Below, I have given a number of Ravens a grade from +3 to -3 reflecting how much my perception of their impact on the 2009 Ravens will be.  I didn’t waste time rating starters, players who have no place on the team, or anyone for whom I don’t think I have any data for a judgment.  The players here are all rookies or on the cusp of making the team.

Cousins (-3):  The guy simply can’t handle tackle in the NFL.  In addition to the 3 holding calls, he has poor run blocking technique.  Go back to the first plays of the game and you’ll see he tried to chop his opponent down on 3 straight plays and missed twice.  I don’t think the Ravens can risk either of their remaining QBs by putting him at LT for another preseason game.

Harper (-2):  The Ravens will keep trying with him because they must.  On Thursday, the QBs threw to him 12 times and he caught just 4, displaying both poor hands and concern for contact.  He had a nice TD route which was delivered right on the money by Smith.  Was anyone else watching that reminded of the Banks to Lewis TD that gave the Ravens a 29-26 lead on 9/10/2000 vs. the Jags?  Same play, same coverage, same spot on the field, a little more yardage Thursday.  If you want to pick something positive, I’d say he got decent separation.

Marcus Smith (-3):  A catch, a drop, and what will likely be a season-ending injury.  It couldn’t have gone much worse.

Washington (+1):  He was a pleasant surprise.  Had only 1 catch in 2 years at NE after 4 years/72 catches playing behind the big 3 in Cincinnati.  He’ll be 30 next Friday and I think he could fill a 2000 Billy Davis role at this point, but if he needs to step up as the 3^rd receiver, the Ravens have problems.

Wheelright (-1):  He was thrown to 3 times without a reception, but came close to blocking a punt.  This is a team stocked with special teams players.  They need another player or 2 who can separate and catch the football.

Webb (+2):  Looked great in Ivy’s old role as a nickel that can rush the passer.  Didn’t give up on plays and I think he’ll force his way into some role on this defense.  His pressure caused Brennan to misfire on Martin’s pick.

Peerman (-1):  Tentative as a runner and receiver.  He ran several plays with both hands on the ball in the open field.  It looked odd and I hope it’s correctable. Picked his lane well on the TD.  The fumble did not help his cause.  I was a little surprised that he entered after Parmele.

Lawrence (+1):  On Thursday night, he looked like a more natural runner and receiver than Peerman. 

Beck (-2):  He does not have good mobility and with his build, he’s at great risk of injury.  Even if his shoulder is not hurt this time, it’s a temporary reprieve.

Martin (+1):  It was good to see Martin get the pick, but I’m not convinced his versatility at safety is going to be of great value to the Ravens given their current personnel.  Reed and Landry are entrenched starters.  The 3rd safety for any dime schemes will most likely be Nakamura and he’d also get the nod if a starter went down.  Zibby is physical and lends versatility to the pass rush, is a core special teams player, and potential returner for both kicks and punts.  For whatever reason, the Ravens used him as the deep safety when he was in Thursday, but last year he was effective near the LoS.  The Ravens appear to be committed to using Webb at corner, but I’m not sure that die is cast.  If there is a player that could play so effectively that he demands the first secondary slot available, it’s Webb.  I don’t think of Martin as a physical player and he plays in a secondary that was woefully short of good tacklers last season with the loss of Landry, Reed’s injury, and 3 elfin corners.  Martin is young (24, only 5 months older than Webb), but if the Ravens have decided he’s too slow or doesn’t have the hips to play on the outside, he has limited value to this team.

Edwards (+1):  It was a good game for Dwan after a miserable 2007.  Dwan’s always been a negative tweener for me.  At 6’3”, 290, he’s a little small to play DT, but when he played heavier he could barely move.  While his size and post-college physique would be ideal at end, he was much too slow off the snap to either make an effective initial pass rush move or gain position to set the edge.  By eyeball he still looked slow off the snap Thursday, but I want to take some time this week to review his plays and do some timing/ranking.  Additional depth on the defensive line is good, but if Gregg is healthy, the Ravens have 4 solid DT bodies (Ngata, Bannan, McKinney) plus 2 PS candidates (Divens, Talavou), so he needs to make the team as a backup end.  Focusing on the positive, Edwards had 3 tackles.  He pursued well and cleaned up nicely for the stuff when Nakamura turned Mason inside on his stretch left (Q2, 5:18). 

McClain (-1):  He led the team with 6 tackles and was very active, but if he is going to play inside, he needs to wrap up better.  He missed 2 sacks.  Gooden (5 tackles) and McClain both got a long look Thursday and this is shaping up to be the most interesting battle of camp.

Ellerbe (+1):  Very nice tackle on the opening kickoff set the tone for a good day.  He was inserted late on defense and did not record a tackle.  With the Ravens depth at LB, Prescott Burgess appears to be walking dead.  I don’t know if the Ravens will be able to keep both him and Phillips.

Kruger (+1):  I thought he should have got credit for Bannan’s sack and he played well against the Redskins’ dregs.  I can’t say I was impressed with what he did with Samuels.

Oher (+3):  Auspicious pro debut.  Some of the stories we heard seem to be true.  He stayed with his run blocks all the way to the whistle and showed some decent judgment leaving a block which might have been ruled a chop block otherwise.  He showed some decent positional skills on a 1st quarter draw where both he and Cousins allowed the edge rushers to over commit outside.  He looks tough as hell and the cut he suffered was a classic.  Want something more?  The man can really move for a tackle.  He was asked to pull at least twice and he’ll get much better at deciding what to do when he gets to the 2nd level.  I’d see him as a significant asset to the Ravens on screen plays.

Drew (-2):  OK, let’s get this straight.  The Ravens have serious injury concerns at TE and probably need to find 2 guys they can count on to stay healthy and catch a few balls besides Heap and Smith.  Heap didn’t catch a ball, but he played very sparingly.  LJ Smith ran a nice route for 1 big play.  The Ravens threw twice to Smolko, with his reception nullified by penalty.  They threw twice to Edgar Jones, who caught them both for 15 yards.  However, despite 52 passes spread among 17 (!) receivers for more than 400 yards, Davon Drew was never the intended receiver.  Drew was in the game at the end. Does that mean he’s dropped below Smolko on the depth chart?