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Ravens Post-Draft Presser Mock 5-1-14

Yesterday the Ravens gave their annual pre-draft press conference. Among the tidbits they offered, Eric DeCosta said the team expects all of the top four offensive tackles to be gone before the Ravens first round pick at #17. They also mentioned that they are open to drafting at OG instead of RT, and letting Wagner hold down RT. This might have been one big smokescreen, of course. But it got me thinking, what would a Ravens draft look like without RT as a top priority? I did this mock with this notion in mind.

The first thing I did was trade down with SF and pick up an additional 2nd round pick. Later, I traded the late 2nd round pick we got from the 49ers to the Rams to pick up an early 3rd round pick and an early 4th round pick. As a result, I went in armed with one late 1st, our original mid-2nd, four 3rd round picks, three fourth round picks, our 5th rd comp and our original mid-6th rounder (11 total).

I like the way it turned out -- it gave us the flexibility to take care of our top needs with our top three picks (S, CB and RB) before addressing the OL, and then we could focus on BPA afterwards.

1st Round, Pick 29, S Jimmie Ward, N. Illinois. This is my guy. Perfect complement to Elam.

2nd Round, Pick 48, CB Keith McGill, Utah. Big, tall, talented CB, cited by the Ravens yesterday as one of the draft's leading CBs.

3rd Round, Pick 75, RB Bishop Sankey, Washington. Three down back, can catch, pass protect, run inside and to edges. We need someone who can start as a rookie, and he fits that description. (I'm assuming Jeremy Hill and Carlos Hyde go before him and that's why he's still there in the early 3rd round).

3rd Round, Pick 79 OT/OG, Jack Mewhort, The OSU. Has size and length to play RT, but would be a no-brainer at LG if we preferred to move Osemele to RT. Was a team captain and leader, which Harbaugh loves.

3rd Round, Pick 93, Donte Moncrief, Ole Miss. BPA. Good height, hands and upside. Only falls this far due to depth of draft at WR.

3rd Round, Pick 99 (comp), TE C.J. Fiedorowicz, Iowa. If nothing else, an upgrade over Bajema as the blocking TE, and offers needed depth.

4th Round, Pick 110, DE Will Clarke, West Virginia. Solid replacement for Art Jones.

4th Round, Pick 134 (comp), ILB Lamin Barrow, LSU. Yesterday, the Ravens made it clear that they would draft an ILB.He was very productive at LSU and could step in the rotation as a rookie.

4th Round, Pick 138 (comp), QB Zach Mettenberger, LSU. I'm not a big fan of drafting a QB in this draft, but this would be a BPA pick if he was available. Has some maturity issues and skills that need refinement, but with his height (6'-5"), arm strength and big game experience, he's an upgrade over Taylor. Cam persuades Ozzie to make the move. There's something to be said for a back-up that has similarities to the starting QB (as Mettenberger would to Flacco), rather than someone who presents a very different style of game, as Taylor does.

5th Round, Pick 175 (comp), DE Larry Webster, Bloomsburg. BPA and the son of a former Raven. Excellent late-blooming football player from a small school with great upside.

6th Round, Pick 194, WR Devin Street, Pitt. BPA. Talented WR with good height, hands and upside, who only slides due to the draft's depth at this position. Street is well known by Coach Engram and has been a solid leader (team captain).

The opinions posted here are those of the writer of this article. They are in no way official comments from the team, the editors of this site or SB Nation as a whole, and should not be misconstrued as such.

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