Draft Day is approaching, and Ozzie Newsome and Co. are still working hard to see who might be available to be the newest member of the World Champion (that never gets old) Baltimore Ravens.
In a recent piece, I explained why the Ravens might want to trade up in the draft to grab a top-15 prospect. While this could still very much be the case, expect the Ravens to stay put in round one. This is a very deep draft and quality players will be available at #32.
The receiver position is certainly an area of need for the Ravens. With the departure of Anquan Boldin, the depth chart is a bit scary, considering young Tandon Doss will be relied on heavily. If they want to go wideout with the first pick, there will have to be a big name and Newsome must be sure he is first-round talent.
ESPN’s Todd McShay has an interesting – and puzzling – take on who the Ravens will take first.
McShay projects that the Ravens will take Quinton Patton, a receiver out of Louisiana Tech University. Patton had 104 catches for 1392 yards in his college career.
“It’s no secret that the Ravens need a receiver. They didn’t replace Anquan Boldin after he was traded to the 49ers,” said McShay. “It’s hard to believe that the Ravens will go with either Jacoby Jones, Tandon Doss, David Reed or Deonte Thompson as their No. 2 receiver. Patton is a borderline first-round talent. He doesn’t have elite size (6 feet, 202 pounds) or speed. But he has great hands and catches the ball in traffic. Patton has been compared to Reggie Wayne.”
McShay does a lot of things right, but his take on this pick is way off. Patton does not fit the mold of first-round talent. He is a good receiver, but this would be the biggest reach of the draft. Patton put up great statistics in college, but he played in the WAC. For those not familiar, teams in the WAC are not top-tier. I like Patton and the skills he can bring to the table, but this move just wouldn’t make sense in the first round.
As McShay writes, he does have very good hands. Should Patton slip to the second round, look for the Ravens to jump all over him, as that is where he belongs.
