2019 CFB/2020 Draft Prospects

[diamondbull424]

2 hours ago, DreamKid said:

Really warming up to Reagor or one the other top billed WRs in Round 1. Offense needs the firepower, even when Marquise is healthy. Also makes us a better team on Day 1, than any of the similarly ranked Defensive prospects will imo. There's options on that side of the ball I like, sure(YGM, Blacklock, etc). Don't see any of them becoming major contributors until years 2 or 3 though. So it's tempting to go offense(WR,IOL). 

I do take the point that we should maybe hold off on WR, as it's such a deep class, but if the board falls with a strong playmaking/pass catching option as BPA- I don't think we should be opposed. 

Once we get past FA, and Yanda makes his decision , a clear strategy should present itself. 

 

I like what Raegor does there, but I feel like his form of returning won’t be sustainable at the NFL level. Feel like he’s a hyper athlete that can get away with stuff like that in college. That’s not a smart special teams play in the pros though. Personally I’m higher on Brandon Aiyuk as a return specialist... and probably at receiver too. They’re both so tightly contested. I think Aiyuk is better right now and more unique, but Raegor has the age score on his side. For some time I’ve been trying to remember who Brandon Aiyuk reminds me of and I’ve finally found it, Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson. If he can develop his route running to that same level he could be a special player.

[diamondbull424]

I know it’s 2018 film, but Baun is steadily becoming a favorite. The more I watch of him the more convinced I think he’s the pick. He reminds me of something between Von Miller and Kyle Van Noy, he’s the pro bowl version of that skillset vs the All Pro version or the impact starter version.

I love him and Madubuike as potential additions to the defense. I can instantly see a path for both players being impact rookies from day one.

Really hoping Judon can be traded for a 2nd, that way we can hopefully exit the first two rounds with some combination of Baun, Madubuike, and DPJ/Aiyuk/Biadasz. if Baun runs in the 4.5/low 4.6 forty range at the combine I think it’s a wrap.

[DreamKid]

 

8 minutes ago, diamondbull424 said:

Really hoping Judon can be traded for a 2nd, that way we can hopefully exit the first two rounds with some combination of Baun, Madubuike, and DPJ/Aiyuk/Biadasz.

Donovan Peoples-Jones?

Isn't he projected much later than the first two Rounds?

[diamondbull424]

Just now, DreamKid said:

 

Donovan Peoples-Jones?

Isn't he projected much later than the first two Rounds?

To be honest I have no idea how the day 2 players are likely to go. In no world do I think Biadasz should be a day 2 player, but apparently since his senior tape isn’t as dominant as his previous 3 seasons he’s being picked apart and falling. Meanwhile my other favorite IOL Cesar Ruiz went from a day 3 guy to a high shelf day 2 guy. Then guys like Jalen Raegor could be high in the 2nd or could fall later, same with Brandon Aiyuk... could he fall to the 3rd?

At this point I’m just establishing guys I like and let the chips fall where they may. But yeah I really love what I’ve seen from Donovan Peoples-Jones. I think his game is going to translate very well to the next level and with better QB play will prove to be a serious threat. This WR class makes me feel largely uncomfortable, even guys I like such as Raegor and Aiyuk... but I’m confident that DPJ is going to be a legit player at the next level. His movement skills, his adjustments, and his hands make me a believer. He’s got the total package... just doesn’t have quite as high a ceiling as some of these other guys. I see him as a Juju Smith-Schuster/Cooper Kupp kind of player.

[DreamKid]

Still really like Leki Fotu for us in the 2nd Round. 21 years old, has only played DI for 2 seasons, should drop a strong SPARQ score. There's just major upside with this kid. And I'm sure we'll see him mocked plenty to us with the low hanging Ngata comp. Both Poly kids of Tongan descent, who grew up in the Bay of Cali, went on to play CFB in the Pac-12, and consistently create havoc from the defensive interior. Even has a rugby background like Ngata did. To be clear though, he isn't in the same stratosphere as Ngata in terms of pedigree/talent. That shouldn't be a knock against him though, because who really is? Haloti was literally a phenom recruit and a generational prospect. 

Fotu needs to fix some pad level issues and improve his recognition against the run. Honing pass rush counters will be key too(As it is for every DI prospect). Overall though, he presents a pretty enticing upside option that could be had in that Mid-Late 2nd Round Window. Love his natural strength, burst, and motor. 

 

[Danand]

I still see a lot of experts Who believe the ravens need a big chainmoving possession type of receiver. 

While I dont have a preference as long as they can get open, I dont think the possession type is what we need. 

We saw the offense without marquise Brown, and I would prefer we get someone with more speed like aiyuk, hamler, raegor, mims just to name a few. 

[wackywabbit]

Yea, we have TE's to be the possession receivers. We need guys that scare the defense on the edges. I'd go with the Chiefs model and keep drafting fast guys.

I have not looked into the draft prospects and depth of the draft much, but throwing an idea out there. If there's a guy who the Ravens evaluate as a top 10 talent who would REALLY move the needle for the critical SB window, I think there's an opportunity to trade with EDC's buddy on the Jets at 11. It'd probably cost next year's 1st like the Davenport trade for the Saints. That particular move may not have worked out, but doesn't mean the concept is wrong. I feel like I spent a decade saying the Julio Jones trade was a good move for the Falcons. It'd be fun to imagine it being a WR like Jeudy, but giving the likelihood of investing in the front-7, perhaps they fall in love with Isiah Simmons as the cornerstone of a rebuilt front-7 AND he slips that far.

Edited February 16, 2020 by wackywabbit

[DreamKid]

3 hours ago, wackywabbit said:

Yea, we have TE's to be the possession receivers. We need guys that scare the defense on the edges. I'd go with the Chiefs model and keep drafting fast guys.

I have not looked into the draft prospects and depth of the draft much, but throwing an idea out there. If there's a guy who the Ravens evaluate as a top 10 talent who would REALLY move the needle for the critical SB window, I think there's an opportunity to trade with EDC's buddy on the Jets at 11. It'd probably cost next year's 1st like the Davenport trade for the Saints. That particular move may not have worked out, but doesn't mean the concept is wrong. I feel like I spent a decade saying the Julio Jones trade was a good move for the Falcons. It'd be fun to imagine it being a WR like Jeudy, but giving the likelihood of investing in the front-7, perhaps they fall in love with Isiah Simmons as the cornerstone of a rebuilt front-7 AND he slips that far.

The Jets need to grab one of the top OTs in the class. They won't give up that spot imo.

Also the team hated not having a 2nd Round Pick last year. It's hard to see them then being on board for booting a future 1st Round pick. That's really the only kind of move you should pull when you're desperate for a potential franchise QB or some other defining player that can fundamentally change the trajectory of your team- or almost guarantee a deep playoff run. We're not desperate for either. 

Remember, we traded down.. with Derwin James and Tremaine Edmunds available. Getting us to trade up, and give up significant draft capital- is probably going to be a near impossible task. It's hard to argue against the FO's judgement on the issue with our past track record too. I think we can expect more aggressive maneuvering from EDC than Ozzie, but I don't see us deviating too far away from our typical BPA/Pick Accumulation strategy. 

Trading up for a WR would seem moronic in many ways too, given how deep the class is. The gap between Jeudy, and the options that will be available when we're on the clock at 28 is quite small compared to past drafts' offerings. And any major deal for a Front 7 player would seem similarly questionable if we gave up a future 1st imo.

What's really funny is, the Ravens have been chasing a trade that yields us another team's future 1st for 20 years now. Who could forget the Falcons infamously trading us their 1st Round Pick for the 2000 draft? For the rights to select a player 42nd Overall in the 1999 Draft..................................................

We turned that Top 5 pick into Jamal Lewis, and won the Super Bowl the next season. The Tight End the Falcons gave up their future Top 5 pick for, was a bust. 

Ozzie wanted to feel that high again so bad . 

[wackywabbit]

32 minutes ago, DreamKid said:

The Jets need to grab one of the top OTs in the class. They won't give up that spot imo.

Also the team hated not having a 2nd Round Pick last year. It's hard to see them then being on board for booting a future 1st Round pick. That's really the only kind of move you should pull when you're desperate for a potential franchise QB or some other defining player that can fundamentally change the trajectory of your team- or almost guarantee a deep playoff run. We're not desperate for either. 

Remember, we traded down.. with Derwin James and Tremaine Edmunds available. Getting us to trade up, and give up significant draft capital- is probably going to be a near impossible task. It's hard to argue against the FO's judgement on the issue with our past track record too. I think we can expect more aggressive maneuvering from EDC than Ozzie, but I don't see us deviating too far away from our typical BPA/Pick Accumulation strategy. 

Trading up for a WR would seem moronic in many ways too, given how deep the class is. The gap between Jeudy, and the options that will be available when we're on the clock at 28 is quite small compared to past drafts' offerings. And any major deal for a Front 7 player would seem similarly questionable if we gave up a future 1st imo.

What's really funny is, the Ravens have been chasing a trade that yields us another team's future 1st for 20 years now. Who could forget the Falcons infamously trading us their 1st Round Pick for the 2000 draft? For the rights to select a player 42nd Overall in the 1999 Draft..................................................

We turned that Top 5 pick into Jamal Lewis, and won the Super Bowl the next season. The Tight End the Falcons gave up their future Top 5 pick for, was a bust. 

Ozzie wanted to feel that high again so bad . 

It'd be moronic to make a blanket statement that no (non-QB) prospect "could" be worth 2 firsts. Again as I said, I haven't formed much of an opinion on any prospect to say they are the guy, but IF they did evaluate a prospect as the next Julio Jones or a bit below that, they would surely make the move. It was reported after the draft and brought up recently that the Ravens called and tried to trade up to draft Khalil Mack in his draft. They obviously didn't meet the price demand, but you'd have to imagine their offer was more than 2 1sts, given Mack went top 5. So it's certainly not something the FO isn't going to consider. They'll absolutely be a couple guys in this draft that this team would part with next year's first for. Obviously Chase Young would be on that list. I was posing a thought experiment for who else the Ravens may put on that list.

At WR in particular I do think they go for the depth. But "deep" may mean getting another Myles Boykin level prospect in the mid-rounds. There is still a difference between them and the top prospects. Perhaps Jeudy and Co aren't at the level to bite on a move, but there's still a reason they are going to go top half of the first in a "deep" draft. 

I think the Jets or maybe even the Jags are a team that have enough needs to be more open to the trade down. Agree that the Jets would not move if they had a LEFT tackle prospect they were sold on fall to them. Those type of players usually rise in the draft though, sans some crazy gas mask incident. 

Edited February 16, 2020 by wackywabbit

[DreamKid]

16 minutes ago, wackywabbit said:

It'd be moronic to make a blanket statement that no (non-QB) prospect "could" be worth 2 firsts.

This shouldn't be directed at me, as I never made that 'blanket statement'. I'll assume you're just speaking generally. 

19 minutes ago, wackywabbit said:

Again as I said, I haven't formed much of an opinion on any prospect to say they are the guy, but IF they did evaluate a prospect as the next Julio Jones or a bit below that, they would surely make the move. It was reported after the draft and brought up recently that the Ravens called and tried to trade up to draft Khalil Mack in his draft.

"Surely make the move" is strong wording. Yea, we had high grades and explored trade ups for all kinds of recent star players. Ramsey, Bosa, Mack, Lattimore. And, none of them materialized. We also passed on players I'm sure we had very high grades on for more picks in trade downs too. The existence or theoretical availability of top tier players didn't force us to make a move under Ozzie, and I'm not going to make a concrete assumptions about EDC deviating too far from that baseline strategy going forward.

Common sense bump ups, like we saw for Lamar or Myles Boykin seem to be the moves we should expect. 

24 minutes ago, wackywabbit said:

They obviously didn't meet the price demand, but you'd have to imagine their offer was more than 2 1sts, given Mack went top 5. So it's certainly not something the FO isn't going to consider. They'll absolutely be a couple guys in this draft that this team would part with next year's first for. Obviously Chase Young would be on that list. I was posing a thought experiment for who else the Ravens may put on that list.

I don't think they'd put anyone else in that tier. The only key positions where we really need help is EDGE and DI. And the only blue chip option from those positions is Chase Young, while Derrick Brown and Javon Kinlaw are good in their own right but a couple notches below. All 3 will go Top 15. The Redskins wouldn't trade with us if we gave them 3 1st Round Picks, and neither Brown or Kinlaw will 'force our hand' if our draft strategy is as it has been. 

44 minutes ago, wackywabbit said:

At WR in particular I do think they go for the depth. But "deep" may mean getting another Myles Boykin level prospect in the mid-rounds. There is still a difference between them and the top prospects. Perhaps Jeudy and Co aren't at the level to bite on a move, but there's still a reason they are going to go top half of the first in a "deep" draft. 

'Deep' is kind of underselling the class. It's considered by many to be one of the best- ever. CeeDee Lamb and Jeudy are considered class toppers by a good amount, but really rankings are all over the place. Even if CeeDee Lamb and Jeudy go Top 20, that still leaves Henry Ruggs III, Laviska Shenault Jr., Tee Higgins, Jalen Reagor, Justin Jefferson, and Brandon Aiyuk as the other WRs consistently getting 1st Round grades. And as I said the gap between Jeudy and the others just ain't that big.

Look at last year's class and knock every WR drafted down at least one Round, that's likely where they'd go if in with this class. 

I understand your thought process, and I'm in camp "Add a Playmaker" too. Even if Marquise is healthy, which will always be a big if, we still need other explosive options. Having taken an extensive look at the class already though, it's clear we don't need to swing a big trade up to accomplish that mission. Take a look at guys like Henry Ruggs, Jalen Reagor, Brandon Aiyuk, KJ Hamler, Denzel Mims etc. I think you'll like them.

1 hour ago, wackywabbit said:

I think the Jets or maybe even the Jags are a team that have enough needs to be more open to the trade down. Agree that the Jets would not move if they had a LEFT tackle prospect they were sold on fall to them. Those type of players usually rise in the draft though, sans some crazy gas mask incident. 

There's more Round 1 Tackle options this year than in recent drafts. Jets will more than likely have their shot at one of Willis, Wirfs, Becton, Thomas, and names like Josh Jones are rising fast. 

Sticking with your theory though, a bump up trade with the Jags for their 2nd 1st Round Pick- #20. Could make sense. Like if we wanted to secure a Tier 2 EDGE prospect or something. AJ Epenesa? YGM? Wouldn't take all that much either.

[sp6488]

18 hours ago, DreamKid said:

Still really like Leki Fotu for us in the 2nd Round. 21 years old, has only played DI for 2 seasons, should drop a strong SPARQ score. There's just major upside with this kid. And I'm sure we'll see him mocked plenty to us with the low hanging Ngata comp. Both Poly kids of Tongan descent, who grew up in the Bay of Cali, went on to play CFB in the Pac-12, and consistently create havoc from the defensive interior. Even has a rugby background like Ngata did. To be clear though, he isn't in the same stratosphere as Ngata in terms of pedigree/talent. That shouldn't be a knock against him though, because who really is? Haloti was literally a phenom recruit and a generational prospect. 

Fotu needs to fix some pad level issues and improve his recognition against the run. Honing pass rush counters will be key too(As it is for every DI prospect). Overall though, he presents a pretty enticing upside option that could be had in that Mid-Late 2nd Round Window. Love his natural strength, burst, and motor. 

 

Would Fotu in the second be considered "falling" at this point?  I've seen him consistently as a Day-3 guy in a lot of rankings. I've been consistently mocking him to us around the 4th.

 

 

 

[DreamKid]

24 minutes ago, sp6488 said:

Would Fotu in the second be considered "falling" at this point?  I've seen him consistently as a Day-3 guy in a lot of rankings. I've been consistently mocking him to us around the 4th.

No, I don't think so. He was never really mocked all that high. I'm projecting him to Late 2-Early 3 territory as this DI class isn't deep and he's kind of the lone bottom Tier 2/Top Tier 3 guy.

This is how I see it in terms of where guys are projected to go-

Tier 1- (Top 20 Lock) Derrick Brown-Javon Kinlaw

Tier 2- (Rounds 1-2) Ross Blacklock, Jordan Elliot, Justin Madubuike, Neville Gallimore

Tier 3- (Rounds 2-3) Leki Fotu, James Lynch, - Marlon Davidson?, Raekwon Davis?

 

^^^^That's just where I generally see their stock at. Not even sure about Davidson or Davis as the combine could heavily change their stock. Whereas I think the combine will help Fotu cement himself. 

Would obviously love to get him in the 4th, but I think he'll go a little higher. Seems like a fun/strong fit for our team. Good job mocking him to us.

[wackywabbit]

57 minutes ago, DreamKid said:

'Deep' is kind of underselling the class. It's considered by many to be one of the best- ever. CeeDee Lamb and Jeudy are considered class toppers by a good amount, but really rankings are all over the place. Even if CeeDee Lamb and Jeudy go Top 20, that still leaves Henry Ruggs III, Laviska Shenault Jr., Tee Higgins, Jalen Reagor, Justin Jefferson, and Brandon Aiyuk as the other WRs consistently getting 1st Round grades. And as I said the gap between Jeudy and the others just ain't that big.

Oh, it'd be a lot of fun watching the offense with Hollywood and Raegor on the field with Lamar.

Addressing the front-7 seems like it's going to be a harder problem. My plan A is still throwing 5/110 at Clowney and promising him crab cakes for life.

[DreamKid]

2 minutes ago, wackywabbit said:

Oh, it'd be a lot of fun watching the offense with Hollywood and Raegor on the field with Lamar.

Two "Deep Threats", that happen to do everything else at a high level too. Especially love how Reagor consistently high points for his size. Hands catcher that can separate and bring down contested opportunities. As you said, he'd be scary in our offense. 

6 minutes ago, wackywabbit said:

Addressing the front-7 seems like it's going to be a harder problem. My plan A is still throwing 5/110 at Clowney and promising him crab cakes for life.

I think we have a shot. Wink can do evil things with him. People forget that Clowney has some nasty ability vs the IOL too. I see us moving him all around the front on passing downs and letting him create havoc. 

Clowney wants a ring, and he wants money. We can help him out with both.

[diamondbull424]

1 hour ago, DreamKid said:

No, I don't think so. He was never really mocked all that high. I'm projecting him to Late 2-Early 3 territory as this DI class isn't deep and he's kind of the lone bottom Tier 2/Top Tier 3 guy.

This is how I see it in terms of where guys are projected to go-

Tier 1- (Top 20 Lock) Derrick Brown-Javon Kinlaw

Tier 2- (Rounds 1-2) Ross Blacklock, Jordan Elliot, Justin Madubuike, Neville Gallimore

Tier 3- (Rounds 2-3) Leki Fotu, James Lynch, - Marlon Davidson?, Raekwon Davis?

 

^^^^That's just where I generally see their stock at. Not even sure about Davidson or Davis as the combine could heavily change their stock. Whereas I think the combine will help Fotu cement himself. 

Would obviously love to get him in the 4th, but I think he'll go a little higher. Seems like a fun/strong fit for our team. Good job mocking him to us.

I just got to looking at Marlon Davidson and just off of his size to athleticism, I can’t seem him not blowing up the combine. He looks like a bigger, faster version of Pernell McPhee. More of a 4i and 5 tech option then a true IDL option. I think he’s got 4.89 speed at probably 295 lbs, that’ll display probably boosts his draft ranking some.