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Article Baltimore Ravens 2019 Draft Grades

Oldfaithful

Hall of Famer
Round One: Marquise Brown, WR, Oklahoma

I have one concern about Brown: his frame. He’s very small, and lean, which to me is the bigger issue. Tyreek Hill was a bigger 175 coming out of school. Brown is going to need to put on 10, maybe 15 pounds of muscle to help him in the pros.

Other than that. There is nothing to complain about. He’s the most electric player in the class. Combine the deep speed with elusiveness, good route running, and good hands, you have a shifty little superweapon who affects all three levels of the defense. Even if Lamar isn’t ready to go yet as a deep ball thrower, Brown is going to be able to kill teams with slants that go for 20 yards if the defense presses. Opposing defenses will be forced to play in zone coverage practically all the time, which is nothing but advantageous to a run first time that predicates itself on bashing opposing teams in. This also gives the offense the ability to go two TEs practically 100% of the time, which only boosts the running game, and a two TE offense will carve up any zone defense. This is a pick that makes the team much better.

Flawless tape, high upside, high floor. This is the definition of a slam dunk in my eyes.

Grade: A+



Round Three: Jaylon Ferguson, Edge, Louisiana Tech

Ferguson is the all-time leader in sacks, breaking the record that was previously held by Suggs. The pick was an obvious one. The problem with Jaylon is the inconsistent tape. But that’s a problem I’m willing to live with if the coaching staff has as much confidence in him as the media has led us to believe. What matters is that when Ferguson is on the top of his game, he’s got an unstoppable motor and is solid with his hands. He’s excellent at converting speed to power, which goes beyond just a bulrush. The pro day was awful, and he could stand to lose a couple of pounds, but on the field, he looks like he’s a good enough athlete with great length, and really good strength. He needs to be coached up a lot, mostly for technical reasons, but there really is a lot to like here. The tools are there to be molded. It isn’t Correa or Bowser, he has a much better foundation.

But I don’t see him as the Suggs, or even Judon replacement. He’s a Za’Darius Smith replacement right now. Could he become the full-time edge guy? Yes. But right now, he’s best suited to be a guy who can go play that hybrid interior role Smith and McPhee excelled at. He’s good at shooting gaps, and has good power.

If what media speculation indicates, Don Martindale loves the guy. If he has a plan for Ferguson, I trust him. Without a doubt in my mind I trust him.

Grade: A

Round Three: Miles Boykin, WR, Notre Dame

I like Miles Boykin a lot. He’s a great compliment to Brown. He has strong hands, is a good route runner, big, and he knows how to use his size. He won’t beat you with the best moves in the open field, but in college he flashed an ability to get separation, but kind of like DK Metcalf who went before him the offensive system and the QB failed him more often then most. I have my concerns about Lamar Jackson, but he’s way better than whoever Notre Dame trotted out last year. Boykin flashed significant athleticism at the combine and knows how to beat you like a Cherokee drum when it comes to jump balls. In fact, when given the chance to run a go route in college, he did show 4.4 speed. It’s only in a straight line, and other than that he’s a possession receiver, but that’s a good player.

The player itself is not the problem. Boykin is a project, but he’s a project that’s already pretty well developed. I’d compare him moreso to restoring a building. He’s got the foundation already, it’s whether his athletic traits translate that will determine if he’s a good #2(which I think is his floor), or a potential #1.

The trade to get him though, is a bit excessive. The two sixths could have been used to get certain prospects like Kelvin Harmon, etc. It was unnecessary, and I would cough it up to a rookie mistake by Eric DeCosta.

Player Grade: B+

Trade Grade: C

Round Four: Justice Hill, RB, Oklahoma State

We had to draft a guy from Oklahoma State to offset the other Sooners on the roster. Hill, to me, is an absolute slam dunk. He’s a good receiver and pass protector out of the backfield and is electric as a runner with really good explosiveness and long speed to boot. Good vision, and is going to be a great compliment to Ingram. Hill is a weapon and is a monster with screens. Come the fourth quarter of most football games, and Ingram and Gus likely bashing the defense, when this explosive playmaker comes out, the fourth quarter will swing into our favor almost immediately.

I have no choice. This pick is an absolute slam dunk to me. He could go for 600 yards this year as a backup.

Grade: A+

Round Four: Ben Powers, OG, Oklahoma

Powers are tricky. He’s likely one of the safer guard prospects in the draft, and is solid by all measures, and is a good scheme fit under further review. But he lacks the functional power to be a mauler. I think one of the few big failures of the draft was that the interior OL, while addressed, wasn’t really fixed. But here me out, he’s an upgrade. Unlike Hurst he can anchor in the run game and is a solid puller. He can seal block, he can put you on the ground. He’s not special, but he’s a starter. He should be a day one starter. I liked other guards on the board more, and think we should have picked the position earlier, but getting a guy who could be a solid starter in round four isn’t the worst thing in the world.

Grade: B-

Round Four: Iman Marshall, CB, USC

Marshall is a really good player. Long, strong CB who is a sound tackler and is really good at pressing people. Not an immediate need, but Jimmy Smith and Brandon Carr are free agents, and Anthony Averett and Iman Marshall are likely the replacements. Marshall will have a year to learn on the bench. At worst, good corner depth, which is insanely valuable in today’s NFL. At best, eventual starter and a really good one.

Grade: A

Round Five: Daylon Mack, DT, Texas A&M

Daylon Mack is a nose tackle, and clear cut replacement for when we cut Brandon Williams next year. By default he’s going to be a contributor. Mack can do something that Williams never could do: rush the quarterback. Mack is quick in the short range areas, he’s very strong, and he has some moves and a lot of burst. He’s got a very high ceiling and could turn into a high level contributor. If he is a Brandon Williams replacement like I suspect, it’ll be easy to see him as a starter in a couple of seasons. At worst, rotational nose tackle who can be a starter. At best a pass rushing difference maker. He went around where I projected him to go, so it’s not a slam dunk to me. Sounds good to me.

Grade: B.

Round six: Trace McSorely, QB, Penn State

I have heard people say he could be our Taysom Hill. And to that question I ask, why? We have Lamar Jackson already who autogenerates a rushing attack practically. RG3 is a better backup, and I don’t seem McSorely making an impact with a position change. I could obviously be wrong, but I wouldn’t have drafted Trace.

Grade: F.

I can appreciate the idea of the draft. We got Lamar some playmakers in Brown, Boykin, and Hill, and got a great value selection in Ferguson in my eyes. Mack, Marshall, and Boykin are projects that differ from the types we normally draft. They already have a good foundation and need slight improvement. Overall, it's a good draft and the team got better, but a couple of needs left unnoticed.

Overall Draft Grade: B
 
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