Baltimore Ravens: The Pros And Cons Of Drafting Forrest Lamp
One prospect receiving hype towards the 16th overall pick is Forrest Lamp. Today we’re going to look at the pros and cons of the Baltimore Ravens drafting Lamp:
The Baltimore Ravens need help on the offensive line, so it’s not surprising that Forrest Lamp is generating buzz linked to the purple and black. Lamp is the best guard in the 2017 NFL Draft. He would help the Ravens offensive line immensely. Forrest Lamp comes into the NFL as a guard, but he also played left tackle at Western Kentucky.
If you watch his performance against the Alabama Crimson Tide, you see a player who held his own against top talent. There was a couple plays where Jonathan Allen had his way, but he is a top 10 prospect. The fact that Lamp mostly won the battle against Alabama, says a lot. Lamp is a great prospect.
Pros To Drafting Lamp:
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The Ravens need to find the next Marshall Yanda sooner rather than later. Drafting Lamp would give the Ravens three young pieces to the the offensive line. They took Ronnie Stanley last year with the sixth overall pick. He looks like a guy who is going to be on the left side for a long time. Ozzie Newsome found a gem in Alex Lewis in the fourth round as well. Lewis looks like he is going to be a great left guard. Drafting Lamp would give the Ravens two dominant guards for years to come. It would also be useful because both Lamp and Lewis can play tackle if they need to.
Lamp is a fantastic run blocker. He has the power and the athletic ability to drive defensive linemen back. He has the quickness to get to the second level and open huge runs for the running back. The Ravens have given every indication this offseason that the run game is going to be important to them next season. Lamp can fuel that.
Lamp is also a really smart pass protector. He is great at taking speedy rushers out of the play. He has footwork of a seasoned pro and he has the balance and the toughness to match it. If the Ravens wanted him or Lewis to move to right tackle, it would be a viable solution next season.
Cons To Drafting Lamp:
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I’m not opposed to drafting a guard, but in the first round it doesn’t make too much sense. The Ravens have Yanda and Lewis. When you add Lamp to the equation, you have three players whose best fit is at one of the two guard spots. The Ravens offensive line needs a right tackle and a center. The Ravens offense needs play-makers. Drafting Lamp would be a tough sell to the fan base.
The Ravens can draft offensive linemen later in the draft. The Ravens have proven that time and time again over the past 20 seasons. What the Ravens need to do, is focus on game changing talent. Lamp may help the team but he isn’t going to make the huge impact that the Ravens need. The purple and black need a game changer. They need a wide receiver who makes special plays down the field. A pass rusher that can make game winning plays off the edge makes more sense than adding another guard.
Next: Baltimore Ravens Round Table: Predicting The 16th Pick
Conclusion:
Lamp is worthy of the number 16 pick in the draft, but he shouldn’t be the Ravens choice. The Ravens have more pressing needs. If the Ravens want to fix the offensive line up with their first selection, Ryan Ramzcyk, a natural tackle, would be their best bet. That being said, the Ravens must address wide receiver or pass rusher early on in this draft. Lamp is a good player, but not the right choice.