I ended last football season believing that the Ravens would use their first pick in the 2008 draft on a cornerback.
I've had some second thoughts although I still think it could work out that way.
For starters, I did not believe that the Ravens were prepared to commit to another high first-round pick for a quarterback. I think otherwise now. If Matt Ryan is available at No. 8, I agree with everyone else -- the Ravens will take him. But I am equally firmly convinced that Ryan will be gone by then. The Falcons (No. 3) are desperate for a new image for that franchise. For them, this draft is about more than just re-stocking the shelves because they have to restore some credibility to that organization. Even if the Falcons trade down, Ryan would probably be the prize for Atlanta's trade partner. And if Ryan somehow slides to the Patriots (No. 7), New England will have plenty of suitors and they're going to ask for and probably get a ton for the privilege to draft the Boston College quarterback.
I know that defensive end Chris Long's name has come up but I believe he is also gone within the first five selections, so that rules him out.
I absolutely do not believe the Ravens will trade up because the price is going to be too high. The Baltimore roster is way too thin to give away the draft picks it would take to move up and it would put new head coach John Harbaugh behind the eight ball right out of the gate.
With Ryan and Chris Long off the board, I agree with The Sun's Ravens beat writer Jamison Hensley, who has written in a fan Q&A that the Ravens would want to trade down.
Here's the problem -- who is the trade partner? What would be available at No. 8 that would compel another team to give up its own No. 1 and another high pick or picks to move into the Ravens' spot. I just don't see the value there for this hypothetical trade partner.
And as you can see, we're talking about a lot of fast-talking on the telephone as the landscape changes moment-to-moment on a shorter clock, 10 minutes.
I think all this conspires to force the Ravens to use the No. 8, and if that's the spot they find themselves in without Ryan or Long there, I believe they'll take a cornerback. Purely a guess on a name, the kid from Troy, Leodis McKelvin -- but one of the top corners. If the Ravens do trade down and the Delaware QB Joe Flacco is there when their first chance comes up, then I think they'll take Flacco followed by a corner.
That's my story and I'm stickin' to it.
