How the "Experts" Graded the 2008 Draft

[NCBirdfan]

With the weather being bad and it being a slow day at work and for football news, I thought it would be interesting to see what the "experts" predicted after the 2008 Draft selections. As we know, that is the draft that both Joe Flacco and Ray Rice were selected 1-2.


USA TODAY:

GRADE: C
• Baltimore Ravens: Wanted a QB. They suspected Matt Ryan would not fall to them in the eighth spot and could not trade up. So they dropped down and grabbed a recent riser in Joe Flacco. Big arm, but how his skills translate from a smaller college program (Delaware) to the NFL is anyone's guess. Filling this position has been an intractable problem for years. Did not get an OT to replace Jonathan Ogden. Grade is higher if you like trade for CB Fabian Washington, a former No. 1 of Oakland's acquired for a fourth-round pick.

Sports Nutz

BALTIMORE RAVENS 2008 NFL DRAFT RECAP
How can you have the 8th pick, and not get a legitimate starter? Just ask the Ravens. They suspected Matt Ryan would not fall to them in the eighth spot and could not trade up. So they dropped down and grabbed a recent riser in Joe Flacco. Big arm, but how his skills translate from a smaller college program (Delaware) to the NFL is anyone's guess. Half the teams have him rated as the third or fourth quarterback. He could be Brett Favre, but he could be Kyle Boller. Then to complicate it further, the Ravens didn't get anyone to replace Ogden. So most likely whoever is qb, is going to be running for their life anyway. there are a couple of good players in this draft, but it is mostly just a guess as to how good it will end up for the Ravens, based on past history, we are guessing not too well.

Sports Illustrated's Dr. Z

The sliding scale

Baltimore Ravens: They wanted Ryan. Falcons got him. So we'll take our ball and go home, said Ozzie Newsome, and he packed up and pulled out of the pick. And there he was heading for the second round, when hello there, Joe Flacco, the big guy with the laser arm, was still aboard. So at 18 he became a Raven. I don't think Kyle Boller's in trouble -- yet. The kid is still too raw, and wild. And at the draft room in New York a great cheer went up when the Ravens, with their second-round pick, selected Rutgers star halfback Ray Rice, the greatest player to wear the scarlet since the great Paul Robeson.

Josh Alper-AOL News:

The Good: Ozzie Newsome pulled off the best deal of the entire draft when he got two threes and a four to move down to Jacksonville's spot in the first round. It gave him the ability to go and get whoever he wanted as evidenced by the deal back up for Flacco in the first round. I'm not sold on him but it was a bold move to get the guy you wanted. Gooden and Zbikowski will help a defense that's getting old and both should make Rex Ryan a happy man when he sees them in action. While neither Cousins nor Hale figure to start, they'll both add depth to a young, intriguing line.

The Bad: The Rice pick got rave reviews but I'm not a fan of it. Rice is tough as hell but he'll need to show a lot more as a receiver and pass blocker to make up for subpar physical tools. Neither receiver will offer much help to Flacco or whoever precedes him as the team's quarterback, though Smith gets high marks for special teams work.

The Grade: C. Fairly or not, this whole draft comes down to Flacco and it will be years before we know how well he works out. His height, 6'6", is a concern as is his lack of top-flight competition and mobility but Cam Cameron has built successful quarterbacks before. If it were the previous regime, I'd write it off as a flight of fancy but these guys are staking their futures to Flacco and I'm interested to see what comes out. Otherwise, it's a good mix of things they need, especially when you add in the trade for Fabian Washington of Oakland as a third corner, and a big-time gamble at the top.

Pete Prisco, CBS Sports

Best pick: Third-round pick Tavares Gooden was the best defender on a Miami defense that included two players picked higher than him. Ray Lewis has a fellow from The U. he can take under his wing.

Questionable move: Trading up to get quarterback Joe Flacco. They probably could have stayed at 26 and still landed him. Plus, Brian Brohm and Chad Henne were better options.

Second-day gem: Safety Tom Zbikowski, a third-round pick, is one of those players who will find his way onto the field. He will be a special-teams star -- bare minimum.

Overall grade: C. They reached for Flacco and I didn't really like the pick of Ray Rice in the second round.

Jason Cole, Yahoo Sports

Positives: Rice, Gooden and Zbikowski
Negatives: Flacco
Bottom line: C. There’s a lot of excitement about Flacco, who has a cannon arm. But look at the history of the league: QBs who are taller than 6-5 generally aren’t very good. They can’t move fast enough to avoid hits. Flacco lumbers when he moves and he’s making a big jump from Delaware. Good luck. Rice is a very good backup to Willis McGahee, and Gooden is a much better player than he showed at Miami.

It was interesting for me to see how the so-called "experts" rated Baltimore's 2008 draft. I never understood how anyone could peredict the future of any players 24-48 hours after they are drafted and months before they suit up.

I do believe I found the culprits of all the Flacco bashing that has taken place. He wasn't supposed to be any better than Kyle Boller. He was too tall, too slow and played at a college that was too small.

[NCBirdfan]

This is one of my favorites:

BALTIMORE RAVENS: "A-"WINNER

The Ravens were faced with the retirement of Steve McNair and the organization had seemed to have already addressed the quarterback situation. Kyle Boller and Troy Smith were once looked on as the possible, future quarterbacks in Baltimore. However, somewhere along the way the Ravens' "brass" figured that neither Boller nor Smith possessed the tools needed to be their "franchise" quarterbacks. Enter Delaware's Joe Flacco. The Ravens were very impressed by Joe Flacco's 6-6 frame and his "prototype" build as well as his incredible arm strength. But the Ravens were also extremely impressed with the intelligence Flacco displayed. The Ravens sent the top quarterbacks they liked, in this draft, a Ravens playbook to study. When the Ravens met with Flacco he displayed more overall knowledge about the Raven's system than any of the other quarterbacks did and he was able to translate the playbook in detail. Now, Flacco was not cheap as the Ravens had to go deep into their bag of draft picks to complete the deal with the Texans, giving the Texans their 26th, 89th and 173rd picks, but if Flacco can someday step in and do what he seems to be capable of, then the costs will have been a bargain. The Ravens also made a nice move and picked up Ray Rice. Rice is a 5-8 200 pound running back from Rutgers. He is basically the same size as Maurice Jones Drew. Whether Rice will be able to produce the way Jones-Drew has is yet to be seen. Rice is a fast running and hard hitting back capable of making big plays. He is also a hard worker who rushed for 2012 yards as a senior and also had 24 touchdowns and 25 receptions. Rice has good enough hands to be a receiving threat out of the backfield and should be a nice compliment to Willis McGahee. A review of Rice and his gameday film gives one the inkling he may be a playmaker in the NFL. Speaking of running backs, Allen Patrick was a steal in the 7th round, if it wasn't for nagging injuries in 2007 he would have likely been a 2nd or 3rd round selection. The Ravens also picked up a Tim Zbikowski. Zbikowski, a Notre Dame safety, is as tough as they come. He has been a boxer for many years and has fought, since age nine, in the Golden Gloves. Zbikowski actually became a professional boxer in 2006 and in his first fight, in Madison Square Garden, he knocked out his opponent in 49 seconds . His boxing skills have occasionally translated to the gridiron in the form of being an aggressive and truly hard hitting player. He could be a solid addition to the Raven's special teams and may find his way onto the field in some other situations. However, Zbikowski has a bit of catching up to do to get his skill level in line with what is needed to be a performer in the NFL. Baltimore realized they had made a mistake taking Kyle Boller in the first round in the 2003 draft yet they did not hesitate in trading picks and doing what they had to do to get another quarterback in the first round this year to try and correct their previous error. Ozzie Newsome has never ducked responsibility for a draft pick and he did what he thought was right here and it looks like a solid decision. Remember, Newsome is the same guy who drafted Ray Lewis, Adalius Thomas and Jamal Lewis (who gained over 1000 yards in his rookie season and a few seasons later came within 39 yards of breaking Eric Dickerson's single season rushing record) that is some very worthy company. Newsome has earned the right to have a 1st round miss every 10 years or so. However, on paper, this years early picks all look to be hits.

[LarryN]

Either someone at USA Today, or Sports Nutz is a plagiarizer.

My favorites:

"The Rice pick got rave reviews but I'm not a fan of it. Rice is tough as hell but he'll need to show a lot more as a receiver and pass blocker to make up for subpar physical tools."

"Best pick: Third-round pick Tavares Gooden"

"Brian Brohm and Chad Henne were better options"

"Rice is a very good backup to Willis McGahee"

[bmore_ken]

The draft is a crap shoot

[jessup270]

The draft is a crap shoot

Absolutely correct. The NFL has a long draft history, some first round picks are flops and some third round and later picks, find their way to the pro bowl, in their career.

It amuses me when fans get so excited about the draft. In early December, here on the board some fans were already talking about who the Ravens should consider in the draft.

The talents of Flacco and Rice, worked out well for the Ravens, However, if these same guys were drafted by Kansas City, we possibly could not even remember their names.

Here is my draft outlook for the Ravens, with the definite departure of Lewis and the likely departure of Reed, look for the Ravens to have mediocre success with their draft picks.

Lewis and Reed were so important in the locker room, rookies wanted to please them more than Harbaugh.

[NCBirdfan]

The draft is a crap shoot

I agree somewhat, but this is not like Major League Baseball. In the NFL, the college teams are used as the minor leagues and players are scouted constantly. So, by the time they are drafted, teams have done extensive background checks and interviews with coaches, players and custodians, etc. to determine if that player fits their teams.

The later rounds can be more of a crapshoot; but the first round, in general, produces good results for teams that do their homework.

[bmore_ken]

The later rounds can be more of a crapshoot; but the first round, in general, produces good results for teams that do their homework.

The list of first round busts and mediocre players is long and undistinguished.Including quite a few #1 overalls

[Fang]

LMAO! Good post NCBirdfan. Just goes to show these sports media guys don't know anymore than we do.

My favorite line, "Gooden and Zbikowski will help a defense that's getting old". Seems like the defense is getting "old" every year. HAHa

[cprenegade]

I agree somewhat, but this is not like Major League Baseball. In the NFL, the college teams are used as the minor leagues and players are scouted constantly. So, by the time they are drafted, teams have done extensive background checks and interviews with coaches, players and custodians, etc. to determine if that player fits their teams.

The later rounds can be more of a crapshoot; but the first round, in general, produces good results for teams that do their homework.

It's still a crapshoot. The Ravens are one of the better drafting teams in the NFL yet their list of #1's includes Travis Taylor, Kyle Boller, Mark Clayton, and trading out of the first round to pick Sergio Kindle.

[NCBirdfan]

It's still a crapshoot. The Ravens are one of the better drafting teams in the NFL yet their list of #1's includes Travis Taylor, Kyle Boller, Mark Clayton, and trading out of the first round to pick Sergio Kindle.

I don't think I said it wasn't a crapshoot. I said it wasn't as bad as MLB and somehow the teams that have good scouting departments are able to get quality players. Of course, not every player will pan out, but there are a higher percentage that do. For every Tim Couch there are several solid starters found in the first round. And there are some years that have weak classes and others that have strong classes.

Now, go back to MLB. How many first rounders become stars or even players with long careers in the Majors?

[ivanbalt]

The draft is a crap shoot

Mel Kiper Jr. doesn't not appreciate this kind of talk.