Sponsor
Columns
The Beat with Aaron Wilson - Ravens In Hunt For ILB
Team won't ignore inside backer despite Ray Lewis' presence
Enlarge Text
Decrease Text
Print this Article
send this article to a friend
comment
Add This
bookmark
facebook
twitter
rss
Posted On: 4/25/07
Written By:
OWINGS MILLS -- Ray Lewis struck another intimidating pose with his trademark intensity captured in an oversized photograph.
Although the picture of the Baltimore Ravens’ perennial All-Pro middle linebacker displayed at the team's draft press luncheon was from a few years ago, Lewis seems to be aging gracefully.
Lewis mended fences with the organization last year after a rocky offseason and led the NFL’s top-ranked defense with 164 tackles along with five sacks and two interceptions while Bart Scott thrived alongside him. Yet, the Ravens are approaching a time when they’ll begin pondering an eventual future that doesn’t include Lewis’ emphatic tackles.
The two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year has been selected to eight Pro Bowls, but he’ll turn 32 next month.
That milestone raises two questions: How much longer can he play? Is there anyone in this draft that represents a potential successor to Lewis’ throne?
“I don’t know how long Ray can play,” Baltimore general manager Ozzie Newsome said. “I think he will make the decision when he wants to retire from this game. But if there’s a good player at No. 29 or No. 61 or if we move back and there’s a good linebacker, we’re going to take him.
“We’re not going to pass up a good player because we have Pro Bowl players at certain positions. We don’t operate that way.”
Although Ole Miss’ Patrick Willis is the draft’s elite inside linebacker and will likely be picked within the top half of the first round, there are still a few prospects that would likely be appropriate fits for Baltimore at No. 29 overall.
The Ravens’ draft manual was practically written for an athlete like University of Miami star Jon Beason, a 6-foot, 235-pound converted fullback and safety capable of playing all three linebacker positions in the 4-3 scheme. Known as a big hitter, Beason improved his 40-yard dash time from 4.72 seconds at the NFL scouting combine to 4.60 at his campus workouts.
“Jon Beason would probably be an inside linebacker for us,” Ravens director of college scouting Eric DeCosta said. “We love his instincts and playmaking ability. He’s probably best suited for the 4-3.
“He makes a ton of plays. He’s a great person with great intangibles and mentality who watches a ton of tape. The more you watch him, the more you fall in love with him.”
Added Newsome: “People want to compare him to Ray Lewis, but I don’t like to compare anybody to him. I don’t think that’s fair. Yes, we like him. He’s a run-hit guy.”
Meanwhile, Penn State’s Paul Posluszny is the next gritty product of Linebacker U. to draw comparisons to legends like Jack Ham, Shane Conlan and LaVar Arrington.
The Butkus Award winner as a junior, Posluszny has recovered well from a major knee injury and caught on quickly as a 3-4 inside linebacker as a senior after three years of playing outside.
“I think he’s got some versatility as an inside-outside linebacker,” DeCosta said.
“He came off that knee injury and began to get back to his old self by the end of last season. We really love his instincts, toughness, play-making ability and special-teams potential.”
Michigan’s David Harris, who had 96 tackles, 14 for losses as a three-down linebacker, is a potential second-round option who surprised scouts with his 4.59 speed.
“Football isn’t all about speed,” Harris told reporters at the scouting combine. “It’s all about reaction time and how well you can read plays. I think I can do that pretty well.”
The Ravens have had success with small-school linebackers, most notably Southern Illinois’ Scott, who went undrafted, and Western Illinois’ Ed Hartwell, a fourth-rounder in 2001.
Another potential middle-round sleeper is Hampton University’s Justin Durant, who has 4.53 speed to chase down runners. He’s the younger brother of former North Carolina quarterback Darian Durant, who was cut by Baltimore a few years ago during training camp.
“He’s kind of flying low on the radar screen,” DeCosta. “He’s undersized, but makes a ton of tackles and is very explosive. As an inside linebacker, teams like him on the second day.”
Another inside prospect earning solid reviews is Florida State’s Buster Davis, a stout, hard-nosed 5-9, 240-pounder who led the Seminoles with 103 tackles last season.
“He’s undersized, but he’s a thumper,” DeCosta said. “He’s a good run stopper, a take-on guy who did really well at the Senior Bowl. He’s tough.”
NOTE: Washington State wide receiver Jason Hill, a 6-0, 204-pounder with 4.34 speed projected to go in the second or third round, and Missouri Southern offensive tackle Allan Barbre, a 302-pound sleeper who ran a 4.87 at the scouting combine, visited the Ravens earlier this month.
Aaron Wilson covers the Baltimore Ravens for the Carroll County Times in Westminster, Maryland
Post your comment
«Go back to the previous page.
Enlarge Text
Decrease Text
Print this Article
send this article to a friend
Add This
bookmark
facebook
twitter
rss
Posted On: 4/25/07
Written By:
Sponsor
Polls
Press Feeds
Check us out on Twitter
- 5/24/12: Give 100% of what you've got everyday in every way...except of course if you are at the blood bank...
- 5/24/12: @ThundercatJay Way too soon to tell. Practices are in shorts and far from game speed.
- 5/24/12: #Ravens #Harbaugh not concerned about Ed Reed: http://t.co/8a6G7TGw
- 5/24/12: For now, the Ravens are primarily having Paul Kruger lined up at Suggs' rush outside linebacker spot.
- 5/24/12: Rookie 2nd round pick Kelechi Osemele took the majority of the first-string repetitions at left guard with Jah Reid rotating in at tackle.
View all tweets & follow us!
E-News
Sign up for Email Alerts and get the best deals and news in your inbox.
Copyright © 2012 24x7 Network, LLC, All Rights Reserved
Website Design by D3Corp Ocean City Maryland
Website Design by D3Corp Ocean City Maryland