Ravens: Do we have a draft in here?

It's been about a week since the draft, so I think it's about time to chime in on the rush of excitement which temporarily distracted me from the depression and funk that is the Baltimore Orioles (although, big props to them for getting a winning streak together...2 games does constitute a streak)...

Upon final review, once again, Ozzie outsmarted us all. Guys visiting, comments about what we were looking for, saying we were definitley going to add a CB...all to trade out of Round 1. I've dealt with a lot of...(struggling not to use the word idiots, clowns, and morons) opinionated people....who want to dump all over Ozzie for the decision to pass on Kyle Wilson and Jared Odrick to trade out of Round 1. Frankly, the move was anticlimatic, my emotions were built up so high from seeing Dez Bryant fall to the spot in front of us, and then seeing Dallas rush in to pump their fist, blow us a raspberry, and take him...trading just left you hanging. But it was ABSOLUTELY the right move. There's a video on BR.com I like watching where Steve B is in the war room talking about how with the trade, you can basically say we traded our first round pick for a mid 2nd rounder, a 5th rounder, and Anquan Boldin. Come onm that is a badass trade right there. THEN, you consider who we did get.

Sergio Kindle was a guy literally who all us diehard football draft beatniks expected to go in the middle of Round 1. On Friday morning, we were all still scratching our head as to why he fell, until we saw the knee report where he's had 4 operations on his knee. Look, injuries happen, guys have risks coming out of college. I trust the Baltimore Raven doctors and they all signed off on him and said "he doesn't need ANY surgery". So for now, you've got to think this is a risky, but possibly VERY rewarding pick. You get a guy with 1st round talent but only have to pay him like a 2nd rounder. That means the big money is out of play, he's getting a modest deal. So if he does crap out, you cut your losses and move on.

Terrence Cody...BEAST is the 2nd best word to describe him, besides his nickname...MOUNT. The guy is literally a mountain. The naysayers are going on and on about how he's so big he's only a role player...Hey, I have a few other "role players" to throw out there...Tony Siragusa and Sam Adams. Because that's what this guy is. A big body to get in there and literally block up the middle of the field. Another guy that's a bit risky because of his weight, but you know what you are getting with him already. We have his role carved out, he's going to replace Kelly Gregg. What does Kelly Gregg do? He doesn't rush the QB. He stops the run. Game set match...Point.

The next two picks were my only real head scratching moment. Early in the 3rd round, I'm thinking we could go WR with Brandon LaFell, maybe CB, maybe TE. And we do go TE with Ed Dickson, a nice receiving TE out of Oregon. Can't block much, but VERY good in the passing game. Great, we've got a Heap replacement, I'm happy. Then, our first pick in Round 4. A lot of good WRs went off the board ahead of our pick, but still some good playmakers out there, still some CBs....wait, what? TE again? Dennis Pitta. Now, once again, we got another great TE. Pitta has the NCAA RECORD for TE receiving yards. So you are definitley getting a good receiver. But again, another receiving TE, can't block much. I like both these guys as players, but taking them together? I just think we could've addressed a more pressing need. But this is where you either love or hate Ozzie's "Best Player Available" strategy. You can't really argue that Pitta wasn't worth the pick there, and most the other guys were reaches. I'll be ok with this pick, but only if we find a good way to use both on the field together. Otherwise, don't think it was wise to double up on TE.

The final three picks were really depth players who won't fill huge roles. David Reed seemed another anticlimatic pick to me because he wasn't a very prolific WR. Only two years at Utah, though he had a REAL nice final year. He can return too. The thing I like about him is he's sure handed, very good at running routes. Which always seemed like a silly thing to want, but think about it. You want a guy where Joe Flacco knows EXACTLY where he's going to be on the field. Arthur Jones could be a big gem I'm hearing. He was a very stout DT at Syracuse, but injury and inconsistency his last year dropped him. He should be the yin to Cody's yang. Good at rushing the passer, should be a guy to rotate in at NT or DE and replace Dwan Edwards. Ramon Harewood is just a big guy who can play OT. Not very experienced because he's from Barbados, never played until college. That one was a throwaway pick, no impact players in the 6th round anyway.

So overall, I'm excited for the picks we made. I'll still defend Ozzie to the detractors. At CB, we've got some guys who just need to come back from injury. If you're worried about how long it takes them to come back, then sign a free agent. Don't need to draft there right now.

As for the rest of the draft, I'll make a seperate blog about that...