[News] Ravens' Offseason Roster Wish List

[omar586]

passrushers >> OL >> CBs.

wagner leaving is gonna hurt a little, pass rushers we need a punch as well as CBs. and yanda is getting up there with age so, we need future replacement as well

[davy_861]

Dixon and West are mediocre backs at best. They lack speed and West in particular can't catch (not helping Flacco out of the backfield like Ray Rice did). Players simply lack skill and talent at many positions. RBS can impact the game and control the game when playing a team like New England. Replace Ray Rice or continue to suffer offensively.

[law215]

I think Ravens have enough depth at DT not to break the bank chasing Williams.

I want them to resign Wagner. Wagner (RT), Lewis (G), Stanley (LT) is a solid o-line. Add depth at C,G

Offload Webb, Doom, restructure Pitta cap hit

Get Stephon Gilmore or Kirkpatrick - just can't live with this secondary and J Smith is unreliable

Draft one of these guys

Pass Rusher: Carl Lawson, Tim William, Charles Harris,
Safety: Malik Hooker, Eddie Jackson, Jamal Adams
CB: King, Tabor, Jackson,White

I don't think Ravens need to pursue a receiver. Marty has not proven that his system is worth an investment with other needs.

I don't buy none of these guys can get open. I think Flacco can't find them. Aiken looked good once Smith Sr went down last season. Flacco just looks for the first read.

Harbs needs to make Joe have workouts with his receivers this offseason. Develop timing, hands, and deep throws. They, in particular Flacco, needs to put in the extra work and show leadership instead of every year going to the mike and telling people what's wrong with the offense.

Not that I like Marty at all, but Joe plays like a guy that does not prepare well. It's been that way for years even before the big contract.

[BallsoHard622]

Corner, corner, pass rush, oline an then add another corner. Wish list complete lol

[BallsoHard622]

Ozzie, Decosta and Harbaugh all need to do much better jobs of addessing these needs. After all, these are the same re-occurring needs for 3 straight years now. 

They said we needed to improve the secondary 2 years ago but didn't make any moves outside of Kyle Arrington, Kendrick Lewis both terrible signings and wrote a million fluff pieces about how Rashaan Melvin looked strong and would be an excellent starter opposite Jimmy after an offense of improving.  

Fast-Forward one year the narrative becomes Shareece Wright is the bookend opposite of Jimmy he's had the strongest camp of anyone has ultra confidence himself and he's poised for a breakout year. 

Webb is the answer at safety - Webb did play very well second half of the season. 

Tavon Young was a pleasant surprise, the kid play great. 

No one knows what was the deal with Correa I'm sure this guy didn't even play 10% of the defensive snaps. Even with Mosley and Dummervil both out this kid didn't see action. 

 

I like correa but I thought it was a wasted second round pick. We should've drafted the best available corner an then grabbed an iLB later

[davy_861]

I think Ravens have enough depth at DT not to break the bank chasing Williams.

I want them to resign Wagner. Wagner (RT), Lewis (G), Stanley (LT) is a solid o-line. Add depth at C,G

Offload Webb, Doom, restructure Pitta cap hit

Get Stephon Gilmore or Kirkpatrick - just can't live with this secondary and J Smith is unreliable

Draft one of these guys

Pass Rusher: Carl Lawson, Tim William, Charles Harris,
Safety: Malik Hooker, Eddie Jackson, Jamal Adams
CB: King, Tabor, Jackson,White

I don't think Ravens need to pursue a receiver. Marty has not proven that his system is worth an investment with other needs.

I don't buy none of these guys can get open. I think Flacco can't find them. Aiken looked good once Smith Sr went down last season. Flacco just looks for the first read.

Harbs needs to make Joe have workouts with his receivers this offseason. Develop timing, hands, and deep throws. They, in particular Flacco, needs to put in the extra work and show leadership instead of every year going to the mike and telling people what's wrong with the offense.

Not that I like Marty at all, but Joe plays like a guy that does not prepare well. It's been that way for years even before the big contract.

I like your draft list but I don't understand what you see in Aiken. He looked good because everyone got hurt. Dude is as slow as mud and he doesn't have great hands. Flacco makes mistakes too but Aiken ain't bluechip

[BallsoHard622]

I would not move forward with Terrence West. Smart decision would be to let him go and draft a HUGE RB.

West an Dixon are a good one two punch. Problem is our oline ain't the same with out kelechi Osemele. KO was a mauler in the run game an we didn't replace him. Our line isn't good at run blocking.

[BallsoHard622]

I wish we would've paid KO to be our left tackle. He proved that he could play the position. If we did that we could've dropped back from the number six pick in the draft to the 8 or 9 spot an snatched up Eli apple an a second round pick. That would made a big difference this season.

[sizzlingdoom]

  1 hour ago, law215 said:

I think Ravens have enough depth at DT not to break the bank chasing Williams.

I want them to resign Wagner. Wagner (RT), Lewis (G), Stanley (LT) is a solid o-line. Add depth at C,G

Offload Webb, Doom, restructure Pitta cap hit

Get Stephon Gilmore or Kirkpatrick - just can't live with this secondary and J Smith is unreliable

Draft one of these guys

Pass Rusher: Carl Lawson, Tim William, Charles Harris,
Safety: Malik Hooker, Eddie Jackson, Jamal Adams
CB: King, Tabor, Jackson,White

I don't think Ravens need to pursue a receiver. Marty has not proven that his system is worth an investment with other needs.

I don't buy none of these guys can get open. I think Flacco can't find them. Aiken looked good once Smith Sr went down last season. Flacco just looks for the first read.

Harbs needs to make Joe have workouts with his receivers this offseason. Develop timing, hands, and deep throws. They, in particular Flacco, needs to put in the extra work and show leadership instead of every year going to the mike and telling people what's wrong with the offense.

Not that I like Marty at all, but Joe plays like a guy that does not prepare well. It's been that way for years even before the big contract.

I like your draft list but I don't understand what you see in Aiken. He looked good because everyone got hurt. Dude is as slow as mud and he doesn't have great hands. Flacco makes mistakes too but Aiken ain't bluechip

agreed. Aiken is a below average wr, and a terrible special teamer. He needs to go

[sizzlingdoom]

Dixon and West are mediocre backs at best. They lack speed and West in particular can't catch (not helping Flacco out of the backfield like Ray Rice did). Players simply lack skill and talent at many positions. RBS can impact the game and control the game when playing a team like New England. Replace Ray Rice or continue to suffer offensively.

Dixon is gonna be a pro bowler. i think you're very wrong about him. west isnt special

[sizzlingdoom]

  8 hours ago, R@venFan808 said:

I think when doom Suggs Kamalei and Kafusi heal up and team up with matt judon our pass rush will be just fine. I don't see a CB worth a no.16 draft pick so well probably sign some one in FA. I really see us getting either  dynamic RB like Cook or a monster prospect WR like corey davis. Im so excited to take a RB or WR in the first round. We need to get some flacco some weapons. 

You don't see any CB worth pick 16 but you see WRs?  

T.Tabor, D.King, Q.Wilson, M.Humphrey, S.Jones, A.Jackson , J.Lewis there are plenty of 1st round quality corners in this draft they may not all go in round 1 but I bet there will be more corners than WRs drafted in round 1. 

I hope all these analysts continue to hate on WR JuJu so he falls to 2nd round maybe we can get lucky and snag him there or trade up a few spots. 

You're right. This class is loaded with corners and first round ones at that. We need Humprey or Quincy Wilson imo. Team Wilson with Jimmy and put Tavon inside, Raven football would be back. Tabor would be good too

[sizzlingdoom]

  10 hours ago, Black&purple#55 said:

My offseason Wishlist
CB - Dre Kirkpatrick/ S.Gillmore
Pass rush -via draft
WR- P.Garcon / A.Jeffries
OL- T.J Lang

S.Gilmore and the best pass rusher at 16 would instantly make this D top 5. Go best lineman and WR avaliable in the next few rounds and address it in FA for assurance. That would put this Offense in the top 15 at least. Sounds simple but then we could lose B.Williams, Webb, Doom, Wagner and  Zuttah. I don't see anyone in the current roster better than any of them at their positions and it gets complicated lol

I think one thing that needs to be done this year that people don't talk about it getting a good center. Since Birk left, we haven't done anything. That's where the oline starts and thrives. I say we use our 2nd round pick on one this year

[sizzlingdoom]

  10 hours ago, Ravensfansince03 said:

"Make our scouts great again"

after having one of the best drafts in Ravens history last year can you elaborate on that?

I'll elaborate on that, no problem.
NFL teams are built through the draft. I don't think a single knowledgeable football fan would argue that. Some teams do well and get lucky, and hit on players in rounds 4-7 every so often, which is a serious boost to the team. But the foundations of great teams are built in rounds 1-3. This is obvious and simple. Here is a list of 1rst-3rd round picks over the past 7 years.
Elam
Perriman
Arthur Brown
Maxx Williams
Cody
Kindle
KC
Kufasi
Carl Davis
Brooks
Jah Reid
Upshaw

Not only are none of these players even close to sniffing any kind of pro bowl talent, but a lot of them already have or are going to end up not even being able to play in the league what so ever. Because they are not any good. 1rst, 2nd, and 3rd round picks. That aren't even good enough to play in the league.....hmmmm. Drafting is driving the Ravens into the ground. Someone has to answer for that.

This year. Stanley is awesome. At 6 overall, you better get an awesome player. After that, let's talk about this "one of the best drafts in Ravens history".
We draft KC in the second round. Doom and Mosely are out for big sections of the year and KC isn't even good enough to play. at ll really. But he's a "hustle" player. Whatever that means. So we waste a pick on a guy that might never be good enough to play, instead of players that made an impact the entire year, and will be foundations of their franchises going forward- Sterling, Spence, and Michael Thomas are just a couple. All positions we need too.
Then Kufasi. Yeah he got hurt, but bottom line, another high pick with zero production or experience after year 1. Not to mention he was another "hustle" player that didn't have any outstanding traits at all and was someone that "needs time to develop".
Our 4th round was good. Finally. But Young is the only sure thing.
Chris Moore didn't contribute this year, except for a costly drop.
Alex Lewis got a lot of hype, but he was only average when he was on the field.
Henry didn't play at all this year.
And I am a fan of Dixon.
Then Judon looks good but is raw and completely unproven.

So this draft was ok, but the only reason it looks good is cuz we're comparing it to our GARBAGE drafts of the past several years. We drafted about 2 pro bowl players in the past 5 years. And one of those was a kicker. It's pathetic and very sad and helpless for the fans. If we don't hit on rounds 1-3 in the next several years, we'll be sitting in 3rd or 4th in the division for years to come.

[BigUgly]

  12 hours ago, R@venFan808 said:

  12 hours ago, Ravensfansince03 said:

"Make our scouts great again"

after having one of the best drafts in Ravens history last year can you elaborate on that?

I'll elaborate on that, no problem.
NFL teams are built through the draft. I don't think a single knowledgeable football fan would argue that. Some teams do well and get lucky, and hit on players in rounds 4-7 every so often, which is a serious boost to the team. But the foundations of great teams are built in rounds 1-3. This is obvious and simple. Here is a list of 1rst-3rd round picks over the past 7 years.
Elam
Perriman
Arthur Brown
Maxx Williams
Cody
Kindle
KC
Kufasi
Carl Davis
Brooks
Jah Reid
Upshaw

Not only are none of these players even close to sniffing any kind of pro bowl talent, but a lot of them already have or are going to end up not even being able to play in the league what so ever. Because they are not any good. 1rst, 2nd, and 3rd round picks. That aren't even good enough to play in the league.....hmmmm. Drafting is driving the Ravens into the ground. Someone has to answer for that.

This year. Stanley is awesome. At 6 overall, you better get an awesome player. After that, let's talk about this "one of the best drafts in Ravens history".
We draft KC in the second round. Doom and Mosely are out for big sections of the year and KC isn't even good enough to play. at ll really. But he's a "hustle" player. Whatever that means. So we waste a pick on a guy that might never be good enough to play, instead of players that made an impact the entire year, and will be foundations of their franchises going forward- Sterling, Spence, and Michael Thomas are just a couple. All positions we need too.
Then Kufasi. Yeah he got hurt, but bottom line, another high pick with zero production or experience after year 1. Not to mention he was another "hustle" player that didn't have any outstanding traits at all and was someone that "needs time to develop".
Our 4th round was good. Finally. But Young is the only sure thing.
Chris Moore didn't contribute this year, except for a costly drop.
Alex Lewis got a lot of hype, but he was only average when he was on the field.
Henry didn't play at all this year.
And I am a fan of Dixon.
Then Judon looks good but is raw and completely unproven.

So this draft was ok, but the only reason it looks good is cuz we're comparing it to our GARBAGE drafts of the past several years. We drafted about 2 pro bowl players in the past 5 years. And one of those was a kicker. It's pathetic and very sad and helpless for the fans. If we don't hit on rounds 1-3 in the next several years, we'll be sitting in 3rd or 4th in the division for years to come.

Note that the general downturn in drafted talent in the higher rounds coincides with the Harbaugh era. Could be a coincidence, or it could be his influence to find "high character, high football IQ" guys who were team captains, etc. The result is a lack of playmakers, pro-bowlers, and (unfortunately) no decrease in penalties. This might be doable in New England, where you have elite coaching and QB play, but not here.

I would love to know what Ozzie's board would have looked like over the past 5 years without the coach's influence.

[reed20]

13 hours ago, ravens4life86 said:

After the Ravens clear bout 25 million from cutting Dumervil,Webby,K.Lewis,Arrington etc

Go into free agency make a splash move or 2,

Safety Eric Berry
CBs Gilmore,
Wrs Marshall,Jeffrey,Jackson
Ol- Lang

Draft, Rnd 1- Wrs Dalvin Cook, Fournette Rbs, Wrs Corey Davis, Mike Williams, Malik Hooker S, Edge Rushers - Harris,Barnett,Thomas,Williams,Charlton,McKinley etc
Cbs-Tabor,King,Humphrey,

Rnd 2- Edge Rushers, Fields,McKinley, D.Walker, Tj Watt,
Wrs- Westbrook, Darboh,McCaffrey, Schuster
Cb-Awuzie, Wilson, King,

Rnd 3 2 pks
Dbs- Budda Baker, Lewis, Tankersely, Sutton
Ol- Johnson, Siragusa, Elfein
Edge Rushers- Tj Watt, Landry, D.Wise jr, D. Hall, M.Haynes
Rbs- S. Perine, Nick Chubb,

 

Berry and Weddle in our secondary would be amazing.

[Grapple Raven]

My wish list:

I'm going to put it out there my pick at WR this year would be Isaiah "Zay" Jones.  ECU WR, 6' 1", 197 lbs. Zay currently plays mostly short, intermediate routes but he can stretch the field too, projected to be a slot/possession receiver at NFL level or KR.   Zay is a hands catcher and excellent route runner, drops are rare, gets YAC often when double/triple covered, will go up to get a ball and will come back to the QB.   Watched this kid for four yrs. and he reminds me a lot of Boldin and SSS. Tough, gritty player with high football IQ and great instincts. He knows what it takes to play at NFL level as he is the son of NFL player Robert Jones, first round draft pick for the Cowboys. Projected currently to go in 2-3 rd. of draft. 

 "Zay Jones, WR, East Carolina – FBS all-time leader in receptions (388) and nation’s leading receiver with 151 catches for 1,685 yards. Six games with at least 170 yards receiving this season."

http://www.scout.com/college/football/recruiting/story/1739654-overlooked-to-record-breaker

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/zay-jones-elevating-draft-stock/

[sizzlingdoom]

This is very possible yet there will be comments like " yeah, maybe in Madden". We need to go ALL IN on getting Berry. And draft Quincy Wilson round 1.
Weddle and Berry at safety, with Wilson and JImmy on the outside, and Tavon in the slot. We would instantly have THE BEST secondary in the NFL. Make it happen

[law215]

  7 hours ago, jdynamite said:

  12 hours ago, R@venFan808 said:

I think when doom Suggs Kamalei and Kafusi heal up and team up with matt judon our pass rush will be just fine. I don't see a CB worth a no.16 draft pick so well probably sign some one in FA. I really see us getting either  dynamic RB like Cook or a monster prospect WR like corey davis. Im so excited to take a RB or WR in the first round. We need to get some flacco some weapons. 

You don't see any CB worth pick 16 but you see WRs?  

T.Tabor, D.King, Q.Wilson, M.Humphrey, S.Jones, A.Jackson , J.Lewis there are plenty of 1st round quality corners in this draft they may not all go in round 1 but I bet there will be more corners than WRs drafted in round 1. 

I hope all these analysts continue to hate on WR JuJu so he falls to 2nd round maybe we can get lucky and snag him there or trade up a few spots. 

You're right. This class is loaded with corners and first round ones at that. We need Humprey or Quincy Wilson imo. Team Wilson with Jimmy and put Tavon inside, Raven football would be back. Tabor would be good too

If the past is a predictor of future behavior, then OZ will figure with so many CB and pass rushers in the draft, he can move back for more picks still get a player that has "value".

The elephant in the room is OZ has not drafted well. Last year's draft was OK, but it was heavy on what OZ knows, offensive and defensive linemen. He opted to address CB and pass rusher in the 4th round.

I know its early but Correa and Kafusi are probably not players the caliber of Myles Jack (LB),Spence (pass rusher), Vonn Bell (S), Derrick Henry (RB), Sterling Sheppard(WR), Howard (CB) that he passed on in the second round.

If OZ could drafted one of these players, this article may not have been necessary.

[rossihunter2]

my wish list:

1.) pass rusher(s) - i wouldnt be mad if we hit two pass rushers in the first 3 rounds

2.) outside corner - even if tavon's the starter outside - we need some depth outside

3.) offensive line - centre, guard and tackle all need help - one of these may need to be a starter - if wagner goes then we need an interior guy, if zuttah goes we need a centre, if wagner stays then we still need tackle/guard depth

[Rav'n Maniac]

I agree with every position need mentioned in this article except the 3rd running back position. We don't give our 1st and 2nd options enough carries as it is, so why worry about the 3rd option at this point. Draft picks will be better used at the other mentioned positions as one player selected at each is not enough. The only way I would spend a selection on a RB is if that player is Jamal Lewis reincarnated.

[Halshayeji]

5 hours ago, sizzlingdoom said:

I think one thing that needs to be done this year that people don't talk about it getting a good center. Since Birk left, we haven't done anything. That's where the oline starts and thrives. I say we use our 2nd round pick on one this year

I agree. We have to make a decision regarding Zuttahs declining performances. I disagree with spending a 2nd. Rookie centers are rarely ready to start come day 1. I'd rather trade or release zuttah and spend that 5 million on a proven vet. I also think we need to add more than 1 good lineman this offseason. Our problem is not our best 3 guys. The problem is that whenever injuries hit, our 6th 7th and 8th best linemen are just so bad that the dropoff in talent becomes contagious. 

[Halshayeji]

26 minutes ago, rossihunter2 said:

my wish list:

1.) pass rusher(s) - i wouldnt be mad if we hit two pass rushers in the first 3 rounds

2.) outside corner - even if tavon's the starter outside - we need some depth outside

3.) offensive line - centre, guard and tackle all need help - one of these may need to be a starter - if wagner goes then we need an interior guy, if zuttah goes we need a centre, if wagner stays then we still need tackle/guard depth

How good would it be if we add a good corner to line up outside and use Young as a slot CB and play deep in 3 safety sets. He'd still play 75 percent of snaps when Jimmy is healthy. And oh lord how much of a luxory tgat would be!

[bioLarzen]

... and all this in a season where the Ravens will be rather tight against the cap - as usual.

It's like when the child in a poor family writes a Christmas wish list that fits a solid middle class family...

[sizzlingdoom]

  32 minutes ago, rossihunter2 said:

my wish list:

1.) pass rusher(s) - i wouldnt be mad if we hit two pass rushers in the first 3 rounds

2.) outside corner - even if tavon's the starter outside - we need some depth outside

3.) offensive line - centre, guard and tackle all need help - one of these may need to be a starter - if wagner goes then we need an interior guy, if zuttah goes we need a centre, if wagner stays then we still need tackle/guard depth

How good would it be if we add a good corner to line up outside and use Young as a slot CB and play deep in 3 safety sets. He'd still play 75 percent of snaps when Jimmy is healthy. And oh lord how much of a luxory tgat would be!

That's what I'm saying. I hate Young being off the field at all but it would be worth it. People need to check out Quincy Wilson. If we draft Wilson and pair him with SMith, and young on the inside.....top 3 secondary in the league no matter what. right there with denver and seattle, and maybe better. I'm praying we draft Wilson. The guy is nuts and exactly what we need.

[sizzlingdoom]

  5 hours ago, sizzlingdoom said:

I think one thing that needs to be done this year that people don't talk about it getting a good center. Since Birk left, we haven't done anything. That's where the oline starts and thrives. I say we use our 2nd round pick on one this year

I agree. We have to make a decision regarding Zuttahs declining performances. I disagree with spending a 2nd. Rookie centers are rarely ready to start come day 1. I'd rather trade or release zuttah and spend that 5 million on a proven vet. I also think we need to add more than 1 good lineman this offseason. Our problem is not our best 3 guys. The problem is that whenever injuries hit, our 6th 7th and 8th best linemen are just so bad that the dropoff in talent becomes contagious. 

Maybe there aren't any rookie centers that would make a huge impact, but I really hope there are. I just cannot get the 2013 first round out of my head. at all. The cowboys took a center in the first round that stepped in immediately and changed their franchise. While we took a player that is not even good enough to play in the NFL. And not only was he not a big positive influence on us, he directly cost us another ring with his inability to tackle. Him and Wright are the most frustarting Ravens I've watched in the past 10 years. Can anyone guess the mystery stud I'm referring to?

[bioLarzen]

  2 hours ago, sizzlingdoom said:

  14 hours ago, R@venFan808 said:

  14 hours ago, Ravensfansince03 said:

"Make our scouts great again"

after having one of the best drafts in Ravens history last year can you elaborate on that?

I'll elaborate on that, no problem.
NFL teams are built through the draft. I don't think a single knowledgeable football fan would argue that. Some teams do well and get lucky, and hit on players in rounds 4-7 every so often, which is a serious boost to the team. But the foundations of great teams are built in rounds 1-3. This is obvious and simple. Here is a list of 1rst-3rd round picks over the past 7 years.
Elam
Perriman
Arthur Brown
Maxx Williams
Cody
Kindle
KC
Kufasi
Carl Davis
Brooks
Jah Reid
Upshaw

Not only are none of these players even close to sniffing any kind of pro bowl talent, but a lot of them already have or are going to end up not even being able to play in the league what so ever. Because they are not any good. 1rst, 2nd, and 3rd round picks. That aren't even good enough to play in the league.....hmmmm. Drafting is driving the Ravens into the ground. Someone has to answer for that.

This year. Stanley is awesome. At 6 overall, you better get an awesome player. After that, let's talk about this "one of the best drafts in Ravens history".
We draft KC in the second round. Doom and Mosely are out for big sections of the year and KC isn't even good enough to play. at ll really. But he's a "hustle" player. Whatever that means. So we waste a pick on a guy that might never be good enough to play, instead of players that made an impact the entire year, and will be foundations of their franchises going forward- Sterling, Spence, and Michael Thomas are just a couple. All positions we need too.
Then Kufasi. Yeah he got hurt, but bottom line, another high pick with zero production or experience after year 1. Not to mention he was another "hustle" player that didn't have any outstanding traits at all and was someone that "needs time to develop".
Our 4th round was good. Finally. But Young is the only sure thing.
Chris Moore didn't contribute this year, except for a costly drop.
Alex Lewis got a lot of hype, but he was only average when he was on the field.
Henry didn't play at all this year.
And I am a fan of Dixon.
Then Judon looks good but is raw and completely unproven.

So this draft was ok, but the only reason it looks good is cuz we're comparing it to our GARBAGE drafts of the past several years. We drafted about 2 pro bowl players in the past 5 years. And one of those was a kicker. It's pathetic and very sad and helpless for the fans. If we don't hit on rounds 1-3 in the next several years, we'll be sitting in 3rd or 4th in the division for years to come.

Note that the general downturn in drafted talent in the higher rounds coincides with the Harbaugh era. Could be a coincidence, or it could be his influence to find "high character, high football IQ" guys who were team captains, etc. The result is a lack of playmakers, pro-bowlers, and (unfortunately) no decrease in penalties. This might be doable in New England, where you have elite coaching and QB play, but not here.

I would love to know what Ozzie's board would have looked like over the past 5 years without the coach's influence.

I don't think Harbaugh bought his own scoutiong system and department with him - so, I have to think if there's anything, it's mere coincidence.

But, if you study the earlier drafts, you will find about the same rate of hits and misses in the early rounds. Maybe a bit more, maybe a bit less.

Talent evaluatiopn and the draft is never a black-and-white thing. If it was, Brady would have never been left on the board until deep in the 6th round, and players like Tucker or Zach Orr would have never reached rookie free agency undrafted. Seems to me like there are scout departments in the NFL who seem to be better suited to correctly gauge and assess big talent - and thus make their organiztations pick in the early rounds better, and there are scouting systems that seem to be better suited to realize hidden, more subtle talent, making their organizations more successful at picking better in the late rounds.
What baffles me is the Ravens scouting system's apaprent inability to correctly assess talent at WR. It seems like they are just unable to pick out good WR talent. While players like Antonio Brown and Beckham get picked where they would have been available to us, Ozzie picks Clayton, Perriman and Torry Smith: not awful picks, but not Megatrons, Beckhams and Browns either...

[PsychoRaven52]

I agree with every position need mentioned in this article except the 3rd running back position. We don't give our 1st and 2nd options enough carries as it is, so why worry about the 3rd option at this point. Draft picks will be better used at the other mentioned positions as one player selected at each is not enough. The only way I would spend a selection on a RB is if that player is Jamal Lewis reincarnated.

THIS! SO MUCH THIS! The whole "running back by committee" approach has never really worked, less the Falcons situation with 2 premiere backs. Every back needs consecutive/consistent carries to get hot and make these explosive plays. The more touches they get, the more comfortable they get with the ebb and flow of the game. Sure depth is necessary and rest/subs are needed. But we need 1 starting RB, and I think Dixon could be it next season. West would be a great back up/sub/short yardage back, while Dixon has 3 down RB potential.

Pair that with an improved O-Line and dedication to run the ball 30-40 times a game (better play calling/scheme), and improvements to the pass rush and secondary, and we'd be playoff bound.

Oh, and please do not let Aiken hit the FA. If he was actually used as a starter this season, rather than an occasional piece, we'd have been a lot more productive. I love SSS as much as the next fan, but Aiken's season 2 years ago, when he was the primary WR, sold me on his ability. Offset him with the speed we now have and he's the next Q... Just sayin'...

[sizzlingdoom]

  31 minutes ago, Rav'n Maniac said:

I agree with every position need mentioned in this article except the 3rd running back position. We don't give our 1st and 2nd options enough carries as it is, so why worry about the 3rd option at this point. Draft picks will be better used at the other mentioned positions as one player selected at each is not enough. The only way I would spend a selection on a RB is if that player is Jamal Lewis reincarnated.

THIS! SO MUCH THIS! The whole "running back by committee" approach has never really worked, less the Falcons situation with 2 premiere backs. Every back needs consecutive/consistent carries to get hot and make these explosive plays. The more touches they get, the more comfortable they get with the ebb and flow of the game. Sure depth is necessary and rest/subs are needed. But we need 1 starting RB, and I think Dixon could be it next season. West would be a great back up/sub/short yardage back, while Dixon has 3 down RB potential.

Pair that with an improved O-Line and dedication to run the ball 30-40 times a game (better play calling/scheme), and improvements to the pass rush and secondary, and we'd be playoff bound.

Oh, and please do not let Aiken hit the FA. If he was actually used as a starter this season, rather than an occasional piece, we'd have been a lot more productive. I love SSS as much as the next fan, but Aiken's season 2 years ago, when he was the primary WR, sold me on his ability. Offset him with the speed we now have and he's the next Q... Just sayin'...

I agree about Dixon. Need to make him our work horse, he is amazing. He needs to work on his blitz pick ups though, which is a big deal but can be worked on.
However, AIKEN?!?!?
The guy is awful. He is a terrible special teamer. Terrible. And I'm all but sure anyone that watched every this year would completely agree with that.
And he is without a doubt a below average wr at best. he does not have one trait that stands out and his hands aren't reliable. I can't even count how many times/ways Aiken cost us the Washington game. You mention his stats from 2 years ago. He had no choice but to put up numbers, our entire team was injured and we had to throw the ball to someone, esp considering we were almost always down. Plus he put 59 yards a game??? Just curious how that sold you. Not to mention he had 127 targets. Clearly we disagree. But if we rely on Aiken to catch any passes next year, our offense will be much worse than it was this year

[sizzlingdoom]

Bring in a whole new staff Steve!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WTH

[Crusader]

I got an easy one Get Smarter and all else gets easier. In 2017 Jimmy Smith will be the second highest player on the team. Base salary more than Joe. That's not good negotiating. I guess he is getting compensated for 2012 too.
- Casey Hayward signed a 3 year, $15,300,000 contract with the San Diego Chargers---Jimmy Smith signed a 4 year, $41,102,000 contract with the Baltimore Ravens. Now go compare the stats.