NFL Network draft analyst Mike Mayock conducted a conference call Thursday and was peppered with questions from his opinions on specific players in next week's draft to the teams that will be drafting them. Of interest to fans of the Baltimore Ravens was one question about how teams such as the New England Patriots and Ravens move around in the draft so well.
Q: You were talking about Bill Belichick and his ability to move around the draft so adeptly. The Ravens have done that a lot, too. What do you think enables them to move around so well and how do they compare to the Patriots?
Mike Mayock: "I think Baltimore historically has been one of the best and most consistent drafting teams out there and it starts with Ozzie Newsome and his philosophy, and it extends to Eric and his staff. I think they are one of the best staffs that I've seen in this league and part of the reason is they have been together for so long. That's the first piece. I think there's a lot of talent on the personnel side led by Ozzie."
(Check out more of what NFL Network draft analyst Mike Mayock says about the Ravens draft success after the 'Jump')
Mayock (continued):
"The second piece is they do as good a job as anybody in the league with being connected with their coaching staff and understanding the needs of the coaching staff.
And that's the biggest mistake to me in pro football as far as the draft is concerned is when there's a disconnect between the personnel side of the house and the coaching side of the house. When that happens, you become a bad drafting team and you become a cellar dweller. With Baltimore, Ozzie is always connected.
So I love the fact that Baltimore sets the board and they stay true to it. There is no confusion on draft day, and when they get to 29 or in the second round or the third, when they get to that point, they are looking at their board for the highest-rated player.
If they feel like they can trade out of that spot, and get better value out of 29 and get a good player at 35 or 37, they will trade out of it in a heartbeat because they trust their board. They know what they can get and how they can get it.
So Baltimore to me has one of the best buildings in the league and that's because Ozzie is so good at what he does and Eric and his staff are so good at what they do."
Click here to see Mike Mayock's full interview transcript.