2018 draft talk

[DreamKid]

With Darnold in hopefully Deontay Burnett considers declaring even more. No one is talking about him yet but he's an immediate deep threat and slot weapon with big time potential.

[DreamKid]

Marcus Davenport is a special special player. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFr6liAV_Os

Could see him being the crown prince to the ball so hard kingdom.

With our CB situation being what it is, we can't play around when it comes to the pass rush, we must build in tandem with our young corners. Sizzle is old but could occupy that veteran clutch closer spot for us for years like Peppers. Judon though will be gone in two years, Williams is a PRS, and Bowser while a special player can't be that do it all monster we need(Sizzle). 

Two guys I've identified so far as BPA must picks are Taven Bryan and Davenport here. Yes it would be overkill to draft another Edge guy and yes it's already hard enough to get our young players reps there as is but you can't pass up on this level of potential and impact at the position. Zadarius could be unloaded for a pick, and Judon imo will turn into more of a rotational player this year. Also with our luck someone will get injured. Trust me, watch Davenport and your doubt will wash away in the brilliance of his violence.

Taven's got a lil Aaron Donald a lil JJ and a lotta pure desire to destroy. Every play he's a missile launched into the opposing team. Paired with Henry, and Suggs/Williams Judon/Bowser  flying off those edges, young Marlon locking em up, that's game.

Both will go top 10 though I'm convinced, once again we're QB begging in Baltimore. Hopefully Jackson declares and the whispered Darnold,Rosen,Allen,Mayfield,Jackson 5(pun), knocks some talent down to us.

 

[DreamKid]

[DreamKid]

Wow.... Deshon Elliot snuck up on me. FS/SS, Texas 6'2 219. He's a true all around safety. Despite being so young he already physically overwhelms players and has a high high ceiling. He can ballhawk in the centerfield or be a roaming enforcer. He could even contribute early for us by locking down on TEs and take over the dimebacker role from Clark/Levine. The knock on him is that he is a poor tackler but I don't see it, I see a knowledgeable beyond his years operator who can discern when to wrap, hit, or tackle. He shows plus instincts as well as ball skills/return ability. KO hitter with room to grow, we need this kid!

He's an early round safety, I don't know why projections on him are so low but I can't seem him being there past our 2nd round pick if even in the 2nd at all.

 

Not every game is like this obviously but he's a great player. The kind of do it all safety we need and Weddle's replacement, one built for our division. 

[diamondbull424]

I like this idea. Scout a guy you really like and just throw him into here for other people to diagnose.

It’s been a long time since I’ve “scouted” safeties so I’ll have to wait until I have other players for me to cross compare with before I truly speak on Deshon Elliot. I definitely like his playmaking instincts. I like his size. I like his physicality. But I’m not the biggest fan of his speed. He kind of reminds me of Jonathan Cyprien from a few years ago. I like everything about him, but his sideline to sideline speed... which feels like it might limit him at the next level.

That said, I wouldn’t mind seeing Elliot bulk up a few pounds and work in some inside linebacker drills. His speed wouldn’t limit him there and he’d only need another 10 lbs based off what you’ve listed.

Part of the problem is I also probably don’t know how to scout a dimebacker either. I’m probably judging Elliot off of the standards of the safeties of yester year.

[DreamKid]

We're in an odd position with this draft. At our need positions WR, TE, C/T, S, ILB/IPR, only one or two high value options could be available.

WR- If Calvin Ridley is gone the drop off is steep. I have high grades on a couple other receivers but one or multiple will be available in the 2nd round, negating the need to hit the position regardless of who's there. If Ridley is gone we shouldn't pick a WR, save for maybe Jaleel going crazy during the pre-draft process.

TE- There are no elite options in the draft and none will emerge. It would be a large reach to take any of them, no matter how little impact we're currently getting from the position.

C/T- Many view this as a strong center class but 16 is too high to select one and no high end Tackle options have solidified themselves at this stage. 

S- We need potential, youth, and impact at the position but none will be worth it at 16.

ILB/DIPR- Roquan Smith will be fool's gold for some team above us but Rashaan Evans could be available. Pierce and Williams excel at stuffing the run and occupying blockers but not disrupting the pocket. They're both less valuable when we don't have LBs who can attack the run at a high level which both Peanut and Mosley can't. When teams have success running against us it's usually because they seal off our DI and Mosley and Peanut fail to meet their run fits or attack properly. Also only Suggs can set a proper edge, Judon, Smith, Bowser, Williams, none of them are good against the run.

Even if Mosley or Peanut do get there they lack stopping power and a strong running ball carrier(TEs&WRs too) can get a couple more positive yards against them. Our safeties are even worse, being the softest and most ineffectual this Franchise has ever seen. Weddle is a non-factor and should be kept away from the LOS at all times while Jefferson can attack properly and creatively but is very weak and can often be overwhelmed. Our inability to stop TEs is also an issue that has fallen on Jefferson and our LBs. When you have linebackers failing against the run and pass it isn't good. Mosley is able to mask/cushion his clear deficiencies with plus instincts especially in zone coverage and decent speed which has lead to turnovers, but with his impact plays dwindling, the light on his weaknesses shine brighter.

Our pass rush was weak this year and if not for the strength of our corners it would've cost us games. Judon has had some success and even been robbed of some with a couple no calls but he is inconsistent and can be shut out of games. Much like with Mosley, splash plays have kept the eyes off Judon but he isn't getting the job done. Fans will have to accept that Judon isn't a great pass rusher. Which would make an edge rusher a pretty big need, but we already have two on the roster not being used in Bowser and Williams. Smith is out there as well but has mostly been used in an inside rush role and found some success but not enough. Those three keep OLB beneath DI in terms of immediate need because there's potential there, there isn't at DI. Carl Davis, Bronson Kaufusi, Chris Wormley, none of them are going to become big time DI players for us and certainly not big time DIPRs. Willie Henry has good potential and deserves the start next year but can't get it done alone and no one else is up to snuff as an interior pass rusher.

As I said at ILB Rashaan Evans could be an option, he's smart, a great leader, a strong tone setting hitter against ball carriers, versatile with edge capability, and twitched up with great closing speed routinely getting TFLs. Selecting him would take leverage away from Mosley in contract negotiations and if he showed enough we could trade CJ or let him walk and get another rookie contract at the position instead of the big one CJ is going to want. I think Evans will be there but wouldn't be shocked if he was a top 15 guy especially if he blows up the college championship. I'm not big on drafting an ILB this high unless they're an elite prospect at the position and he isn't, but I wouldn't be too mad if we picked him knowing the impact he would immediately bring. 

At DIPR it could be one of two guys, Vita Vea or Taven Bryan. Both of whom will be compared to Haloti Ngata and JJ Watt throughout the process cause you know. Seriously they're two beasts that disrupt the pocket, despite his size Vea is adept at crushing into the backfield, constantly pressuring QBs and is much more toolsy than Taven at this stage who works off his rare explosion. I'd prefer Taven who has more room to grow and higher potential imo but both would be great picks.

________

So for me if Ridley, Bryan, and Vea are gone, we should be too. Maybe we give Evans a good hard look and I might grow on him throughout the process but value wise it would be smart to try and trade down. Three to Four players being good value at our pick shows a lack of top end talent in this draft and makes QBs being picked early and often all that more important for us.

That's my take and what I'd do, but the slam down prediction for our pick is: Courtland Sutton WR SMU. By all accounts his intangibles are off the charts and he's a wonderful kid, one that our FO should fall in love with. His play is overrated, he isn't Julio and teams will know that but we won't care. After being burned by the pure H/W/S specimen that was Perriman, Sutton's character and 'sound' game will keep him at the top of our boards and they'll fool themselves into thinking he's a steal. He isn't horrible or even not good but he isn't worth the 16th pick in this draft. If Ridley is gone, he'll be the pick.

 

 

 

[AFlaccoSeagulls]

Here's what the /r/Ravens sub did for the first mock of the year, what do you guys think?

Quote

Ravens

Rd 1, Pick 16: Rashaan Evans / LB / Alabama

Some may call this a bit of a reach, however, given his athleticism and versatility I expect him to rise like Haason Reddick did last year. Evans is an aggressive, super athletic, and versatile LB that can immediately step in at ILB next to Mosley and flourish. Beside Mosley we do not have a reliable LB, Onwuasor is a solid backup/rotation guy, but he should not be starting. Furthermore, Evans is a tone setting LB that hits hard, something else that our defense has been missing for quite some time. Evans' ability to line up at both ILB and EDGE makes him a very interesting piece for our new defensive coordinator to play with, along with our other position versatile players like Correa, Bowser, and Levine, just to name a few, will make our defense a nightmare to game plan against in the coming years. Originally we went in to this pick thinking that we'd take Calvin Ridley or trade back, once Ridley was off the board we agreed in principle to a trade with NE, but they never responded to confirm - real **** move on their part.

Rd 2, Pick 48: Courtland Sutton / WR / SMU

It's no secret that Baltimore is in desperate need for a WR, luckily for us, Sutton fell to our second and was clear BPA at that point. Sutton is a big, physical target that does very well after the catch. His hands are very solid and will provide an immediate impact even though he still has a ton of untapped potential. There's not much to say here, Sutton was BPA and filled a position of clear need.

Rd 3, Pick 80: Ogbonnia Okoronkwo / EDGE / Oklahoma

This was a clear BPA pick for us. Okoronkwo is already a monster as both a pass rusher and against the run, college OTs simply had no answer for his inside moves and hand usage. For us he can immediately rotate with Suggs, Judon, and Bowser (and Tim Williams on 3rd down) at EDGE and we can have a constant rotation of good, fresh LBs as we do with the Dline. Ravens fans may say that we don't need another EDGE, but this past year, we continued to struggle to get consistent pressure on opposing QBs, 35 year old Suggs was the only one we had that got home regularly. Okoronkwo doesn't always get home, but he provides pressure consistently. At this point we considered grabbing another WR, however, we decided that Okoronkwo was too good to pass up and we thought it was safe to assume that WR would also be addressed somewhat in free agency. Michael Gallup and DJ Moore were the primary WRs considered, but we considered it too high for Moore and Okoronkwo just barely edged out Gallup for the pick.

Rd 4, Pick 112: Antonio Callaway / WR / Florida

Callaway has all the talent in the world, but because of off the field issues he's available here in the 4th, otherwise he'd be a day 2, maybe even day 1, pick. At this point we had pegged Michael Gallup and DJ Moore as our pick, but both went off the board before us, so instead we went for this ultra-talented, yet troubled star. We have a lockerroom that hopefully can keep him under control, if he does stay in line then he provides the raw talent at WR that we've been looking for for years. Our FO has indicated in the past that we won't remove players from our board with off the field issues if we can work with them. Callaway certainly is a risk, but here in the 4th round, it's late enough to take that risk.

Rd 5, Pick 145: Mitch Hyatt / OT / Clemson

With Howard being only a short term solution at RT, James Hurst being a free agent (and playing mostly guard now), and OT depth being nonexistent, we decided to go with the best OT on the board here. Hyatt is more of a developmental OT that needs to add mass before he can provide much of an impact in the NFL, but he's only 20 years old, so there's plenty of time for him to develop into the long term answer at RT. Immediately, however, he can provide some much needed depth at OT and he can play OG as well if needed.

I don't think it's terrible, but the edge defender pick is such a wasted pick, especially since the justification for it was that "well our pass rush still didn't do good last year so the answer is obviously that we need more edge rushers!".

[DreamKid]

They're dreaming if they think our FO would draft Callaway, the most baggage they'd accept would be Carrington's DUI if that. 

[diamondbull424]

I wonder if Tevan was available, if so, I like him better than Evans... and I do like Evans. Heck, I wonder if he was available for our second round pick. Heck, we need offense, but if we somehow came away with Tevan and Evans. Just draft the next Jamal Lewis and wait for the Lombardi. Defense would absolutely be ridiculous.?

[drd23]

Was that a live mock with other sub-reddits?  I'd be surprised if Sutton was available in the mid 2nd.

I don't like the Okoronkwo pick either - if we're taking another pass rusher in this draft, another mid-rounder is not smart.  It needs to either be an elite player or a late round flyer.

And I agree with DreamKid that this FO is steering well clear of Callaway.  I'm also not sure I buy the "we've got a lockerroom that could keep him under control" idea. It might have made sense 5 years ago when we also had guys like Lewis, Reed & Boldin, but the make up of the team is not the same as it was back then.

[AFlaccoSeagulls]

6 hours ago, drd23 said:

Was that a live mock with other sub-reddits?  I'd be surprised if Sutton was available in the mid 2nd.

I don't like the Okoronkwo pick either - if we're taking another pass rusher in this draft, another mid-rounder is not smart.  It needs to either be an elite player or a late round flyer.

And I agree with DreamKid that this FO is steering well clear of Callaway.  I'm also not sure I buy the "we've got a lockerroom that could keep him under control" idea. It might have made sense 5 years ago when we also had guys like Lewis, Reed & Boldin, but the make up of the team is not the same as it was back then.

I think it was a live draft with other subs. But yeah, pretty much agreed with this.

[diamondbull424]

I haven’t watched him, but I’ve seen Ogbonnia Okoronkwo considered a top 20 talent by cbssports at some points. So if he’s that good and he fell to the third round, I’d consider it like a Justin Houston scenario. We need offense, but I’d rather grab a dominant defender than reach on a much less talented offensive player for need.  

[BareYourTeeth]

1. Derwin James

2. Roquan Smith

3. Rashaan Evans

4. Vita Vea

5. Taven Bryan

[EastsideEZ]

I hate Christian Kirk so I totally expect us to draft him... I like vita vea as bpa at 16... our run defense is terrible and I think between vita vea and a o lineman or inside lb is our best shot at a elite prospect at 16... If Courtland Sutton or Calvin Ridley is there I could also see them being the pick and factor into bpa but honestly I think we would have to trade up for either of those guys... I think Sutton and Ridley are the two first round receiving talents and both should be gone by 12... I don’t like a TE at 16 and I think we can get RB talent in 2 or 3 that won’t be much different than the talent at 16 in the first... I just feel like we are either gonna reach for an offensive playmaker or go defense at 16... 

[AFlaccoSeagulls]

5 hours ago, BareYourTeeth said:

1. Derwin James

2. Roquan Smith

3. Rashaan Evans

4. Vita Vea

5. Taven Bryan

Vea in the 4th is really good. I watch the Huskies all the time and when he chooses to give 100% effort, he's a tremendous player. The problem is the effort and consistency. Getting him in the 4th round, and if we can motivate him, you've got a great pass rushing DE.