Yesterday while joining Scott Garceau and Jeremy Conn on 105.7 The Fan, I was asked what grade I would give the Baltimore Ravens draft.
I had to laugh.
How could I grade what Ozzie Newsome, Eric DeCosta, Joe Hortiz and a group of highly qualified scouts have worked on for 9 months? It’s akin to me assessing the surgical procedures of a team of doctors at Johns Hopkins.
I did ask Eric DeCosta what grade he would assign and his response was: “A-“.
So I guess my answer then is “A-“.
But really, what’s the point of a draft grade a day after the draft is complete? Do we admire the beauty of a flower immediately after the seed is planted?
It seems that we try and make the NFL Draft a science. It’s not!
The way I see it, the craftsmanship in a draft lies in the ability to project players. Are they at the peak of their athleticism now or are they still developing and how might that development play out? Successfully gauging the development is key but it is more art than science – more intuitive than exact.
With that said, here’s how I see the Ravens 2015 NFL Draft (by pick):
Breshad Perriman, WR, Central Florida (26)
I have a friend who was uncomfortable with this pick. So I asked, “If what we know about Torrey Smith today 4 years later, would that warrant consideration for the draft’s 26th overall pick?”
He thought about it for a bit and said, “Yes”.
So I rationalized that the floor for Perriman is Torrey Smith’s career as a Raven but given Perriman’s bloodlines, his connectivity to Michael Irvin along with his speed and size being greater than Torrey’s, the potential upside makes the investment more than justifiable.
Maxx Williams, TE, Minnesota (55)
No brainer. Best tight end who had first-round grades and fills a glaring need makes the 55th overall pick clearly well spent.
Carl Davis, DT, Iowa (90)
Typical BPA pick by the Ravens. Defensive line coach Clarence Brooks does an excellent job rotating his D-linemen and Davis gives him another quality player to add to the mix. This will help keep Timmy Jernigan and Brandon Williams productive in December and January and helps to fill a void left by the departed Haloti Ngata.
Za’Darius Smith, DE/OLB, Kentucky (122)
Stout, team-first edge setter who on tape, looks like a healthy combination of Courtney Upshaw and Pernell McPhee. These are the types of players the Ravens regularly draft who develop well within the system and oftentimes graduate to bigger paychecks elsewhere. The Ravens can afford to lose players like McPhee and probably Upshaw because they find guys like Za’Darius in the mid-rounds.
Javorius (Buck) Allen, RB, Southern California (125)
Justin Forsett works well in the Ravens offense because he’s so well rounded. He doesn’t do anything great – he just does it all. Allen is a bigger version of Forsett, a one-cut runner with excellent change-of-direction skills who is perfectly suited for Juan Castillo’s ZBS. Allen also brings intangibles like Forsett. A great teammate with the potential to lead and the ambition to be a hard worker driven in part by the hardships he’s had to endure.
Tray Walker, CB, Texas Southern (136)
The Ravens’ scouts loved his workouts. He has the size and wingspan to compete against the bigger receivers in the league. He’s very developmental and needs to refine his technique and that makes the pick a bit of a reach in the eyes of most. The guess here is that the Ravens didn’t want to take the risk of waiting another round and saw enough at the combines and individual workouts to use their 4th round compensatory pick on the Texas Southern Tiger.
Nick Boyle, TE, Delaware (171)
This one definitely left me scratching my head – the 3rd tight end drafted by the team within a span of 13 draft picks. My immediate thought upon hearing of the pick was of Dennis Pitta. The way the Ravens value picks this selection represents a clear message that the Ravens hold little hope for the return of Joe Flacco’s bestie. Boyle is a tough player with soft hands and is a willing blocker. He’ll need to adjust to the speed of the NFL coming from Delaware.
Robert Myers, G, Tennessee State (176)
A solid depth pick who captured the attention of Ravens scouts at the Senior Bowl, Myers, (aka Quadzilla for his mammoth thighs) is a bit of an insurance policy should the Ravens lose either Marshal Yanda or Kelechi Osemele to free agency in 2016.
Darren Waller, WR, Georgia Tech (204)
At 6’6” with a huge catching radius and a 37” vertical, Waller has the physical attributes to be a red zone force in the NFL. Whether or not he becomes another Tommy Streeter remains to be seen but spending the draft’s 204th overall pick on a prospect with upside and 3rd-4th round grades was worth the investment.
NOTES
During the 2014 offseason the Ravens were challenged to fix an inept offensive line. Yet in the 2014 NFL Draft they only made a modest investment in John Urschel and traded for center Jeremy Zuttah. Yet the line play in 2014 was among the league’s best. The team apparently believed that the return of a healthy Kelechi Osemele and Marshal Yanda along with the hard working Ricky Wagner was enough to rebound from a very substandard 2013.
This offseason, the team was challenged to improve a leaky secondary yet the only investments made so far are a 4th round pick in Tray Walker and the signing of free agent safety Kendrick Lewis. Can Will Hill improve after a year in Ravens system? Will Jimmy Smith pick up where he left off prior to the Lisfranc injury? Might the oft-injured Lardarius Webb return to form and Asa Jackson deliver on his potential?
Many questions, but as the offensive line made huge strides in 2014, it’s possible the team’s secondary could do the same despite the lack of new additions.
One of the undrafted signings was Nick Perry, safety from Alabama. Perry can deliver a big hit and according to College Gridiron Showcase co-founder and executive director Jose Jefferson, Perry is worth a look.
“When you come from Alabama, you now automatically get that little extra nod because of where you come from and the winning you’ve done, so I think a team would be foolish not to take a chance on Nick and give him an opportunity,” Jefferson said. “He’s going to be a special teams guy in addition to a safety, and I just think he’s going to be a good addition to anyone’s camp. And once he gets there, he’ll fight and hopefully earn a spot.”
This was shared with me about Perry by former Ravens Director of College Scouting Phil Savage. Amongst other things Savage is an analyst for Crimson Tide Sports Network (CTSN).
“Sleeper type. Winner in high school and college. Ran better at his Pro Day and that got him signed. Perry made calls and coordinated defenses and is better in zone than man. Speed and quickness in space will determine his fate. Great kid!”
The Ravens have seen some hard working UDFA safeties stick in the past AND make contributions. Will Demps and Jim Leonhard come to mind.
ARE THE RETURNS IN? Another UDFA signed by the Ravens is WR DeAndre Carter from Sacramento State. Here’s the skinny on Carter from NFL.com
Explosive short-area quickness and can free himself from most one-on-one coverage. Needs to prove he can offer special teams return potential to maximize his opportunity. Despite lack of height, his quickness off the snap and out of his breaks will be hard to overlook for teams looking for possession receiver from the slot. Made promise to his dying 17-year-old brother that he would make it in the NFL.
The WR corps is crowding and it would be a long shot for Carter to break through with the Ravens, particularly if Darren Waller performs well. The field includes Waller, Breshad Perriman, Steve Smith, Sr., Kamar Aiken, Marlon Brown, Michael Campanaro and Jeremy Butler.
Competition will only make the expanding list of Joe Flacco toys better.
It will be fun to see who will be the six left standing…
