Gaither - Supplemental Draft

[deuce]

Jared Gaither, MD's gigantic left tackle has entered into the supplemental draft.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/football/bal-gaither0628,0,4205879.story?coll=bal-home-headlines

Should the Ravens take a shot at him and if so which round? I think taking a shot as high as 2nd round would be worth it. He is a 6'9" 350 lb LT who could learn from a year behind JO. He showed total domination over his brief career. Our O-line would be set for years to come with all the young talent we have now.

He was projected as 5th rounder for some reason if he would have come out after last year, but top 10 in some early projections for next year. My only question is motivation. Seems like he is not the brightest kid and was given plenty of time/chances to get into good academic standing but didnt.

[ravenmad71]

I agree... if not a second.. I really have to consider a first round pick myself. I expect the Ravens to pick in the late half of the 1st round round yet again.. If things go as we want them to maybe even the 32nd pick in 08. Gaither looked and played well against high competition. I know Ralph had some issues with him.. how much of them were character related.. Im not really sure.. but if everything else checks out and he has a solid, solid workout for scouts.. I think he would be worth the offering of a 2nd to 1st round selection. Your Ravens line for 2008 could very well be:

LT LG C RG RT
Gaither J. Brown Chester Grubbs A. Terry

Young, Strong and Athletic..... leaves alot to ponder... We'll see July 12th !

[Art-Florida]

Round four - Si - possible good choice
Round one - No - too high

There are lots of good tackles coming out in 2008, and that's when we'll need one. We (Ozzie) are too good at grabbing gems in round one to risk next year's on a maybe, or even a probably.

[UKRavenStockers]

Character issues and him being so raw I'd be surprised to see a first day pick used on him. That said, with the right line coach and the right head coach to keep him motivated, he can be an elite LT in the NFL, he's got all the tools, he's just gotta put it together.

With Adam Terry ready to take over at LT I don't see us being the highest bidder for him.

[UKRavenStockers]

According to this ESPN article by Pastabelly, we're in the group of teams showing the most interest for him.

LINK (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2929635)

[Raveninwoodlawn]

First round?

I'm not big on guys who flunk out of school...I mean, I'm a huge Terp fan and love Gaithers potential, but I'm just not gonna start blowing pics and money on guys who lack motivation and focus.

Gaither has a lot to prove.

I'd use a 4th...no more.

[Sephy]

He'll definitely get a first day pick used on him by someone. Maybe us, who knows. Of note is that Gaither is pretty much exclusively a RT. Would fit with Terry well if he shows he can take the helm.

[RavensNTerps]

He'll definitely get a first day pick used on him by someone. Maybe us, who knows. Of note is that Gaither is pretty much exclusively a RT. Would fit with Terry well if he shows he can take the helm.

He played both sides...freshman year.

In fact, he played mostly LT freshman year.

[UKRavenStockers]

We're handicapped in bidding terms in that we don't have a third rounder to bid on him. I think we'll bid a fourth but someone like Atlanta (very much think they'll be the top bidder for him) may bid that 3rd rounder with their massive issues at tackle.

[Sephy]

He played both sides...freshman year.

In fact, he played mostly LT freshman year.

Yeah, but after that, exclusively RT. His body type and technique projects there. It wouldn't be a bad move, we need a RT, and he could be a pro bowler.

[highwater]

I'm not big on guys who flunk out of school...I mean, I'm a huge Terp fan and love Gaithers potential, but I'm just not gonna start blowing pics and money on guys who lack motivation and focus

Agreed -- I have to be wary of a guy that was only available for the supplemental draft because he flunked out of school. He may have lots of potential, as everyone likes to say, but he also has "potential loser" written all over him.

Pass.

[deuce]

What time is the supplemental draft? I know it is today but cant find sh!t about it on nfl.com or ESPN. Is there any way to track it? Or do we just get a press release sometime this afternoon?

[UKRavenStockers]

No way to track it I don't think, the official time is 1pm EST so I'd imagine that around about 2pm EST all bids for all players will have been sorted and announcements made at some point today or tomorrow.

[Bez513]

RAVENS GATHER GAITHER

A league source tell us that the Baltimore Ravens have selected former Maryland tackle Jared Gaither in round five of the supplemental draft.

No other players are expected to be selected.

[jonboy79]

RAVENS GATHER GAITHER

A league source tell us that the Baltimore Ravens have selected former Maryland tackle Jared Gaither in round five of the supplemental draft.

No other players are expected to be selected.

If true, I hereby apologize to Awalt... I was off base not you... it's all good with me though... at least we STOLE the guy...

[Bez513]

I didn't post the link :

http://www.profootballtalk.com/rumormill.htm

Scroll down a little bit...

[Gabrosin]

I think that was the right player at the right position with the right draft pick. We continue to gather insurance against Ogden retiring after this season, and we do it without spending much in resources or committing big free-agent dollars. We have two rookie OTs who will get a year on the bench to learn from JO and our coaches, and then fight with Adam Terry for the two starting spots when Ogden hangs it up (I'm hoping he never does, but we all know it's likely after this year, more likely if we win a championship).

Ogden, Grubbs, Brown, Chester, Terry, Yanda, Flynn, Vincent, Gaither... not a bad roster of linemen, and that's not even counting Rimpf, who may return. I don't feel much more confident about this year, but I think we've rejuvenated the line for years to come.

[F Angelos]

A Wilson has confirmed this. Nice steal by the Oz man.

[Raveninwoodlawn]

Now that was a good spot for him.

A first day pick for him was just rediculous.

[ExiledRaven]

I agree with Gabrosin...this really fits the Raven MO, that being "building the team from the bottom up"

Tackle depth sits at Ogden, Terry, Yanda, and then Gaither is probably the #4 tackle on the team right off the bat.

Very classic low risk high reward. A 5th isn't a lot to risk for a player with Gaither's athletic potential. If the man can get his house back in order, be in shape and healthy....Ozzie looks like a genius. If he's a flash in the pan backup for three years, it's still depth at a relatively inexpensive price.

[deuce]

Sweet. I am sure some of us (myself for sure) got caught up in his size and that he was a Terp, in rating him so high draft pick wise.

Ozzie Newsome is a genius. Not to mention we will get compensation picks for AD and probably Jamal & Pashos next year anyway.

[jonboy79]

Not Jamal, he was cut, but Mughelli and Franklyn as well as Pashos and AD.... Still 4 picks, looks to me like (1) 3rd, (2) 5ths and a 7th.

[awalt]

This is a great pick on the 5th round! Remember that pick will likely be replaced by a comp pick not that many choices below.

I have some doubts on whether Gaither is a PLAYER, but with what he brings to the table this is a GREAT pick.

Wow what a young group of OL'men we are collecting...

[PurpleRulz]

1. To those posters screaming to throw a 1st and 2nd rounder for Gaither, thank God you never became a NFL GM, because your career would have been short.

2. For the round (5th) this is not a bad investment. This is low risk and high reward. If he does not show anything this Summer, then put him on the P.S. or just cut him. While Gaither has good measurables, the reports of "poor conditioning" coupled with intelligence issues do not make that greatly excited about him. Maybe Gaither in a lockerroom with a Ray Lewis, JO, McNair and Ed Reed (hell even a Troy Smith) will help to put fire under his ass. They should haze the hell out of him.

[jonboy79]

Poor conditioning? If I'm not mistaken, the dainty little Staley was the only one quicker through the footspeed tests, and well, he's 30+ lbs and 4 inches his junior.

[ravenmad71]

Great , Great move !! by Ozzie.. 5th round pick..!!! thats a really good deal. No real high pick lost. Quite possibly look to gain that spot back next year for the free agents lost this past year.. A.D, Mughelli, Pashos. They have defintely did there work in rebuilding the O-line. These guys should be together for years to come. Terry,Gaither,Yanda,Chester,Brown,Grubbs. Ozzie you've done it again !!

[awalt]

Poor conditioning? If I'm not mistaken, the dainty little Staley was the only one quicker through the footspeed tests, and well, he's 30+ lbs and 4 inches his junior.

The poor conditioning remark came from the reports of his private workout this week. Gaither got very winded later in the workout, which also contributed to his poor number of 225# reps.

[Art-Florida]

I'll go with the consesus. Good move. Who worries about the 5th round?

The Good: big, strong, somewhat athletic, need position.

The bad: Low I.Q., raw, maybe some character issues.

If he does not pan out, no big loss. If he does work out, another bargain chalked up to Ozzie and the drafting gurus.

[Rex Thunder]

I'll go with the consesus. Good move. Who worries about the 5th round?

The Good: big, strong, somewhat athletic, need position.

The bad: Low I.Q., raw, maybe some character issues.

If he does not pan out, no big loss. If he does work out, another bargain chalked up to Ozzie and the drafting gurus.

Well, apparently Ralph Freidgen gave him high marks to Ozzie and put any character issue worries to rest. We shall see, but I think it's a great move!
Now if the Wizards can just re-sign Juan Dixon :)

[highwater]

I'm actually a little surprised at this move, and while I'm not sold that he'll pan out, I agree that it's a low risk propostition. Why get worked up over a fifth round pick. I'm not convinced about his potential upside, but there isn't much of a downside either.

[BigAl69]

I think some of you guys are being a bit hard on our newest Raven. I keep seeing references to his " poor workout" but according to ESPN.Com the workout was extremely impressive. He ran a 4.90 40 yard dash, had a 31 inch vertical leap, and his short shuttle and 3 cone drill numbers were top notch. They went on to say that had he been at this years combine his number would have been in the top three of all linemen. The only issue was the 15 reps of 225 in the bench press which were attributed to a shoulder strain which occured as he was preparing for his workout day. This guy is going to be a STUD! This is going to go down as an all time steal. Hey he might not be the brightest bulb on the tree in the classroom but we ain't asking for a book report people.... on the field the guy has produced. He has only played football since his senior year of high school. As a freshman he gave up ZERO sacks in 11 starts. Imagine what he will be with J.O and this coaching staff whispering in his ear?