Under the Radar Selections

[ravefan52]

The thing about all these mock drafts from media and online forums, is that they're all basically the same. And for the past three years no one has correctly projected even the Ravens first two picks. No one ever mocked Stanley or Perriman, and Mosley was rare. Never saw Jernigan or Correa linked to us either. Even third rounders, like Kaufusi and Carl Davis were barely mentioned on here. The funny thing is, despite the lack of attention, these were almost immediately hailed as good picks, especially by people here. 

The Ravens have shown they will go away from big needs at times and is one of the very few teams that doesn't use a national scouting service. So their drafts often look different from conventional mocks and big boards. So with that, who are some early round under the radar picks you think could happen?

 

Here's some I came up with:

- Forrest Lamp: I think he's easily the best o-lineman and can play OT more than fine

- Dan Feeney

- OJ Howard & David Njoku: May be too good to pass up

- Curtis Samuel: Baltimore isn't the best fit for raw and athletic receivers, but he could be really good

- Charles Harris: Would probably have had a much better year if Mizzou didn't lose its great DL coach and completely change its defensive scheme

- Haason Reddick

- Chris Wormley

- Teez Tabor: Could be had later than perviously thought due to his slow 40 time 

- Cordrea Tankersley: A bit stiff, but he's 6'1'' and runs a 4.4 flat with seem decent tape vs top competition, how is he not getting more attention?

- Jourdan Lewis: So good. 5'10'', but plays big

Edited April 3 by ravefan52

[PurpleHorseman]

Chad Kelly. Best arm talent in the draft and it's not even close. Watch his pro day tomorrow. He is going to  catch attletion abd heat for sure! Has issues but not nearly as much as some say

DJ/Jones/Larry Ogunjobi. Very athletic explosive and powerful tackles.

Eluemanor. A very strong guard with good athleticism for a guard. Hasn't played football for very long 

Ardarius Stewart. First round talent not being talked about. I really like this dude.

DeDe Westbrook. Very explosive all around WR not getting nearly the hype he should 

Everrett Graham. Explosive slippery playmaking TE. Far stronger blocker than credited for! Round1 talent likely going late2

Howard Wilson. Will be one of better cornerbacks from this class. He can man up and zone. If he fills out his frame could be really good free safety Could be round4 steal. Underrated.

 

Edited April 3 by PurpleHorseman

[JoeyFlex5]

Jourdan Lewis just had a dv case 

Curtis Samuel was mocked to us twice by Charlie from WF(he's been really accurate with the ravens) 

tank is a completely unwilling tackler 

oj is likely gone by 16 and njoku is very raw and Evan engram looks better in every facet 

tabor is an upcoming penalty magnet imo 

harris has been often mocked to us in the first and second, I wouldn't take him at 16 though 

feeney has always been one of my favorite prospects but realistically he's out of range, 16 is too early and he'll be gone by 48, but I would have no problems if we shocked the world and took him at 16

[ravensnation5220]

I would say Garrett Bolles from Utah. He super athletic for a big man and has a great story to go along with it  

Another guy is Jarrad Davis from Florida, he's a very respected guy off the feild and has tons of talent as long as he can stay healthy. 

One more is Chris wormley from Michigan. Hard worker and has tons of potential as a 5 tech. 

All these guys are great players and I would love to have any of them but I don't think their draft stock fits with where we pick. They're all late 1st early 2nd round guys 

[BmoreBird22]

16 minutes ago, JoeyFlex5 said:

oj is likely gone by 16 and njoku is very raw and Evan engram looks better in every facet 

Harris has been often mocked to us in the first and second, I wouldn't take him at 16 though 

I would take Njoku over Engram in a heartbeat and I think Harris is a darkhorse pick along with Charlton.

[ravensnation5220]

@PurpleHorseman I can't stand Chad Kelly. He's like Johnny manzeil all over again. I mean the guy tried to pick a fight with high school kids and didn't even look like he wanted to be at the senior bowl, just terrible body language, not to mention he doesn't look in very good shape. The kid acts like he's a thug

Dede Westbrook has been charged twice for DV so there's no way he's on our board

[Jonah DeVito]

8 minutes ago, ravensnation5220 said:

I would say Garrett Bolles from Utah. He super athletic for a big man and has a great story to go along with it  

Another guy is Jarrad Davis from Florida, he's a very respected guy off the feild and has tons of talent as long as he can stay healthy. 

One more is Chris wormley from Michigan. Hard worker and has tons of potential as a 5 tech. 

All these guys are great players and I would love to have any of them but I don't think their draft stock fits with where we pick. They're all late 1st early 2nd round guys 

Yeah I really like Jarrad Davis but I just don't trust his durability, similar situation with Lattimore. 

[hn68wb4]

20 minutes ago, ravensnation5220 said:

@PurpleHorseman I can't stand Chad Kelly. He's like Johnny manzeil all over again. I mean the guy tried to pick a fight with high school kids and didn't even look like he wanted to be at the senior bowl, just terrible body language, not to mention he doesn't look in very good shape. The kid acts like he's a thug

Dede Westbrook has been charged twice for DV so there's no way he's on our board

We really don't need to have another back and forth with him about Kelly. He's in love with Kelly, just let him have his pet player that he thinks is hall of fame caliber.

[ravensnation5220]

56 minutes ago, JoeyFlex5 said:

oj is likely gone by 16 and njoku is very raw and Evan engram looks better in every facet 

There's no way I take engram over Njoku, engram could never become a complete tight end

[PurpleHorseman]

4 hours ago, ravensnation5220 said:

@PurpleHorseman I can't stand Chad Kelly. He's like Johnny manzeil all over again. I mean the guy tried to pick a fight with high school kids and didn't even look like he wanted to be at the senior bowl, just terrible body language, not to mention he doesn't look in very good shape. The kid acts like he's a thug

Dede Westbrook has been charged twice for DV so there's no way he's on our board

 

3 hours ago, hn68wb4 said:

We really don't need to have another back and forth with him about Kelly. He's in love with Kelly, just let him have his pet player that he thinks is hall of fame caliber.

Out of shape? He has several TD runs of about 50 yards. The guy is tough. His teammates love him and want to go to war with him. He takes hits in the pocket and throws strikes. As well as out of the pocket. He has some coaching up to do. His arm talent is best in the draft by far. He makes throws that many QBs in the NFL would ever attempt. Much less QBs in his draft class will attempt.

Read the S.I. article about the fight you say he picked. People prop up incidents to make a story. Nobody is saying there isn't growing up to do. These are 21 yrs we are talking about. I'm sure he wasn't happy at the senior bowl. He is young and wanted to play. His  proday is Tuesday. He will be throwing even coming off acl injury.

[PurpleHorseman]

4 hours ago, JoeyFlex5 said:

Jourdan Lewis just had a dv case 

Curtis Samuel was mocked to us twice by Charlie from WF(he's been really accurate with the ravens) 

tank is a completely unwilling tackler 

oj is likely gone by 16 and njoku is very raw and Evan engram looks better in every facet 

tabor is an upcoming penalty magnet imo 

harris has been often mocked to us in the first and second, I wouldn't take him at 16 though 

feeney has always been one of my favorite prospects but realistically he's out of range, 16 is too early and he'll be gone by 48, but I would have no problems if we shocked the world and took him at 16

Wow that is confidence. To have no problem with Feeney at 16. But if he becomes a pro bowl center. Nobody can argue. I agree about Engram. But I think he and Njoku are  somewhat even. Engram blocked very well at Senior Bowl. Graham is pretty good to any he isn't getting the hype of Engram or Njoku. Graham is slippery after the catch. What is your take on Graham?

[BOLDnPurPnBlacK]

I think I saw that we are bringing in Caleb Brantley for a visit as are the Browns. 

Interesting bc that would suggest at least a couple teams view him in the 12-16 range. 

[hn68wb4]

5 minutes ago, BOLDnPurPnBlacK said:

I think I saw that we are bringing in Caleb Brantley for a visit as are the Browns. 

Interesting bc that would suggest at least a couple teams view him in the 12-16 range. 

I think it's more likely that that just suggests he's seen as an early second type player, we don't only meet with players we want in the first

[BOLDnPurPnBlacK]

1 hour ago, hn68wb4 said:

I think it's more likely that that just suggests he's seen as an early second type player, we don't only meet with players we want in the first

I've been seeing more about him being viewed as a first round talent... possibly the 2nd DT behind Allen bc of his ability to play 1 gap or 2 gap schemes and because he's produced as a 0/1 Tech and 3 Tech or even some limited 5 Tech.

And his production doesn't show how good of a penatrator he is in the passing game. 

Dont be surprised if he's a mid 1st round pick. I could see him going ahead of McDowell. 

[JoeyFlex5]

8 hours ago, BmoreBird22 said:

I would take Njoku over Engram in a heartbeat and I think Harris is a darkhorse pick along with Charlton.

Really? I thought you were a big engram fan like me, must have you mixed up lol. What do you like better about njoku?

[JoeyFlex5]

7 hours ago, ravensnation5220 said:

There's no way I take engram over Njoku, engram could never become a complete tight end

Well as it stands right now we probably don't want another high investment at TE, therefore taking the guy who looks more like an elite slot receiver with engram  I've always viewed him as a big slot guy anyway

[rossihunter2]

I've done so much evaluation at this point that the only way I think a pick could be under the radar is if we end up taking a defensive lineman of some sort early in the draft or a safety

[BmoreBird22]

2 hours ago, JoeyFlex5 said:

Really? I thought you were a big engram fan like me, must have you mixed up lol. What do you like better about njoku?

Probably the best leaper in the draft, very willing blocker, has the same seam busting ability, but seems to just be growing into his potential. Engram is going to be limited to just a move tight end and doesn't fight for those contested catches as well as he should. 

I bet Njoku goes in the first and Engram in the second.

I'm actually a huge Bucky Hodges fan.

[rmw10]

3 hours ago, BOLDnPurPnBlacK said:

I've been seeing more about him being viewed as a first round talent... possibly the 2nd DT behind Allen bc of his ability to play 1 gap or 2 gap schemes and because he's produced as a 0/1 Tech and 3 Tech or even some limited 5 Tech.

And his production doesn't show how good of a penatrator he is in the passing game. 

Dont be surprised if he's a mid 1st round pick. I could see him going ahead of McDowell. 

1st round talent, but his attitude/work ethic leaves a ton to be desired.  He's exactly the type of guy that pretty much every team should be bringing out on a visit to make sure nothing is being missed on him.  He's got a lot of talent but he could easily be in for a free fall just because of his attitude.

[JoeyFlex5]

5 minutes ago, BmoreBird22 said:

Probably the best leaper in the draft, very willing blocker, has the same seam busting ability, but seems to just be growing into his potential. Engram is going to be limited to just a move tight end and doesn't fight for those contested catches as well as he should. 

I bet Njoku goes in the first and Engram in the second.

I'm actually a huge Bucky Hodges fan.

I agree about njoku but I'm not seeing that contested catch issue with engram, he does well when covered and climbs the ladder and attacks the ball well, he needs to box out better though, he just doesn't shield the defender off very well. 

My thing about engram is that he's a good route runner and can be elite there, he's built like a slightly smaller TE but has the ability to run the full route tree like an elite wr, and is a rare kind of guy who not only runs great routes, but has the hands and power to make tight catches, while having the explosion to turn routine catches into big plays. I guess the same could be said for njoku but I'm just partial to engram. I think he's more of a wr than TE and I think he would be a perfect replacement for pitta while also adding a possession wr

[rossihunter2]

1 hour ago, BmoreBird22 said:

Probably the best leaper in the draft, very willing blocker, has the same seam busting ability, but seems to just be growing into his potential. Engram is going to be limited to just a move tight end and doesn't fight for those contested catches as well as he should. 

I bet Njoku goes in the first and Engram in the second.

I'm actually a huge Bucky Hodges fan.

oh i agree 100% on hoddges - i could see him developing into the number 1 tight end out of this class

[ravensnation5220]

4 hours ago, JoeyFlex5 said:

Well as it stands right now we probably don't want another high investment at TE, therefore taking the guy who looks more like an elite slot receiver with engram  I've always viewed him as a big slot guy anyway

This is true. I like engram in the second better than I like Njoku in the first. But if we take engram in the second than there's no point in having pitta in my eyes. And I don't think we'll be moving on from pitta

[Edgar]

Dalvin Cook.

For the record, lots of people, (including myself) mocked Stanley to us.

Perriman was pretty widely mocked to us outside these boards.

[BmoreBird22]

3 hours ago, JoeyFlex5 said:

I agree about njoku but I'm not seeing that contested catch issue with engram, he does well when covered and climbs the ladder and attacks the ball well, he needs to box out better though, he just doesn't shield the defender off very well. 

My thing about engram is that he's a good route runner and can be elite there, he's built like a slightly smaller TE but has the ability to run the full route tree like an elite wr, and is a rare kind of guy who not only runs great routes, but has the hands and power to make tight catches, while having the explosion to turn routine catches into big plays. I guess the same could be said for njoku but I'm just partial to engram. I think he's more of a wr than TE and I think he would be a perfect replacement for pitta while also adding a possession wr

That's what I meant as far as not making contested catches. He won't box out and let's a defender work back through him. Use your size to your advantage.

I saw his comp as David Reed and that to me is entirely fair. He can be a seam nightmare with his speed.

[BmoreBird22]

1 hour ago, rossihunter2 said:

oh i agree 100% on hoddges - i could see him developing into the number 1 tight end out of this class

I've seen his range anywhere from 45 to 75, so I'm not sure what to make of where he'll go, but he's got me excited for once about this draft for VT with Rodgers (he's a real sleeper; everything Juice was for the Ravens) and Ford.

Hodges has the best routes of the tight ends and freakish size to go along with some speed to beat you down the seam. And he'll kill the red zone. 

I felt bad for him because he dealt with Loeffler for two years and then Fuente came in and his offense, while amazing for Ford, was more east-west than you'd like for Hodges and having Evans just put him in too many bad positions on passes being all over. He's going to be a better pro than college player.

[ravensnation5220]

26 minutes ago, Edgar said:

Dalvin Cook.

For the record, lots of people, (including myself) mocked Stanley to us.

Perriman was pretty widely mocked to us outside these boards.

With his plethora of off the feild issues. I have a hard time thinking he will be high on our board

[RaineV1]

Jamari Staples. The Revens visited him, and he could definitely be a third round pick for us. Though next to no one on the board have mentioned him as a possibility.

[BmoreBird22]

2 minutes ago, ravensnation5220 said:

With his plethora of off the feild issues. I have a hard time thinking he will be high on our board

The Ravens will meet and determine if he's worth it.

On talent alone, he could be top 10, but I bet he goes much later because of off the field.

Wouldn't be too thrilled to see another running back, but he's electric any time he touches the ball.

[BmoreBird22]

Hasaan Reddick recently said he views himself as a 3-4 OLB first and that's his comfort zone. 

He could definitely be a bigger possibility at 16.

[JoeyFlex5]

19 minutes ago, BmoreBird22 said:

Hasaan Reddick recently said he views himself as a 3-4 OLB first and that's his comfort zone. 

He could definitely be a bigger possibility at 16.

Never bought him as a ILB. Not a thumper enough, works best in space, has the pursuit to chase down plays from the backside like a monster, he does that so well. And with his short stature and long arms and great flexibility and bend he can really put thatbspeed to use as an edge rusher. 

Putting him inside takes away everything he does best.