Ravens News 4/10: Murray vs. Queen and more

Why Baltimore Ravens aren’t likely to trade up in draft’s first round, according to their GM - Aaron Kasinitz

“In general, trading up is dangerous,” DeCosta said Thursday morning on a conference call. “It’s a little bit risky. I like to have 10, 12, 14 picks in a draft, all things being equal.”

“You’re always better off having more picks than less picks,” DeCosta said. “With a trade up, you give up picks. So you better get a difference maker if you trade up.”

“I hesitate to say we would never trade up for a guy,’ DeCosta said. “If there’s an elite player available, we’d be foolish to not consider that.”

Eric DeCosta’s Take on Kenneth Murray and Patrick Queen - Clifton Brown

DeCosta has watched enough tape on Murray to know that he was special on a defense that wasn’t.

”Tremendous athlete, a cerebral guy, he’s got really good length,” DeCosta said. “He’s been a really good defensive player on a team that really hasn’t had a lot of really good defensive players lately. He’s a great student of the game, he’s got great intangibles.”

“Not as big as Murray, (but) very explosive,” DeCosta said. “LSU has put a number of really good defensive players in the league over the last four or five years. He’s a guy that’s sideline to sideline, he can play downhill, he’s a very good cover linebacker.

”He was not a household name before this year. He played his best football probably over the second half of the season, really good performances in the playoffs and national championship.”

“I think the league has kind of morphed into more of a speed league in some respects, guys that can run, cover, and blitz and do all those things.” DeCosta said. “But you also need a guy that can effectively play the run and take on guys. In a perfect world you’d like to have a bigger guy, but you’re also looking for a bigger guy who can run.”

2020 NFL Draft: Prospect-pro comparisons for top wide receivers - Gil Brandt

4) Brandon Aiyuk, Arizona State

Pro comparison: D.J. Moore

You could see the improvement that the former junior college player made between his first season at Arizona State in 2018, when he started three games, to his second, when he caught 65 passes for 1,192 yards and eight scores. Aiyuk can separate; like Moore, he is a very explosive runner who can explode downfield as soon as he catches the ball. He can also return kicks (31.9 yards per return on 14 kicks in 2019) and punts (16.2 yards per return on 14 punts). Aiyuk has lots of upside, and, like Moore at Carolina, he can be a No. 1 receiver for someone in the NFL. Given that we don’t yet know whether or to what degree the core muscle surgery Aiyuk underwent this week will impact his readiness for the 2020 season, I’m holding off on factoring that into my assessment of him for now.

2020 NFL Draft Guide - Danny Kelly

28. Cesar Ruiz

Center Michigan, junior

HEIGHT/WEIGHT 6’3’’, 307

AGE 20

SHADES OF Erik McCoy

Stout, reliable interior lineman with immense strength, positional versatility, and day-one starting potential.

MAIN SELLING POINT: Power and consistency

SCOUTING REPORT

Ruiz has a stocky, rotund build with massive, power-generating legs. The Wolverines product plays with strong leverage and a low center of gravity, firing out of his stance to stun defenders, handle them, and seal them away from the play.

He’s quick in transitioning from snapping the ball to blocking; he effortlessly moves to the second level when uncovered; and he never panics, playing with a calm helmet, balanced base, and little wasted movement. Ruiz is a consistent pass protector, with just 19 pressures surrendered on 895 snaps over the past two seasons, per Pro Football Focus.

55. Darrell Taylor

Edge Rusher Tennessee, redshirt senior

HEIGHT/WEIGHT 6’4’’, 267

AGE 23

SHADES OF Marcus Davenport

Long, burly edge rusher with an impressive first step and an intriguing combination of power and agility.

MAIN SELLING POINT: Explosive get-off

SCOUTING REPORT

Taylor is a big, muscular edge defender with a thick lower half, long arms, and a scintillating combination of strength and athleticism. The former Volunteer’s best trait might be his explosive first-step burst: He uncoils out of both two- and three-point stances with the speed to consistently threaten the edge or convert his rush to a powerful bull rush. He shows good bend to turn the corner and flatten his rush to get to the quarterback, has mixed in flashes of a burgeoning hump move and long-arm stab, and on counters to the inside, he deploys an effective swim move.

60. Cam Akers

Running Back Florida State, junior

HEIGHT/WEIGHT 5’10’’, 217

AGE 20

SHADES OF Aaron Jones

Athletic, rugged runner with scintillating quickness, tackle-breaking talent, and pass-catching chops.

MAIN SELLING POINT: Toughness and athleticism

SCOUTING REPORT

Akers has a compact, sturdy frame with a thick lower half and electric feet. The former five-star recruit flew under the radar while playing behind a consistently poor offensive line, but showed tackle-breaking prowess, toughness, and creativity as a runner nonetheless. Akers runs with a wide gait, which helps him maintain a low center of gravity, turn on a dime, bound from gap-to-gap, and slash through small openings in the line.

2020 NFL Mock Draft 14.0: A Five-Round Mock With No Trades - Kevin Hanson

28. Baltimore Ravens: Kenneth Murray, LB, Oklahoma

55. Baltimore Ravens (via NE): Michael Pittman Jr., WR, USC

60. Baltimore Ravens: Robert Hunt, IOL, Louisiana

92. Baltimore Ravens: Khalid Kareem, EDGE, Notre Dame

106. Baltimore Ravens: Davon Hamilton, IDL, Ohio State

129. Baltimore Ravens (via NE): Eno Benjamin, RB, Arizona State

134. Baltimore Ravens: Ben Bredeson, IOL, Michigan

158. Baltimore Ravens (via ATL): Chris Orr, LB, Wisconsin