2018 CFB/2019 Draft Prospects

[DreamKid]

If I had more faith in the coaching staff the move would be really appealing. I don't though. I'm already picturing mismanagement and a waste of resources. 

The concept of it is great. Dominant Dual TE sets with 1 of the 3 constantly outside or in the slot. It would get great blocking on the perimeter for Jackson. Provide him with 3 6'4+ sure handed targets, all them fast enough to burn LBs and big enough to work DBs. And overall give us a fluid efficient core lending itself to easy production and impact. Unfortunately I can't shake the thought of another either/or situation though, so it's a hard move to get on board with.

Weirdly Hayden getting injured last year might have been a blessing in disguise. Hurst is a great player and likely would've shut out Andrews completely with Mark having no chance to work himself into the lineup and show the kind of talent he is himself. The issue was Hayden then not being re-injected into the offense. Hopefully the coaches get it together next year, we're sitting on dynamite.

Elite

 

[DreamKid]

Director of College Scouting Joe Hortiz's interview with the "lounge"-https://www.baltimoreravens.com/audio/143-joe-hortiz-previews-the-combine

Major Takeaway

- Surprisingly, OL isn't a priority.

Despite their lackluster showing in the Playoffs. Joe referenced what we've talked about recently, which is the inability for young players to come in and take away starting roles from Hurst, Skura, or possibly even Bozeman. OL was only referred to with phrases like "future" or "adding guys in"- referencing the FO's strategy of always drafting some OL piece in mid-late rounds to keep a steady stream of talent at the position. Joe also doubled down on the obvious which is we aren't looking for zone scheme types on the line, they want powerful and physical lineman. Don't expect an early OL pick.

Joe also confirmed a sneaky story line from last season. Which was Eluemanor's better than expected run at LT, and hinted at that being his position going forward. An important and underrated depth development. Ascending bookend starters(Ronnie&Orlando) and capable backups(Jermaine&James) all locked in at tackle is a great position to be in. Don't forget about Greg Senat either, hopefully he shows a little something this season. 

The Rest

- Joe labeled this draft "deep". He described the middle of their board as being "bigger than normal".

- He doesn't see any high end talents at HB(No Saquon Barkley) or WR(No AJ Green or Julio Jones) but feels the groups overall are strong/deep.

- He expressed confidence in Edwards & Dixon going forward, and also said they're happy with young guys like De'Lance. They aren't looking for scat backs or runners looking to bounce things outside. The team wants Big, Downhill , Physical Runners with Explosion, Great Contact Balance, and Vision.

- Joe said they have fine tuned their scouting to fit in with a Lamar run offense, but there haven't been any big changes. They do want receivers that can block, but not at the expense of other priority traits like strong hands etc. A willingness to block is what they're really looking for.

- They want to spread and widen the scope of things in terms of the offense. New Wrinkles will be added, more creativity. It will look dramatically different from last year.

- He was asked about specifics on 2 players. Josh Jacobs & DK Metcalf, as I guess they've been frequently mocked to us. Joe praised Josh, notably his versatility as a returner and receiving option. He said Jacobs was a high character kid too. Metcalf he expressed more concern over, calling him raw and noting the poor production from him. He didn't seem interested in either of them as options for our early pick. I never considered them big options for our pick either and Joe just cemented that stance. 

- Horitz talked about how long it takes most WRs to develop. Add that in with DeCosta's statement's last year about taking Hurst over Ridley because of WR bust frequency, and I think the FO is really over 1st Round WRs. 

- Joe called the EDGE class "Strong", he seemed very impressed with it. He also defended Tim Williams and Tyus Bowser to Ryan Mink, who went out of his way to take a shot at them weirdly. Horitz said they both have flashed and that some EDGE players just take a while to acclimate their game. 

Conclusion

His downplaying of the OL was the only slight surprise. Everything else was pretty expected. For the most part we have a deep team and no dire needs. Horitz said if a defensive player is on the board that will make our team better we'll take him. There's no desperation to grab all offensive players or anything. 

Everything is pointing towards a typical BPA 1st Round pick. At this point I'd bet against a WR, HB, or OL in the first.

[Danand]

Obviously I am still going to defend taking an oline with an early pick. Big an powerful could be Cody Ford, Elgton Jenkins and Chris Lindstrom. Other players like the McCoy center could be there in the 3rd round.

I am surprised the don't want a scat back, or maybe I don't understand what a scat back is. It seemed we wanted a pass catching back when adding Montgomery, and I see players like Bryce Love, Darwin Thompson and Darrell Henderson as more than scat backs.

Going with powerful and elusive runners, Elijah Holyfield would be my preferred option. 

Also completely agree with the deep class take, and I would rather have two 2 round picks than our 1. round pick. 

[DreamKid]

11 minutes ago, Danand said:

I am surprised the don't want a scat back, or maybe I don't understand what a scat back is.

That's the exact terminology he used too. I'm just taking it as a "dance around" runner, because he still directly used the word "explosive" as something they're looking for. And DeCosta has mentioned wanting to add a homerun type playmaker to the group as well. I think more than anything they want no nonsense runners that can get North/South in an explosive manner, regardless of it's explosive power or explosive speed.

[Danand]

2 hours ago, DreamKid said:

That's the exact terminology he used too. I'm just taking it as a "dance around" runner, because he still directly used the word "explosive" as something they're looking for. And DeCosta has mentioned wanting to add a homerun type playmaker to the group as well. I think more than anything they want no nonsense runners that can get North/South in an explosive manner, regardless of it's explosive power or explosive speed.

I just saw the Ravens Bengals game to watch Lamar's first start. Its not like Alex Collins immediately dances or cuts to the outside, the times there was room he hit the hole up the middle. It might be solely due to fumble issues they are done with him (if they are), but I can't see it being because he won't run to the inside.

Edwards and Dixon can both fill the role as tough north/south runners inside. I simply can't see why they wouldn't add a type like the ones I mentioned before.

[drd23]

4 hours ago, DreamKid said:

- Horitz talked about how long it takes most WRs to develop. Add that in with DeCosta's statement's last year about taking Hurst over Ridley because of WR bust frequency, and I think the FO is really over 1st Round WRs. 

That's all well and good, but until this FO can prove that it is able to identify quality WR talent further down the draft it would be foolish to just dismiss the possibility of drafting a WR in the 1st round (where they presumably have a higher chance of picking a productive one)

[diamondbull424]

4 hours ago, DreamKid said:

Conclusion

His downplaying of the OL was the only slight surprise. Everything else was pretty expected. For the most part we have a deep team and no dire needs. Horitz said if a defensive player is on the board that will make our team better we'll take him. There's no desperation to grab all offensive players or anything. 

Everything is pointing towards a typical BPA 1st Round pick. At this point I'd bet against a WR, HB, or OL in the first.

Not sure I agree with all the takes after listening. What I got out of it was that Joe was not looking to give away any of our draft strategies.

I do agree that BPA is the likeliest direction. I also agree that he didn’t seem very inspired by the prospect of RBs early.

Beyond that though, seemed like he was trying to say a lot of nothing. Psychologically though his constant need to bring up OL so often leads me to believe that the team feels it’s a position where they know they will add a player there, but are indifferent as to whether they will grab him in the first or in the middle rounds... because of their track record of success.

DL/Pass rusher seemed like a position they were intrigued with, that had a lot of talent. He mentioned McPhee and Smith, might be alluding to the team searching for a hybrid inside/outside rusher.

With WR, I got the feeling that he wasn’t a fan of DK Metcalf, but beyond that he just let Mink do all the assuming and just agreed with whatever was said. He did state that receivers take longer to develop, but he also stated something along the lines of “DL and WR are the deepest groups in the draft (around the 5m mark)... there are a lot of guys in rounds 1-3 that can be starters, every team has a different feel for who that top guy is though... college receivers do a lot of different things in these college offenses so you’ve got to find a guy who can adjust on the fly and hopefully help us... we’re not looking particularly for a fast guy or a big guy but.. a playmaker.”

So my take on the above messaging was the exact opposite of your take. He’s saying that in the top 100 players receiver is a very talented spot. He’s also saying that the position is relatively chaotic with little consensus. And it seems he’s also mentioning that receivers who operate in gimmicky college offenses that aren’t very pro ready systems are something they’re looking to stay away from.

He also mentioned overall that the players in the 11-40 range they grade as very similar.

So my feeling on all of that is the team will likely look to trade down into the late 1st/early 2nd round range. Allow other teams to move up and secure the defensive talent that they covet... unless one of our top 10 graded talents fall to us at pick 22. After they trade back and secure more middle round ammunition, they will then target the BPA from the WR, OL, or DL positions.

My gut feeling on the draft plan is that they will want to move back to the last pick of the first and select a receiver (as they take longer to develop, thus the 5th year option). They then will look to select THEIR top (or one of) WR options. It sounds like more of a buyers market on the receiver front, so they can be choosy vs beggars. And for a team that has struggled with developing receivers, I’d be more willing to bet that they’ll spend more on the exact “house” that they want vs settling on something less than.

They will then use their mid round ammunition to target OL (as he mentioned OL multiple times), RB (he mentioned a lot of good backs in the 2nd/3rd rounds), and then finally target a tweener pass rusher. He really seemed to get excited when touching on McPhee/Smith (he mentioned the rounds they’ve drafted some of their rushers in), so perhaps an inside outside guy. That said, this is just my gut feeling from what I heard. But perhaps I’m just hearing what I want to hear... in which case Joe did an excellent job with the interview then.

[berlin calling]

from RSR, Jeremiah probably knows a thing or two about the Ravens:

Quote

The Meat of the Draft

Rounds two and three. It’s a good year to have six picks between 32 and 101, which is where the rich-get-richer Patriots find themselves. Said Jeremiah: “You look at the Baltimore Ravens picking at 22. They have no second-round pick. To me, if the Ravens pick at 22 I will buy you dinner the next time we’re together. I know the new GM, Eric DeCosta, taking over there from Ozzie Newsome, is a very bright guy. The value in this draft is in that second-round range. I would be surprised a team like Baltimore doesn’t take pick 22 and look to get out of there and see if they can flex some more picks there in that second-round range.”

source

[Danand]

Don't know if I misinterpret both Romans and Hortiz take about scat backs and pass catching backs, but it really seems like they don't want the Alvin Kamara, Darren Sproles, Tevin Coleman, James White and Tarik Cohen. If that is the case, its both weird and morronic, because that means they have failed to recognize what those types of backs can do for your offense in terms of versatility, playmaking ability and for deception.

Its not like I want to force them to use a Buck Allen type of player, but if they want 2-3 runningbacks who can all do basically the same, then I simply don't get it. Both Dixon and Edwards had just enough speed to pick up 15-20 yards, but even with Lamar on the field the big plays from our skill positions was the lowest in the league. That is what we get if we don't pick the guys who have either breakaway speed or the ability to make defenders miss in the open field.

[DreamKid]

11 hours ago, diamondbull424 said:

That said, this is just my gut feeling from what I heard. But perhaps I’m just hearing what I want to hear.

No. I think you're looking at the situation correctly. We're on the same page with everything, except them going WR in the 1st. I just don't feel that as of now. But the combine could change things, maybe even establish a viable candidate.  

13 hours ago, drd23 said:

That's all well and good, but until this FO can prove that it is able to identify quality WR talent further down the draft it would be foolish to just dismiss the possibility of drafting a WR in the 1st round (where they presumably have a higher chance of picking a productive one)

In a more top heavy crop? Sure. This draft class though.....

Can you picture Eric DeCosta making Riley Ridley his first ever draft pick? Cause I can't.

[DreamKid]

Steve Smith's 10 receivers to watch combine list-

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000001018667/article/2019-nfl-scouting-combine-ten-receivers-im-excited-to-watch

DJ's Top 50 2.0-

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000001018821/article/daniel-jeremiahs-top-50-prospects-for-2019-nfl-draft-20

Edited February 26, 2019 by DreamKid

[drd23]

6 hours ago, DreamKid said:

In a more top heavy crop? Sure. This draft class though.....

Can you picture Eric DeCosta making Riley Ridley his first ever draft pick? Cause I can't.

I never said they should draft a WR in the first this year, just that the concept of avoiding drafting a WR in the first round in general because of their bust rate would be stupid because until they prove otherwise I believe that a 1st round WR on this team will have a better chance of succeeding than one chosen later

[DreamKid]

11 minutes ago, drd23 said:

I never said they should draft a WR in the first this year, just that the concept of avoiding drafting a WR in the first round in general because of their bust rate would be stupid because until they prove otherwise I believe that a 1st round WR on this team will have a better chance of succeeding than one chosen later

Yea. I think they just use the bust rate more as one of many determining factors when weighing a WR prospect up against a similarly ranked prospect at another position. Like how I'm sure the frequency of later round success stories at HB likely drags the chances of a 1st Round running back being selected. It's a part of the process, so to speak. Which I can accept. 

It would be hard to tell if they have an irrational bias against the position installed when we're picking in the later portion of the Round. Any Great-Elite WR prospects are typically gone. So it's harder to gauge. With some top WR prospects hitting eligibility soon, I hope they approach the situation correctly. 

[Danand]

29 minutes ago, drd23 said:

I never said they should draft a WR in the first this year, just that the concept of avoiding drafting a WR in the first round in general because of their bust rate would be stupid because until they prove otherwise I believe that a 1st round WR on this team will have a better chance of succeeding than one chosen later

This should be the general conception. Picking a player high should be due to a mostly common belief that the player has more talent than others at his position and overall talent compared to other positions.

Just because you are "good" at developing oline shouldn't mean that you then bet on picking oline late and hope they can be solid players. High picked players are either superior athletes or very technical sound players or sometimes both. Higher picked players usually also has less concerns regarding desire to play the game, injury, character and scheme concerns or physical limitations.

From my point of view, a team should focus on positions early in the draft that are the most on the field - QB, oline, FS, CB and pass rushers.

Then rotational players on dline, linebacker, wide receivers and tight ends. Runningbacks are always fun to watch, but behind a good oline or in the right scheme you can pick up a Gus Edwards and he will produce, you can get an overweight CJ Anderson who will use his fat gut to run over you when he has room etc.

[DreamKid]

Wow. I like what I'm seeing from this kid. Top 100 Sleeper WR.