Are the Ravens primed to shop their first-round pick in next month's draft?
"We've already gotten some calls about teams wanting to move up," general manager Ozzie Newsome said Wednesday of Baltimore's 17th overall selection.
NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport noted that clubs are "convinced" the Ravens will swing a deal with a receiver-needy team looking to jump the New York Jets at No. 18. One logical trade partner? We'd look to the San Francisco 49ers, a squad obviously on the prowl for more speed at the position.
Here's what else we learned from the Ravens on Wednesday:
- "It's important we add a running back," John Harbaugh said. The coach reiterated that Baltimore is looking to bring in competition for Ray Rice and Bernard Pierce. As for Rice's legal entanglements, Newsome told reporters the team will "deal with Ray when that time comes," but emphasized that Baltimore was "talking about adding one, even two" backs long before Ray's February arrest.
- Ozzie didn't have much to say about the national drama of Rolando McClain's on-again, off-again career: "At the end of the day," Newsome said, the former first-round draft pick "retired." Ozzie laughed off the idea that he's lost faith in Crimson Tide players, reminding the room that his son is currently enrolled at Alabama.
- On the subject of piling up compensatory picks, Newsome gushed: "When you get a lot of picks, it allows you to do things like when we got Eugene Monroe last year."
- Ozzie confirmed that he was hot on the trail of Brady Quinn during the 2007 draft. Saddled with the 29th pick, the Ravens were in talks to trade up with Dallas at No. 22, but Newsome said the Browns jumped in and "offered more" to the Cowboys. It's a scenario that left Baltimore without a young quarterback to groom, leading directly to the selection of Joe Flacco one year later.
- The Ravens like their collection of cornerbacks, but they're a strong bet to add more come May: "You can't have enough corners," Ozzie opined.
- After Harbaugh said last month that he was "disappointed" with Tyrod Taylor's progress under center, the coach named quarterback depth as one area needing an upgrade. Don't be surprised when the Ravens add a signal-caller in the later rounds.
The latest "Around The League Podcast" breaks out the crystal ball and predicts the potential surprises that could shake up the NFL Draft.
