The NFL Draft - On The Clock, Baltimore Ravens

Baltimore Ravens

Pick: #6

Top Needs:  DL (3-4), CB, LB, WR, OT

Top Targets:  DeForest Buckner, Myles Jack, Laquon Treadwell, Ronnie Stanley

Off The Board:  

PickTeamPlayer, POSSchoolComments1Tennessee TitansLaremy Tunsil, OTOle MissA shut down corner to protect franchise QB Marcus Mariota. 2Cleveland BrownsJared Goff, QBCaliforniaThe Browns finally find an answer to stop the QB merry go-round of the last 20 years.3San Diego ChargersJalen Ramsey, DBFlorida StateWhether he plays cornerback or safety, the Chargers get one of the best players in the draft.4Dallas CowboysJoey Bosa, DL Ohio StateThe Cowboys shore up their defensive line, and find QB, LB and DB help later in the draft. 5Jacksonville Jaguars Vernon Hargreaves, CBFloridaThe Jaguars get a shutdown corner in the first round, find solutions in the front seven in free agency and the rest of the draft.6Baltimore Ravens???

The Ravens - hey, fuck you, Ravens, for 2012! It still stings! 

(Just a moment in terms of recent news about Kap wanting out of San Francisco. Say that at the end of that Super Bowl, the 49ers don't call a timeout, and instead run the play they wanted, where Colin Kaepernick would have run in a game-winning TD with almost no time left on the clock, to presumably win the 2012 Super Bowl. Literally, an ill-timed timeout was a major factor in that not happening, given the play. How much changes then? Is Jim Harbaugh still coaching the 49ers? Does Kap ever lose his confidence so badly? Is he now considered a top QB and Joe Flacco never gets paid for being "elite"? Dave Dameshek does an "N-if-L" segment, and man, this one haunts me.)

Where were we? 

Oh, right. The Ravens have a few ways to go here. While they definitely need help at WR (last year's first round pick, Breshad Perriman, didn't play a snap last season), it's too early for Laquon Treadwell unless they're convinced he's the next Dez Bryant. I don't think that happens, and instead they go defense or offensive line. Ronnie Stanley is still there, and it's very likely the Ravens want to upgrade from Eugene Monroe, who can't stay healthy and costs a ton. 

But again, I think if you're picking 6th overall, you want a guy who projects as a potential elite player, and the two guys left who look like that are DeForest Buckner and Myles Jack. Conveniently, the Ravens can use help on either the DL (and they run a 3-4 scheme which Buckner fits into well), or at LB. Or, even SS, and Jack can play either of those. 

I was strongly tempted to project Buckner here. (In fact, I wrote it up. And, if I'm pulling back the curtain, that writeup was originally for the Jaguars. I can see him going that high or slipping down a few more picks.) But the more I think about it, the more I just think if the draft falls this way, it's a no-brainer.

THE PICK: Myles Jack, LB, UCLA.

Myles Jack is such an interesting draft prospect - he started at RB, then transitioned to LB, as well as playing some in the secondary. (He actually won Offensive AND Defensive Player of the Year in the same season in the Pac-12.)  He excelled everywhere, and that versatility is something the right type of defense could exploit with expertise. He is coming off of a torn ACL, but expects to be cleared by mid-March for the UCLA Pro-Day.

If I can think of a team that would find hugely creative ways to use a guy like Myles Jack, the Ravens have to be right at the top. While he might not necessarily have the pass rush you want from a 3-4 OLB, he can slide inside and play next to C.J. Mosely and the two could be lethal. He could also help shore up the secondary by playing in that hybrid LB/S mode like Deone Bucanon in Arizona, etc.

Myles Jack is an elite prospect who could be a Navorro Bowman or a Luke Kuechly. GM Ozzie Newsome isn't going to sleep on that.

Up next, (gulp), the San Francisco 49ers.