ravensfanatic77

Yea...Tate looked awful in his 1st pass with the gauntlet...but most of the WR are looking kind of shady right now doing it! Taylor Price is a very legit option in the 2nd round!

Not saying that Tate isn't talented and won't have a great NFL career, but say we draft him #1 where do we go to get our much needed tall, physical WR who is impossible to defend in the red zone? First round WR like Benn and Thomas really match up well with what we are looking for for a WR...speed, athleticism, size, and loads of upside. I could honestly see Tate now going #21 to the Bengals after his 40...

Golden Tate just ran an unofficial 4.36 40! Shows that he has crazy separation speed to go along with his abilities to accumulate YAC. Still, do we really want another sub 5'11" WR?

As for the other guys, reports today say we are interviewing Demaryius Thomas, Mardy Gilyard, Shay Hodge, and Mike Williams. All of these guys would provide solid options in the second round. Add Damian Williams and possibly Thomas to that mix and we will have a lot to choose from. BTW, check this guy out. Dorin Dickerson TE out of Pitt is only 6'1" 226 pounds, but he ran a 4.40 40 with 24 reps on the bench, 43-inch vert, and a 10.5 broadjump. The guy found the endzone a lot at Pitt, has soft hands, can get deep and tracks the ball well, and works the whole field. Yes, he might not be a true tight-end, but he would be a solid weapon for us on offense who we could use in an expanded Daniel Wilcox-type role. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9fZQpuoJ_Q I just don't see how Thomas slips to our second round pick! Despite his foot injury, dude is a freak and insanely productive despite playing in an offense that isn't favorable to WR. We'd be lucky to get Thomas by trading back in the 1st or to early 2nd at the latest. Our best chance to find a trade partner is if people like Iupati, Campbell, Gresham, Graham, Wilson slip to our pick and someone wants to jump up to grab them! Of course, Gresham, Graham, Wilson could be too good of value and satisfy need for us as well! As far as Gilyard, Hodge, and Williams...I agree they all would be amazing value in the 2nd. Names to add Briscoe, Lafell, and Shipley. Bottom line...I think we need to add 2 WR through this draft alone plus one more through free agency for this offseason to be considered a success at the WR position. Dickerson is an interesting prospect. He kinda blew up the combine in a Dustin Keller/Vernon Davis mold; although with all the other talent in this draft there is no way he made his way into the 1st round like they did. 2nd or 3rd round he could be a steal!

No, not really! Do I think it would be a decent signing, yes...if it is a 1 year dear that is highly incentive laden! Will he help bridge to younger talent, yes! Not saying it is the right move, nor the best move...but it is a possibility that has been discussed amongst NFL insiders! I also put a ? mark in there because I am hesitant about bringing him here.

I really like this signing! It is low risk, high reward signing. We got him for a measly $900,000 which is peanuts in the NFL. He is a former 1st rounder that still has legit speed and has proved to be effective in the past. He immediately becomes the second best WR on the team behind Mason (provided Mason returning). He will definitely make the roster! Alone this move means little but in the grand scheme of things I think it will add up to something great! I could see Oz now targeting Floyd or Antonio Bryant (?TO, not likely). And we should add 2 WR within the 1st 5 rounds of the draft. Therefore it would be great if our depth @ WR is: Floyd/Bryant/?TO Mason (pending retirement issue) Stallworth Clayton D. Thomas/A. Benn/D. Williams (1st-2nd Rounder) Briscoe/Shipley/Gilyard/Mike Williams/Riley Cooper/Andre Roberts/Freddie Barnes (3rd-5th Rounder) Furthermore, if we take a TE somewhere in there (which we should) then we are looking at a dynamic receiving corps! TE to consider: Gresham (Round 1) Aaron Hernandez or Rob Gronkowski (Round 2) Anthony McCoy, Ed Dickson or Dennis Pitta (Round 3) Jimmy Graham (Round 5-6)

This is unfortunate for Thomas and cost him a lot of money! I could see the Ravens still taking him in the first round by just seeing what he did on game tape! Recovery time is 4-6 weeks, does this mean he would be ready to hold a Pro Day work out? Also, you know Oz loves to trade back to collect more picks which he could do and still get Thomas in the early 2nd. If we stay put at #25 I still like Gresham TE from Oklahoma, Kyle Wilson CB from Boise St, and Benn WR from Illinois vs Thomas.

Thomas is going to be a stud! I have been telling people this for the past 2 months...if you look at the film on him he isn't as raw as people are saying. May be raw only in not playing in a pro style offense but he was extremely successful in a triple option which is difficult for a WR. Heyward-Bey was more raw and without as much talent as Thomas and there were many people here that were drooling over him this time last year. As far as lack of speed...take another look at the video on the play where GT ran a quick throw to him on the right side and he stiff armed the defender and out ran the entire Georgia defense down the sideline. I unofficially timed him and he ran approximately 70 yards in about 8 seconds...not too shabby. After the combine I would be willing to bet that Thomas grades out as the undisputed 2nd best WR in the draft worthy of being picked at #25 overall, if not earlier. Personally, I would rather stay put and try and take Thomas or Jermaine Gresham at #25 if they are both gone then I would like to trade back and draft either Benn from Illinois or Williams from USC or the CB Kyle Wilson from Boise State. These are all better scenarios then trading our at least our first round pick and probably our third rounder for Brandon Marshall!

Yea, I, too, was concerned about the eventual replacement for Rex upon his departure. My vote would go for Clarence Brooks he seems to be a close protege of Rex's and has probably inherited many of his defensive theories. Another potential replacement from our current coaching roster could be Chuck Pagano.

Kenny Britt a WR from Rutgers would be a steal in the 2nd round. Also, keep an eye on Greg Carr, WR from Florida St. If he declares he would also be a steal in the 2nd.

Okay...GOD NO to Plaxico Burress. As for Percy Harvin...yea he is a great college WR and has speed but he is really not that much different from what we have already in Mason and Clayton. All three are the same height and bring the same thing to the table. The potential ideal scenario would be to maybe take Darrius Heyward-Bey from Maryland in the 1st round or hope that Kenny Britt from Rutgers falls to us in the 2nd. The only knock on Britt is that he is a bit too cocky but it seems like most of the great WRs are like that. Not to mention he is 6'4'' and extremely productive. Perhaps we could just trade out of the 1st round all together into the top 10 of the 2nd round select Britt and pick up an additional 3rd or 4th round pick.