Grading the Draft

[Beerracuda]

Yeah, I know we still have 2 more picks, but now's as good a time as ever to grade this years' draft.

I give this years' draft A-

We addressed our most desperate need, something I've been bitching about for MANY years - the Offensive Line.

The FO dedicated this year's draft to the O-line, and in turn we got some real studs. Grubbs will be an immediate starter at G, and Yanda might just start this year as well at G/T.

When Figurs was announced, I was scratching my head at first. The last thing this team needs is another WR, as strange as it seems to say that after many years of having NO ONE. However, after reading up on this guy, and seeing that they intend to use him on ST, I think this is a great pick. An explosive runner with 4.3 speed and a 2nd gear! This is huge. With BJ Sams injury prone, and possible NFL penalties coming down, Figurs might just give us that extra 10-15 yards in field position. In my opinion, that's just what this offense needs - a short field every time. That certainly would've helped back in Jan against the Dolts.

Picking up Troy Smith at the very end of the 5th round was a great value pick! I have my doubts about Smith's abilities to make it as an NFL QB, but at pick #174, it's hard to see any down side to this. Let him work with McNair for a year or two, and he might just pan out. Who knows?

The only downside to this draft is not drafting a very good CB. I think we need one to eventually take the place of Rolle/McAlister. But that's minor, since that need is still probably 3 years away.

In summation, Oz pulls another rabbit out of his hat! Us football fans here in Baltimore should be extremely happy for having Oz as our GM!! Another great draft!!!

[camdenyard]

The only downside to this draft is not drafting a very good CB. I think we need one to eventually take the place of Rolle/McAlister. But that's minor, since that need is still probably 3 years away.

I think Rolle will need to step into a nickle back role after 2007. So I have to think the Ravens see Derrick Martin filling that role. There is also Pittman, who knows about him.

[RavensInBrazil]

Agreed. I couldn't have hoped for a much better draft than this

I believe we didn't take a CB this draft because we already got a few these past couple of years, and we don't really know what we have with them yet. IMO, we'll play them a little more extensively this season and next off-season we'll deal with the situation accordingly

Either way, Ozzie is a master!

[PARavensJeff]

I think Rolle will need to step into a nickle back role after 2007. So I have to think the Ravens see Derrick Martin filling that role. There is also Pittman, who knows about him.

We better find out about Pittman soon. We spent a #3 on him last year & heard how he was a steal & the team expected alot from him & he turns out to be a big 0 last year. I don't know if he was slow on the uptake or his work ethic was poor but that's a big waste if he turns into a bust.

[ypjim]

I think you guys are underestimating Figus too. He will be great at KR/PR but he can aslo be a play maker at WR as well. Did you see the Kansas State game vs. Texas he was unreal. Micheal Irving actually nick named him the playmaker.

You also have to realize he has never had a good QB throwing him the ball. That will change with McNair.

[ravens-maniac]

I give it an A- as well, but we really won't know for a year or two. I hate to say it but the browns look like they had a great draft, Savage did a great job

[ypjim]

The Browns did have a great draft but they sold next year's draft to have it and who knows if Quinn is going to make a great QB? If Miami would rather have Beck, what does that tell you?

[ClericBlackDave]

I would give it a B / B-


Really, it depends on how these players pan out. None of them seems like a slam dunk other than Grubbs in the 1st round.


Troy Smith is not someone I would want backing up McNair this year, but he could be the future. A good value later in the draft, but not NFL ready by any stretch of the imagination.


Two OLBs after resigning Jarrett Johnson. I'm not sure if these guys will be special teamers or depth at OLB or both. But nothing to write home to mother about, YET


A guard who may or may not be able to play RT. Not sure how excited I am about that. We better hope Terry can make the transition to RT or we sign a FA RT quick.


Dawan Landry, no-one knew he'd be great. So obviously, until we see these guys in camp, preseason, and the regular season no-one knows.


But at this point, I wouldn't grade the draft in the A range.


I wouldn't grade it in the A range just based on the fact that we didn't get a true RT that we can go with.


Not a slam dunk, not yet. But we'll see.

[RustonRifle]

I give the Ravens FO A+.

Since the Ravens traded three picks from this years draft to help land McGahee and McNair, they should be a factor in any analysis regarding draft grades, atleast from my point of view.


On the drafting end-
I thought the Ravens blended need areas in their selections and also seemed to get value along the way landing some players who could contibute right away.

Grubbs , I loved this pick.

Figurs- intruiging return prospect, the speed displayed in the highlights was eyepopping.

Yanda-Liked what I read on him and the few highlights shown.


McClain- The FB I was hoping for. I thought the Bama connection with Ozzie would work in his favor but the Ravens looked as though they got value with the pick.

Smith- Here's a guy many people had slated as a late first to early third round selection till things started to unravel in the Florida game. For me getting TS as a 5th round compensitory pick was outstanding.

[Ravenswarrior19]

I'm surprised the Brady Quinn trade isn't getting more time on this board. I'm hoping Oz and the crew have a good idea of the type of QB he will be. I'd hate to imagine if he was good. We'll be competing with Palmer, Rothlesb., and Quinn for he next decade. Without a young QB ourselves, I don't think thats a formula for success.

We went in yesterday (and most draft days) with a philosophy of not reaching for players. But if Quinn turns out to be a franchise QB, I think he would be worth a significant reach.

Overall though, I trust in the wizard.
"A" grade
Can't wait to see Grubbs bulldozing guys and us running right through them.

[UKRavenStockers]

I give the Ravens FO A+.
Since the Ravens traded three picks from this years draft to help land McGahee and McNair, they should be a factor in any analysis regarding draft grades, atleast from my point of view.
I thought the Ravens blended need areas in their selections and also seemed to get value along the way landing some players who could contibute right away.

Grubbs , I loved this pick.

Figurs- intruiging return prospect, the speed displayed in the highlights was eyepopping.

Yanda-Liked what I read on him and the few highlights shown.


McClain- The FB I was hoping for. I thought the Bama connection with Ozzie would work in his favor but the Ravens looked as though they got value with the pick.

Smith- Here's a guy many people had slated as a late first to early third round selection till things started to unravel in the Florida game. For me getting TS as a 5th round compensitory pick was outstanding.

Idiots who have no idea about how players are actually graded. Smith was never a great pro-prospect. He won the Heisman because he was just about the best of a rank average bunch. His mechanics are terrible and we've got a lot of work to do if we want to get anything from him.

[Sephy]

His mechanics aren't terrible, but they can get sloppy at times. He was in Kiper's top 30 at the end of the season, pre-Florida. His combine continued his spiral down.

[psuasskicker]

Idiots who have no idea about how players are actually graded. Smith was never a great pro-prospect.

Seriously, you're the ONLY person buying your own hype on this. If Smith were three inches taller he'd have been a lock top five pick. And till the Florida game, everyone had him somewhere in the first or second round with a LOT of discussion back and forth about which. But no one had him lower than the middle of the second. He was on Kipers top 25 prior to that Florida game.

I don't think anyone here was saying he was a lock star player in the NFL, and I don't know what you define as "great pro-prospect". But Smith dropped from anywhere between 15 and 45 to us at 174 because of the Florida game.

Feel free to prove us all wrong though and show us ONE respected scouting outlet that had Smith as a second day pick prior to 1/7/07. Good luck with that.

- C -

[PurpleRulz]

The Browns did have a great draft but they sold next year's draft to have it and who knows if Quinn is going to make a great QB? If Miami would rather have Beck, what does that tell you?

The only thing impressive about the Browns draft is moving up to get Brady Quinn. To me, Quinn' success makes or breaks this draft. You could not mess up having the 3rd overall pick in this year's draft. They better pray that Joe Thomas is not Robert Gallery though. I remember Gallery having the same kind of hype as Thomas.

The drafts that impress me most happened with three late round teams, The Ravens, Cowboys and Pats. The Pats and Cowboys did very well for themselves and came out of this with two first rounders yet again for 2008. Plus, each team added some nice pieces this year.

The Ravens had an UGLY draft, which is what we needed, and check this out. We got the TOP rated guard (Grubbs), the fastest player in the draft (Figurs), the top rated FB (McClain), and a former heisman winner (Smith). I also like the depth pickup of Yanda.

I give our draft an -A, but it too early for draft grades.

[ClericBlackDave]

Giving this draft an "A" is drinking the purple Kool Aid.

Thinking Troy Smith is going to be any different than a Derek Anderson or all the other late round QBs is a joke.

The team has always been bad at developing this position, and Smith's mechanics are sketchy at best.



Grubbs was a homerun, but we have a gaping hole at RT. Unless Yanda can start this could be ugly.


Figurs could be hit or miss.


Giving it an A is drinking the Kool Aid.


A "B" is about right for now, until we see different.

[ypjim]

I think a B is fair.

[Sephy]

Terry is not a gaping hole. He's an unknown at RT who performed OK at LT in the past.

Smith's mechanics are about the only thing you need to fix about him. He doesn't need to be taught accuracy, touch, pocket presence, decision making, etc like a lot of our past QB picks. He does all those things well! If you lock up his mechanics, which isn't a difficult responsibility for our staff, it could work out well. He's not just any late round QB.

[Gabrosin]

I'm giving this draft a B-. Grubbs looks solid but Staley would have filled a bigger need with the same level of talent. Yanda is a pretty big unknown right now, I would have been much happier with Staley and a guard in the 3rd/4th. Figurs seems like he was taken too high for the need we have... there are plenty of fast guys who can make an impact on a return game. I like the McClain pick, and Troy Smith was good value where we got him. The two OLBs are hopefully good for depth/ST. What really lowers the grade IMO is that we had an interest in Quinn and got beaten out for him, and then had a well-publicized interest in Staley and lost him too, then somehow wound up with two thirds instead of taking someone we liked in the second and picking up Figurs or Yanda or both on day 2. I was hoping we'd pick up another CB on day 1... we must have enough faith in our motley assortment of backups to pass on one entirely.

The sky isn't falling by any means, but it was an average draft at best. Let's hope these guys turn out to be exactly what our FO is hoping for.

[ypjim]

Since I've only been a Ravens fan for 2 day (read my thread on the welcome forum) I can be a little level headed and tell some of you that some of you are all hyped up on the purple coolaid with Troy Smith. He is what he is in a career back up. I'd be shocked if he is anything more.

I do wonder though how he feels about playing for the Ravens with him growing up a Browns fan and from what I hear his mom is a HUGE Browns fan. Funny how things work out that way. I'm sure he is just happy to be on a NFL team.

[Art-Florida]

"We better hope Terry can make the transition to RT or we sign a FA RT quick."

A truly unfortunate use of abbreviations there, Dave.


The draft: A firm C

Grubbs and Yanda - excellent.

Figurs is an unknown, but a big reach until proven otherwise.
The jury is out on the other guys, but look promising.
Troy Smith is a waste of time. He's ours now and has (or should have) our full support but as Han Solo once said, "I have a bad feeling about this."

Remember 'Too Tall' Jones? I can hear the announcers already, with the 'Too Small' Smith.