The Baltimore Ravens meet with Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson for a pre-draft visit, according to The MMQB. That will undoubtedly increase speculation that Baltimore is considering recruiting a quarterback in the first round. The key question is: Are the Ravens really interested in Jackson or do they just want other teams to think they are? It is not out of the question to assume that Baltimore recruits a passer with his first turn. Joe Flacco has suffered a falling level since conquering the Super Bowl five years ago, and the Ravens can create $ 18.5 million in salary cap space in 2019 by designating it as a cutback after June 1.
The Ravens management has done nothing to silence rumors that Baltimore will take a quarterback in the first round for the first time in a decade. Assistant general manager Eric DeCosta said the team would choose a passer if there is one "really too good to miss", and general manager Ozzie Newsome suggested the Ravens could "surprise" in the first round. If Baltimore thinks Flacco could leave by the end of this season, it makes sense to choose a quarterback now and give him a year to observe and learn. And, if the Ravens have their eye on a quarterback with the No. 16 overall pick, Jackson is the best bet among the five best-priced passers to slide halfway through the first round. "Lamar obviously ignited the college scene in his freshman year," said Ravens college head scout director Joe Hortiz. "He's just a dynamic athlete, incredible speed when he goes out into the open as a runner, but he has a really powerful arm, with the ability to accommodate the ball in tight windows, he's the kind of player you can build on." The visit of the Ravens with the winner of the 2016 Heisman Trophy could only be part of the game. If Baltimore is not interested in recruiting a quarterback, it would be in the best interest of the Ravens to make the other teams believe they are.Place your bets on your favourite VIP bettings soccer.
The more pins left in the first half of the first round - and four of them, Sam Darnold, Josh Rosen, Josh Allen and Baker Mayfield, are virtually certain to go that high - more is pushed to highly qualified prospects of other positions on turn No. 16. Showing interest in Jackson could force a team to want a young quarterback such as Los Angeles Chargers (No. 17), New England Patriots (No. 23), New Orleans Saints (No. 27) or Jacksonville Jaguars (No. 29) to jump in front of Baltimore. Recruiting a quarterback in the first round would go against the comments of Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti last February. When asked if it was time to start pondering life without Flacco, Bisciotti replied, "We have bigger fish to fry." At Wednesday's pre-draft press conference, Newsome admitted that the Ravens have not paid much attention to the current batch of quarterbacks than in previous years. "I think the quality of the number of types more ensures that we can do our homework," Newsome said. Jackson is a unique talent, becoming the only player in FBS history to run for at least 1,500 yards and throw for at least 3,500 yards in a season. And Jackson did it twice, (in 2016 and 2017).
He went 22-11 as a starting quarterback at Louisville and was a touchdown machine. He reached the diagonals 119 times, one school mark, running for 50 and shooting for 69. The greatest concern is its accuracy. He completed 57 percent of his passes as a university student. ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. described Jackson as an "area quarterback" quarterback. "He must improve his accuracy, that's a fact," Kiper said. "That 57 percent, we have not seen any improvement over that, the Combined, it was very diffuse with those releases, so we know that that's where it's going to take time and work."