Today the Baltimore Ravens hosted their annual Pre-Draft Press Conference. Four members of the Ravens organization made up the panel for the press conference, including Head Coach John Harbaugh, General Manager Ozzie Newsome, Assistant General Manager Eric DeCosta, and Director of College Scouting Joe Hortiz. Without giving too much of their plans for the draft away, the group answered some questions from the audience of reporters. Here, we will recap the highlights of that 45 minute press conference and analyze the press conference to try to get down to what the Ravens are thinking heading into the 2017 NFL Draft.

The defense has been addressed in free agency, how much will the offense be addressed in the draft?

When asked how much the offense will be addressed in the draft, since the defense was primarily addressed in free agency, General Manager Ozzie Newsome said that the Ravens were going to do what they always do, take the best player available. He said that the Ravens board is not 100% finished, and they still have to go through all their allocated 30 prospect visits before the draft, and to finish evaluating the prospects. If the best player by the time they pick is an offensive player, they’ll pick him.

How many players in the draft this year are worthy of being drafted, and are there more offensive or defensive draftable players in this year’s draft?

When asked how many draftable players there were in this year’s draft, Assistant General Manager Eric DeCosta gave a rough estimate of about 175 players. He said that this year was a good draft, with many juniors coming out. There are many positions this year with tons of depth, but the Ravens have more defensive players currently on the board. He went on to say that he feels the Ravens are in a good spot at the 16th overall pick to find a good player.

Which wide receivers potentially available at 16 overall would be the best to draft?

After being asked which wide receivers would be good to draft at the 16th overall pick, Eric DeCosta immediately named Mike Williams of Clemson, and John Ross of Washington. DeCosta belives that both Williams and Ross could be available around their pick at 16, and are both great options for the Ravens. He also named Corey Davis of Western Michigan and JuJu Smith Schuster of USC as good receivers that many teams really like.

Are Cornerbacks Rasul Douglas of West Virginia and Cordrea Tankersley of Clemson step right in and play, and how do the injuries to Fabian Moreau of UCLA and Sidney Jones of Washington effect thier draft stock. 

Eric DeCosta responded to this question on multiple cornerbacks by first saying that they are all interesting players. He thinks that Douglas is a big, physical cornerback who can play a combination of cornerback and safety. He also thinks Tankersley is a very established player who played good football at a good program. Regarding the injuries to Jones and Moreau, DeCosta thinks they are predictable injuries. These injuries to the achilles and chest were overcome by Ravens players before and he thinks they both can comeback this year and contribute for a team.

Is Jabrill Peppers a safety, a linebacker, or a combination?

When asked this question, Head Coach John Harbaugh responded by praising the player who was coached by his brother, Jim Harbaugh. He called Peppers something that most analysts have said, and that he is versatile. In Harbaugh’s mind, he can definitely play safety. He can play up and play back. He can cover the tight end, and he can blitz. He also can play inside linebacker, as he did at Michigan. Harbaugh thinks Peppers is a great prospect, and signaled that the Ravens are interested in him.

Where do you evaluate Sidney Jones with his injury, as he may miss a full season?

Eric DeCosta touched on where the Ravens will be ranking Sidney Jones in this draft, as he injured his achilles at his Pro Day. He said that hopefully he wont be missing a full season. He joked that not only have many players suffered this injury, but some Ravens scouts have as well. DeCosta said that the Ravens will have to determine where they would want to draft him, and thinks that the injury overall won’t affect Jones’ stock very much.

Has Reuben Foster’s Combine incident changed your opinion on him?

At the NFL Combine last month, Reuben Foster was asked to leave after he had a confrontation with a doctor. He was waiting for a long time to be seen, and there was confusion between the doctor and himself. They got into a verbal argument, and Foster was asked to leave. Ozzie Newsome, being an Alabama graduate where Reuben Foster played in college, says he has the inside scoop on him, and it hasn’t changed where he is on the draft board.

Do you see Cam Robinson of Alabama as more of a guard or offensive tackle?

When asked about another Alabama product, offensive lineman Cam Robinson, Director of College Scouting Joe Hortiz said that he could play either guard or tackle. Hortiz praised Robinson for his play in the very tough SEC Conference, as he played left tackle well for three years. He went on to say that Robinson has a good build, and is versatile.

What are the expectations for Kamalei Correa now that starting inside linebacker Zachary Orr retired, and how is Bronson Kafusi doing?

John Harbaugh when asked about Kamalei Correa said that the biggest jump is between a player’s rookie year and his second year. He believes that Correa will do well, and cannot wait until he sees him come back. He also said the Kafusi looks good, and the trainers are working on his lower half, as he was injured last year. Harbaugh said that those two players didn’t play much for the Ravens last year, so they are almost like two new players for the team.

Will there be any free agent additions before the draft?

Ozzie Newsome when asked if there will be any more free agents added to the roster before the draft didn’t at all rule it out. In fact, he was just one step short from confirming it. He said that the Ravens were working hard on that, and there was a “high probability” of it.

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