The group of football players that overall are the fastest players in the league are set to hit the field at Lucas Oil Stadium in the 2011 NFL Scouting Combine. This is the fourth and final day of on-the-field drills for the college hopefuls invited to impress the NFL scouts, coaches and front office personnel. By the time this week is over, kids will see their draft stock soar while others plummet. The difference between good and poor performances could easily translate into millions of dollars in their rookie contracts.
The defensive backs and safeties go through their paces under the watchful eyes of the football world's brain-trusts this morning as they are put through their paces. The Baltimore Ravens' group of coaches, scouts and front office people will be on the edge of their seats watching this group, perhaps more so than any other group this week. This group of players is loaded and while their might be s many as four or five that go in the first round, there is another group of four to six more than might still be there in round two and even three. It will all depend on how bad the Ravens want a CB in the first round or will they try to find that guy in a later round?
There are a few solid crners that will not be available when the Ravens select at #26, so the question will be are the best of the rest good enough to use a first round pick on? Many experts are thinking not, as the Ravens also need a top pass rusher. However, the chance to grab a solid corner that could be here for years baking up as good of a front seven as there is in the NFL is something that every Ravens fan would love to see.
Skipping over the top of the group of DB's who definitely will not be there late in the first round, will the Ravens consider going after either Colorado's Jimmy Smith or Miami's Brandon Harris? that is probably more of a relevant question than would the team be interested in Nebraska's Prince Amukamara or LSU's Patrick Peterson, both likely to go in the top 10-15 picks (Amukamara just ran an unofficial 4.37 40-yard dash as I wrote this).
Either guy would likely have to earn his way into the Ravens starting lineup while a DE or wide receiver might be able to start right off the bat. However, the true value of a draft pick is never determined in their rookie season. This year's draft class might not truly be appreciated for a few years but that first pick is always under the microscope and the Ravens will be looking for a player that can contribute in the next year or two as the team is planning to compete for a Super Bowl berth next season.
More to follow shortly on the DB's.