On the 20th anniversary of the 1996 draft, we look back on the draft that built the Ravens. Reed was once considered a boring selection. Treadwell writes a cover letter. Bosa ranks at the top of the defensive line class. Notre Dame LB Smith could force a tough decision for Baltimore. CSN analyst goes off on Philly sports fans. In Orioles news, Flaherty’s value comes into question.
Remembering the 1996 draft and how it built the Ravens
By now, you know the one story. Art Modell wanted RB Lawrence Phillips with the fourth overall pick, but Ozzie didn’t budge. He went with the best player available, Jonathan Ogden. What you may not now, however, is that Ozzie ignored a bluff from the Arizona Cardinals. They tried to convince the Ravens that they were going with Phillips by leaving a card in their eyesight with Phillips’ name on it.
You may have also never heard that Ozzie Newsome changed the draft process once he was in charge. Bill Belichick liked taller linebackers, but Ozzie wanted his scouts to be more involved in the process. They vouched for a shorter linebacker with the 26th overall selection. That linebacker was Ray Lewis, whose relentlessness was once exemplified by his effort while on a mechanical bull.
Jeff Zrebiec of The Baltimore Sun tells the fantastic story.
Let’s face it: Reed is a pick without pizazz
Mike Preston is often a convenient villain for Baltimore sports fans. He offers a more pessimistic view than most. We usually don’t like that. But this article isn’t completely negative. If you read article when it was printed in 2002, you may have agreed with much of the sentiment. Looking back, however, it seems ridiculous. “Ed Reed‘s name had no juice,” Preston said.
For Hire: A Wide Receiver Who Just Wants To Win
Laquon Treadwell writes his cover letter for The Players’ Tribune. The top receiver prospect explains how he was raised without a TV and how he had no one to idolize growing up. All that he had was the game of football, and he loved it. He tells his story from then until when he broke his ankle. All he could think about was whether he manged to cross the goal line. When he heard he fumbled before he did and that his team would lose the game, that devastated him more than the injury.
NFL Draft: Ranking the Top Defensive Linemen for 2016
Matt Miller of Bleacher Report ranks the defensive linemen. At the top of the list, he puts Joey Bosa. Miller says Bosa “has the hips to turn the edge” and compares him to Greg Hardy (on the field only). I don’t see either of those. His hips have always looked stiff to me, and I know I’m not alone. Matt Miller is much better at this than me, though, so you should check out his take on Bosa. For reports on his other DL prospects, you’ll have to go through the slides backwards. His number two is DeForest Buckner.
If Notre Dame LB Smith falls, Ravens will have tough choice
Jaylon Smith’s story is a morose one. He was a sure-fire top 5 pick, but an injury in the Fiesta Bowl has him dropping down draft boards. Teams aren’t sure whether his knee will ever recover. He could even fall all the way to the fourth round. Which would leave the Ravens with a tough choice, as Clifton Brown of CSN Mid-Atlantic tells us. For me, the pick would be worth it. There’s already a high degree of risk with fourth-round picks. If the Ravens have a chance at a top prospect with it, they should go for it.
Of course, all of this depends on his medicals.
Michael Jenkins sounds off on Philadelphia fans
This isn’t Ravens news. It isn’t even football news. But everyone outside of the Philadelphia area can enjoy a media person going off on the abhorrent behavior of Philly sports fans.
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And today in baseball…
Hot Take Tuesday: Ryan Flaherty Has Little Value to the Orioles
I like Ryan Flaherty in the same way I like Natty Boh. He may not have any distinguishable redeeming quality, but he belongs here. I’m usually okay when people hate on his problems, but it doesn’t make me like him any less. Ryan Blake of Eutaw Street Report wonders why people like me appreciate him so much. He’s an above average fielder only at second base, and he gets on base at a rate below .300.
