And that's fine. I'm more or less taking the same stance I've been taking, which is that a) the FO doesn't value the need for a WR nearly as high as the fanbase does and b) I have zero doubt that they have WRs on their board with 2nd, 3rd and later grades that they'll be more than happy to target if they can't get who they want in the first. And it wouldn't surprise me in the slightest if they don't view somebody like Bateman as a top 30 pick, and even pass on him if he's available.
Certainly understand that there's a wide range of view points on skill sets, who falls where, etc., which is par for the course in the NFL draft. I think its critical for fans to understand that the FO doesn't always share the viewpoints of what analysts we've been hearing for weeks share on certain players, positions, needs, etc.
for sure - that's why i make my own board each year... because i want to know what i think about the players and what i think the ravens think about players
i can buy that the ravens don't love bateman - but im also not sure who they would favour in stead (at any position) - partly because it's really hard to predict who'll be available this year (moreso than in other years for some reason)
At OL: Creed Humphrey or Landon Dickerson would make a lot of sense, as would Jenkins (but im almost 100% sure he's not making it to 27) - feels too early for Cosmi or Radunz but i guess they'd be in play too
At DB: Richie Grant or Trevon Moehrig would make some sense but i dont get the sense that they're 1st rounders necessarily although Richie Grant i'd be very excited about if we did take him at 27 (or 31) - more likely in BPA terms it would be a corner if one of the top 4 CBs drop or if we really like Asante Samuel Jr (which is certainly possible too especially with his inside/outside flexibility) - or we could be super high on tyson campbell and eric stokes who are rawer generally but are very impressive athletes with great press technique (but 27 feels too early for those 2 georgia guys)
At WR: Bateman, Moore, Marshall, Toney would all make sense and they're all a slightly different flavour of WR which makes it hard to pick exactly who the ravens would rate highly - bateman's the most assured vs press, moore's the best separator vs man in general and the most natural slot, marshall has the height-weight-speed (something the ravens have traditionally valued highly) but is a little rawer, and toney has some absurd movement skills and post-catch dynamism - my guess is Toney would be lowest on the Ravens board here (unless there's real concern about Marshall's medicals which there could be)
At EDGE: it's hard to imagine a 1st round EDGE falling - Kwity Paye will be long gone, Ojulari likely gone too - but if not then he's a real option, Phillips is either gone or the medicals are concerning enough that he might not be viable at 27 - but he's supremely talented and would definitely be in the discussion at 27 even with poor medicals - jayson oweh's a wildcard but doesnt fit the typical ravens profile at the position - carlos basham on the other hand is a great fit but this might be too early for him
At DL: there's 3 who have a chance - Barmore, Nixon and Onwuzurike - it's possible none of them go high - barmore's got issues in the running game, nixon's flashy but inconsistent and onwuzurike's a beast but lighter than the other 2 and can sometimes lose if he doesnt win initially - not sure i'd love him at 27 but he'd definitely be in play for me at 31
At LB: parsons will be gone and it's likely that at least 1 and probably both of JOK and collins will be too... if not they merit consideration but i doubt they're available
QB, TE and RB will not be options for us at the end of the 1st
if im looking purely at fit then im probably looking at these prospects who have a good chance to be available:
OL: Humphrey, Dickerson, Cosmi
DB: Campbell, Samuel Jr, Grant, Moehrig
WR: Marshall, Bateman
EDGE: Basham Jr, Phillips
DL: Onwuzurike
And i'd stack them like this:
Phillips (medical questions)
Bateman
Dickerson (medical questions)
Humphrey
Marshall (medical questions)
Samuel Jr
Grant
Basham
Moehrig
Onwuzurike
Cosmi
Campbell
