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Ravens trade for former 3rd round TE Josh Oliver from JAX for cond. pick


drd23

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Might be worth a flyer depending on what that conditional pick is

EDIT: 

With that sort of compensation, we're basically expecting him to fight it out with Jacob Breeland, Eli Wolf and Eric Tomlinson for TE3 duties

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A scouting report from TDN in case (like me) you've forgotten what he was seen as pre-draft

Quote

Route Running - His stance when lined up as a receiver is encouraging. Solid amount of usage in the vertical passing game and up the seam. Likes to run his routes with physicality. separating away from contact at the top of his route. Lacks the desired change of direction in order to snap his routes off with pace. Breaks can be inefficient at times, but he's better on the vertical plane. Experience running routes from in-line tight end, in the slot and on the outside of the formation.

Athleticism/Speed - Oliver has natural, all-around athleticism. While he doesn't have that elite top gear, he possesses above-average speed on tape for the position. With good size and a natural, filled out frame, Oliver's profile projects well for the next level. Has decent burst, including coming out of his receiver stance.

Hands/Ball Skills - Impressive ball skills, as he is consistently extended away from his frame and plucking the ball out of the air. Even when in space, Oliver has some extension back towards the catch point. However, his ball skills are at their best through traffic. He can outreach defensive backs, snag the ball above his head or below his waist, or on the run. Despite the occasional bobble, he generally has strong hands.

Body Control - Body control and adjustments are impressive, as his tracking of the football is outstanding. Easily flips his hips and puts his frame in a position for proper extensions to the ball. Has the body control along the boundary or in the end zone in order to high point passes when necessary.

YAC / Ball Carrier - Conscious effort to get vertical after receptions. His natural body control allow him to transition into a ball carrier right away. He has some contact balance, likely stemming from his plus athleticism. He's comfortable working through defenders, with solid power in order to stay upright.

Run Blocking - More of a positional blocker, but has the upper body strength to be pretty effective. Aware of his body positioning and hat placement, getting his frame in-between the defensive lineman and ball carrier. Enough power and grip strength in his upper body to stop the lateral movements of defensive lineman or get them off-balance. Not a ton of driving in his run blocking. When asked to block in space, he's patient to a fault. Doesn't necessarily collapse the space on defensive backs, instead choosing to let them come to him. Would like to see more aggressiveness, even when this technique has been effective.

Pass Protection - Nice wide base in his pass protection and strong lateral movements. Has a decent anchor, not getting completely blown back into the pocket. Like his run blocking, doesn't have a ton of strength in his lower half in order to drive defensive lineman or blitzers. More of a positional blocker.

BEST TRAIT – Ball Skills

WORST TRAIT – Route Running

RED FLAGS – None

Oliver produced more than half of his career numbers in his senior season, suggesting that he is an ascending player. He has NFL athleticism, but there are still some raw aspects to his game despite the increase in production. Still, Oliver did enough this season to warrant an invite to the Senior Bowl. He likely will never be a dominant factor in the run game, but has enough traits to get by in the receiving game. Oliver has a relatively high ceiling, but best projects as a TE2 for an NFL team.

https://thedraftnetwork.com/player/josh-oliver

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Yea, I like this. He's got size and athleticism to be intriguing. We need another TE after Andrews and Boyle, and if he's good enough to win the TE3 spot, it's worth a 2022 7th.

I don't expect us to use one of our (lighter than normal quantity of) draft picks in the '21 draft on a TE. 

Edited by wackywabbit
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1 hour ago, wackywabbit said:

I don't expect us to use one of our (lighter than normal quantity of) draft picks in the '21 draft on a TE. 

Unless a major value drop happens, similar to how the FO viewed Dobbins last year, I agree.

If you play TE and aren't named Kyle Pitts, it'll be hard for us to pull the trigger on you in this one. Kind of sucks too cause I like some sleeper options like Tremble, and it's a fun class overall. We have more pressing needs elsewhere though.

As it stands now this is how I'm looking at things-

1. Major Needs(No viable option for starting role): WR, EDGE, RT*(If OBJ is traded)

2. Significant Need(No plus option for key role): Center

3. Addition Needs(Position Group needs additional starting caliber talent): Safety(FS), DI

4. Depth Needs(Key Positions that need more bodies): OT, CB, S, DI

5. Luxury Needs(Positions where upgrades or additional impact would be valued but allocating significant resources could be poor strategy): TE, CB, QB2, 

6. Non Needs(Positions where there's no reason to spend normal draft resources): ILB, HB

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30 minutes ago, AFlaccoSeagulls said:

I mean between him and Breeland we have two VERY low-risk SUPER HIGH reward TE's on the roster, and if there's one position I 100% trust us to develop, it's our TE's (although since Bobby Engram is the TE's coach, that may very well change).

Engram was our TEs coach last year when Eric Tomlinson came in off the street and played very well for us in the role he was put into. Boyle seemed to make some strides last year in the pass game too before the injury.

WRs certainly weren’t his forte but I think he’s done a good job with the TEs. 

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