What Will Ozzie Newsome Do With The 6th Overall Pick Tonight?
The day has finally come. I’ve spent the past 4 months chewing up, swallowing, and digesting all the scouting reports and mock drafts I possibly could and I’ve finally reached a conclusion. And that conclusion is….
… I have no fucking clue what’s going to happen. I thought the picture would be much clearer come draft day. Turns out it’s as cloudy as ever. What I do know, and anyone with a brain knows, is that the Ravens are in a great spot here, especially after the Rams and Eagles made their moves up to (presumably) grab QB’s. There’s just so many guys behind Goff and Wentz that are worthy of a top 10 pick, many of which I had presumed would never have the chance to fall to #6. Now it appears they’re gonna have options, so let’s try and figure that out.
If you’re reading this blog, there’s a good chance you know the names in play. If you don’t, I guess I’ll sum them each up in a sentence in the interest of time. Otherwise, skip to the next paragraph:
Laremy Tunsil is the franchise cornerstone left tackle who was the favorite to go #1 before the Rams and Eagles moved up. Joey Bosa is the high motor pass rusher who was the presumptive #1 for the majority of the college football season. Jalen Ramsey is the freak athlete who can play any position in the secondary. Deforest Buckner is the massive DE who can stuff the run and get to the QB. Myles Jack is the linebacker who has drawn comps to Ray Lewis (eye roll) who has the speed to play safety. Ezekiel Elliott is far and away the best RB in this class with great pass-catching ability. And Ronnie Stanley and Jack Conklin are the 2 left tackle’s on the fringe of this group, with Stanley being the more highly regarded of the 2. Those are the characters in play.
If you know anything about Ozzie Newsome, you know that he’s all about “best player available”. That’s a pretty subjective phrase, but it’s a phrase that’s tied pretty closely with Oz. He and his scouting department build a very definitive draft board and they stick with it no matter what. It’s been that way since the very first draft pick this franchise ever made when Ozzie put his foot down against Art Modell’s wishes and took Jon Ogden over Lawrence Phillips in the ’96 draft. Your guess as to what’s on that board is as good as mine, but I’d imagine it goes as follows, purely based on the types of players he’s drafted in the past:
1. Laremy Tunsil
2. Joey Bosa
3. Jalen Ramsey
4. Deforest Buckner
5. Myles Jack
6. Ronnie Stanley
7. Jack Conklin
8. Ezekiel Elliott
The experts have drawn a line in the sand between these guys and the rest of the first round prospects. I, however, would like to draw another line in the sand between those top 3, and the rest of the 8.
Tunsil, Bosa, Ramsey.
Those are the names I pray to hear called to the Ravens at #6. Any of them, and I’m fucking thrilled. The Chargers, Cowboys, and Jaguars stand in our way, and each of those teams have a position need for 2 of those 3 positions. All it takes is one of those teams reaching back for one of the other 5 guys. Which may or may not be likely, but there are a lot of rumors flying around that the Chargers take Stanley at #3 and the Cowboys take Elliott at #4. Shit could get turned upside down.
Having said ALL OF THAT, I do want to say one last thing. I think everyone in Baltimore is ignoring the fact that Ozzie loves to move back on draft day. They’re so caught up in the excitement of getting a franchise cornerstone that they’re missing the big picture. The fact that the #6 pick could yield such a great player is exactly what makes it desirable to another team. If a team is desperate enough to mortgage their future to get it from us, Ozzie won’t hesitate to do that and he shouldn’t. For all we know, he could prefer Conklin over those first two tackles anyway and would be willing to move back a half dozen spots and get him and another couple picks in the process. My heart doesn’t want to pass up on one of those top guys, but it’d be the right thing to do if it gets us a bundle of picks. My warning to all Ravens fans, myself included, is to not fall too in love with that #6. The possibilities are endless.
I’m getting nervous just thinking about it, but it’s a good nervous. Just trust the Oz. Tonight the Ravens reload for another decade of contention. Whether it’s with one of these names or a trade back, we’ve got the ammunition for a bright future. So much could happen that my brain is in a pretzel, but it’s a delicious pretzel with the works.
PRETZEL DAY BITCHES.
