With the 25th pick, the Baltimore Ravens select….

by Marco Romanell, AFCNorthtalk.com writer

The draft is right around the corner and every pundit is debating on what team is going to pick which player, who is falling, who is rising and who should go number one overall. The Ravens have the 25^th pick in the first round and there is a lot of speculation, among a lot of different publications, on who they are going to take with that pick.

Here is my list of names you could hear in the first three rounds for the Ravens:

Carlos Dunlap, DE, Florida: A top 10 player in talent, Dunlap’s off the field issues could lead to a fall to late in the 1^st round or out of the first round completely. To see the kind of impact that Dunlap has on the field, fans need to look no further then the SEC Championship game when Dunlap was out of the lineup and the Florida defense was torched by Alabama. Dunlap then returned in Florida’s bowl game and he was in the Cincinnati backfield seemingly every play.

Off the field is where people have issues with Dunlap and is the reason he is likely to be available at the time the Ravens draft in the first round. Earlier this season Dunlap was arrested for falling asleep in his car and was charged with a DUI, which led to his suspension for the SEC Championship game. He was also suspended for the first half of a game for gauging the eye of an opponent during the Gators game against Georgia. He is known for taking plays off and many teams question his work ethic.

Carlos Dunlap is one of the 10 best players in the draft the draft but he may slide because of character issues. If he falls to the Ravens he will be too good to pass up. Expect him to play with a bit of a chip on his shoulder if he is drafted at number 25 in the first round.

Kyle Wilson, Devin McCourty, Kareem Jackson, CB: Cornerback is one of the, if not the most, pressing issue that the Ravens need to address in the draft. Wilson has played his way into the first round discussion with an impressive senior bowl performance and stellar combine and pro days. Boise St is now a legitimate college program that is producing top flight NFL talent, so being saddled with small school label should not affect Wilson’s draft status. Devin  McCourty’s interception numbers at Rutgers were not impressive but his speed, and play making ability both on defense and in the return game, is what makes him stand out over Wilson and Jackson. With LarDarius Webb likely out at least half the season, McCourty would be the perfect fit. Kareem Jackson is similar in stature and has similar to speed to both Jackson and McCourty, but where he played his college football(which happens to be the same place that Ozzie Newsome played) is what could lead the Ravens towards selecting Jackson. Wilson is 5′10″ and McCourty and Jackson are 5′11″ and they ran a 4.44, 4.38 and 4.40 respectively. To me, there really is no difference between the three of them and I would be happy to see any of them get selected. I tend to lead towards McCourty because of his ability to return kicks, but I believe the Ravens will draft Jackson if all three were available.

A tight end: I know this will not please the Woodman, but the Ravens may address tight end in the first round of the draft. This is one of the deepest tight end drafts with lots of talent like Rob Gronkowski, Dennis Pitta, Dorian Dickerson, Ed Dickson and Jimmy Graham all projected to be selected in the 2^nd- 3^rd round and projected to be solid NFL tight ends. I really believe this is an area of need for the team, but think they have bigger concerns then addressing it in the first round. Maybe if they can acquire more picks then taking a tight end in round one may not be a bad idea, but with only five selections, you want to maximize value and there is great value at the tight end position outside of Gresham and Hernandez.

The NFL has become a league where the tight end is more than just an un-athletic blocker who is an afterthought in the passing game. Many of the best offenses in the game have stellar tight ends and with the Ravens seemingly being dedicated to improve the offense, I am almost certain that they will address the tight position within the first three rounds of the draft.  They could easily go tight end or wide receiver in round one or they could trade up and make a play for someone that nobody thought they would land. That is what makes it so exciting.

Trade out of round 1: The Ravens have been one of the best drafting teams since their first draft in 1996 when they selected Jonathan Ogden and Ray Lewis in round one and they have shown a propensity to trade down if there is high value in doing so. This draft is one of the deepest in recent memory and the Ravens will almost certainly look to acquire at least one more draft pick, in the second, third or fourth round, because of the value that is there. I have to believe that there are four or five players that Ravens are very high on and they would not pass on if any of those players were available at number 25. I do believe Dunlap is one of those players, and if he is there, I expect the Ravens to take him, but there is no certainty that he will be there. Trading out of the first round won’t be the sexy thing to do, but it may be the best option for the Ravens.

Prediction: The Ravens will acquire another pick somehow but it will not be by trading out of the first round. They will trade Jared Gaither for a third round pick and I believe these will be their selections:

Round 1: Carlos Dunlap, DE, Florida

Round 2: Patrick Robinson, CB Florida St.

Round 3: Dennis Pitta, TE, BYU

The only certain thing I can say about this draft is that nobody has any idea what is going to happen and nothing that Ozzie Newsome does would shock me.