So what draft position will the Ravens be in? 14th pick

[papasmurfbell]

On the Bain front I hope it becomes a Suggs issue.  I take him in the 2nd easy.  The tape don’t lie.

[tsylvester]

Oh for sure take him in the 2nd, a better prospect, arm length or not, than Green. 

[oldno82]

He has had a history ankle injuries but if he's there in the 2nd I'd draft him too. But he's too risky for a day one selection.

[tsylvester]

The big question is, do they draft a center in the 1st, a bit high for one, check that, this draft is not great for centers, most are either not good at drive blocking or, lack the size/strength to do so. 

[papasmurfbell]

Round 3 or so for a center.

[oldno82]

ESPN's highest rated C comes in at 60th overall in draft. Conner Lew from Auburn. I don't know a thing about him other than that.

[tsylvester]

All of their top 5 centers lack power & or size. Not what I want in a center. This team needs one who can love a nt on 3rd & 4th and one

[oldno82]

Maybe a trade?

[tsylvester]

Free agency perhaps, where they could still find a tackle,Cam Robinson amd tight end, David Njoku, to solve two holes

[tsylvester]

3rd round, if he is there, I would love for them to draft Elijah Serrat, wr, Indiana. Not the speedster most teams are looking for, 4.6 in the 40. However, at 6'-2", 215, great catch radius and tremendous hands. He blocks out the dbs with relative ease, and makes the difficult coverage catches. His run after the catch is pretty darn good.

The Ravens need a slot man who can make those catches, over the middle, along the sidelines, deep, doesnt matter. The ball in the air is his. 

[oldno82]

I hope we're not going to pursue AJ Brown for a first and third round pick. We need higher priority positions filled before another WR. Plus I don't like giving up a first rounder as part of a package for anybody other than a young franchise quarterback which we don't need this year.

[tsylvester]

I highly doubt it. The guy has proven to be a malcontent, whether he is getting his touches and touchdowns or winning a ring, he is always complaining. 

[oldno82]

I think the draft is then a better option for another WR. Not in the first or second rounds but sometime in the 3rd or even later.

[oldno82]

I hope we're concentrating on the offensive and defensive lines in the early rounds.

[tsylvester]

With Minter, Weaver & Declan, will they sway the organization away from the bpa strategy they have been using since the beginning?

[papasmurfbell]

No.  Eric has all the control now.

[tsylvester]

He was trained under and with Ozzie, so we shall see

[papasmurfbell]

I could train under Einstein but I still won’t grasp quantum mechanics.

[tsylvester]

That's why you post on message boards like the rest of us, we are not worthy to be gms

[papasmurfbell]

I think I could do better as a gm than 2/3 of the league.  So many make such poor decisions all the time.

[oldno82]

3 hours ago, papasmurfbell said:

I think I could do better as a gm than 2/3 of the league.  So many make such poor decisions all the time.

Well would you draft BPA or draft for need?

[oldno82]

From the Ravens' website on the 2027 cap:

Ravens Will Have Work to Do to Manage 2027 Salary Cap

The Ravens are in good salary-cap shape for 2026, but there is work to be done to make the 2027 cap manageable.

The restructuring of quarterback Lamar Jackson's contract opened up just under $40 million in cap space for this season, but it made his 2027 cap number rise from $74.5 million to $84.49 million. The Baltimore Banner’s Giana Han pointed out that other players also have significant cap numbers next year.

"Two of the top three contracts remain just as high [next season]," Han wrote. "[Inside linebacker Roquan] Smith's cap hit stays steady at $32.7 million, while [defensive tackle Nnamdi] Madubuike's makes a small jump from $30.975 million to $31.475 million. It's unclear if Madubuike will return this season after suffering a season-ending neck injury early in 2025.

"Meanwhile, safety Kyle Hamilton's cap hit more than doubles, from about $10.7 million to $26 million. [Left tackle Ronnie] Stanley's goes from about $9.8 million to over $24 million. Tight end Mark Andrews' goes from just under $7 million to about $14.7 million. Running back Derrick Henry's and defensive lineman Travis Jones' cap hits will also jump more than $10 million in 2027."

Han noted that "being tight against the cap is the price to pay for stars."

The Ravens have time to figure out how to make the 2027 cap work. The first domino that could fall is a contract extension for Jackson.

 

[tsylvester]

Well, Hamilton is a team first guy, he will make the changes needed in his contract next year.

Madds, who knows if he will even be back this year. If not, his cap hit next year will be halved at worst. If so, and he plays half way decent, stays healthy, I am sure, given the team's patience with him, he will restructure.

Stanley is in his last year I am sure, same for Henry. 

They won't need Lamar to do much on his contract, except maybe to extend for the sake of 28 & 29, those void years.

Stanley and Henry will be replaced with cheaper versions.

Smith, the interesting one, gained weight, lost a step last year, was that age related or weight? How he plays this year, will determine if they trade or release him next year

[oldno82]

Good analysis. For sure this is Stanley and Henry's last year here. As you said Madds is up in the air. Hamilton will restructure or negotiate and extension. Unfortunately, I think Roquan's problem is age related. We'll need to replace him with a cheaper version.

I don't think Lamar will sign an extension this year or next year. I think he wants to taste free agency. So I guess we just suffer with his $85mil cap hit next year. I don't see a way out with him that gets rid of that cap hit. I think even if we trade him it's dead cap money.

[papasmurfbell]

8 hours ago, oldno82 said:

Well would you draft BPA or draft for need?

It depends on situation.  If I had a huge hole somewhere I would put myself in a place to fill it.  If not bpa is the way to go.  But more important is identifying the keepers on the team and inking them early.  Others if the have value look to deal them for picks later.  This applies to guys who lack dedication but show huge talent.