2018 Ravens Season Reflections, Observations, Hopes and Predictions

Yes exactly! That's my whole point where the Ravens make absolutely no effort in getting the position solidified. Sure we can point to examples like Clayton, Smith, and Perriman as them attempting to get receivers early, but then what happens?

What happens is they throw all their eggs and pressure into one basket instead of trying to actually fill up that basket. Every single year the roster is loaded with mid to late round prospects who have done nothing in the league and probably have no future at the position, but each off-season we sit and wonder about the potential they may have.

The dangerous thing this year is they have no second round pick. I'd bet there is a huge run on receivers long before where they pick in round 3.

 

Here's the problem with this line of thinking - they didn't draft Jackson first. If the Ravens were going to go all out to draft for Jackson, why would they risk not getting him at all?

In this scenario, you would essentially say that they have two different big boards in the draft room. Board A is the Flacco plan and Board B is the plan if the Jackson lottery hit. If Jackson was that big of a deal for the team, why risk losing him at all? Why not pick him in the 20s? Why give up additional assets when you could have had him for free? Would it have made a lick of difference if he was drafted 10 spots higher by the team that was going to mold itself around him? Would the Patriots wait until round 6 to draft Brady again?

Also if you're immediately pivoting and catering the draft to Jackson, then why waste the first pick on someone that is not Jackson? It kind of makes the first pick sound like it's a waste and for a team composition that would never arrive.

Like you said, the Ravens are really bad at this receiver stuff. They are bad at it though because they don't make an effort at all. I'd say they are almost spoiled by their success where players at all other positions come in and produce for them, so they feel it should be the case for WRs regardless of their perceived pre-draft skill level. It's not.

 

I forgot about the Ravens not having a second.

That makes it a little tougher to navigate the board and snag both a high level guard and receiver.

 

The point I was making is that the Ravens had a plan when the drafted Hurst and then they sat and waited for their next pick. When Jackson was still sitting there at pick 32, they probably all looked at each other and said "is this really possible that he is still sitting there" and they went to the Eagles and traded back in and got him (to ensure the 5th year option on the contract as a 1st round pick)

I think they pivoted at that point and that could be why they drafted Andrews then even after they already had Hurst on board. I don't believe their initial plan was to draft him

I don't disagree that if they really had wanted him at their initial pick, they would have grabbed him then. I think they saw the value of him sitting at 32 and decided it was the lowest cost 1st round pick they could secure and went for the gusto. Perhaps they saw the opportunity to add the 5th year and decided that Flacco was the starter for the 2018 season and then they would turn the reigns over to Jackson.

I think the Hurst pick was for Flacco for sure. Rangy athletic tight end who has excellent hands and can find the open spots. Sounds a lot like Dennis Pitta but younger and more athletic. The remainder of the draft then , to me, perhaps pivoted to the ball control offense we saw at the end of the season. Orlando Brown jr., Mark Andrews, Jaleel Scott, Greg Senat, Bradley Bozeman. That sound a lot like ball control to me. They are all straight beef up front. Even Scott is a big possession receiver to go along with Andrews' excellent hands.

I don't know for sure, of course, but it is all speculation as to why the rest of the draft, after Jackson, went the way it did.

Point being, they may have had plans to draft a differnt type of WR or 2 in the next couple of rounds but changed direction when they shifted future plans.

With all of that argument from me, I also do not disagree they fail to invest decent capital often enough to get better results. I personally like the 2nd and 3rd round receivers to be the ones that pan out more often for a better price (than a 1st round pick).

 

Ravens and Broncos agree to a trade for Flacco. So we'll see if we get that 2nd back or not

 

Sometimes a pair of threes can get you that deuce you're looking for.

 

This is most likely accurate.

It's difficult to imagine a scenario where the Ravens banked on the idea that they could get Lamar late in the draft so they went after Hurst for that purpose.

Hayden likely fit either scenario in their mind and Andrews value was most likely to good to pass on when they took him.

 

So can soluble fiber

 

based on some articles I am seeing, it looks like they Broncos have several 4th and 5th round picks so I am betting it is one of those picks. My guess is a 4th rounder.

Based on the pundit's math being reported, it saves the Ravens a net of about 10 million on the cap this season.

 

Flacco for a 4th. Not exactly an elite haul, but closer to the draft, picks are more valuable than players in the eyes of teams.

 

They were going to have to cut Joe anyway, so a 4th is something. Hopefully they get a 3rd comp for Jensen also. Then they'd be able to move back to the 2nd if needed

 

Over the cap is projecting a 3rd round comp for Jensen

https://overthecap.com/compensatory-draft-picks-cancellation-chart/

Based on not knowing what 4th rounder, the Ravens should have

1st
(No 2nd)
3rd,3rd (comp)
4th,4th( from Denver)
5th
6th,6th(from Tennessee)
(No 7th)

 

If they can get two 3rds and two 4ths, I'd say try and trade both 4ths for a 2nd, then trade down in the 1st for an additional 4th

 

I think we all expected Flacco to be gone which meant the Ravens didn't have much leverage on teams. We took a bigger cap hit though by getting rid of Flacco now correct? I wonder what type of action there was on him? It feels like a 4th is a little low. I'd have been a bit more pleased with a 3rd.

 

I'm all for the trade for Flacco, but I'm thinking that had they waited until closer to the draft, maybe, just maybe, one team or another would have offered a higher pick. Maybe not, just spit-balling.

As far as a receiver is concerned, I don't care where they go get one, but I do not favor trading for any #1 another team is willing to part with. To me, that means there are problems we are unaware of.
I think Chris Moore should be given more of an opportunity. I thought he really made some strides last year and made a few outstanding catches. Also, the fact that they haven't parted ways with Ayenbadejo leads me to believe that they see some potential in his development provided he can stay healthy. I believe Snead fits the bill as a possession receiver.

That brings me to Jackson. I'm not convinced YET that he is an NFL Quarterback. He doesn't protect the ball well and his passing is suspect. I truly don't believe it's possible to teach accuracy and he doesn't seem to have it with any consistency. I do believe he has the ability to improve but I don't know to what extent. I guess we'll have to wait and find out. I hope they have a "backup" plan. RG3 would fit that bill but I don't think any of us have a clue what his abilities are anymore.

Frankly, I'm hoping that putting our eggs in Jackson basket doesn't turn out to be a mistake that sets the team back 5 years.

 

Frankly, I am glad we got a 4th as I assume most teams knew we would be releasing him at some point. I am happy to get the comp we got for him versus releasing without anything in return.

I think, if I heard correctly, it is the 10th pick in the 4th round so not too shabby. I would have loved to see more, but I think securing a deal now just locks in and we know what we are getting ahead of time and we can plan ahead for it.

I also do see us trading down in the 1st and picking up other draft picks and surely could see us jumping back in the the 2nd round to grab a player.

 

I could see this happening dependent on what falls down the board.

If more than two quarterbacks go in the top 16 (right now I believe 3 will, but the potential is there for 4) it forces top tier talent down and may provide the Ravens with either the ability to stand and take a high level player or slide back into a window that might still provide a quality option (think 5 picks back with 5 equally graded players).

If you were listing the Ravens team needs, how would you break it down?

 

Well, assuming we do not resign any free agents I would say that we need:

OLine (Guard,Center)
Pass Rusher (OLB, 3-4 DE)
Receiver
ILB

Those would be the top 4 needs in my opinion.

Depending on who we resign that will shift the needs. I don't think OLine moves off the top of the list, as far as I'm concerned, since we really don't have any more talent to add to that pool by keeping our free agents. If we sign some in free agency then I could see other position moving up the list, but barring that, I would say that is my wish list.

 

In this thread, I predicted Crabtree would stay because now you have to replace a WR and have to do it for 4.6M or less for the season. Crabtree was my biggest disappointment last season, but in looking at value, what type of receiver will we come away with? We're honestly completely void of #1 or #2 WR talent right now. No reason to resign Brown. Looks like we better brush up on some free agent receivers!