Ravens 2019 Draft Discussion

Hello All,
I wanted to perhaps start a discussion about the 2019 draft considering it is a day away. I have some thoughts on what I hope the Ravens will do and perhaps what they actually will do. Let's hear your thoughts here.

I am hoping that a dynamic player falls to the second half with all of the trades and QB's that could potentially jump to the top of round 1. I would love to see a dynamic pass rusher or top notch O-lineman be available for us at our spot.

I know WR is a "need" in the eyes of the fan base but honestly I can't see any of the WR prospects being worth that high of a pick.

I would love to see one of the lower teams (Philly,Colts,Chargers,Rams) want to hop up a few picks and we trade back a bit and pick up some additional picks (2nd,3rd,etc..) I think we can still get a WR if we drop back. If we could drop to the top of the 2nd round I think we would still be ok to get a higher rated WR and grab a few more selections.

What do you think about the team needs versus how the draft may play out?

 

Ok, so I definitely have some thoughts on the draft, but not necessarily on specific players.

Without any question our biggest and most massive need on the team is WR. We are lucky if we'd be able to field a JuCo team with the receivers we have now. Moore has been hyped the past 2 seasons, but if the Ravens truly believed in him breaking out, they wouldn't constantly bring in people to take his job away. I feel like he's fine for the ST role and limited offensive snaps, but that's it. Snead is also fine for his slot role, and Roberts is a fine additional option like Moore, but we have absolutely 0 talent for the vast majority of snaps which is supremely scary.

That being said, DeCosta is kind of in a bad spot right now. With no 2nd round selection, he's in a position where he either grabs a WR with good talent with the 1st pick, or he waits until it's all picked over by round 2 and goes after scraps later. That's not good for a team terrible at identifying and developing receivers.

An ideal scenario would be trading back possibly even to the beginning of round 2, but honestly at best you'll get a 3rd rounder out of it, so you won't really be breaking the bank here or turning the draft on its head.

If we believe DeCosta and what he says, then he fully realizes that the Ravens are the worst team in the league at using capital on receivers. They cannot keep bringing in scrubs from rounds 4-7 and expect something amazing to happen. Again, if they had a pedigree of doing this successfully, then it's a viable move, but they don't.

Assuming no trade down AND we believe DeCosta given the unenviable situation of no 2nd rounder and there is a supreme talent on the board at 22, then he should take it even if it's not WR. The caveat is he must draft a WR in rounds 3 and 4 as well as use a 1st or 2nd on a WR next year. He has to show actual commitment to the position which Ozzie never even remotely did.

 

This draft is supposed to be heavy on pass rushers and next year's draft is supposed to rival the 2014 draft at WR. The Ravens top 4 needs are WR, edge rusher, center, and ILB (in no order). Just putting this out there first.

Now, what I want vs what I expect. I'd love see the Ravens get a chance to draft one of the top edge rushers this year, meaning I hope one of the top guys fall when they shouldn't. That way they can spend their two 3rds on an ILB and a WR. Spend the 4ths on a WR and a center, and then whoever they feel is BPA after. Let the two WRs along with Lasley and Scott battle it out for the outside positions (along with Roberts and Moore). Lamar is going to do damage to Snead and the TEs anyway. Yes, I believe he's been working on outside throws, but I can't say he'll just be great at them in one offseason, so I wouldn't lose my mind at not having top end talent there in 2019. Next year he would likely be even better and next year I'd want them ti target WR in the first round (I'm already loving Tee Higgins, followed by Ceedee Lamb).

What I think happens though is, unless some can't miss talent drops, the Ravens do 1 of 2 things. They either trade back for more picks, and then spend their first pick on a WR. Or they simply spend the #22 pick om a WR. Both options likely lead to them not drafting a 1st round receiver in 2020 (like in 2014) even though the quality at the top is supposed to rival 2014

 

I hope you guys go DL and TE every pick.

 

So Ravens are almost coming up on the screen and the Vikings just drafted Bradbury who I know was mocked a bit to the team. Are there any guys you are amped for to hit 22?

 

Wow the Ravens got a 4th AND a 6th to drop 3 spots. That is damn good.

 

MS is still on the board, It would surprise me if Eric passes on him at 25 honestly. He has slid so far down the board.....


edit : MS is the best player on the board, do they go BPA? or do they nab a WR since absolutely none of them have been selected yet....?

 

Eric straight fleeced the Eagles tonight. Excellent job

 

It's crazy but we are literally 2 years in a row where the Ravens get their pick of literally any receiver in the draft.

 

Taking too long, Eric is working the phones, he is trying to move on down the board is my guess

 

The WR in this draft are not awesome, hence why they have been ignored so far.

 

Hollywood Brown the newest Raven...... I hope he can break the curse of the WR on our team.

 

I like that they went for the obvious need, but that size scares me. If the Ravens were great at being creative, then this would be a huge win. Since they aren't though, I'm scared of not having some prototypical size.

 

Great pick.

Great hands, great speed, height is severely overated for a position that has shown time and time again, that while being the absolute elite may require that frame- being great or good requires separation and safe hands.

2k

 

Do we have any mid round outside prospects at WR? I don't think the Ravens are done with the position yet. Ol and pass rushing could be the next pick. We will have like 5 players in 40 picks coming up.

 

I'll say this, Brown looks extremely fast. If the Ravens can somehow break their rut and concoct ways to get him the ball, he's going to make some big plays. I hope Jackson really is working on his accuracy, but he has to be excited that the team has already done more for him in 1 pick than they did for Flacco in his career essentially. Let's hope these two generate some chemistry together (as opposed to Jackson and John Brown).

 

??Uh......more like 5 WELL AFTER the next 40.

 

Ok, I meant when we were back on the clock around the mid 80s. We pick a lot after that time, but yes, my wording was poor. I didn't say in the next 40 picks though. Just that we were going to have a stretch of 5 in about 40.

 

More credit to you guys right now because I'm struggling to be happy with this pick. Getting past the concerns about how small he is, the guy is currently in NOW. How do you take a WR known for speed at that pick who's coming off a Lisfranc?? We all saw Jimmy Smith dominate in 2014 before his lisfranc injury. He didn't start to get back to form until the second half of 2016, two years later. If they liked Hollywood's style that much, they should have just waited until the 3rd round and went after Isabella.

And for a team that has been saying they are going to run heavy and want WRs that can bully CBs when it comes to run blocking, the 168 pound guy with a foot injury probably isn't the one for you.

I do agree they will double dip at WR (I'm thinking Butler or Harmon fall far enough for them to trade up?, but I'm still surprised Hollywood was their top WR. Hell, I'm surprised they didn't go with Sweat at 25

 

I'll probably be on board by the end of the day though. I'll spend some of my work hours doing more research on him