Listening to Sirius NFL Radio yesterday, which is much of what I listen to in the car (other than Howard Stern and sometimes '70's music). The show in the time slot I was listening to is called "Movin' the Chains" and is hosted by Pat Kirwan and Tim Ryan, both respected and knowledgeable, as all the Sirius NFL Radio guys are in my opinion (or at least I thought!).
Friday afternoon they were taking turns doing a Mock draft of round one and I just happened to turn it on as they were finishing up with pick number 25 (Miami Dolphins). The Baltimore Ravens were on the clock and one of them (don't know if it was Kirwan or Ryan) said the Ravens really need a wide receiver who can stretch the field, to go with their second year QB who has a gun of an arm to wing it downfield. Everything sounded fine at that point. Here is where I just shook my head, rolled my eyes and laughed. He said that Maryland's Darius Heyward-Bey was available but they weren't sold on his pass catching ability, although they loved his speed. They said North Carolina's Hakeem Nicks had great hands but his speed was not good enough to separate from the CB's. So they said the perfect pick for the Ravens was Florida's Percy Harvin and that was who they were selecting for Baltimore. They went on to say that while Harvin had some attitude issues, they would sit him down with Ray Lewis who would set him straight in a second and all would be cozy and comfortable with him in a Ravens purple jersey.
Now I'm sure there might be those of you who would agree with that pick, as Harvin was a game breaker and is expected to be a first round pick in April's Draft. However, I expect him to go earlier and besides, he isn't the type of wideout that the Ravens are looking for. We already have two very good receivers who can catch the ball that are under six feet tall (Mason, Clayton). Harvin is also undersized compared to both DHB and Nicks, who are both over 6'2" tall. The Ravens obviously need a big, strong and fast WR who can not only stretch the field, get the YAC we have missed for so long, but can also go up and come down with those jump balls that only Todd Heap used to be able to grab in traffic.
Harvin might very well be a good returner, but we now have Chris Carr to lead us in that area. Harvin might be good for YAC and stretching the field, but to me he is more of a Devin Hester-type that is going to be a good returner but an okay receiver. In the meantime, both DHB and Nicks will be the type of receivers that Joe Flacco can confidently throw the ball up and fully expect them to either run underneath it or go up and outmuscle the DB for the completion.
I would have expected the national media to already know of our needs more specifically than just needing a receiver. Surprisingly, so many of them seem to not have a clue. I guess that's part of the reason why Ozzie always seems to amze even them on draft day, eh?