Every year this time, I get an invitation from Brandon Berg, who runs a great NFL website called EE Sports World, to help out with contributing thoughts to his excellent Draft preview series… and the time has come to feature what Brandon has put together on the Ravens:
To avoid a season-ending scene like this, Ravens need at least one big hit in the 2011 Draft…
“The Baltimore Ravens are in a position in the 2011 NFL draft where they can most likely pick the best player available with their 1st round pick at 26 overall. Ozzie Newsome has a history of waiting patiently in the first round for a player high on his board to fall in his lap. Guys like Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, Todd Heap and Michael Oher were all players Ozzie had rated highly on his draft board, but was able to get them in the later part of the first round anywhere from 24-31. I think it is the case almost every year of the draft that if Ozzie is choosing, say, at 26, like he is this year—he is more than likely going to be selecting a player who is in the top 20 on his draft board.
A few players that seem to fit the build in the first round for Baltimore include DE Muhammad Wilkerson from Temple, OLB Justin Houston from Georgia, CB Jimmy Smith from Colorado and OT Derrick Sherrod from Mississippi St. All of those players fill a need for Baltimore, and seem to be picked in the later round of most mocks where the Ravens pick at 26. There has also been some talks of possibly trading up in the first round to grab an even better player. Maybe someone like DE JJ Watt out of Wisconsin or DE Daquan Bowers from Clemson… Both players seem to be slotted to be picked in the middle of the first round, and Ozzie has a history of making some serious moves in the first round. Baltimore has 9 picks in the 2011 draft and it does not make sense to keep all of them with how deep the team already is, so I can definitely see Ozzie packaging together a deal to move up in the first or 2nd, and walking away with 6 or 7 total draft picks this year.
As for the 2nd round, there are many areas we could address here. There has been much talk of taking a speedy WR in the 2nd round that could stretch the field and take advantage of Joe Flacco’s elite arm strength. WR’s Torrey Smith, Jon Baldwin, Leonard Hankerson and Titus Young all seem to be 2nd round prospects that could really help the Ravens offense. A few of them such as Smith and Baldwin, we might have to move up in the 2nd round to grab them, but like I stated earlier it could very likely happen considering how many picks we have this year. Could also see a player like ILB Martez Wilson from Illinois be selected here to eventually take over for Ray Lewis.
Ozzie Newsome also has a rich history of hitting on picks in the later rounds, and this is where we have our most picks. Along with a 3rd and 4th round position, Baltimore has two 5th round picks which they received through the compensatory selections, two 6th round picks and a 7th. Ozzie Newsome seems to always find 1 or 2 players in these later rounds who end up being big contributors to our team and sometimes even pro bowl players down the road. It will most likely be a variety of players from different positions with these later picks that could really help our team out next season.
As far as draft needs from this year, I would say the top needs at DE/OLB, OT, WR, ILB and CB, in no particular order. With the uncertainty of free agency happening before the draft in 2011, it looks as if teams are going to have to address needs in the draft instead of letting the best players fall to them. I don’t expect Ozzie to reach for a need in every round, but we will most likely see the positional needs I stated earlier filled through draft picks…”
Nice work, Brandon… a lot to ponder as we head for Draft Weekend… can’t wait…and for all you “Machinists” out there, give Brandon’s site at EE Sports World and also his column at Baltimore Beatdown a good look….it’s always a good read.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
