From @lostintranslation
Full disclosure: I am now an auditor. Busy season has completely overtaken my life. My level of in-depth scouting isn’t what it was.
That said. I am going to break a cardinal rule with this mock. I have us trading Patrick Queen and Gus Edwards for Pick 40 to New Orleans. It makes a lot of sense, the Saints need a LB. There isn’t a LB in this class better than Queen. Queen gets to go home to Louisiana. It’s an overpay but beggars cannot be choosers and he’s a good scheme fit. Some may call it unrealistic, I’d disagree with you. The Saints clearly think they can contend and Queen was starting to come on before Roquan showed up. He’s also a hometown dude, and desperate teams do desperate things. For suspension of disbelief purposes, let’s just say this happens.
Anyways, let’s get this started.
So put the torches and pitchforks down. This pick hasn’t been mocked to us. But I’ve seen him available this late. We’ve hosted a visit with him so we’re clearly interested. He’s a super high character guy and frankly should be a top ten pick in my opinion, but he’s going to fall due to lack of size. This is NOT considered a position of need by fans(when it should be), but this wouldn’t surprise me at all. Fans will hate this pick. I think it’s the right one.
Round One: Nolan Smith, Edge, Georgia
You read this right. The ravens are in a unique position right now post-Odell. This WR is very slot WR heavy so taking a WR round one is almost unadvisable. Deonte Banks prob going to be drafted before this. Emmanuel Forbes, while good, is not only tiny but he’s not a scheme fit. Not to mention, Marcus Peters is still a free agent and is likely to take a prove it deal now with the Ravens. So I don’t think we will take a CB early if Peters returns.
Ravens fans seem to be forgetting that we’ve lost our two best front seven players to free agency this year. And there’s one thing that holds true: football is a will always be won in the trenches. This isn’t me giving up on Oweh or writing off Ojabo. This isn’t me undervaluing Tyus Bowser. This is me acknowledging that losing Justin Houston is a big deal, and replacing him with someone who I think is going to be an elite pass rusher at the NFL level. Nolan Smith has one weakness as a prospect: he’s not big. He’s a speed rusher through a through. But his moves are developed, and so is his game. Hasson Reddick has shown the value of an undersized edge rusher, but there are aspects of Smith’s game that are superior to Reddick’s were as a prospect, namely Smith is an elite run defender day one at the NFL level.
Will he convert speed to power? No. But that’s not his game, and you don’t draft someone for what they can’t do, you draft someone for what they can do. And Nolan Smith has the potential to be an elite edge rusher, and given his noted work ethic, leadership, and the fact that his polish is an underrated aspect of his game, and I think at worst he starts at edge for them and turns into an 8 sack player as a rookie, with upside to be a 15 sack player. I get this pick isn’t sexy. I get this isn’t WR to help Lamar(I don’t think there’s a single WR worth it at pick 22 this draft, including Flowers). He’s small, I get it. Not your typical ravens mold, but after how ineffective Oweh was last year, I think we should be able to look in the mirror and re-evaluate our draft philosophy as a team. Smith is a better prospect than anyone is giving him credit for.
Round Two(from New Orleans): Josh Downs, WR, North Carolina
Did I mention that this is a slot WR heavy draft? So what’s the point in talking about it while not getting the best one? I’m a big Josh Downs fan, and he’s very much gone under the radar. Downs plays like a raven. He’s tough, he’s small but mighty, but where I think he truly shines is his route running. I think Zay Flowers has better movement skills and superior athleticism. I think Downs has (significantly) better hands and is a comparable player in terms of football IQ. Downs has NASTY release packages an is a much tougher player than Flowers. The question becomes, why would I get Flowers, a player who I think has a legitimate drop problem who doesn’t play as big as his size, who’s probably going to be overdrafted anyways in round one, when I can get Downs, who I don’t think is that far behind him in the middle of the second round? I think Downs compliments Beckham Jr and Bateman really well and I think he adds an explosive element from the slot we were lacking. He’s also a really underrated contested catch threat. Overall, I think there’s a very good chance he’s here, he’s not talked about that often, and I think at pick 40 he’s tremendous value.
Round Three: Clark Phillips III, CB, Utah
Clark Phillips is not just a slot CB. That’s a lie. He’s Tavon Young with a mean streak. I’ve seen him go as high as round 2, but as low as mid round four. I don’t think later round three is an unreasonable projection based on this. Clark Phillips, more than any corner, plays like a raven. With his physicality I think he wouldn’t be useless on the outside, matter of fact if he improves his skills in zone coverage I think he’d be a net asset anywhere. Overall, you need to get some depth it, and clark Phillips III is just a better version of Pepe Williams at worse. I’m not giving up on Armor-Davis or Williams, but I don’t want us to neglect CB even if Peters returns. Further, Kyle Hamilton will likely take time away from the slot the more he plays SS now that Chuck Clark is gone. It wouldn’t be. The worst idea in the world to get someone who at worst, is a good NFL slot CB.
Round Four: Roschon Johnson, RB, Texas
Anyone who has kept in contact with me knows that Bijan is my favorite player in this draft. So much so that I think if he’s available at pick 22, we should say “screw it” and run to podium to get him. Roschon is also one of my favorite players in this draft, and if he wasn’t Bijan’s backup I think he’d be a third round pick at work. He’s an ideal short yardage back at worst but he also has third down upside due to superior pass protection, and can make some explosive plays. He does the dirty work, reduces Dobbins’ burden, and frankly I think he has starter upside. This man is a Gus Edwards replacement who is one of the most underrated players in the draft, who could be a starting caliber RB one ay.
Round Five: Andrew Vorhees, OG, USC
This is a redshirt but one we can afford to have. Vorhees would be going higher if it wasn’t for his injury but that’s fine. He has solid movement skills and is a scheme fit. He’s not exceptional in any particular category other than his last name but overall I think he has starter upside.
Round Six: Kazmir Allen, Gadget, UCLA
Kaz Allen is a ST pick. Overall I think both Duvernay and Hill are gone after this year. This is a pick for the future. Allen has upside as a plus return man and can be used effectively as a RB in gadget packages. Nothing special, but I think he’s an NFL player for five years minimum on ST value alone, and that is great sixth round pick if you can fin it.
