Kiper's Draft project 1.0 ...And with that pick the Ravens select.

[xKHx]

This. I want Konz and you can pencil him in their for the next 10 years. He is a freaking stud!!

His nick name would be KING... KING KONZ! you have to silently put the g in there!

[Hooded Viper]

His nick name would be KING... KING KONZ! you have to silently put the g in there!

Awesome. I could see him coming out of the tunnel and everyone screaming KIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGGG!

[Icterus galbula]

I feel like this is where the Ravens head is when they draft anyone. In the short term looking to maximize cap space in any place they can by getting guys playing effectively on rookie contracts and thinking much larger than one year needs because they don't jettison their cap on silly things.

I think elements of need bleed in more than Ravens fans want to think. But the way the Ravens approach drafts with a long term mentality is one of the reasons I think they are so good at it.

Of course they do. Saying we draft BPA, which is all I seem to hear, is overly simplistic.

You guys are both right. Its not like they rate these players in a vacuum and ignore team need. I have heard interviews with Ozzie where he has said as much. They account for where they need help to some degree when they are stacking their board prior to the draft. People say "best player available" but its really "stay true to the board." Don't double up and make reach picks on draft day just to fill a position.

[Sports Guy]

You guys are both right. Its not like they rate these players in a vacuum and ignore team need. I have heard interviews with Ozzie where he has said as much. They definitely account for need to some degree when they are stacking their board prior to the draft. People say "best player available" but its really "stay true to the board.

If a player is 12th on their board and he falls to 29th, the Ravens are taking that player regardless of position.

But if they have 2 guys who are very close, I have no doubt they take the need over the guy they have ranked a few spots higher.

[Icterus galbula]

If a player is 12th on their board and he falls to 29th, the Ravens are taking that player regardless of position.

But if they have 2 guys who are very close, I have no doubt they take the need over the guy they have ranked a few spots higher.

You're probably right on both counts. I doubt they are so strict they would always take 49 over 50 if 50 fills a need, but the idea is that they don't get caught up in the emotion of draft day. They rely on all the work they have done prior to the draft.

[Hooded Viper]

In so many words, Ozzie said that they are looking to augment their roster via free agency in a way that allows them to pick the best player available on their draft board come April 25 without having the influence of “need” force them to betray their board. In other words, they simply want to piece together their roster prior to the draft that allows them to pick the best players available regardless of position. And as we’ve heard Ozzie and Eric DeCosta say many times before, eventually all positions become a need.

The reason the Ravens front office is one of the best is because they know free agency and the draft work hand in hand. In fact, Ozzie has stated in the past that he likes to have his free agent pickups/re-signings completed prior to the draft so they don't have to reach for a need, if possible. I know it has been stated by Oz, though I can't find it, but if 2 players have a close grade on their board then they will go with need...otherwise they stay true to the board.

http://ravens24x7.blogspot.com/2009/...shed-with.html

[flashjordnk]

If a player is 12th on their board and he falls to 29th, the Ravens are taking that player regardless of position.

I also agree completely and think is what separates the Ravens. They are more right on their 12th guy than other teams. Both Oher/Grubbs were draft day sliders the Ravens picked up.

[Keymar]

In the first round, at least, have the Ravens ever drafted at a position they didn't badly need? Perhaps Suggs. Perhaps the value in Grubbs and Oher convinced Ozzie to fill those needs through the draft rather than in free agency. But consider: McAlister, Jamal, Heap, Ed Reed, Boller, Clayton, Ngata, Flacco, Kindle, Jimmy Smith--is it just coincidence that all of them filled what was probably the Ravens' biggest need in the year they were drafted? Appears to me that BPA applies mostly to the lower rounds.

[Birds of B'more]

In the first round, at least, have the Ravens ever drafted at a position they didn't badly need? Perhaps Suggs. Perhaps the value in Grubbs and Oher convinced Ozzie to fill those needs through the draft rather than in free agency. But consider: McAlister, Jamal, Heap, Ed Reed, Boller, Clayton, Ngata, Flacco, Kindle, Jimmy Smith--is it just coincidence that all of them filled what was probably the Ravens' biggest need in the year they were drafted? Appears to me that BPA applies mostly to the lower rounds.

They did still have Shannon Sharpe the year they drafted Heap, although I'm sure it was apparent to them that Sharpe wouldn't be around after that season.

[JohnnyK27]

I just dont see the Ravens drafting a center in the 1st round. I think C/G are postions that can easily be filled in the 3rd or later. I think you'll see the Ravens draft at a impact position.