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Favorite/Least Favorite Pick – Part 5

Favorite/Least Favorite pick
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Ravens on The Clock at No. 6

Over the course of six weeks leading up to the NFL Draft, six writers will give us their favorite/least favorite pick for the Ravens with the sixth overall selection. The first five picks could go a variety of different ways. Following the blockbuster trade between the Rams and the Titans we have now eliminated three players – FSU DB Jalen Ramsey and quarterbacks Carson Wentz and Jared Goff – from consideration.

Here is what we have so far:

Mike Fast: Favorite – Vernon Hargreaves; Least Favorite – Joey Bosa
Kyle Casey: Favorite – Vernon Hargreaves; Least Favorite – Ronnie Stanley
Ryan Jones: Favorite – DeForest Buckner; Least Favorite – Ronnie Stanley
Tony Lombardi: – Favorite – Myles Jack; Least Favorite – Vernon Hargreaves
Tyler Lombardi: Favorite – Laremy Tunsil; Least Favorite – Joey Bosa

With the Rams’ blockbuster trade to move up to the No.1 pick in the draft, the domino effect is likely to place the Ravens in an even more enviable draft position than before. The top two quarterbacks in the class should go 1 and 2 respectively (unless the Browns become the Browns again and inexplicably pass on whichever QB doesn’t get drafted by the Rams).

Then the blue chips will fall, and all of those chips are the ones that the Ravens could use with the sixth pick. Those chips would be Laremy Tunsil, Jalen Ramsey, Myles Jack, Joey Bosa, and DeForest Buckner.

There is a strong chance that the Baltimore front office will have to have a pros and cons list ready to compare two of these prospects by the time they are on the clock.

Fortunately, my favorite and least favorite breakdown can help defog the picture:

Favorite Prospect

Myles Jack, LB, UCLA

Alright, so I’m kind of lying with this statement. Ramsey is my favorite player in the draft. All things considered, if he was at all an option, he would get the nod over everyone, even potentially Tunsil.

However, I don’t see any scenario unfolding in which Ramsey is even an option for the Ravens. The Chargers, Cowboys, or Jaguars will grab him first.

Favorite/Least Favorite Pick
Photo Credit: Stephen Dunn, Getty Images

So that leads me to Jack.

You’ve probably already heard of the overused pun that he is a “Jack” of all trades. But that characterization of his game is too perfect not to overuse.

Imagine Jack being able to line up in the slot. Or in the deeper half of the field at safety, only to sprint to the box about five seconds before the snap. That is the type of sheer athleticism and versatility he brings to the mix.

Jack is unlike any other defensive prospect that has come out of the draft. Maybe the closest prospect Jack compares to is the Cardinals’ Deone Bucannon, who also changed the definition of a LB (he played safety in college and his first year in Arizona but moved to ILB in 2015).

Bucannon is a LB in a safety’s body. Jack though has about 10 pounds on Bucannon, so you could say he’s a safety in a weak side ILB’s body, but still packs the punch of a traditional weak side ILB.

If Jack plays the Kam Chancellor role as a robber safety who also plays a ton of snaps at ILB, that would make sense too. It just depends on how quickly he can adopt to playing multiple roles for a defense. Creativity will be big for bringing out the best from Jack.

The versatility he brings would transform the Ravens’ schematic approaches. The speed he brings would also be welcomed for a defense that couldn’t keep up with spread looks.

He would be a clear game-changer, and that’s what this defense needs.

[cardoza_wp_poll id=”1439″]

Least Favorite Prospect

Joey Bosa, DE, Ohio State

It’s tough to list someone like Bosa here, but that’s the type of classification the Baltimore brass is making at this very second. Between the aforementioned top defensive prospects, Bosa is a slight peg below the rest in my eyes.

I see his floor as being pretty safe. He will give you solid play and production, at the worst being a John Simon type who is a functional starter at OLB.

I’ve also read the comparisons to Ryan Kerrigan. I’m not sure that Bosa has Kerrigan’s burst and timing off the snap, but if he turns out to be that good, I’ll take it.

The problem is Bosa’s ceiling isn’t as high as the other top prospects. You could see Buckner being one of the top DEs in the league pretty easily. Same could be said about Jack.Favorite/Least Favorite Pick

Bosa may will himself to that point, but there is risk, because he’s not a traditional OLB prospect. He doesn’t have the foot speed or lateral quickness to play in space. So the value he brings as a 3-4 OLB would have to be as a standout rusher who can also set the edge.

In both areas, Bosa is decent but not great. He has struggled to take on blocks to play the run. And while he does bring an arsenal of rush moves to the table, he relies too much on power to disengage so he may fall into the “bull rush or bust” approach to get to the QB.

Ultimately, I don’t see Bosa being at his best in the Ravens’ 3-4 scheme. Maybe he’ll thrive better as a 4-3 end that plays with his hand in the dirt.

[cardoza_wp_poll id=”1440″]

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