Butler (which they probably wont at this point) - at that point i could see barnett getting past the saints - the browns probably wont take him because they'll have garrett, the cardinals probably wont take him because they have chandler jones franchise tagged and marcus golden who was also a sack artist last year, so that leaves the eagles and the colts - i think the eagles might still take a wide receiver at their pick but they still might not - could also see them taking running back (if cook is there) and the colts really need to emphasise both of their lines (hopefully they pick the offensive side - or defensive tackle rather than end - or they really fall in love with the brute athleticism of takk mckinley/buy into the hype for charlton)

it would take a lot for barnett to fall to 16 but its not out of the realm of possibility which gives me some hope - if a trade up happened it would have to be with the cardinals i think because the browns might not trust on the cards to pass on a qb (which they might want) and beyond that they might not want to trade within the division (fair enough)

Ya I've long mocked Lamp to Indy and I'm sticking to it, but Barnett could still be a tough one to pass. But the Colts know they must give their young franchise QB an actual line to stand behind and taking a Center last year proved that so I would be surprised at all if they took Lamp or Ramcyzk. 

[Adreme]

6 hours ago, RavensDieHard21 said:

Ya it's a tough call. I think Indy desperately needs a pass rusher now and Barnett would make sense so I hope if he does make it past NO that we in fact leap frog Indy with a deal with Philly unless they pull a Dallas like move where they are afraid the one team in between will take their valued RB. 

I am pretty sure if Indy does not go O-Line then Andrew Luck will fly to wherever the GM is and strangle him.

[rossihunter2]

37 minutes ago, Adreme said:

I am pretty sure if Indy does not go O-Line then Andrew Luck will fly to wherever the GM is and strangle him.

For me the colts pick has to literally either be d-line or o-line - their need in the trenches is that big and the remit on their gm to sort out the lines is that big that I'd be incredibly surprised if one of those two positions isn't the pick - the danger for us is that Barnett could potentially be considered a defensive lineman type guy - my hope is that given that the colts are now a 3-4 hybrid base defense - and their interior defense is so weak - that they will consider Barnett too much of a luxury given who else should still be on the board

[DomMcRaven]

23 minutes ago, rossihunter2 said:

For me the colts pick has to literally either be d-line or o-line - their need in the trenches is that big and the remit on their gm to sort out the lines is that big that I'd be incredibly surprised if one of those two positions isn't the pick - the danger for us is that Barnett could potentially be considered a defensive lineman type guy - my hope is that given that the colts are now a 3-4 hybrid base defense - and their interior defense is so weak - that they will consider Barnett too much of a luxury given who else should still be on the board

It's hilarious that the trenches are STILLLL the biggest needs for them. Their FO was/is such a joke. 

[rossihunter2]

2 minutes ago, DomMcRaven said:

It's hilarious that the trenches are STILLLL the biggest needs for them. Their FO was/is such a joke. 

I'm amazed Ryan Grigson survived even close to as long as he did - I felt the same way about him as I do about doug Whaley now: should have been fired sooner

i literally think the colts hired Chris Ballard because he promised to bolster the trenches finally

[DomMcRaven]

7 minutes ago, rossihunter2 said:

I'm amazed Ryan Grigson survived even close to as long as he did - I felt the same way about him as I do about doug Whaley now: should have been fired sooner

i literally think the colts hired Chris Ballard because he promised to bolster the trenches finally

I was hoping he'd (Grigson) stay with them just like how Whaley needs to stay. Two less teams to worry about tbh. 

[BmoreBird22]

On 3/22/2017 at 7:48 PM, BOLDnPurPnBlacK said:

If he's there at 16 our pick is in. Suggs falling to us v2.0. 

I wouldn't be surprised to see Barnett fall past 20 at all, honestly. This is a very talented edge rusher group and while Barnett is very refined, he just lacks that burst and quickness to put him over the top and doesn't have excellent lateral agility. Someone like Taco Charlton may be raw, but he presents far more upside as a pass rusher and I'd very much expect Charlton to be in play for the Ravens at 16.

I think of Shaq Lawson some when I think of Barnett in the sense that both will be extremely refined against the run, but really lack the elite athleticism to make them forces as pass rushers. Yeah, you'll get your production, but you're probably never getting the 12+ sacks a year type guy.

[rossihunter2]

31 minutes ago, DomMcRaven said:

I was hoping he'd (Grigson) stay with them just like how Whaley needs to stay. Two less teams to worry about tbh. 

TBH I'm not even sure if Whaley is anything more than an employed scapegoat at this point though 

[rossihunter2]

17 minutes ago, BmoreBird22 said:

I wouldn't be surprised to see Barnett fall past 20 at all, honestly. This is a very talented edge rusher group and while Barnett is very refined, he just lacks that burst and quickness to put him over the top and doesn't have excellent lateral agility. Someone like Taco Charlton may be raw, but he presents far more upside as a pass rusher and I'd very much expect Charlton to be in play for the Ravens at 16.

I think of Shaq Lawson some when I think of Barnett in the sense that both will be extremely refined against the run, but really lack the elite athleticism to make them forces as pass rushers. Yeah, you'll get your production, but you're probably never getting the 12+ sacks a year type guy.

I disagree entirely - even while ill, Barnett did ok a the combine, has consistently shown good burst (if not quite Garrett/McKinley type burst)

taco charlton is not a good prospect to make this argument with if I'm honest: he was underwhelmingly athletic at both the combine and his pro-day which, given that his explosiveness is his main selling point, is concerning

youre right though - this is an incredibly talented edge rusher group - and Barnett might be the most talented of all of them - he has incredibly bend, great hand skills, instincts and decent burst (I don't see lack of explosion when I watch him on tape - he blows right past some tackles around the corner) - and I don't know where this idea that sub-12 sacks is unacceptable - only 5 players managed that total this season - two of whom are nowhere near as athletic as Barnett...

athleticism is helpful but there's a reason why successful NFL wide receivers aren't all triple jumpers who can catch a ball

[BmoreBird22]

On 3/27/2017 at 7:09 PM, purpletide said:

The only TE we have the slightest chance of taking would be Howard as a BPA, and that's also unlikely with all the TEs we have already. Njoku won't be BPA in the second and we'd be wasting such a high pick on such a crowded position with lots of potential.

If he's there in the second, he's BPA by a mile unless someone really unexpected flat out free falls...

[rossihunter2]

5 minutes ago, BmoreBird22 said:

If he's there in the second, he's BPA by a mile unless someone really unexpected flat out free falls...

I'm not sure he would be - I have him in the high 30s/low 40s on my big board - that's not particularly high compared to some of the other guys who conceivably could / likely will drop to 47 - I have 36 first round grades this year - given that at least 4 qbs and 4 rbs will likely be gone by the time we pick in the 2nd and add onto that all the reaches / value disagreements with other teams' boards - we are likely going to get on of those top first round grade guys and I'm of sure njoku will be BPA at that pick given the talent available - but I'm not sure he even makes it to that pick anyway so our points are both probably moot

[BmoreBird22]

47 minutes ago, rossihunter2 said:

I disagree entirely - even while ill, Barnett did ok a the combine, has consistently shown good burst (if not quite Garrett/McKinley type burst)

taco charlton is not a good prospect to make this argument with if I'm honest: he was underwhelmingly athletic at both the combine and his pro-day which, given that his explosiveness is his main selling point, is concerning

youre right though - this is an incredibly talented edge rusher group - and Barnett might be the most talented of all of them - he has incredibly bend, great hand skills, instincts and decent burst (I don't see lack of explosion when I watch him on tape - he blows right past some tackles around the corner) - and I don't know where this idea that sub-12 sacks is unacceptable - only 5 players managed that total this season - two of whom are nowhere near as athletic as Barnett...

athleticism is helpful but there's a reason why successful NFL wide receivers aren't all triple jumpers who can catch a ball

I don't value the combine nearly at all. The combine should never be the determining factor in deciding a players athletic ability. The combine should serve to confirm what you see or make you go back and watch again, but never to be the deciding factor.

Anyway, I don't view Barnett as a guy who will be the "next Suggs" or an elite edge rusher. I think he's going to get his dues with his super refined hand usage and motor that never quits, but when you can't change direction well and don't have great burst or quickness, you're just not going to do a ton of damage in the league as a pass rusher. 

With Charlton, he's an athletic freak for someone his size. He's inconsistent as all hell and will require some serious coaching to really reach that ceiling, but he's got All-Pro potential written all over him. Will he ever reach that? I don't know. However, is he going to be a good starter anyway? I think so. 

If I'm picking between the two, I'd take the upside if I know I'm getting a strong starter either way.

[BmoreBird22]

37 minutes ago, rossihunter2 said:

I'm not sure he would be - I have him in the high 30s/low 40s on my big board - that's not particularly high compared to some of the other guys who conceivably could / likely will drop to 47 - I have 36 first round grades this year - given that at least 4 qbs and 4 rbs will likely be gone by the time we pick in the 2nd and add onto that all the reaches / value disagreements with other teams' boards - we are likely going to get on of those top first round grade guys and I'm of sure njoku will be BPA at that pick given the talent available - but I'm not sure he even makes it to that pick anyway so our points are both probably moot

Having 36 first round grades is entirely too high. Having 36 players that can go in the first is different, but 36 first round grades is way too high. I think Matt Miller said he spoke to several scouts that had maybe 15 players with first round grades in this draft. Just wanted to throw that out.

Anyway, Njoku is absolutely a first round player. I don't think anyone has risen faster, but he's going to be a nightmare up the seam and as a receiver. He's a freakish leaper and is extremely fast. He'll be a real terror in the red zone and over the top of linebackers and safeties. He's really just learning how to really play his game, too. Wait until he gets NFL coaching and has a chance to really learn the nuances. 

If Njoku catches onto coaching, he's going to be a game breaker. I wouldn't take him in the first for the Ravens, but he's going to be a very good pass catcher for a team looking for that game breaking element. 

[SepticeyePoe]

6 minutes ago, BmoreBird22 said:

Having 36 first round grades is entirely too high. Having 36 players that can go in the first is different, but 36 first round grades is way too high. I think Matt Miller said he spoke to several scouts that had maybe 15 players with first round grades in this draft. Just wanted to throw that out.

Anyway, Njoku is absolutely a first round player. I don't think anyone has risen faster, but he's going to be a nightmare up the seam and as a receiver. He's a freakish leaper and is extremely fast. He'll be a real terror in the red zone and over the top of linebackers and safeties. He's really just learning how to really play his game, too. Wait until he gets NFL coaching and has a chance to really learn the nuances. 

If Njoku catches onto coaching, he's going to be a game breaker. I wouldn't take him in the first for the Ravens, but he's going to be a very good pass catcher for a team looking for that game breaking element. 

What is the difference between 36 players going in the first and 36 first round grades? I don't know a lot about scouting and this part confuses me.

[BmoreBird22]

Just now, SepticeyePoe said:

What is the difference between 36 players going in the first and 36 first round grades? I don't know a lot about scouting and this part confuses me.

Every draft has to have 32 players go in the first, right? I think that's where the 36 players could go in the first comes into play. It's not like we end the first round after all the players you had a high grade on are gone.

As for what does it mean to have a first round grade, I'm not entirely sure what a scout set the bar at grade wise, but they might say a first round player has a grade of 7.0 or higher on our board. That's a really high grade that not many players will reach, so maybe they only get 10 players with that grade. Then you naturally fill in the next 22 to get your top 32.

[SepticeyePoe]

3 minutes ago, BmoreBird22 said:

Every draft has to have 32 players go in the first, right? I think that's where the 36 players could go in the first comes into play. It's not like we end the first round after all the players you had a high grade on are gone.

As for what does it mean to have a first round grade, I'm not entirely sure what a scout set the bar at grade wise, but they might say a first round player has a grade of 7.0 or higher on our board. That's a really high grade that not many players will reach, so maybe they only get 10 players with that grade. Then you naturally fill in the next 22 to get your top 32.

Thanks, that helps clear it up for me.

[BmoreBird22]

Just now, SepticeyePoe said:

Thanks, that helps clear it up for me.

I don't think there's ever a draft year where you'll have 32 players or more receive a first round grade. If there were such a class, you can bet that you'd be walking out with several day one starters.

[raven94]

11 minutes ago, BmoreBird22 said:

Having 36 first round grades is entirely too high. Having 36 players that can go in the first is different, but 36 first round grades is way too high. I think Matt Miller said he spoke to several scouts that had maybe 15 players with first round grades in this draft. Just wanted to throw that out.

Anyway, Njoku is absolutely a first round player. I don't think anyone has risen faster, but he's going to be a nightmare up the seam and as a receiver. He's a freakish leaper and is extremely fast. He'll be a real terror in the red zone and over the top of linebackers and safeties. He's really just learning how to really play his game, too. Wait until he gets NFL coaching and has a chance to really learn the nuances. 

If Njoku catches onto coaching, he's going to be a game breaker. I wouldn't take him in the first for the Ravens, but he's going to be a very good pass catcher for a team looking for that game breaking element. 

Normally yes, 36 first round grades is too much. Normally there's about 10-20 guys who deserve to go in the first. Normally if you've made the playoffs you're basically taking a second round type of prospect. However, this is not a normal draft. This is a really rare draft class. You don't get classes like this very often. You say Matt Miller said that some scouts said that there's about 15 guys that have first round grades? I find that hard to believe because there have been plenty of other bleacher report guys that have said that you can get first round caliber guys in the third, not to mention there are lots of other reports saying the scouts said that this is a class where you can starters as late as round 5. I'm ok with Njoku, I believe he's the 2nd or 3rd best TE in this class. He'll be great for someone, but make no mistake this is a DEEP and talented class. I've got about 38 first round grades/prospects 

[BmoreBird22]

3 minutes ago, raven94 said:

Normally yes, 36 first round grades is too much. Normally there's about 10-20 guys who deserve to go in the first. Normally if you've made the playoffs you're basically taking a second round type of prospect. However, this is not a normal draft. This is a really rare draft class. You don't get classes like this very often. You say Matt Miller said that some scouts said that there's about 15 guys that have first round grades? I find that hard to believe because there have been plenty of other bleacher report guys that have said that you can get first round caliber guys in the third, not to mention there are lots of other reports saying the scouts said that this is a class where you can starters as late as round 5. I'm ok with Njoku, I believe he's the 2nd or 3rd best TE in this class. He'll be great for someone, but make no mistake this is a DEEP and talented class. I've got about 38 first round grades/prospects 

Again, 38 is way too much and just isn't realistic, but hey, you all do you.

Finding a starter late in the draft does not equal first round talent. I think there must be some huge misconception about what a first round talent means.

Matt Miller is the lead draft analyst and actually communicates with scouts, unlike any of the other writers. He's the most invested and the most actively involved. The others are giving an opinion.

I heavily maintain that there aren't going to be 32 first round talents in any given year, but then again, I don't have an arbitrary grading system, either. I just like a prospect or I don't and I'm not going to sit here and make up my own system and give out my own flawed grades.

[BmoreBird22]

http://www.powerhousegm.com/blog/nfl-draft-prospect-grading-systems

Here's just an example article with two grading tables with round designations beside it. A grade of 7.5 is required in this table to be a first round talent. There's zero chance you would find 38 players in this draft with the ability to become a day one feature player on his team and create physical mismatches for the opposing team. It just isn't going to happen.