Meet The 2014 Baltimore Ravens Draft Class
2014 NFL Draft is in the books, so now it’s time to gush about all of Harbaugh’s new toys. It wasn’t quite the Ravens draft class I had imagined going in, but at the same time it totally was. When Ozzie Newsome says “We take the best player available”, he means it. The Ravens live and die by their draft board. Can’t argue with a philosophy that has brought us far more winning seasons than not.
Before we get to the picks themselves, I’d be remiss not to at least mention the biggest winner for the Ravens this weekend. The front office showed a lot of confidence in Rick Wagner, by not addressing the right tackle position. The way things stand, he’ll likely be the starter come training camp. I’m still hoping they sign or trade for a more experience tackle, like Eric Winston, but that remains to be seen.
Let’s get to these draft picks. This is going to be a bit lengthy, but the draft is where championship football teams are built. These guys are our future.
1st round (17th overall) – CJ Mosley, ILB from Alabama
Great first round pick. Best ILB in the draft. Covered him in a blog on Friday. My only wish is that Dallas had pulled the trigger on JFF instead of Zack Martin. We’d have a top tackle and we wouldn’t have to see Mr. Football twice a year. Oh well. Have a looksie at the Ravens linebacker of the future.
2nd round (48th overall) – Timmy Jernigan, DT from Florida State
Universally regarded as a first-round talent a month ago, Jernigan’s draft stock dropped after he produced a diluted drug test at the combine due to dehydration. Jernigan is a tenacious internior lineman despite being a bit undersized at 6’2 300 lbs. His strength is primarily in stopping the run, as he displayed with 9 tackles against Auburn’s strong running game in the national championship. Newsome says you can never have enough defensive lineman, and his 2013 accolades (ESPN 1st-team All-American) show that he is as good as they come.
3rd Round (79th overall) – Terrance Brooks, FS from Florida State
Brooks will likely have the biggest impact right away of any pick in this Ravens draft class. The Ravens were looking for a safety who can cover a lot of ground and free up Matt Elam up to play strong safety. Brooks is that guy. Ran the fastest 40 time of any safety in the draft with a 4.42, and makes good reads on the football. His hands are a bit shaky, but that’s only a minor concern. He’s not afraid to get physical and stop the run. I love it. Check out the way he flies to the football here:
3rd Round (99th overall) – Crockett Gilmore, TE from Colorado State
After electing not to re-sign Ed Dickson and Dallas Clark, this team needed depth at the tight end position. Gilmore fills that need, particularly from a blocking standpoint. At 6’6, 260 lbs, he will fit perfectly into Kubiak’s dual tight end sets down the road, especially after Owen Daniels moves on. He may be a bit sluggish on his feet (clocked a 4.89 40 time), but he does have dependable hands, which could be a weapon on 3rd and short and in the red zone where he can utilize his frame. You can see that he’s a bear to bring down on this catch from last season:
4th Round (134th overall) – Brent Urban, DE/DT from Virginia
An animal. 6’7 and 295 lbs of muscle. This Canadian is your classic freak athlete who picked up football late in the game. He was injury prone as a Cavalier, and a high ankle sprain hampered him during the draft process. Despite only playing in 8 games, he lead all of college football with 9 batted balls last year. UVA’s defensive scheme didn’t have him rush the passer much, so it’s yet to be seen what kind of ability he has there. He has tremendous potential down the road, but we should at least see him in 2014 on special teams attempting to get his paws on field goals and punts. Not a ton of video on him out there, but you can get to know him a bit here:
4th Round (138th overall) – Lorenzo Taliaferro, RB from Coastal Carolina
Given an impending suspension to Ray Rice, I figured the Ravens would pick a RB at some point, and they did. Taliaferro brings size (6’2, 230 lbs) and physicality to the running game that Rice and Bernard Pierce don’t. Pierce struggles with pass protection and catching the football out of the backfield, and Taliaferro brings both of those skills to the table. In short, he complements our other backs perfectly, and should see some snaps this season, especially in the red zone. Here’s some crummy footage of him in the FCS playoffs last year (#15).
5th Round (175th overall) – John Urschel, G/C from Penn State
Complete nerd. Won last year’s William V. Campbell Trophy, which has been labeled as the academic Heisman. No slouch on the football field either, he’s two-time All-Big Ten at guard. He has average size for an interior lineman at 6’3, 315 lbs, and excels in run blocking. His intelligence should allow him to grasp Gary Kubiak’s more complex zone blocking schemes. Should Rick Wagner struggle at right tackle this year, Kelechi Osemele could shift from left guard over to RT, which would allow Urschel to compete for a starting job. He could also play at center down the road. Think Matt Birk. Check him out on CBS Nightly News.
6th Round (175th overall) – Keith Wenning, QB from Ball State
Wenning should come in and compete for the backup job this season. This is Tyrod Taylor’s last season under contract, so it wouldn’t surprise me if they keep 3 QB’s and develop Wenning into the backup of the future. Wenning has decent size at 6’3, and is highly regarded for his composure and intelligence. As a 4 year starter, he set school records in nearly every passing category, and led the Cardinals to 10 game winning drives in his career. His physical skills aren’t exactly outstanding, so backup QB is probably his ceiling.
7th round (194th overall) – Mike Campanaro, WR from Wake Forest
Still love this pick. Blogged this pick on Saturday when it happened. Still can’t fathom that he was even on the board on Saturday let alone the 7th round. Watch what the hometown kid can do.
And there’s your draft class. There’s plenty of undrafted free agents that the Ravens are bringing in, and they are as follows:
Sammy Seamster, CB (Middle Tennessee St.)
James Hurst, OT (UNC)
Xavius Boyd, LB (Western Kentucky)
A.J. Pataiali’i, DT (Utah State)
Terrance Bullitt, LB (Texas Tech)
Ryan Jones, C/G (San Jose St.)
Jake Sinkovec, FB/TE (Boston College)
Jamie Meder, DT (Ashland)
Brett Van Sloten, OT (Iowa)
Derrick Hopkins, DT (Virginia Tech)
Jeremy Butler, WR (Tennessee-Martin)
Zach Orr, LB (North Texas)
Parker Graham, OT (Oklahoma St.)
Richie Leon, P (Houston)
Jace Davis, WR (Northern Colorado)
Jerry Rice Jr., WR (UCLA) !!!!!!!!!!!!
Few of these guys will make the team, but any of them could become impact guys. I wouldn’t waste my time listing them if they didn’t have a shot. Guys like Bart Scott, Priest Holmes, and more recently Marlon Brown have all been UFA’s who went on to do great things.
Pretty happy with the direction this team is headed in. I’d love for the right tackle and nickle corner position to be addressed more directly, but things can happen between now and training camp. And every team is bound to have its weaknesses. But all in all, a great weekend for the future of Baltimore football.