January 01, 2013; Orlando, FL, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers quarterback Taylor Martinez (3) is sacked by Georgia Bulldogs linebacker Alec Ogletree (9) during the second half of the Capital One bowl at The Citrus Bowl. Georgia defeated Nebraska 45-31. Mandatory Credit: Brad Barr-USA TODAY Sports

As We get closer to the draft, I want to take some time to highlight the Ravens draft options in the first round. The three primary options are Trade up, Dont trade, and Trade down. There are other options inside those three, but those are in essence the 3 choices. Today Lets look at trading up.

The Ravens have 12 picks in this draft, that is way more than they actually need to be using. quite simply, if they draft 12 players, there is a good chance that at least 2 of them get cut in training camp. That is a wasted pick, they would be much better off using a pick or two to trade up in the first, second or third rounds.

In my estimation, there are about 5 guys the Ravens would trade up to get. Here they are.

1. Alec Ogletree, ILB, Georgia- Ogletree is perhaps the best defensive prospect in this draft(i have him top 3, Bucky Brooks has him as the best prospect on D). If he weren’t a knucklehead he would be a top 10 pick all day long. He is significantly more physically talented than Luke Keuchly who went 8th last year. Ogletree has some bad off field issues, but if he can get his head on straight he could be a legitimate replacement for Ray Lewis and usher in a new era of Linebackers that are pass defenders.

2. Tavon Austin, WR, West Virginia- This one isnt super realistic but i will include it because Austin is a great looking prospect at a position of need. Austin looks like he will probably end up in the top 15, but if draft day proves differently and he starts to slip into the 20s the Ravens could strike and add an electric playmaker to their offense and give Flacco a new toy to play with.

3. Keenan Allen, WR, Cal- I have Allen rated as my no.1 WR in the draft. He has been suffering because of a knee injury and has become the forgotten man of WR crop. Allen is as close to a Boldin like player as there is in the draft. He is a big strong bodied player who runs great routes and is a solid possession WR. I think Allen might be the best possible player the Ravens could get.

4. Kenny Vaccaro, S, Texas- Vaccaro is a bit of an enigma to me. He is probably the best player in the class, but in terms of trading up to go get him, I am not sure how much return you would get on the investment. Not that Vaccaro wont be a good player, he will be, but is he so much better than Jonathan Cyprien that he is worth trading up to get? That is reall the question. Vaccaro would require a 8-12 spot trade up to go get, Cyprien would require at most a 4-5 spot trade up and might even be there at 32.

5. Lane Johnson, OT, Oklahoma- The least realistic of the bunch, but then again, Micheal Oher was supposed to be a top 15 pick and he started to slide and the Ravens went after him. It is possible that Johnson could slide for whatever reason and if he clears 17 or so, the Ravens should be going after him with a vengeance.

What Do you think Ravens Nation? Should the Ravens Trade Up for one of these guys?

Feb 25, 2013; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Georgia Bulldogs linebacker Alec Ogletree runs the 40 yard dash during the NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

With free agency set to start next week, It is time to take a position by position look at some of the Ravens options in the coming months. Today we start with Inside Linebackers.

With the departure of Ray Lewis and the possible departure of Dannell Ellerbe, along with the injury concerns with Jameel McClain, the Ravens are pretty weak at inside backer. McClain is the only starting caliber player that is currently on the roster for 2013. Here are what I consider the top options for the Ravens.

1. Resign Dannell Ellerbe to a reasonable deal- Word broke yesterday that Ellerbe is looking for a ton of money with this contract. If that is really the case then i have trouble imagining the Ravens paying that type of cash for a player that still has a ton of questions around his work ethic and only has about 10 really good games in his career. If Ellerbe backs off of that amount, then he is by far the Ravens best option and easily the best ILB in the free agency market.

2. Move Albert McClellan to ILB- I am a big fan of McClellan. He was brilliant in the early parts of this season and played well at ILB last year when Ray Lewis missed 6 games with Turf Toe. McClellan has a ton of versitility and a broad skillset, it wouldnt surprise me at all to see him fill a big role in next years lineup.

3. Draft Alec Ogletree- Ogletree would be number one on the list if the draft came before free agency, but since the opposite is true, you have to put things in order of most pressing questions. Ogletree is a straight up stud from the SEC(georgia) who has some off field issues that could cause him to fall. He has top 10 talent and I beleive he compares very favorably to Luke Keuchly who was a top 10 pick last year. Ogletree is a playmaker and has a much higher ceiling than almost any player in the draft if he can get his head on straight.

4. Draft Manti Teo- I know everybody is super down on Teo, but I could care less about his 40 time or the catfishing thing. Teo looked really good in combine drills(he vastly outperformed almost every ILB prospect this side of Ogletree) and is a true football player, not an athlete. While being an athlete is a very good thing, I value football ability over athleticism and thus, i like Teo. The knock on Teo, to me, is the questions surrounding his ability to perform in pressure situations. he wasnt great during the 40, the most important combine drill for him to prove his athletic ability, and he was horrible in the biggest game of his career. That said, Teo has had a ton of clutch moments in his career and i think he is going to have a good pro career(emphasis on good not great). Minter has a higher ceiling, but Teo has a much higher floor.

5. Draft Kevin Minter- Kevin Minter is an interesting guy. He seeks out the football like a missile and is a monster hitter, but in this day and age of pass defending, I am not sure how good of a pro he will be. Minter doesn’t ever seem to feel very comfortable in pass coverage and has a tendency to get lost in his zone. That wouldn’t be a deal breaker if he had the athletic ability of a guy like Ogletree, but he doesnt. I see minter being a constant target in the opposing teams passing game for his entire career. He is still a solid prospect, but i would rather have Ogletrees ability or Teos instinct if i had my choice.

6. Draft Arthur Brown or Khaseem Green- I am not crazy about either of these guys in a 3-4 defense. i know they bulked up for the combine, but both of them looked slow in the drills and never seemed comfortable with the extra weight. that said, maybe this is the start of a new generation with smaller backers that are better in coverage than against the run. The NFL moves in cycles and eventually, as defenses get smaller to defend the pass, running backs will start to take over again as undersized defenders are unable to match up with them one on one in the open field. then defenders will bulk up and get slower allowing the passing game to come back into vogue. The Ravens played a big role in the start of the transition to the passing game by having linebackers like Ray Lewis who were run stuffing nightmares, maybe they will also have a hand in the transition back to the run game by drafting pass coverage gurus like Green and Brown.

January 01, 2013; Orlando, FL, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers quarterback Taylor Martinez (3) looks for a place to run as Georgia Bulldogs linebacker Alec Ogletree (9) moves in for the sack during the second half of the Capital One bowl at The Citrus Bowl. Georgia defeated Nebraska 45-31. Mandatory Credit: Brad Barr-USA TODAY Sports

One player I have heard repeatedly that the Ravens are in love with has just taken a hit to his draft stock. Alec Ogletree was arrested this week for Drunk Driving. It is unknown what his alcohol level was, but in any even it shows poor decision making. This is also not the first time Ogletree has had off field issues, he was suspended to start the season because of a failed drug test.

This is all bad news for Ogletree, but great news for the Ravens. Ogletree was a rising prospect and this should cool off his rise for a while. if he could slide a few spots he would be back in the Ravens range. Like I said above, i have heard repeatedly from multiple sources that the Ravens would be elated to get him and that they have him graded extremely high on their board, maybe in the top 5-10 players in the draft. Ogletree would be a picture perfect fit for the Ravens system and if they were to sign Elerbe to a long term deal, within a year or so the Ravens might have a top 3 LB corp again with Suggs, Elerbe, ogletree and Upshaw.