The voters in ESPN's power rankings apparently are only mildly impressed with what the Baltimore Ravens did in free agency and the draft.In this year's post-draft edition  Russell Okung Salute to Service Jersey , the Ravens check in at No. 13. This is an improvement of three spots from last year's season-ending No. 16 rankings.The Ravens' ranking is better when you put in context of the conference. They have the second-highest ranking in the AFC North (the Bengals are No. 10) and are fifth in the AFC behind the Denver Broncos (No. 2), New England Patriots (No. 4), Indianapolis Colts (No. 7) and Bengals.As a matter of full disclosure, I'm one of the six voters and I had the Ravens at No. 10. That was the highest ranking given to the Ravens (#homer).Here is the Ravens' ranking from the other voters: Aley Fox: No. 13 Mike Sando: No. 18 Kevin Seifert: No. 16 John Clayton: No. 12 Dan Graziano: No. 12How aurate are these rankings at this point in the year? Last year, the Ravens were ranked No. 8 following the draft and finied the season at No. 16. In 2012, the Ravens and 49ers were both in the top five after the draft and met eh other in the Super Bowl. So, the post-draft rankings have been hit or miss when it es to the Ravens.There was a time when the Baltimore Ravens built their teams by almost exclusively taking players from big programs like Miami, Arizona State and Alabama. These days, their starting quarterback is from Delaware and the second-highest paid player on the team is from Nicholls State.
AP PhotoPaul SpinelliLardarius Webb is one example of the Ravens finding success within the ranks of the smaller schools.The Ravens take pride in finding big-time players from small schools. In this week's draft Richard Sherman Salute to Service Jersey , no one should be surprised if the Ravens select players from Towson, North Dakota State or Lindenwood. For the record, the Division II Lions of Lindenwood play in Saint Charles, Mo.
In the last two drafts, seven of the 18 players taken by the Ravens have come from programs below the Division I FBS (formerly I-A) level. Defensive tackle Brandon Williams, a 2013 third-round pick from Missouri Southern, could join quarterback Joe Flacco and cornerback Lardarius Webb as another small-school starter for the Ravens. Asa Jackson, a 2012 fifth-round pick out of Cal Poly, has a chance to be the team's third cornerback.
"We believe in it Ricardo Lockette Salute to Service Jersey ," said Eric DeCosta, the Ravens' assistant general manager. "We look at all players across the board, regardless of level of competition, division or conference, and pick the best players."
The Ravens have been linked to small-school prospects this year. They had a pre-draft visits with Eastern Illinois quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and Towson running back Terrance West. There's a chance that the Ravens, who need help on the offensive line and secondary, could take North Dakota State offensive tackle Billy Turner or Lindenwood cornerback Pierre Desir somewhere around the third round.
Ravens officials believe their success with small-school players comes from the fact that they put in the same amount of work as they do with big schools. Their scouts go to the schools and get to know the coaches.
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"Obviously, the biggest challenge would be level of competition," DeCosta said. "How does that player play? How is he going to play against better players? Is he going to be able to adjust? All-Star games are a nice way of seeing that play out, so we get the chance to see a d-school guy at the Senior Bowl, you get a chance to see him at the combine to compare against the big-school guys. That's always a big challenge."
The Ravens have missed on small-school prospects, too. David Pittman, a 2006 third-round cornerback out of Northwestern State, started one game, and Christian Thompson Patrick Kerney Salute to Service Jersey , a 2012 fourth-round safety from South Carolina State, didn't last two full seasons.
But the Ravens' success rate with small-school prospects is similar to what they have with players from major programs. In some instances, the Ravens see a faster rate of growth with players from smaller schools.
"At small schools, sometimes they don't have the luxury of having a nice weight room, nutritional programs or support staff," DeCosta said. "We feel like sometimes these guys come into our facility, our building, with our coaches and our doctors and trainers, and get better quickly because they have the advantage of all these new things." Besides Michael Bennett Salute to Service Jersey , you ould also use this list being a suggestion tool to read a better keyword. For example, if you were seriously looking for sothing like "web design" you might find that an extra aurate keyword for business would be "web design services", even though "web design" is a rather extensive topic that might go from tutorials to email templates.When looking to build an online business or seeking simply require improve a currently existing one, it's is rended to use a professional to do the job for oppers. A web design pany can spell the distinction beeen a boring, average how do people an excellent one. Keep in mind that not all web design firms are equal. You can receive a good one but might suitable for that task. Move along and consider the following tips. |
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