Will the Ravens Take a Receiver in the First Round?

[nfldraft2010]

I know it's pretty much a foregone conclusion that the Ravens will take a receiver sometime in the draft, but I'm not convinced it will be in the first round. Believe it or not, the Ravens have several other needs other than receiver, and it wouldn't surprise me to see them take a tight end like Jermaine Gresham or Aaron Hernandez, or even a defensive linemen like Brian Price or Jared Odrick with the 25th pick.

 

Even still, I expect them to address the receiver position sometime very early, and there are plenty of talented wide receivers to choose from. I'm not huge on Brandon Lafell, but I'm very high on Demaryius Thomas from Georgia Tech, and think after a couple years of development that he has a chance to be a star in the NFL. I also like Dezmon Briscoe from Kansas in the 2nd-3rd round range. Arrelious Benn is also a strong possibility for the Ravens at 25, while I don't really see Golden Tate being a good fit.

 

Here's a look at my top 10 receivers in the draft, with analysis, and a few others to keep an eye on.

 

http://www.pressboxonline.com/blog.cfm?ID=1981

 

And here's a closer look at Briscoe: http://www.pressboxonline.com/blog.cfm?ID=1985

[thundercleetz]

Good stuff, thanks for posting! Your videos are excellent as well. What do you think of Riley Cooper though? I did not see him on your list. He is someone who I think would be a great fit for us. I am not a big Golden Tate fan, I think he is too similar to Mark Clayton when he was coming out of Oklahoma for the draft.

 

Oh yeah, good catch on Tulane WR Jeremy Williams. I am a student at Tulane and was a manager of the football team Jeremy's redshirt junior year (2008). He was our whole offense this season. We did not have any consistency at QB but Jeremy still made plays. You are right, he is not the fastest or quickest guy out there, but he has a very sturdy build, runs solid routes, and has reliable hands. I hope you keep posting here regularly as the draft rolls around, it seems like you know your stuff!

[vmax]

Yea that is good stuff...Thanks for the heads up and information. Say "Hi!" to Mittermier for me...I miss him.

 

What do you have on legit #1 pass rushing DE's and CB's?

[papasmurfbell]

I don't think so. Dez is the only WR I like in the first round. He will be long gone by 25.

[nfldraft2010]

Haha, I will be sure to let him know. We will be on the air Sunday from 10-11 on 1300. As for defensive linemen and cornerbacks, I'll have my rankings up next week. I just put up my top five tight ends last night, and I'll have something up on Jimmy Graham from Miami, one of the more intriguing players in the draft, a little later tonight.

 

Here are my top five tight ends: http://www.pressboxonline.com/blog.cfm?ID=1992. Check it out and see what you think. I like Hernandez a lot, and wouldn't be surprised if ended up going before Gresham.

 

As far as Cooper, he was one of the more underrated receivers in the country this year. He has good size and legitimate downfield speed. He's also flashed pretty good hands, although he catches with his body more than I like to see. He's a good athlete, but isn't very elusive, and doesn't offer much after the catch. Also, despite having good size, I really didn't see him work the middle of the field much at Florida, and the majority of his catches came outside the hashes. He still has some upside though, and he'll probably go somewhere in the 3rd-4th round.

 

I'm also sure there's some question whether he's completely committed to football since he signed with the Texas Rangers last year and even played in the minors some last summer.

[SpearSrai]

He's also flashed pretty good hands, although he catches with his body more than I like to see. He's a good athlete, but isn't very elusive, and doesn't offer much after the catch.

 

Catches with his body? Our guys catch with the ground.

[RavenMad]

As far as Cooper, he was one of the more underrated receivers in the country this year. He has good size and legitimate downfield speed. He's also flashed pretty good hands, although he catches with his body more than I like to see. He's a good athlete, but isn't very elusive, and doesn't offer much after the catch. Also, despite having good size, I really didn't see him work the middle of the field much at Florida, and the majority of his catches came outside the hashes. He still has some upside though, and he'll probably go somewhere in the 3rd-4th round.

 

I think the reason he didn't go over the middle was No.2 on your TEs list. Hernandez owned LBs in the middle of the field. Cooper would only have dragged another defender into Hernandez's zone when he went over the middle so he mostly ran outside routes. Coincidentally outside routes are Flacco's most comfortable. Could be a good fit.

 

I am really high on Cooper and would love to see us pick him up if he is still available in the 4th.