One of the other glaring needs of the Baltimore Ravens showed up this past season along the offensive line. The combination of moving Michael Oher to the left side, Jared Gaither's injury and the lack of depth that forced guys to play out of their natural positions all resulted in poor pass protection as well as the inability to open up holes for the normally-effective running game.
Thus you can be sure that Ravens GM Ozzie Newsome will be looking at some of the big boys to possibly provide a bookend to complement Oher, or at least to provide depth along the line. In addition, this appears to be looking like the final year for veteran center, Matt Kirk, and that could also mean finding a center of the future in this draft.
Wisconsin offensive tackle Gabe Carimi seems to have all the skills and resume to fill the need on the offensive line, if he is there when the Ravens 26th pick in the 2011 NFL Draft rolls around.
Carimi looks to be one of the top offensive linemen in the draft and while he is considered Top-20 talent, some Mock Drafts, such as the National Football Post, have him going long after the Ravens pick is up. Some scouts feel he will be best suited to play the right side in the pros, which fits well in the Ravens scheme with Oher settling into the left side.
At 6'7" and 327 pounds, the red-shirt senior earned a cabinet full of trophies and honors this past year. Gabe was the Outland Trophy winner, given to the nation's best interior lineman, a consensus All-American, All-Big Ten and Academic All-Big Ten. Brains and brawn usually translates into a player that meets GM Ozzie Newsome's criteria.
Starting all 13 games at left tackle for the Badgers, Carimi is a healthy body, playing and starting in 49 games in his college career, with only a minor knee injury in 2007 limiting him to ten starts that season. He took over for former Badger and now All-Pro for the Cleveland Browns, Joe Thomas.
On a personal note, related to his Academic All-Big Ten honor, he is a Civil Engineering major and once fasted for 24 hours prior to a game in 2007 in observance of the Jewish holy day, Yom Kippur,
See more on Gabe at the University of Wisconsin Badger's website.