General Draft Thoughts

[BloodRaven]

Edge rushers I like the most are Josh Uche and Darrell Taylor, almost every other rusher has medical concerns or poor run D. Uche is high floor and a little short on length while Taylor is raw but high ceiling. Khalil Kareem is not bad but needs coaching out of bad habits. Bryce Huff doesmt have much tape but looks to be an allround sleeper.

 

[RavensMania]

There’s a lot more talent than just those guys. In last years draft you had Hollywood and Metcalf with all the hype, but hardman, slayton, and mclaurin arguably looked like the best rookie wrs this year.

you have kj hamler who is an ultra explosive route technician and a guy who i firmly believe has a chance to rival jeudy when they get in the nfl, Justin Jefferson who seriously looks like Michael Thomas when he plays with his ability to challenge dbs in the stem and separate from tight coverage in the blink of an eye and also is incredibly sure handed with great ability to locate the ball quickly, jaelen raegor is mecole hardman 2.0, tee Higgins is a massive catch radius guy with surprising ability to run crisp and crafty routes. There are a LOT of really good wrs in this class, it goes way beyond jeudy and ruggs and lamb.

Hollywood was playing injured pretty much all year long. All of the wr you mentioned had a good year, but I believe AJ Brown was the best one this year. McLaurin pretty much was the only decent wr threat on the skins, so passes were being forced to him, but it's not a knock on him at all. I liked McClaurin and thought he was under utilized at Ohio State. 2019s class was much better than initially thought.

 

[JoeyFlex5]

Hollywood was playing injured pretty much all year long. All of the wr you mentioned had a good year, but I believe AJ Brown was the best one this year. McLaurin pretty much was the only decent wr threat on the skins, so passes were being forced to him, but it's not a knock on him at all. I liked McClaurin and thought he was under utilized at Ohio State. 2019s class was much better than initially thought.

Forgot about aj brown somehow, but you’re right, it wasn’t a knock on anyone either, just pointing out that not landing one of the top big names in the early first doesn’t mean you can’t get a good one, receivers taken late one and on day 2 have been crushing it for years now, and I personally like the value of this class on day 2. I think at the end round 2 we should have our choice of wr, edge rusher, or potentially a big time back like etienne. A big time player is gonna slip through the cracks to the end of round 2 and we’re gonna get a big upgrade.

really hope we can nail our first pick though, that’s the one that worries me.

 

[rossihunter2]

Skura is finished IMO

torn ACl, PCL, MCL and dislocated knee cap.

he's not coming back from that.

yeah saw that - that's about as bad as it could have possibly been - we'll tender him but we might not even have to tender him with a 2nd round designation - and he might not even be able to play next season who knows... i could definitely see him starting the year on PUP

 

[rossihunter2]

Our strong secondary masked our average front 7. Then along came a team capable of punching our defense in the mouth and no one in the front 7 could stop it. I like some of the guys we have but none of them are guys that step up big in big games.

I want Gallimore even more now.

i like that we're building the defence from the back forwards but it does require the guys up front to play sound (if unspectacular) football which includes tackling and being physical - if ever there was a game that exemplified why we shouldnt overpay judon and pierce then that was it

 

[rossihunter2]

There’s a lot more talent than just those guys. In last years draft you had Hollywood and Metcalf with all the hype, but hardman, slayton, and mclaurin arguably looked like the best rookie wrs this year.

you have kj hamler who is an ultra explosive route technician and a guy who i firmly believe has a chance to rival jeudy when they get in the nfl, Justin Jefferson who seriously looks like Michael Thomas when he plays with his ability to challenge dbs in the stem and separate from tight coverage in the blink of an eye and also is incredibly sure handed with great ability to locate the ball quickly, jaelen raegor is mecole hardman 2.0, tee Higgins is a massive catch radius guy with surprising ability to run crisp and crafty routes. There are a LOT of really good wrs in this class, it goes way beyond jeudy and ruggs and lamb.

so many good wr prospects - ive graded 14 wrs so far and id say there's 11 of those 14 that id happily consider taking in the first 2 rounds - the equivalent number at the end of the process last year was around 8 (albeit i missed hard on hardman) - i also had only 3 guys id considered taking in the 1st round (hollywood, deebo samuel, aj brown - and of those hollywood was the only one i had a top 20 grade on) - there's 5 wrs already i have a top 20 grade on this year

its an outrageous class

 

[rossihunter2]

I think drafting someone like Gallimore would need commitment towards a single gap attacking dline, and moving on from BWills contract which runs for two more seasons.

I like more length and versatility in dline so AJ Epenesa, Raekwon Davis stand out as possible late 1st, both have big power and extension skills for walling off the point of attack. Espenesa can probably play anywhere on the line. Davis is just an absolute monster at the POA and im not sure why his stock isnt higher.

Middle rounds Devon Hamilton, not dynamic but he is always near the ball when Chase Young makes plays. I do like Nick Coe, ultra strong with length but better suited to the inside.

Late picks with high upside are Jason Strowbridge, Raequan Williams and Ross Blacklock. Strobridge might be suited to the edge but his production has been in the middle, needs coaching on gaps. Williams and Blacklock I like a lot, both need additional coaching but the traits are there.

i dont like epenesa as a pure edge guy but the tape he had at the end of the minnesota game where he rushes from the inside is so dominant that it's exciting - but is he a guy that plays edge in the run game and then pushes inside to rush over a guard or the centre? maybe im overthinking him in terms of how he fits but he's a prospect i really struggle to see how he fits in this defence as it stands - certainly for the level of draft pick that'll be needed to draft him - some of the media guys are already talking about him as the 2nd best EDGE in the class and i dont see that - but then again i see a massive muddle of guys after chase young so who knows...

 

[rossihunter2]

Forgot about aj brown somehow, but you’re right, it wasn’t a knock on anyone either, just pointing out that not landing one of the top big names in the early first doesn’t mean you can’t get a good one, receivers taken late one and on day 2 have been crushing it for years now, and I personally like the value of this class on day 2. I think at the end round 2 we should have our choice of wr, edge rusher, or potentially a big time back like etienne. A big time player is gonna slip through the cracks to the end of round 2 and we’re gonna get a big upgrade.

really hope we can nail our first pick though, that’s the one that worries me.

a bit like metcalf to the seahawks - there were questions about him etc. that made other teams miss but he got to them and at that value he was clearly a completely different kind of talent to everyone else they could have picked which made it a no brainer - they were the first team that didnt over-think it in that situation

the ravens have always been a BPA team and being at the end of round 2 normally someone's there that you wouldn't expect to be there

 

[JO_75]

Who wants to make sure Derrick Brown fails a Drug Test at the Combine and falls to 28? We need the best lineman on the board at 28, whether offensive lineman or defensive lineman. We need a JJ Watt type of guy badly.

 

[JoeyFlex5]

Who wants to make sure Derrick Brown fails a Drug Test at the Combine and falls to 28? We need the best lineman on the board at 28, whether offensive lineman or defensive lineman. We need a JJ Watt type of guy badly.

Why do all that when you can have neville gallimore?

 

[JoeyFlex5]

a bit like metcalf to the seahawks - there were questions about him etc. that made other teams miss but he got to them and at that value he was clearly a completely different kind of talent to everyone else they could have picked which made it a no brainer - they were the first team that didnt over-think it in that situation

the ravens have always been a BPA team and being at the end of round 2 normally someone's there that you wouldn't expect to be there

i have this odd feeling that a guy like Curtis weaver falls to our 2 because of a combine grade, or even a tee higgins who I don’t grade spectacularly but surely higher than late 2.

also Jonathan Taylor’s workload could push him down to late 2, that dude would be an absolute fucking madman in this offense and we would have a 3 year stretch of even more ground dominance and the workload wouldn’t matter if we can win a ring in that stretch

 

[allblackraven]

Why do all that when you can have neville gallimore?

He would be good addition if we add pass rusher(s) that can rush consistently. Otherwise, Gallimore's work inside will be for nothing, since he isn't the guy that will finish many plays (TFL/sack) on his own.

 

[rossihunter2]

i have this odd feeling that a guy like Curtis weaver falls to our 2 because of a combine grade, or even a tee higgins who I don’t grade spectacularly but surely higher than late 2.

also Jonathan Taylor’s workload could push him down to late 2, that dude would be an absolute fucking madman in this offense and we would have a 3 year stretch of even more ground dominance and the workload wouldn’t matter if we can win a ring in that stretch

tee higgins is probably going in the top 20 - but almost definitely going in the first round i reckon

curtis weaver i think will go in round 2 whatever happens - he might drop further because of a bad combine but im not sure i see him as this super dominant round 1 prospect anyway

for me in terms of the edge rushers - there's obviously chase young in a class of his own but i think the next group of guys are all end of round 1, maybe early round 2 type players and that group for me is Chaisson, Gross-Matos, Epenesa and maybe Terrell Lewis... Taylor might have a chance to go in that group also

but a guy like Weaver i think who's beating up on a lot of bad tackles and not also athletically great is naturally not going to go as high as the tape suggests he might go... i could see a bad combine dropping him to round 3 a la orlando brown jr

 

[JoeyFlex5]

He would be good addition if we add pass rusher(s) that can rush consistently. Otherwise, Gallimore's work inside will be for nothing, since he isn't the guy that will finish many plays (TFL/sack) on his own.

Don’t know what gives you the idea that he would never finish, he’s got the traits and he’s clearly got the motor and the effort and the know how, some tightening up and refining could be all he needs

 

[JoeyFlex5]

tee higgins is probably going in the top 20 - but almost definitely going in the first round i reckon

curtis weaver i think will go in round 2 whatever happens - he might drop further because of a bad combine but im not sure i see him as this super dominant round 1 prospect anyway

for me in terms of the edge rushers - there's obviously chase young in a class of his own but i think the next group of guys are all end of round 1, maybe early round 2 type players and that group for me is Chaisson, Gross-Matos, Epenesa and maybe Terrell Lewis... Taylor might have a chance to go in that group also

but a guy like Weaver i think who's beating up on a lot of bad tackles and not also athletically great is naturally not going to go as high as the tape suggests he might go... i could see a bad combine dropping him to round 3 a la orlando brown jr

I see weaver as very similar to Derek Barnett, not a plus athlete but a hell of an edge bender with size, strength, and packs enough explosion in that first step to use those tools at the next level

 

[allblackraven]

Don’t know what gives you the idea that he would never finish, he’s got the traits and he’s clearly got the motor and the effort and the know how, some tightening up and refining could be all he needs

Him not finishing in college. I imagine it's going to be much tougher in pros.

 

[rossihunter2]

I see weaver as very similar to Derek Barnett, not a plus athlete but a hell of an edge bender with size, strength, and packs enough explosion in that first step to use those tools at the next level

i adored derek barnett but i guess i dont see the same thing in weaver - also the lack of success that barnett has had obviously has changed a little bit how i evaluate certain traits vs others at certain positions - maybe my mind will change like it does with certain guys every year... previous examples of players ive done a 180 on as we get closer to the 2019 draft: aj brown, jaylon ferguson

 

[BloodRaven]

i dont like epenesa as a pure edge guy but the tape he had at the end of the minnesota game where he rushes from the inside is so dominant that it's exciting - but is he a guy that plays edge in the run game and then pushes inside to rush over a guard or the centre? maybe im overthinking him in terms of how he fits but he's a prospect i really struggle to see how he fits in this defence as it stands - certainly for the level of draft pick that'll be needed to draft him - some of the media guys are already talking about him as the 2nd best EDGE in the class and i dont see that - but then again i see a massive muddle of guys after chase young so who knows...

I think hes scheme diverse, the only question mark would be stock because Ive seen it as high as the Falcons down to late 1st day and maybe 2nd. It depends on how well he tests at the combine.

 

[BloodRaven]

Not a fan of Weaver personally but if we take him Id be ok with it. I think hes really lacking in a few areas as a top prospect.

 

[rossihunter2]

I think hes scheme diverse, the only question mark would be stock because Ive seen it as high as the Falcons down to late 1st day and maybe 2nd. It depends on how well he tests at the combine.

Matt Miller has him as a top 10 guy on his big board right now - im just not sure i see it as a pure edge and im especially not in love with him in the run game