NFL Draft Grades: Baltimore Ravens - FanHouse - AOL Sports Blog

Baltimore Ravens 2008 Draft Picks:

Round 1 (18): Joe Flacco, QB, Delaware
Round 2 (55): Ray Rice, RB, Rutgers
Round 3 (71): Tavares Gooden, LB, Miami
Round 3 (86): Tom Zbikowski, S, Notre Dame
Round 3 (99): Oniel Cousins, G, UTEP
Round 4 (106): Marcus Smith, WR, New Mexico
Round 4 (133): David Hale, T, Weber State
Round 6 (206): Haruki Nakamura, S, Cincinnati
Round 7 (215): Justin Harper, WR, Virginia Tech
Round 7 (240): Allen Patrick, RB, Oklahoma

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.

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