OWINGS MILLS, Md. — For an NFL scout there are three days that stand above the rest on the football calendar. Those would be the three days of the NFL Draft.
"It's the best time of the year. It's like our Super Bowl," said David Blackburn, the Ravens' director of college scouting.
Blackburn sat down with WMAR-2 Sports Reporter Shawn Stepner to preview the draft.
"A lot of work goes into this week and it's a lot of man hours in terms of the evaluating the players - a lot of travel, a lot of report writing and really just a lot of effort, a collaborative effort - by everybody that's in our department. It's not just our scouts," he said.
"It's the best time of the year. It's like our Super Bowl."
— Shawn Stepner (@StepnerWMAR) April 25, 2024
For an NFL scout three days stand above the rest...
The three days of the #NFLDraft.
Part of my 1-on-1 with #Ravens Dir. of College Scouting David Blackburn.
More on Countdown to the Draft at 7:30pm on WMAR. pic.twitter.com/2jDr852aBm
He described the vibe in the Ravens draft room as the night progresses.
"There's a little bit of a nervous energy and eagerness as we start to get closer to the start and then once the draft is rolling, and we start to get pick by pick closer to our selection, there is that nervous energy. There's that excitement, anticipation of what's going to happen. It's the draft. It's very unpredictable."
The Ravens hold the 30th overall selection in the first round. Blackburn said the team's strategy for picking their prospect doesn't change because they have to wait.
The #NFLDraft is finally here... and #Ravens fans will have to be patient tonight.
— Shawn Stepner (@StepnerWMAR) April 25, 2024
How is the team's approach to picking 30th different than picking earlier?
Ravens Dir. of College Scouting David Blackburn tells us.
More on Countdown to the Draft at 7:30pm on WMAR. pic.twitter.com/hjP1YP57DQ
"[It's] really no different than when you pick at any point. It's just a matter of you have your guys that you have targeted for this certain range that you're picking in, you hope the draft falls that way. You can't control what other teams do. But, regardless, you're going to have to be ready to pick. You can hope that you're going to get a certain perceived amount of value whenever you're picking based on what guys are there and how you have them rated. But there can be cases where guys get picked and you're 'wiped out' and you're picking outside of that range and the phone's not ringing to move back. But, you still have to have your order ready and you still got to be prepared to pick a player. "
The Ravens hold nine picks over the three days and seven rounds of the NFL Draft.
Ravens Picks:
Round 1 - 30
Round 2 - 62
Round 3 - 93
Round 4 - 113
Round 4 - 130
Round 5 - 165
Round 6 - 218
Round 7 - 228
Round 7 - 250
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