Combine Starts Tomorrow...Who might capture the Ravens attention?

[TL24x7]

The pencils are sharpened. The stopwatches are ready. And a phalanx of coaches, general managers and scouts will be looking on intently as draft prospects audition for the NFL.

Along with their NFL brethren, the Baltimore Ravens are armed with questions for draft prospects as they launch an intense evaluation period today at the annual scouting combine at Lucas Oil Stadium.

Click HERE to find out who might fall under the watchful eye of the Ravens' scouting staff.

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[wickedsolo]

All eyes are going to be on Vontaze Burfict.

[Ravenswintitle]

Won't get to watch much underwear olympics until the weekend

[leachisabeast]

Yeah really looking forward to seeing what Burfict can do.

[JAB1985]

All eyes are going to be on Vontaze Burfict.

are the interviews starting tomorrow? I think we can all agree he'll tear up the physical aspects of the combine well. Seems like most of the top "draft experts" are frowning on his football instincts as much or more than his "issues". That could mean good things for him falling a little more than even expected.

[wickedsolo]

are the interviews starting tomorrow? I think we can all agree he'll tear up the physical aspects of the combine well. Seems like most of the top "draft experts" are frowning on his football instincts as much or more than his "issues". That could mean good things for him falling a little more than even expected.

There were a few rumors a week or so ago where they were talking about Burfict being soft and out of shape.

If that's the case then he won't be tearing anything up except a future 1st round contract.

[wickedsolo]

I'm also interested to see Philip Blake, Ben Jones, and Mike Brewster.

[The Excellector]

When do they actually start televising the drills? I thought that didn't start until Friday?

[srobert96]

All eyes are going to be on Vontaze Burfict.

I expect Burfict to crush it at the combine. I am sure some team will jump on him after he puts up silly numbers. The question on him is how he plays the game. Nothing he can do to change that at the combine.

[GOTA]

When do they actually start televising the drills? I thought that didn't start until Friday?

NFL Network lists the first drill on Saturday at 9 am

[The Excellector]

NFL Network lists the first drill on Saturday at 9 am

Thank you.

[GOTA]

Thank you.

It's Kickers, O-Line and Tight Ends the whole day

For those interested in the linebackers they are listed for Monday

[RavensNest]

I'm also interested to see Philip Blake, Ben Jones, and Mike Brewster.

Being a Ohio State fan, I'm just not that impressed with Mike Brewster and don't undestand all the hoopla behind him.

The guy was a big time recruit and I would say had a solid career. He was a 4 yr starter, but I don't think he really got that much better from his frosh yr to his sr yr. He is athletic, but he gets pushed around way to easy and doesn't handle guys that play with leverage.

He isn't versatile enough to play guard. He does play relatively smart and can handle the line calls well. He is proably at best the 5th best center in the draft. I wouldn't think about drafting him until the 4th-5th rd.

Now Mike Adams - I LOVE! Guy will be a good tackle in the pros once he refines his technique. If he is there at 29, I think that would be a steal.

I really like the Konz, but I think we need to go with Donta Hightower with pick 29 or trade back into 2nd rd.

[GOTA]

Being a Ohio State fan, I'm just not that impressed with Mike Brewster and don't undestand all the hoopla behind him.

The guy was a big time recruit and I would say had a solid career. He was a 4 yr starter, but I don't think he really got that much better from his frosh yr to his sr yr. He is athletic, but he gets pushed around way to easy and doesn't handle guys that play with leverage.

He isn't versatile enough to play guard. He does play relatively smart and can handle the line calls well. He is proably at best the 5th best center in the draft. I wouldn't think about drafting him until the 4th-5th rd.

Now Mike Adams - I LOVE! Guy will be a good tackle in the pros once he refines his technique. If he is there at 29, I think that would be a steal.

I really like the Konz, but I think we need to go with Donta Hightower with pick 29 or trade back into 2nd rd.

Thanks for the scouting report. It always helps when you read some analysis from someone who watched the games. I try to do the same with LSU prospects every year. They're kind of top heavy this year though and I don't see the Ravens having a shot unless they moved up in round 2 for Rueben Randle, which I sure wouldn't do.

[LukeDaniel]

I'm a golden domer, so here are a few players worth watching:

Michael Floyd- WR- I don't think there's a lot new I can add here about him that most people don't already know. Big guy. Great body control. Great in the air. Good, bordering on great, hands. Sharp route runner. Has value as a possession guy or a deep threat. Weaknesses: Very ordinary speed. Physical after the catch in terms of getting extra yards and being a load to bring down, but won't break away from anyone. Think Herman Moore. If he is somehow around at pick 29, the Ravens should sprint to the podium to draft him. I think he might drop down into the 18-22 range due to his 40 time, but I doubt he's around at 29.

Harrison Smith-S- A lot of draft experts are high on this guy. I've seen him mocked in the 2nd round, which seems crazy for me. In my opinion, he was less polished and NFL-ready than Zbikowski was 4 drafts ago. As a plus, he does seem to have a good nose for the football, particularly in run support. His list of downsides include that he misses a lot of tackles and is very stiff in pass support. He had a very mediocre senior season, finishing with no interceptions. He had a good year as a junior, but was absolutely terrible in pass support as a sophomore. I know the Ravens are more than likely to address the Safety position with at least one pick in the draft, even if one out of ZIbby or Haruki is brought back. Unless he's sitting there in the 5th round, I'd stay away from Harrison Smith.

Darius Fleming- OLB- Heading into the 2011 season, quite a few of the early mock drafts had him as a 3rd round pick. Like Harrison Smith, he had a very unimpressive senior season, not hearing his name called with anywhere near the frequency as 2010. Fleming is a versatile player, but the major problem I have with him is that he really doesn't excel at anything. He is not good in pass coverage. He does move decently towards the sidelines, but is far from overly quick. His real reputation heading into 2011 was as a pass rusher, but he really didn't get to the QB much during this past season. The Irish pass rush struggled all year and I think Fleming's invisibility was the biggest culprit leading to that. I also don't see him as a guy who can make a big impact on special teams. A lot of drafts might mention him as a 5th or 6th round pick, but I'd stay away from him unless he's sitting there right at the end of round 7.

Robert Blanton- This is a guy I'm incredibly high on. He was sort of a run-of-the-mill player at ND until this past season, when he played extremely well. Given the lack of a pass rush presence mentioned above, Blanton had to maintain coverage longer than a lot of the CBs he will be evaluated with, and did quite well in those opportunities. For the first 6-7 games of the Irish season, he really stymied the top receivers of the opposing team. He has good size for the position (6-0,200) but just average speed. He's not exceptionally quick either. However, the end result was that he was very effective with his coverage. His technique is sound. He is a very, very good tackler for the position and quite good in run support. On the down side, he did have two subpar games against Luck at Stanford and in the home game against Barkley and USC. That is moderately alarming since those are the two QBs most resembling the type of quality he will face in the NFL. However, I don't think Blanton projects anywhere near being a #1 CB by NFL standards. I do think, however, that he could be a serviceable #2 CB or a solid nickleback. All the drafts I have seen don't even have him in their top 25 CBs, although they all seem to mention how solid he was in 2011. I think he could bring great value if he's available from the late 5th round on.

Jonas Gray- RB- This guy is a better version of Anthony Allen in my opinion. He runs hard every carry and is all but impossible to bring down with just one tackler. He has a great burst towards the line of scrimmage and runs north/south every carry. Also, for a big, power back, he has very good open-field speed. He had several long runs and averaged 6.9 YPC in his senior season, which is phenomenal for a bigger back. On the downside, he is coming off a knee injury which happened in Mid-November and I doubt he will be ready for the combine. Also, his playing time prior to 2011 was quite limited. He got carries here and there, but was never anywhere near the feature back. Even in his "breakout" 2011 season, he still split carries. If he is drafted, it will be based on his body of work during the 10 games or so that he did play this season, which were quite impressive. I wouldn't suggest the Ravens looking at him any earlier than the late 6th round. I doubt they would prioritize him due to his redundancy with what Allen's skill set, but they might recognize his value in the 7th round or as a UFA.

[leachisabeast]

Wisconsin guard Kevin Zeitler said he'd love to be drafted by the Ravens

The Ravens are scheduled to talk with left tackle Mike Adams.

[leachisabeast]

David Molk the Michigan center is someone to look out for in the combine and leading up to the draft. He is an under sized center that will fit a zone blocking scheme, but his tape looked better than most centers in this years draft, he reminds me a lot of Chris Myers, and is a true work out warrior. He is looking to beat the bench press record in the combine which is currently held by Stephen Pea which is at 49. Molk was rated as the best center to look out for coming into the 2011 season, but size issues, and injury concerns has dropped his stock dramatically. He is very pro ready and can take control of the offensive line, and was a great leader while at Michigan. He could be around as low as the 4th round, so if we get a compensation pick around that time we could use that pick on Birks replacement.

[Boulderraven]

Wisconsin guard Kevin Zeitler said he'd love to be drafted by the Ravens

The Ravens are scheduled to talk with left tackle Mike Adams.

Those guys would look good, but something tells me they are after and watching Jeffreys. I had them getting both smiths last year and Cody the year before.

[BigPlayReceiver]

Who knows. Any random, guy off the radar will do for now.

Tough to predict the next Webb...that is, someone who overperforms, but our FO knows nothing/very little about.

[leachisabeast]

Those guys would look good, but something tells me they are after and watching Jeffreys. I had them getting both smiths last year and Cody the year before.

Jeferrys will be gone by 29 trust me on that, Zeitler could be around by the early third, so he could be a solid second round pick if needed.