Baltimore Ravens: Its Getting Drafty
Jan 31, 2014; New York, NY, USA; Actress Jennifer Garner center and Actors Kevin Costner and Denis Leary during a news conference about the movie
Sixteen days, eleven hours, thirty-eight minutes, and twenty seconds…wait nineteen…okay, so we’re waiting with anticipation more than ever for the NFL draft. You can even watch it on TV and ESPN has a whole NFL draft website. The NFL is exploding in popularity and is capitalizing on the offseason. More folks are following the draft than ever before. Mock drafts and projected picks abound in every nook and cranny in the sports media. Even Hollywood is capitalizing on this circus!
With just over two weeks left we can wonder who will the Baltimore Ravens pick in the draft? Well Ozzie Newsome tends to pick according to talent first, then in reference to what the teams needs. He’ll usually find someone who is both talented, fits the team’s needs, and went to Alabama…well, okay maybe not the last one.
The Ravens get the 17th pick overall and there will be plenty to choose from. I’ve seen all kinds of predictions including: Safety from Louisville Calvin Pryor, Offensive Tackle from Michigan Taylor Lewan, Tight End from North Carolina Eric Ebron, Corner Back from Michigan State Darqueze Dennard, and Safety from (you guessed it Alabama) Ha Ha Clinton-Dix. See the article from The Ravens’ staff writer Garrett Downing for more on that.
There are not too many players from college who will come in and do much their first year in the NFL. Most will struggle, some will fill a hole, and only a very small group will shine immediately. If the Ravens pick an offensive player I think Kubiak will be the main advantage there. He is a great coach; both Gary and John like to be involved at deeper levels and are great teachers.
While we pick our nose and wait for teams to pick their players, keep in mind that the Great Oz has everything under control and we will witness the master once again and be glad he’s on our side!
And in other news …
Rolando McClain has come out of retirement. No, wait…he’s retired again. That was faster than Michael Jordan! Of course, McClain ain’t no Jordan. I’m glad he retired. He looked tired and old and besides, we’ve got enough Ravens getting arrested in the offseason. The purple lawyer is working overtime this year.
This week the players are starting their “voluntary” conditioning workouts at the Under Armour Performance Center I nicknamed “Deodorant”. The Deodorant is an amazing facility for the team. It has a cafeteria, a full-service kitchen, strength training area, indoor and outdoor practice fields (seriously, and indoor practice field for football players?…I mean I can see baseball, tennis, and soccer but football?). Oh yeah…a movie room with basketball and racquetball courts too.