The Baltimore Ravens have needed a speed burner at WR and it looks like they found one.  The Ravens picked 22-year old WR Torrey Smith out of Maryland with the 58th overall pick (2nd round) out of Maryland.  Smith is 6’0″, 205 pounds and he runs a 4.45 40.  Smith is a playmaker both in the passing game down the field and as a kickoff returner.  Smith played in 13 games (12 starts) for Maryland last year and he caught 67 passes for 1,055 yards (15.7 avg) with 12 TD grabs.  He played in 38 games (28 starts) in his three years at Maryland and he caught 152 passes for 2,215 yards (14.6 avg) with 19 TD grabs.  Smith finally will give Ravens’ QB Joe Flacco the weapon he needs to stretch the field in the passing game.  This was another outstanding pick for Ozzie Newsome and the Ravens.

The Ravens were working on a deal with the Bears while they were on the clock but it hit a snag and caused the Ravens to pass.  The Chiefs then ran up to the podium and took WR Jon Baldwin out of Pittsburgh.  The Ravens then used the 27th overall pick in the NFL Draft on 23-year old CB Jimmy Smith out of Colorado.  He certainly looks the part as he is 6’2″, 201 pounds and he runs a 4.46 40.  Smith played in 12 games (all starts) for Colorado last season and he had 70 tackles, broke up 5 passes, he forced 1 fumble and he recovered 1 fumble.  Smith played in 47 games (27 starts) in his four seasons with the Buffaloes and he had 183 tackles, broke up 21 passes, had 3 interceptions, forced 3 fumbles and he recovered 3 fumbles.  This was a good pick for the Ravens as Smith really fills a need for them.

The Ravens’ had a very sub-par draft last April but I don’t think that will happen again next weekend because Ravens’ GM Ozzie Newsome is too sharp.  I think the Ravens usually draft for need (which I think is very smart) in the first half of the draft before taking the best player available from rounds 5-7.  Here is a look at who I project the Ravens to take next weekend based on my mock draft:

1st round (#26 overall) – Nate Solder, OT, Colorado

2nd round (#58 overall) – Jerrel Jernigan, WR, Troy State

3rd round (#90 overall) – Kris O’Dowd, C, USC

4th round (#123 overall) – Curtis Marsh, CB, Utah State

5th round (#164 overall) – Roy Helu, RB, Nebraska

5th round (#165 overall) – Anthony Sherman, FB, Connecticut

6th round (#180 overall) – Bilal Powell, RB, Louisville

6th round (#191 overall) – Nick Bellore, ILB, Central Michigan

7th round (#225 overall) – Taiwan Jones, RB, Eastern Washington

Nate Solder and Kris O’Dowd could be starters from Day #1 for the Ravens if center Matt Birk decides not to come back or to retire.  The rest of the guys will have to earn there way into significant roles starting in training camp (if there is one).  I think this would be a nice group for the Ravens.

Ravens’ GM Ozzie Newsome always seems to draft well but the early returns on last April’s Draft don’t look so good.  There is time for those guys to turn things around though.  Here is a look at what the rookies did in 2010 for the Ravens:

Sergio Kindle:  24-year old OLB Sergio Kindle was the #43 overall pick (2nd round) out of Texas by the Ravens.  He spent his rookie year on the Injured Reserve List after suffering a fractured skull in a fall down a flight of stairs.  With an injury like that, Kindle might not be able to play Pro Football.

Terrence Cody:  22-year old NT Terrence Cody came to the Ravens with the #57 overall pick (2nd round) out of Alabama.  Cody played in 13 games (1 start) for the Ravens last season and he had 13 tackles.  Cody was blocked inside for P.T. last season but that will begin to change soon as the 6’4″, 349 pound Cody seems too good to keep on the bench.

Ed Dickson:  The Ravens used the #70 overall pick (3rd round) last April on 23-year old TE Ed Dickson.  Dickson played in 15 games (3 starts) for the Ravens last season in which he caught 11 passes for 152 yards (13.8 avg) with 1 TD grab.  Dickson looks like the heir apparent to Todd Heap at TE if he ever decides to hang up his cleats.

Dennis Pitta:  25-year old TE Dennis Pitta came to the Ravens in the 4th round (#114 overall) out of BYU.  Pitta played in 11 games (0 starts) for the Ravens and he caught 1 pass for 1 yard.  Pitta’s going to have to step up soon because he’s an older prospect.

David Reed:  23-year old WR David Reed came to the Ravens with the 156th overall pick (5th round) out of Utah.  Reed didn’t catch any passes as a rookie and he carried the ball 1 time for 15 yards.  Reed made his mark on special teams for the Ravens as a rookie.  He returned 21 kickoffs for 616 yards (29.3 avg) with 1 TD return.  He also had 11 tackles and he forced 2 fumbles. 

Arthur Jones:  The Ravens used the 157th overall pick (5th round) on DT Arthur Jones out of Syracuse.  Jones played in 2 games (0 starts) for the Ravens last season but he didn’t have any tackles.  He’s going to have to step up if he wants to keep getting paid to play football.

Ramon Harewood:  24-year old OT Ramon Harewood came to the Ravens in the 7th round (#194 overall pick) out of Morehouse College in Georgia.  The 6’6″, 340 pound Harewood spent his rookie season on Injured Reserve due to a knee injury. 

GRADE FOR 2010:  D+

GRADE FOR THE FUTURE:  C-

The Ravens used 4th round picks on 23-year old TEs Dennis Pitta & Ed Dickson with the idea that they would be replacing 30-year old Todd Heap sooner rather than later.  But, Todd Heap has stepped up this season holding off the rookies.  Heap has played in 11 games for the Ravens so far this year and he has caught 37 passes for 546 yards (14.8 avg) with 5 TD grabs.  He is getting open quite a lot this year and his hands are still awesome.  Ed Dickson has gotten into 10 games for the Ravens so far this year and he has 5 catches for 91 yards (18.2 avg).  At least he has done more than Dennis Pitta so far this year.  Pitta has played in 7 games this year for the Ravens and he has caught 1 pass for 3 yards.  I don’t see Heap willing to give his job any time soon so Ed Dickson and Dennis Pitta are going to have to wait for their time to shine.

The Ravens have placed 28-year old OT Stefan Rodgers (high ankle sprain) and 23-year old rookie OT Ramon Harewood (knee) on the Injured Reserve List ending their seasons.  Rodgers played in 3 pre-season games for the Ravens and he started 1 of them.  He is yet to play in a regular season game in the NFL.  Ramon Harewood played in 4 pre-season games (1 start) for the Ravens.  The 6th round pick out of Morehouse (Ga.) will essentially had a redshirt season for the Ravens in 2010.

Rookie TEs Ed Dickson, Dennis Pitta and WR David Reed have all looked good so far in their first tastes of the NFL.  Dickson was picked in the third round and he has caught 3 passes for 30 yards (10.0 avg).  Despite looking good so far he could still open the season as the Ravens’ #3 TE.  That’s because 4th round pick Dennis Pitta has also looked good catching 4 passes for 65 yards (16.3 avg) so far this pre-season.  David Reed was a 5th round pick last April and despite having a solid pre-season (4 rec, 38 yards, 9.5 avg) he could still have a rough time making the team as the Ravens are stacked at WR for 2010.  It should come as no surprise that these guys look so good in the pre-season as Ravens’ GM Ozzie Newsome knows what he’s doing every single April at the NFL Draft.

Ravens’ 2nd round pick OLB Sergio Kindle has fractured his skull after falling down two flights of stairs.  He will not be able to fly from Austin, Texas to Baltimore for at least the next three weeks.  Kindle will miss all of training camp and he probably will miss the start of the 2010 regular season for the Baltimore Ravens.  This is a huge blow to Kindle’s career but the Ravens will be able to recover because they weren’t depending on him to produce much in his rookie year.  Hopefully he will have a speedy recovery.

The Ravens have selected OT Ramon Harewood out of Morehouse College (Georgia) with the 194th pick (6th round) of the NFL Draft.  Harewood is a giant man at 6’6″, 358 pounds.  He is a good run blocker but he runs out of gas quite a bit.  He will be a developmental project for the Ravens but he has a huge upside.  He played in 10 games (all starts) for Morehouse last season and he played in 33 games (all starts) in his four years there.  You probably won’t see Harewood in a game too soon but he does have a nice upside.

The Ravens have selected DT Arthur Jones with the 157th overall pick (5th round) of the NFL Draft.  Jones was projected to go in the 2nd or 3rd round by most draft “experts”.  He slid because of his questionable work ethic and dedication to the game of football.  He does have outstanding size as he is 6’3″, 302 pounds.  The Ravens’ coaching staff will have to be all over Jones to keep him focused and motivated.  If the coaching works the Ravens probably have a steal in Jones.  Jones played in 9 games (all starts) for Syracuse last season and he finished up with 19 tackles, 7 tackles for a loss, 1.5 sacks and he recovered 2 fumbles.  In his four years in college, Jones played in 44 games (32 starts) in which he had 120 tackles, 38.5 tackles for a loss, 6.5 sacks, he batted down one ball and he recovered 2 fumbles.  This was a boom or bust pick for the Ravens.