With little Ravens' news over the weekend, I read through a bunch of old blog posts from various sites and ran across an interview that Baltimore Beatdown did with Ravens' second year receiver Marcus Smith. In the interview Smith talks about how he feels he is ready to contribute to the offense on a regular basis and has high hopes for himself this season. This got me thinking about all the talented young players who fans have high expectations for this year. Below are a few guys I think could become household names by season's end. Let me know what you think!

Ray Rice has gotten a lot of reps with the first team so far this offseason and has reportedly put on upper body weight in hopes that he can become the feature back in our offense. I have loved Rice since college but I don't think his small frame will let him carry the ball 25-30 times a game for an entire season. I do think that Rice will play an increased role (probably at the expense of McGahee) and will have a solid season but I think much of his success will rely on how effective McClain and our offensive line can be. I think Rice will be a better compliment to the power game of McClain than McGahee because he is more explosive. If McClain can have another strong season, look for Rice to benefit and probably lead our team in runs over 20 yards.

Part of the reason many people feel that the loss of Bart Scott was not that big of a deal (myself included) is because of the tremendous potenital of linebacker Tavares Gooden. All indications are that this kid has the tools to be the next great linebacker from "The U" and with Lewis and Suggs mentoring him, I believe the sky is the limit for him. Gooden showed some flashes in limited playing time last season and I fully expect him to become an impact player from the time he takes the field as a full time starter. What made Scott so good (his trash talking not withstanding) was how well he understood our defense and what his objective was each play. If Gooden can match Scott's football smarts, which I believe he will because, lets face it, anyone playing with Lewis and Reed is by nature forced to, than I think he can be an even better player than Scott, given his physical superiority. I think Gooden will be the next great Raven linebacker and, if he lives up to his full potential, could even be as good as Bart Scott told us (and opposing teams) he was.

Most fans have been critical that we have not made any efforts to acquire a big time receiver (myself included, again) but the team keeps telling us that we can win with the players we have. Part of this optimism is because Marcus Smith is 6'1, 215lbs, and, dispite the fact he didn't catch a ball last season, is seen by our staff as a potential number one receiver. In Smith's interview with Baltimore Beatdown, he talked about how he is ready to be a big time contributer this season. Smith caught 96 passes in his senior season at New Mexico and if his route running can continue to improve, Smith could be primed for a surprisingly productive season. Given Smith's size, speed, and mentality (he is a former running back who is not afraid of contact in the middle of the field) he could become a valuable weapon for our offense beginning in 2009.

Let me say that I liked having Steve Hauschka as our kicker of the future last season but infortuneately I think he will be replaced by our "Matt Stover" of the furure. Kicking in the NFL is mental more than anything and when I say "Matt Stover of the future" I mean in terms of having the mentality to have long-term success in a business where kickers get fired on a weekly basis. That being said, having watched kicker Graham Gano at Florida State for the last three years, I know he has the right mentality to flourish in the NFL. This kid was unbelievable at FSU (anyone who saw the Champs Sports Bowl last season saw this kid almost single handedly win the game for Florida State with his kicks and punts) and was touted as one of the best kickers in the draft this season. I really wanted us to draft him in the 6th round but Cedric Peerman was still there so we (forunately) drafted him but luckily we were able to sign Gano as a free agant hours after the draft ended. I saw this kid kick many big field goals in college and watching the way he plays the game (often with the intensity of a linebacker) I feel like he has the mental toughness and intensity that the best NFL kickers need. I think he will ultimately win the job and will find instant success. If Gano turns out like I expect him to, we can let Stover ride into the sunset once and for all, without missing a beat in the kicking game.

These are the players that I am looking to for big seasons but there are many other potential candidates so let me know who you are looking at as potential breakout players!

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