Gresham and Ghee Are Ravens’ Picks In CBS Live Mock Draft

Just an update from yesterday’s post. If you have read the comments section of that post, and did not check out the CBS Live Mock Draft that I represented the Ravens in, commenter “Sam” spilled the beans. In the first round, I selected Jermaine Gresham, the tight end out of Oklahoma, and in the second round I picked Brandon Ghee, a cornerback out of Wake Forest.

Click “Continue Reading” to see my reasoning behind the picks.

Sam pretty much wrote this post for me, as he realized that those two players are the exact guys I projected in my latest full 7-Round Ravens-specific mock. The reason behind that, simply put: I think they’re the best options for the Ravens. My explanations are on CBS, but I’ll quote them here for you.

Jermaine Gresham:

"The Ravens addressed their wide receiver need by signing Donte Stallworth and trading for Anquan Boldin. With this pick, they add another offensive weapon in Gresham. One of the best physical specimens in the draft, the former Sooner can make an immediate impact next season. With the Todd Heap era looking just about over, Gresham can become a huge contributor at tight end and give Joe Flacco yet another weapon as the Ravens try to groom him into one of the league’s best quarterbacks. While needs on the defensive line and secondary still need to be addressed, the Ravens just can’t pass up the opportunity to draft a tight end of Gresham’s talent."

Brandon Ghee:

"With the Ravens filling their need at tight end by selecting Jermaine Gresham in the first round, they will address another pressing need: the secondary. With Fabian Washington and Lardarius Webb coming off of torn ACLs and Samari Rolle being released, the team will benefit from adding another defensive back. Ghee is freakishly athletic and can run a 40-yard dash in under 4.4 seconds on a good day. While he won’t make an immediate impact like Gresham will, the former Demon Deacon has so much upside that the Ravens may not be able to resist taking him."

Personally, I think this is the way to go. Think objectively for a second. Tight end is a big need, no matter how much we all love Todd Heap. Believe me, I want to see him stay and succeed as much as anyone, but it’s time to face the facts. He’s not what we need anymore. With Heap still having legitimate abilities, Gresham doesn’t have to be the big man right away, but is needed.

Brandon Ghee is a different topic. We’ve got cornerbacks. Fabian Washington, Domonique Foxworth, Lardarius Webb and Chris Carr can all handle the load. But are they good enough? Are they fast enough? Last year the secondary cost the Ravens a few wins, doesn’t something need to be done to address that? Personally, I think the cornerback situation is more important than the D-Line situation just because the defensive line has a year or two left before everyone gets too old and new blood is definitely needed. The corners need an upgrade now, and adding a fast, versatile weapon like Ghee, and drafting him can do nothing but good for that cause.