2025 NFL Draft General Discussion

[All_black_everything]

i dont think he's a bad prospect - just don't think he's a first rounder
i see great change of direction and hip flexion

i dont know that i love him as a man coverage defender even with the CoD and hip flip skills

i really like him as a space defender though even though he can get a bit greedy with his eyes - would be perfect if you let him be a deep half/single high safety - a true free safety type
but my concern is that he will get picked on in man coverage

and not a strong run defender

i see him as similar to jessie bates if he hits

i dont disagree with most of what you're saying - just think his value starts at the end of R1/Top of R2 - remains to be seen if he's in my top 27 players when it's all said and done

just not sure i'd be a fan of that pick vs what else would be available

I see it similar to Joey. I also think his man coverage abilities are solid for a deep safety and he has the traits to be able to improve there. His ball skills on the back end are intriguing. I don’t know if I see a top 10 pick type of safety prospect but I think at the end of the 1st round he would be a great pick.
I’ve seen the Jessie Bates comparison all over and if that’s what he is end of year 1-through his rookie contract sign me up. Why is that a negative to you? Run support?

 

[JoeyFlex5]

I see it similar to Joey. I also think his man coverage abilities are solid for a deep safety and he has the traits to be able to improve there. His ball skills on the back end are intriguing. I don’t know if I see a top 10 pick type of safety prospect but I think at the end of the 1st round he would be a great pick.
I’ve seen the Jessie Bates comparison all over and if that’s what he is end of year 1-through his rookie contract sign me up. Why is that a negative to you? Run support?

I don’t love starks in the first round for us, it just feels like a strong chance of it happening, he was once regarded as a top 20 kinda guy and he’s just become an odd man out in the media leading up to the draft. Feels like a guy the ravens would have top of their board at 27 and he feels like the most likely of all those mid-teens to 30ish range guys to fall.

If he is Jessie bates and shores up our safety position, yeah that’s a solid move and solid pick. Would 100% prefer anything in the trenches though.

 

[All_black_everything]

I don’t love starks in the first round for us, it just feels like a strong chance of it happening, he was once regarded as a top 20 kinda guy and he’s just become an odd man out in the media leading up to the draft. Feels like a guy the ravens would have top of their board at 27 and he feels like the most likely of all those mid-teens to 30ish range guys to fall.

If he is Jessie bates and shores up our safety position, yeah that’s a solid move and solid pick. Would 100% prefer anything in the trenches though.

Don’t get me wrong, I would love to upgrade the trenches if the right prospect is there. Specifically, guard, edge or a dominant interior defender but imo Starks would complete the secondary, allow Hamilton and Marlo to go back to their spots and also bring play making ability on the deep end. This would leave the only weak spot on the defense being LB next to Ro.

You fix the LG and K situations (assuming Stanley is back) and this team is right back playing for the AFC Championship game.

 

[RaineV1]

Honestly the more I think of it the more I really want a defensive lineman early. The Eagles just showed the world how dominant a line with multiple penetrating DLinemen can be. Mads is a star, but he's basically the only one of the group that generates pressure, and he gets double teamed on basically every play. Nolen, Grant, or Harmon in the first would really pay off in the long run. Or in the second round with Sanders, Omarr-lott, or Alfred Collins in the second.

 

[JoeyFlex5]

Honestly the more I think of it the more I really want a defensive lineman early. The Eagles just showed the world how dominant a line with multiple penetrating DLinemen can be. Mads is a star, but he's basically the only one of the group that generates pressure, and he gets double teamed on basically every play. Nolen, Grant, or Harmon in the first would really pay off in the long run. Or in the second round with Sanders, Omarr-lott, or Alfred Collins in the second.

I really want omarr Norman Lott in R2

 

[Deebo813]

I wouldnt be surprised if we traded back and drafted a guard but then again edc loves those 5th yr options too much

 

[rossihunter2]

 

[rossihunter2]

I wouldnt be surprised if we traded back and drafted a guard but then again edc loves those 5th yr options too much

might need to stick and pick if we want one of the better G prospects in this class

 

[Deebo813]

might need to stick and pick if we want one of the better G prospects in this class

Are there some good guards worth taking in the 1st or maybe too good to pass up?

 

[rossihunter2]

Are there some good guards worth taking in the 1st or maybe too good to pass up?

ive got 3 guys i like - idk if they'll be BPA on my board when we pick but 3 guys who i think have value around where we pick (maybe a bit higher, maybe a bit lower) - not sure where they actually come off the board

but Tyler Booker, Donovan Jackson and Grey Zabel are all nice OG prospects
if we want to pick up a guard in R2 who could start right away, we're probably looking at converting one of the OT prospects like Aireontae Ersery (if he makes it that far down, idk that he will)

there's more of a cluster of those guys that we might aim for in R3 (although i foresee a situation like last draft where the OL board gets cleaned out between our R2 and R3 picks)

 

[Davesta]

You think we gonna use all 11 picks?

My biggest gripe about EDC during the draft szn is how he hoards and uses all of his picks, instead of bundling them to move up higher and getting better prospects.
Then.. when the finals cuts come around, we end up cutting them.

 

[rossihunter2]

You think we gonna use all 11 picks?

My biggest gripe about EDC during the draft szn is how he hoards and uses all of his picks, instead of bundling them to move up higher and getting better prospects.
Then.. when the finals cuts come around, we end up cutting them.

we will use all the picks
we may end up cutting a devin leary
but we then get to pick a samac and a kane

not sexy but those guys fill out the roster if they hit - that's why you want lots of picks, you won't hit on all of them but more swings gives you a chance to find a guy - and maybe they aren't a samac or a kane, maybe they become a likely or a geno stone

 

[JoeyFlex5]

You think we gonna use all 11 picks?

My biggest gripe about EDC during the draft szn is how he hoards and uses all of his picks, instead of bundling them to move up higher and getting better prospects.
Then.. when the finals cuts come around, we end up cutting them.

Picking by volume is practically proven at this point to be the most effective method of team building. Trading premium picks for proven players is safer than trading up for prospects.

Smaller trade ups with great value on day 2 and later is about the best way you could manage this.

I’d rather see us trade back from R1 and take even more swings in this particular draft. I don’t see a scenario where trading up in R1 of this draft would benefit us

 

[rossihunter2]

Picking by volume is practically proven at this point to be the most effective method of team building. Trading premium picks for proven players is safer than trading up for prospects.

this is the key bit
if you're giving up capital to move in the draft (especially in R1), you might as well have used that to get a veteran who's a more certain bet

or you could just stick and pick and get a player who (statistically) has just as high of a chance to hit - it is more unlikely than likely that the guy you trade up for is better than the guy you would have picked had you stayed at your original slot

the only reason to trade up is if your right at the bottom of a tier of draft grades before a precipitous drop in grades to the next group - that's not likely to happen at the end of R1 and if we're talking about day 2 and day 3 players then the immediate impact of those players is not high either in that trade up

where we've seen the ravens most active (still not often) has been to trade back in to the draft if a guy they like with a decent grade is still lying around late in the draft and they can trade a future 6th for that 7th round pick for a guy they like (e.g. james proche and andrew vorhees)

 

[rossihunter2]

 

[RaineV1]

I've narrowed it down to a personal top five for our first round pick:
1: Derrick Harmon, DL: basically adding another Madubuike to the line creating a lot of interior disruption. Let's us copy the Eagles' top strength.

2: Tyler Booker, G: Best combination of size, athleticism, power, and attitude among the first tier of guards. Plug and play ten year starter on the line.

3: Landon Jackson, Edge: Large, powerful edge that fits the Ravens' defense perfectly.

4: Walter Nolan, DL: Extremely athletic, compact DL that will constantly disrupt plays.

5: Grey Zabel, G: Similar to Booker he's an instant long term starter, and tone setter.

 

[Dom McRaven]

I've narrowed it down to a personal top five for our first round pick:
1: Derrick Harmon, DL: basically adding another Madubuike to the line creating a lot of interior disruption. Let's us copy the Eagles' top strength.

2: Tyler Booker, G: Best combination of size, athleticism, power, and attitude among the first tier of guards. Plug and play ten year starter on the line.

3: Landon Jackson, Edge: Large, powerful edge that fits the Ravens' defense perfectly.

4: Walter Nolan, DL: Extremely athletic, compact DL that will constantly disrupt plays.

5: Grey Zabel, G: Similar to Booker he's an instant long term starter, and tone setter.

Derrick Harmon sounds like a Raven name.

 

[JoeyFlex5]

I’m not so sold on Tyler booker as a first round G. When I watched his tape I was concerned about his lumbering heavy feet, and his pre draft process has only amplified that concern. Pretty sure I like zabel and Donovan jackson over booker.

Derrick Harmon I could get down with as a first, Landon Jackson I like a lot but 27 is too rich for me.

Thing about this class is we could trade back and land any of these guys

 

[Jacquouille]

I’m not so sold on Tyler booker as a first round G. When I watched his tape I was concerned about his lumbering heavy feet, and his pre draft process has only amplified that concern. Pretty sure I like zabel and Donovan jackson over booker.

Derrick Harmon I could get down with as a first, Landon Jackson I like a lot but 27 is too rich for me.

Thing about this class is we could trade back and land any of these guys

Yeah I completely agree on Booker. It's a lot of guys just being overly attracted to the "mauler who might change your whole run game all by himself", but I don't see a surefire first rounder. Now that I think about it, Will Hernandez was a similar prospect.

 

[RaineV1]

I’m not so sold on Tyler booker as a first round G. When I watched his tape I was concerned about his lumbering heavy feet, and his pre draft process has only amplified that concern. Pretty sure I like zabel and Donovan jackson over booker.

Derrick Harmon I could get down with as a first, Landon Jackson I like a lot but 27 is too rich for me.

Thing about this class is we could trade back and land any of these guys

I think Harmon is on a level where you should stay put and grab him if he's there. The others though, yeah, try to trade down to the early second and still have options in the same tier.