More and more I am hearing DeForest Buckner’s name called as the guy the Ravens will pick at #6 overall on April 28th.
The funny thing is, Buckner is the only guy among the other big targets mentioned (Joey Bosa, Myles Jack, Jalen Ramsey and Ronnie Stanley) who hasn’t yet had an official visit with the Ravens. Could that be a smokescreen surrounding a steamed Duck?
Some say Buckner would be the most efficient pick by the Ravens—a bigger and faster version of young Haloti Ngata.
The 6-foot-7, 291 pound defensive end from Oregon would bring instant impact to the Ravens defensive line as a pass-rusher and run-stuffer.
NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah thinks that Oregon defensive end DeForest Buckner would give them exactly the kind of piece they need.
“I think they’ve lost a little bit of their identity on the defensive side of the ball, and the best way to get that back is to invest in [the] front seven and just kind of double down there,” Jeremiah said on a conference call last week. “That’s why I think Buckner, with the rare size and unique skillset he possesses, he may be a great fit there.”
Jeremiah also bases his pick for Buckner on his assumption that cornerback Jalen Ramsey, pass rusher Joey Bosa and linebacker Myles Jack will all be off the board when the Ravens pick.
Buckner earned PAC-12 Defensive Player of the Year honors last season with 83 tackles, 17 tackles for loss and 10.5 sacks.
Fan poster Balfan 23 had a judicial take on Buckner over at the Ravens.com fan gallery:
“Sentiment has clearly shifted in the mocks from [offensive tackle] Stanley to Buckner as the Ravens most likely player to pick at #6 overall. To me this shift indicates both that Stanley is not someone we’d view as worthy of the #6 pick,and that Ramsey, Jack and Bosa are all expected to go ahead of Buckner and go in the top 5. ”
Fan poster Torry Gundy really nailed the overall defensive appeal of adding a big pass-rushing talent on the Ravens front line:
“Talk about Game Changer. Most of our big sack numbers come from the OLB’s and then blitzers either from the secondary or MLB’s. Having the ability to get pressure from our 5-technique and our three-technique linemen if we had Buckner and Jernigan on the same line would be amazing.”
Yes, Torry, yes it would…at least it feels good right now.
Meanwhile, veteran running back Justin Forsett reports he is making excellent progress in recovering from a fractured arm he suffered in Week 11 last season. The 5-8, 190 lb. 2014 Pro Bowler said the arm is “progressing where I want it to,” and he has already started lifting weights again. He plans to get X-rays in the next week to determine exactly how far along he is in the recovery.
“I’m excited to get back this season,” Forsett said. “Big expectations for myself and I’m just ready to get back at it and be 100 percent.”
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