RAVENS GM OZIE NEWSOME established himself as a guru of the Draft process back at the turn of the century when he parlayed some extra top picks into players like JONATHAN OGDEN/OT, RAY LEWIS/LB, ED REED/S, TODD HEAP/TE and more. But this decade the team has been picking late due to success and the aforementioned players have all retired. NEWSOME has not looked like such a genius lately with only 6 starters coming from the past 5 Drafts. It’s time for OZZIE to start mining gems again.
Round 1 RONNIE STANLEY/OT/NOTRE DAME 6’6/312 5.18/40 10 5/8″H/35 5/8″A
It would be quite a burden to label STANLEY the next OGDEN, but he is certainly the closest they have come to him in quite some time. STANLEY has the size and athleticism to dominate at his position even in the NFL. But someone on the Ravens coaching staff has got to turn on the mean side of STANLEY that we’ve not seen yet. Besides his size his biggest attribute right now may be a jolting hand punch, which can wear defenders down as the game progresses. He’s also a smart young man, who should catch on to the nuances of life at LT in the NFL. He excels in pass pro, but a meaner streak could really boost his run blocking. Pencil him in as an automatic starter and future Pro Bowler.
Pick # 6 GBN Rank: 9 Ourlads Rank: 5 PP Rank: 12
Round 2 KAMALEI CORREA/OLB/BOISE STATE 6’3/243 4.71/40 9 3/8″H/31 5/8″A
This versatile athlete is being counted on to replace TERRELL SUGGS, ASAP. He has played multiple roles in college and excelled in all of them. He shows good pass rush ability off the edge and finds the ball very well in traffic. He is also better than average in shallow drops into pass coverage. He looks to have the versatility to handle the multiple roles that the team assigned to SUGGS over the last decade. His willingness to handle a plethora of responsibilities in college is impressive to many NFL Personnel people. Watch for him to move into their first team defense as the 2016 season progresses.
Pick # 42 GBN Rank: 35 Ourlads Rank: 153 PP Rank: 63
Round 3 BRONSON KAUFUSI/DE/BYU 6’7/285 4.84/40 9 3/4″H/34 1/2″A
Long would be the most appropriate word to use in describing KAUFUSI’s physique and his style of play. This guy covers a lot of the field when he jumps and extends his arms to attempt to block throws and obscure the field of vision for opposing QBs. He recorded 19.5 TFL in 2015, which included 10.5 sacks. That is just what the RAVENS want out of him as a pro. He’s a smart, enthusiastic and articulate young man as I discovered during Senior Bowl Media Night. He’s not quite as athletic, but when he spreads his wings, his field coverage reminds me of JULIUS PEPPERS. He’s another potential starter and immediate replacement for CHRIS CANTY.
Pick # 70 GBN Rank: 68 Ourlads Rank: 45 PP Rank: 66
Round 4 TAVON YOUNG/CB/TEMPLE 5’9/183 4.40/40 9 1/8″A/30 5/8″A
Based purely on talent and ability to impact a game YOUNG could be a solid Top 100 selection. But his 5’9″ height cannot be ignored. So he’s a solid pick here in Round 4, and I fully expect him to be a “starting” slot Corner as a Rookie. He will also contribute right away on Special Teams coverage units. He has a nice combination of speed and quickness. He’s also a tough little guy, who will not back off when covering bigger slot receivers, even of TE size. He should also become a real fan favorite with his aggressive style of play and feistiness.
Pick # 104 GBN Rank: NR 346+ Ourlads Rank: 182 PP Rank: 194
Round 4 CHRIS MOORE/WR/CINCINNATI 6’1/206 4.49/40 9 3/8″H/33 3/8″A
There was a buzz about this guy heading into the Draft season, but for me it died quickly with an average performance at the Senior Bowl, followed by some pretty mediocre stuff at the Combine. He seems to play a bit faster than his Combine 40-time but is not the speedster he was being advertised as. He can create yardage after the catch though, as evidenced by his average of 21.8 yards per catch in 2015. He is a reliable “hands-catcher” and a good downfield blocker for his teammates. With a bit of further development under NFL coaching he might eventually become a good 3rd receiver option, which the RAVENS haven’t really had recently.
PICK # 107 GBN Rank: 292 Ourlads Rank: 115 PP Rank: 234
Round 4 ALEX LEWIS/OT/NEBRASKA 6’6/312 5.24/40 10″H/34″A
I came to refer to LEWIS as ‘stretch’ after Shrine Week. He wisely spent most of his practice warm up time stretching out his long frame on the sidelines. No one on the field was more diligent with his stretching exercises. He was also impressive with his team building efforts. At the final practice of the week he gathered all of his fellow OL mates for a group picture. My guess is that having a father who played in the NFL taught him some good practice and locker room habits. He’s very long, but perhaps a bit too lean right now. I’m not sure his frame will allow him to “bulk” up much. His feet may also be a bit slow for pass-pro outside at OT. His best shot to start may come inside at OG, but his greatest attribute overall may be an ability to back-up just about every position along the OL. Coaches luv that on game day with limited rosters.
Pick # 130 GBN Rank: 229 Ourlads Rank: 75 PP Rank: 99
Round 4 WILLIE HENRY/DT/MICHIGAN 6’3/303 4.99/40 10 7/8″H/33 3/8″A
A good player, who thrived under his new HC JIM HARBAUGH in 2015. He has good strength and decent size. Strong hands allow him to move blockers around, and he has some decent inside pass-rush moves as well. He runs well for his size, and might be able to bulk up to 310 or so. That sub-5.00/40 time got some attention at the Combine. He is a willing runner in pursuit who collects some tackles in the trash clean-up. I would anticipate him working his way into a DL rotation even if he never really starts.
Pick # 132 GBN Rank: 106 Ourlads Rank: 139 PP Rank: 112
Round 4 KENNETH DIXON/RB/LA TECH 5’10/215 4.58/40 9 1/2″H/31 3/8″A
DIXON reminds me quite a bit of former RAVENS RB RAY RICE, who served them well until off-field issues tripped him up. He’s like an End Zone magnet, dueling with KEENAN ROBERTS for the college career TD mark last season. He’s a tough, between-the-tackles slasher and an excellent receiver. He is also a tenacious blocker in pass pro. He has a lot of wear on the tires, but is likely to share time with a couple of other guys, which may prolong his pro usefulness. He does not have HR speed, but his burst is good and he seldom goes down on first contact.
Pick # 134 GBN Rank: 73 Ourlads Rank: 105 PP Rank: 40
Round 5 MATT JUDON/DE/OLB/GRAND VALLEY STATE 6’3/275 4.73/40 9 1/2″H/33 7/8″A
Here’s the small school player who has numbers that make you wonder why he played at that level. He posted 34 career sacks and was an impact player who dominated when healthy. He has a history of being dinged up regularly, which is worrisome heading to the violence at the NFL level of play. He was supposed to be at the Shrine venue, but was hurt at his performance camp. He’s the kind of guy who looks like a stereotype player/athlete in shorts. I doubt he has the speed or quickness in reverse to play much standing up. But his edge-rush ability will make it hard for them to cut in today’s pass happy League.
Pick # 146 GBN Rank: 137 Ourlads Rank: 148 PP Rank: 110
Round 6 KEENAN REYNOLDS/WR/RS/NAVY 5’10/191 4.56/40 8 3/8″H/29 3/8″A
Mr. All-American in more ways than one. A great team leader and a quick twitch, explosive athlete. I can’t help but see him in the Julian Edelman mold. He should end up in the slot and be a real pain for LB/SS types to stay with in coverage, because of quickness and instant acceleration. Expect him to spend a lot of time catching the ball from jugs machines in Training Camp. They will have to find spots on their roster to keep him, because I know of multiple teams that will snatch him off waivers if they try to sneak him onto their Practice Squad. He should also be a natural as a Punt Returner.
Pick # 182 GBN Rank: 341 Ourlads Rank: 305 PP Rank: 259
Round 6 MAURICE CANADY/CB/VIRGINIA 6’1/193 4.52/40 9 1/8″H/31 5/8″A
CANADY has some solid traits but his quickness and speed are not pro level. He will have to star on Special Teams units to earn time on an NFL roster. He’s a combative Corner who might survive in NFL zone coverage, but not man-to-man. He had his moments at the Senior Bowl but was also burned on occasion. If he shows a bit more nastiness to his game it will help him capture a bottom of the roster spot, because the RAVENS still have a fairly motley crew of DB on their depth chart. They might welcome a fresh face, making league minimum.
PIck # 209 GBN Rank: 194 Ourlads Rank: 144 PP Rank: 238
Lots of roster help here, but other than STANLEY I’m not sure who will emerge as full-time starters, which is what OZZIE needs to find… now! The overall tale of the tape will be how much gold he was able to find in Round 4, with his 5 Picks therein. YOUNG may be the next biggest contributor as a Rookie, in the slot, which is almost a full-time position these days. I like this Draft effort from a volume standpoint, but it looks to me like many of the draftees will be role players, not starters.
