2013 NFL Mock Draft: The Ravens Select…

Dec 1, 2012; Atlanta, GA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs linebacker Alec Ogletree (9) tackles Alabama Crimson Tide running back T.J. Yeldon (4) during the third quarter of the 2012 SEC Championship game at the Georgia Dome. Mandatory Credit: Paul Abell-USA TODAY Sports

Alec Ogletree, ILB, Georgia.

Here is what Fansided Writer Josh Sanchez had to say about the pick.

Ray Lewis isn’t getting any younger and injuries have plagued the Ravens defense which has left the cupboards bare. Baltimore could use a player like Ogletree who has the speed and range to make plays all over the field.

I’m a big fan of this pick and I have it on good authority that the Ravens love Alec Ogletree. I have him rated as my second best linebacker(ILB or OLB aside from pure rush linebackers) in the draft just a smidge behind Manti Teo. i love Teo to death, but I think he is going to get massively overdrafted, he will have a good career, but Ogletree is a monster value late in the first round. Ogletree is slightly underweight for my preference at ILB for the Ravens system, but he is 6’3″ 236 lbs and has a frame fully capable of packing on the additional 15 lbs give or take that would make him a prototype body for the position. I would expect he shows up heavier than he is now for the Combine(about 245 or so) to show teams he can play a bit heavier. Ogletree has elite athleticism and instincts and is probably a better prospect than Donta Hightower was last year. Drafting Ogletree would start the Ravens on the right path towards having a great front seven again, and it would likely mean that the Ravens starters would be Ngata, Cody/Draft/FA addition, Art Jones/Pernell Mcphee, Suggs, Elerbe, Ogletree, Upshaw. That is an extremely talented group and could revive the Ravens defense back to its former glory as soon as 2014. My one issue with the pick is that Sheldon Richardson was still on the board. I have to imagine that it would be an extremely tough choice for the Ravens given the choice between those two players, both guys will have strong value but just based on the inherent value of the positions they play i might give Richardson a slight edge. As we get into more draft talk, every one that reads my posts will come to learn how much I love richardson though so maybe I am biased. Other than that minor issue though, I love the pick and I would fully support it.

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