Draft Grades

[vmax]

Preston gives the Ravens an "Incomplete".

 

“There is a theme to our draft right now,” Harbaugh said. “We think that they fit our personality. They are tough, physical, hard-nosed, rough, tough kind of guys.”

 

2 3(35) C. Upshaw DE Alabama Love this pick...he's a top 10 player whom Ozzie got by moving back into the second round and gaining another pick. Huge value. He'll replace JJ with no drop off. He'll not only hold the edge against the run but he'll get after the QB way better than JJ...especially when Suggs draws the double team. Nobody runs on the Ravens this year.

 

2 28(60) K. Osemele OG Iowa State He's huge with the wing span of a condor. He's a tackle. Now they may play him at guard for a year like they did with JO but that would be it. He's a RT or LT. Expect to see him compete with McKinnie...maybe they put Oher back in McKinnies spot if McKinnie regresses and then put KO in Ohers RT spot. He can win a starting position if Reid or Harewood don't take a big step forward this year. OH...KO is strong as an ox.

 

3 21(84) B. Pierce RB Temple The North/South pounder they need.Smashmouther.

 

4 3(98) G. Gradkowski OG Delaware..I don't see him starting this year unless Birk wears out...maybe bu week 14...we'll see.

 

4 35(130) C. Thompson South Carolina State Another fast, hard hitter who will fill the bill of departed Nakamura and Zibby.

 

5 34(169) A. Jackson Here we go Special Teams. Got the return man and a nickle back all in one.

 

6 28(198) T. Streeter WR Miami (FL) Project...that's what I see here.

 

7 29(236) D. Tyson DT Georgia Same...project/special teamer.

 

My grade is a C. Average.

What can you do when you're drafting at 29? The board gets raided ahead of you, the players you want are gone.... but just remember...this team is stocked with excellent players...they didn't have to turn it around over night. Ozzie didn't lose a lot of picks trying to move up. He got value.

The Ravens got better...and deeper.

 

JO...KO...when they get their hands on you just give up.

Edited April 30, 2012 by vmax

[papasmurfbell]

Way to early. I hate the grades right after.

[thesteelhurtin]

I would go c+ to a b. For the ravens like he said its tough to draft that far back espcially when your needs are the same as teams just ahead of you. I think upshaw is going to be huge for yinz. Jj was great against the run not so much the pass good draft overall for them.

[thesteelhurtin]

I do think they could have waited onemore round and still got streeter

[papasmurfbell]

6th/7th it makes basically no difference.

[RavenMad]

Osemele is one strong dude. He benched 32 times with 36" arms!

[varaven45]

I give us a C. We whiffed on Hightower- would have liked to have seen us trade up with Detroit and snag him in 1st ahead of NE, then grab Konz in Round 2. We get Upshaw and Gradkowski instead.

 

Concerned about Birk - his effectiveness and durability - and our lack of immediate help at C. Only time will tell but I would have rather had Hightower and Konz. The RB (Pierce) looks OK but he isnt Ray Rice. The rest of the draft seems allright.

 

Ozzie needs to grab a few free agents later in Spring/Summer to help fortify the OL.

[reddog271]

I am so tired of people complaining about Hightower. IF they thought they needed him, or that he was worth trading up to get. they would have tried to. but instead of losing a pick or two, to trade up,. they gained a pick and traded down. Hightower may turn out to be good. but he's not worth 2 players.

[papasmurfbell]

Osemele is one strong dude. He benched 32 times with 36" arms!

 

Dude is a straight monster. Long ass arms also. With his length and strength if he puts hands on a dude it should be done.

[oldno82]

I don't mind having Upshaw over Hightower as we picked up a potentially excellent player and anothe pick. But, I would have tried to trade up in the second round to get Konz. Maybe they did and there were no takers? I'm still scratching my head over the RB pick in the third. I had thought we were happy with Anthony Allen.

[varaven45]

Reddog- no one is complaining; just stating the obvious. All we heard was how we had to get Hightower as our future LB and Konz for C. We didnt and case closed. Our draft turned out ok and.none of us knows how these guys will pan out. Only time will tell.

[thesteelhurtin]

The problem with hightower was his speed. I wanted until decastro fell but I was still worried about hightower in coverage. The league is a pasing league now and a lot of teams are throwing to tes and I don't know how great he will be in that rea. Trust me I would scream n scream at farrior due to his speed

[reddog271]

Reddog- no one is complaining; just stating the obvious. All we heard was how we had to get Hightower as our future LB and Konz for C. We didnt and case closed. Our draft turned out ok and.none of us knows how these guys will pan out. Only time will tell.

 

 

just because someone on TV says we want Hightower and Konz... doesn't mean the team wanted Hightower and Konz.. Eric D even stated yesterday, that Hightower was not a player they were willing to trade up for.

[papasmurfbell]

Trading up more time than not is a bad move. They made the right move going down.

[ravensfanatic77]

I give us a C. We whiffed on Hightower- would have liked to have seen us trade up with Detroit and snag him in 1st ahead of NE, then grab Konz in Round 2. We get Upshaw and Gradkowski instead.

 

Concerned about Birk - his effectiveness and durability - and our lack of immediate help at C. Only time will tell but I would have rather had Hightower and Konz. The RB (Pierce) looks OK but he isnt Ray Rice. The rest of the draft seems allright.

 

Ozzie needs to grab a few free agents later in Spring/Summer to help fortify the OL.

 

Do you know what you are talking about? How did we whiff on Hightower? We had no chance to draft him. It makes no sense to spend picks to trade up when you have a bunch of equally rated prospects still available.

 

Furthermore, how in the name of God would you suggest we should have gotten both Hightower and Konz when both went ahead of our original pick slots!? We would have to trade up in both rounds and then we would probably give up all but maybe 1 pick in this draft and probably have to give up a 2nd or a 3rd in next year's draft to complete moves....completely pointless and moronic to give up an entire draft and start using next year's picks.

 

Don't even respond by saying "well New England did it..." they had a ton of ammunition to make the moves they did by stockpiling picks every year by trading down multiple times.

 

I think Pierce not being like Rice is the point! He is a change of pace back that is in the same mold and make up that Ricky Williams was last year; which worked really well for that one year. If you want the same back as ray rice well then look to our UDFA signing of Bobby Rainey from Western Kentucky.

 

We will never know the truth but it seems that the Ravens really weren't as high on Konz as the media made them out to be and are much more content with letting Birk play another 1-2 seasons while grooming Gino Gradkowski to start in 2013 or no later than 2014 depending on Birk's situation.