Bracie Smathers
Footballguy
Can't believe a thread wasn't opened the second he was drafted.
Before the draft Harbaugh said he wanted to address the inside linebacker position, saying he needed 'at least one, maybe two guys.' The specualtion pointing directly to Mosely as the top pick started.
http://www.baltimoreravens.com/news/article-1/Ravens-Looking-For-One-Maybe-Two-Inside-Linebackers/24dee111-beb1-4f54-9219-39aadff095bb
http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/ravens/ravens-insider/bal-ravens-rookieminicamp-primer-20140514,0,7222542.photogallery
Before the draft Harbaugh said he wanted to address the inside linebacker position, saying he needed 'at least one, maybe two guys.' The specualtion pointing directly to Mosely as the top pick started.
http://www.baltimoreravens.com/news/article-1/Ravens-Looking-For-One-Maybe-Two-Inside-Linebackers/24dee111-beb1-4f54-9219-39aadff095bb
Mini camp begins for the Ravens and now the speculation that he'll be the starter began.Ravens Looking For One, Maybe Two Inside Linebackers
Posted Apr 6, 2014
The Ravens re-signed inside linebacker Daryl Smith this offseason, but that doesn’t mean they’re done reinforcing the position.
“We need to bolster our inside linebacker position – at least one, maybe two guys,” Head Coach John Harbaugh said at the NFL owners meetings last week.
The Ravens have a long list of needs, but inside linebacker hasn’t been commonly identified.
Baltimore cut Jameel McClain – who later signed with the New York Giants – opening up one starting spot.
Harbaugh said he expects second-year linebacker Arthur Brown to win that starting Will job. Brown was a highly regarded second-round pick last year who essentially had an apprentice year in which he served as the nickel linebacker.
If Brown and Smith are the starters, the only depth on the roster is Josh Bynes who started six games last year, and Albert McClellan, who can play both outside and inside.
Baltimore also holds the rights to inside linebacker Rolando McClain should he return to the NFL following his retirement last offseason. McClain, a former first-round pick, was reportedly set to speak with General Manager Ozzie Newsome on Friday about a possible comeback.
The Ravens could look to the draft to add inside linebacker talent for depth, or look to a potential future replacement for Smith, who is 32 years old.
The top draft option available, who could be around at pick No. 17 in the first round, is Alabama’s C.J. Mosley. General Manager Ozzie Newsome has a soft spot for players from his Alabama alma mater, but he hasn’t drafted an inside linebacker in the first round since Ray Lewis in 1996.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/ravens/ravens-insider/bal-ravens-rookieminicamp-primer-20140514,0,7222542.photogallery
The hype that went to Brown wasn't yet carried forward to C.J. and it should Shazier already has his thread but the Steelers tend to sit rookies. I think C.J. is going to get the starting gig and be and IPD star starting in his rookie season.( Lloyd Fox, Baltimore Sun / May 9, 2014 )
Head coach John Harbaugh won't immediately anoint a rookie as a starter. He wants to make sure they earn it, both with their play on the practice field and their study habits off of it. So, it was predictable when he said that Mosley, the 17th overall pick and viewed as one of the most NFL-ready players in the draft, will get an opportunity to compete for a starting job.
It would be extremely surprising if Mosley isn't the Week 1 starter alongside middle linebacker Daryl Smith. Arthur Brown currently tops the depth chart at weak-side linebacker, but he played sparingly last year and still needs to get bigger. Mosley, on the other hand, has a head start on learning the Ravens' defense because it has many similarities to the defense Mosley played in at Alabama.