Baltimore Beat Down: A Baltimore Ravens Dynasty

[thoro_headz]

Ravens Look for Gems Beyond No. 8

With a top ten pick in the upcoming draft, the Ravens are all but assured of landing an impact player. At least, that's how it should be. Although one would think that your franchise can't go wrong with picking that high, the NFL is littered with top ten busts. Where high profile misses get the most negative attention, late round gems garner the most positive. Finding talent in later rounds is what separates contenders from pretenders. Late round picks create depth so that teams with championship aspirations aren't crippled when a star player goes down. Late round picks can also be developed into contributors for the teams that draft them or tradeable commodities. That being said, GMs are judged by the talent that they are able to acquire in later rounds. The Ravens have pick no. 38 in the 2nd round. On day 2, they have four picks beginning with no. 103 in the 4th round.

Let's look at what they will do after Round 1.

If they decide to not go with a cornerback at No. 8, players such as Brandon Flowers, Justin King, Patrick Lee, Charles Godfrey, Tyvon Branch, and Zack Bowman are all possibilities in Rounds 2-3.

If they want to add a DE/OLB hybrid pass rusher, look no further than Cliff Avril or Quentin Groves in the second round. As far as mid-round hybrids are concerned, players like Shawn Crable, Marcus Howard, Bruce Davis will be available.

Passing up on Matt Ryan is certainly a possibility, and Baltimore could consider trading up very high into the second round for Brian Brohm.

This draft is very deep at running back, so it looks like the year to add a really talented backup. Ray Rice, Steve Slaton, and Jamaal Charles would all be very good change-of-pace backs to Willis McGahee.

The draft also has some quality receivers in the middle rounds. Receivers like Desean Jackson and Dexter Jackson, while small, offer the speed needed to be homerun threats for Cam Cameron's offense. Early Doucet, Earl Bennett, and Harry Douglas are also solid players that Baltimore could consider adding to their receiving core.

It wouldn't be a bad idea to add depth on the defensive line late in the draft. Frank Okam, Nick Hayden, Ahtyba Rubin, and Dre Moore all fit what the Ravens want to do in plugging up the running game, whether at end or nose tackle.

[thoro_headz]

Baltimore Lands Top Corner, McKelvin

With the 8th pick of the 2008 NFL Draft, the Baltimore Ravens selected Leodis McKelvin, cornerback, Troy University. An All-American his senior year, McKelvin is effective in man coverage, possesses good ball skills, and shows better-than-average instincts. A physical cornerback, he likes to mix it up, and consistently positions himself against opponents to break up the throw.

Scouts say he isn't the best ball-hawk in the draft, but his overall skills as a CB are legit. He needs some technique refinement, but due to a lack of natural power, he is never going to be a physical tackler. He shows willingness in run support, but is better making plays on the move than getting bounced around in tight quarters.

One of the most gifted athletes in the draft, McKelvin is still much a project at the cornerback position. He has the raw tools to develop into a very good cover cornerback but he must be coached up and willing to spend countless hours in the film room.

McKelvin's true value however, rests in his abilities as a punt and kickoff returner. McKelvin is a solid return specialist. Even though he does not always play to his timed speed, McKelvin has the ability to break a game open once he finds a crease on returns.

[thoro_headz]

Deal with Pats Moves Ravens out of 2nd Round

ESPN is reporting that the Baltimore Ravens have completed a trade with the New England Patriots. Baltimore will give New England pick no. 38 in the 2nd round in return for picks 69 & 94 in the 3rd round the Patriots' 4th round pick in 2009.

[edward_1385]

Liking the look and enjoying the read... Btw, did u pick McKelvin or did the GM do so?

Can't wait to see how ur season goes with the Ravens...

[Shamhat1915]

Interesting move to pick up McKelvin. I've done it once before, and he played extremely well in my system, though he seemed to struggle with defending intermediate routes. He was never beat deep at least, and was a solid tackler. I'm looking forward to see how he plays for you

[thoro_headz]

Quote: Originally Posted by edward_1385

Liking the look and enjoying the read... Btw, did u pick McKelvin or did the GM do so? Can't wait to see how ur season goes with the Ravens...

I picked McKelvin. I don't trust the game's draft programming enough to put my draft in the hands of my GM. Thanks for reading. I'm going to post the results of the 1st day of the draft tonight and thoughts on my moves.

[thoro_headz]

Quote: Originally Posted by Shamhat1915

Interesting move to pick up McKelvin. I've done it once before, and he played extremely well in my system, though he seemed to struggle with defending intermediate routes. He was never beat deep at least, and was a solid tackler. I'm looking forward to see how he plays for you

I've never had McKelvin, so thank you for sharing your experience. Did you use him on kick and punt returns?

I wanted to trade the pick but I got crap offers that would have moved me toward the end of the first round. I wasn't willing to risk missing out on a corner.

[thoro_headz]

NFL Draft 1st Round Recap; Ryan is #1

NFL Draft - Round 1 Recap
Pick	Team	Player	Pos	Ht	Wt
1	Miami Dolphins	Matt Ryan (Boston College)	QB
2	St. Louis Rams	Vernon Gholston (Ohio State)	ROLB
3	Atlanta Falcons	Darren McFadden (Arkansas)	HB
4	Oakland Raiders	Chris Long (Virginia)	RE
5	Kansas City Chiefs	Jake Long (Michigan)	LT
6	New York Jets	Joe Flacco (Delaware)	QB
7	New England Patriots	Keith Rivers (USC)	ROLB
8	Baltimore Ravens	Leodis McKelvin (Troy)	CB
9	Cincinnati Bengals	Glenn Dorsey (LSU)	DT
10	New Orleans Saints	Sedrick Ellis (USC)	DT
11	Buffalo Bills	Derrick Harvey (Florida)	LE
12	Denver Broncos	Ryan Clady (Boise State)	LT
13	St. Louis Rams (from CAR)	Jerod Mayo (Tennessee)	LOLB
14	Chicago Bears	Branden Albert (Virginia)	LG
15	Detroit Lions	Dominique Cromartie (Tenn. State)	CB
16	New England Patriots (from ARI)	Antoine Cason (Arizona)	CB
17	Kansas City Chiefs	Jeff Otah (Pittsburgh)	RT
18	Houston Texans	Gosder Cherilus (Boston College)	RT
19	Philadelphia Eagles	Chris Williams (Vanderbilt)	LT
20	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Mike Jenkins (USF)	CB
21	Seattle Seahawks (from WAS)	Dustin Keller (Purdue)	TE
22	Dallas Cowboys	Kentwan Balmer (N. Carolina)	DT
23	Pittsburgh Steelers	Aqib Talib (Kansas)	CB
24	Tennessee Titans	Lawrence Jackson (USC)	LE
25	Washington Redskins (from SEA)	Chris Johnson (E. Carolina)	HB
26	Jacksonville Jaguars	Sam Baker (USC)	LT
27	San Diego Chargers	Duane Brown (Virginia Tech)	LT
28	Philadelphia Eagles (from DAL)	John Carlson (Notre Dame)	TE
29	San Francisco 49ers	Brandon Flowers (Virginia Tech)	CB
30	Green Bay Packers	Rashard Mendenhall (Illinois)	HB
31	Tampa Bay Buccaneers (from NYG)	Trevor Laws (Notre Dame)	DT
32	Miami Dolphins	Kenny Phillips (Miami)	SS