Baltimore Ravens beef up offense in 7-round All-ACC Mock Draft
By Mike Luciano
Round 7, Pick 225: Xavier Thomas, EDGE, Clemson
Thomas is a gamble on pure potential, as injuries prevented a player often heralded as the best defensive recruit in the country in high school from reaching his full potential. He'll slip due to an underwhelming college career, but he has all the tools he needs to become an effective pro player.
Thomas never recorded more than 3.5 sacks in a season in college, but that can be chalked up to injuries. The pre-draft circuit could be very kind to him, as he can show teams the athletic ability he came into college with has not eroded and can help a professional team in some way.
The Baltimore Ravens could take a chance on Xavier Thomas in the NFL Draft
Round 7, Pick 247: Jarrian Jones, CB, Florida State
Defensive back depth in this new "nickel is base" NFL will always be addressed by savvy teams when the draft comes around. While Jones will likely be nothing more than a special teams player as a rookie, the potential for a much-improved depth piece is in there if given enough time.
Jones is a weak tackler who may never defend the run well enough for full-time starting work, but it's not every year that a player with his man/zone versatility and ability to knock down passes with such grace falls this far down the rankings. On pure talent, Jones is worth a higher pick.