Still, for the Baltimore Ravens, first-year contributions from their rookie class matter. Not only does the team enter 2023 with justifiable Super Bowl aspirations, but the pressure to deliver the first playoff victory of the Lamar Jackson era has only heightened since the superstar quarterback signed his massive extension.

For the Ravens to break through this season, at least some of their rookies will have to step into significant roles and make a difference. But some first-year players have better chances of delivering that impact than others. Draft position dictates opportunity to a certain degree, but Baltimore’s depth chart will also provide clearer paths to the field at certain positions. And, of course, prospects don’t enter the NFL at the same stage of development.

Accounting for all those factors — though not for future injuries given the unpredictable nature of player health — here’s a subjective ranking of the Ravens’ newly minted draft picks in terms of likeliness to play a meaningful role this season.

6. Andrew Vorhees, OL, USC

Though late-round offensive linemen rarely make a considerable Year 1 impact, Vorhees finds himself here by default. The mammoth USC product tore his ACL during drill work at the NFL Scouting Combine, dramatically shifting the trajectory of the rest of his draft process and turning 2023 into a de facto redshirt year. If not for the injury, Vorhees could have realistically come off the board among the top 100 picks. Obviously, the situation didn’t unfold ideally for the player, but the Ravens can monitor his recovery and, assuming no setbacks, throw him into competition for a starting job next year.

5. Malaesala Aumavae-Laulu, OL, Oregon

As touched on above, late-round linemen like Malaesala Aumavae-Laulu must overcome considerable challenges to make major contributions as rookies. Aumavae-Laulu doesn’t have a major injury that will keep him off the field like Voorhees’ ACL tear, but that doesn’t mean the Oregon product has so much as a guaranteed roster spot. Even if Aumavae-Laulu makes the 53-man roster, the Ravens will still likely have multiple backups ahead of him, barring injury. That means Aumavae-Laulu could spend his entire rookie season on the inactive list.

4. Tavius Robinson, OLB, Ole Miss

On paper, Tavius Robinson fits the mold of the prototypical Ravens Day 3 pass rusher. The Ole Miss product got dinged in the draft process after running poorly in the agility drills — 4.62 seconds in the short shuttle, 7.4 seconds in the three-cone drill — but possesses good size and delivered strong productivity in college once he became a full-time starter. That profile bodes well for his future prospects, but he begins as no better than the fourth edge rusher in the rotation. SEC pass rushers taken on Day 3 have found ways to produce as rookies (Kingsley Enagbare just this past season), but Robinson has a tougher path to meaningful playing time.

3. Kyu Blu Kelly, CB, Stanford

Unlike Robinson, fifth-round pick Kyu Blu Kelly has to overcome fewer obstacles to see the field. At present, the Ravens have a clear No. 1 corner (Marlon Humphrey), a veteran journeyman on his third team signed this offseason for a nominal price (Rock-Ya Sin), and little else in the way of proven players. Brandon Stephens and Damarion Williams each played less than 50% of Baltimore’s defensive snaps last season while then-rookie Jalyn Armour-Davis saw just 50 defensive snaps full stop. Enter Kelly who offers fantastic size for the position (6-foot, 191 pounds) as well as an impressive athletic profile (Relative Athletic Score of 8.76 out of 10). He also served as a multiyear starter at Stanford which should lessen the learning curve to a certain degree as he adjusts to the NFL.

2. Zay Flowers, WR, Boston College

Though the Ravens used their top pick on Boston College’s Zay Flowers, he doesn’t automatically become the top-used rookie in their draft class. For starters, Baltimore hasn’t exactly operated a wide-open passing offense with Jackson under center, and that will only change so much under new OC Todd Monken. In terms of the target pecking order, Flowers will at least begin his NFL career behind Mark Andrews, Rashod Bateman, and Odell Beckham Jr. Barring injury to one or more of that trio, the number of opportunities available to Flowers in 2023 appears more limited than his draft slot suggests. That said, the floor for his production still puts him ahead of all but one other member of this draft class.

1. Trenton Simpson, ILB, Clemson

The Ravens have invested heavily at inside linebacker in recent years, but not all those investments have worked out. Patrick Queen, a 2020 first-round pick, had his fifth-year option declined earlier this week and appears on his way out of Baltimore. Malik Harrison, a third-round selection the same year, has never played more than 25% of the defensive snaps in any season. Their shortcomings pushed general manager Eric DeCosta to make the Roquan Smith trade last October.

While Smith has signed a long-term extension and will serve as a defensive fixture for years to come, the Ravens clearly prefer to give him a new running mate. Clemson’s Trenton Simpson has a chance to become that player and do so as a rookie. Simpson rates as a truly premier athlete for the position (9.84 RAS) and enters the NFL with multiple seasons of starting experience. Though he will begin his Baltimore tenure behind Queen, that could quickly change. Given the front office’s lack of faith in Queen, perhaps Simpson can overcome that hurdle before the end of September.

The post 2023 NFL Draft: Ranking the Ravens’ draft picks by potential for Year 1 impact appeared first on Baltimore Sports and Life.

A quarter of my life has been devoted to this. And those efforts, are going to have vast implications for the remainder of my years.

I’ve reached that point in life, where years are a blur. One day it’s Christmas, and seemingly you go to bed, and now it’s the 4th of July.

The bliss of youth is that you believe you have all the time in the world.
The curse of aging is the realization that time is fleeting.

Turning 40 is a trip.
It’s not something I’ve fretted about, but it is a big round number that stares at you a bit.

When I was 12, my father turned 40. My step-mother and I had a surprise party for him.
I remember thinking he was old.

There is a certain karma there!

Pictures tell me I’ve aged.
There are the pounds gained, grey added to my beard, and a growing bald spot on the back of my head.

When I was in my 20s, it wasn’t unheard of to be out at a bar somewhere Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.  Followed by low-key drinking days Sunday and Monday watching football.

Just the thought of that boggles my mind.
My weeks now all look like the off-day Tuesday’s of my youth.
On the rare occasions I do wet-the-whistle, there is a need for a recovery period in-between.

That all said, I don’t feel particularly old.
The majority of the time, I don’t feel much different physically than I did when I was 20.

The primary differences are mental.

(You can discuss this on the BSL Board here.)

Parts of who I was at 20 still exists, but I’m not the same person at 40 I was then; I would expect (hope) this is universal.

All of us are collective products of the environments we were raised in, our experiences, and the individual choices we make.

I’ve doubled my life experiences over the past two decades, it would be a shame if I was the same person I was at 20.

At 20 I could be outwardly confident but inwardly insecure. I could be very uncomfortable in my own skin, which had me constantly looking forward and wondering who I would become.

At 40, I know who I am.
I know what my limitations and capabilities are, and I’m comfortable with both.

I know what matters to me.
I know who and what inspires me.
I know who I want to surround myself with.
And who I don’t.

Maybe in a subsequent article I’ll take you through the formation of this site, how it came to be, and my varied experiences over this past decade.

It’s a story I’d like to share with those of you who have helped build us.

Another time.

For now I’d like to talk about the future.

At 20, I was largely motivated by ‘me.’
At 40, I’m largely motivated by ‘we.’

There is nothing inherently wrong about being self-centered.  In-fact, you can make sound arguments for being that way. It’s hard to be good to others if you can’t first be good to yourself. So, yeah… you always need to make sure you are doing right by yourself.

But if you get to a certain point in your life, and you can’t think beyond yourself – that’s pretty limiting.

I run both the Networking group Baltimore Metro Business Development (BMBD) and the Business Development group Pacesetters.

The BMBD + Pacesetters site can be found here.
BMBD & Pacesetters are both parts of BSL. 

Pacesetters is currently comprised of 50+ companies and organizations.

With BMBD, we’ve held regular events since September 2015.

You can find a history of those events here.

The post Hello Baltimore! appeared first on Baltimore Sports and Life.

The title of my first article was ‘My impersonation of Admiral Stockdale.’ Where I basically attempted to answer the questions of, “Who am I, and why am I here?” In that article I laid out my thoughts, stating that I believed having a blog was ultimately a narcissistic endeavor; as it exists essentially because the author believes their opinions are worthy of public consumption.  I made the points that I felt there was always more to learn, and that I admittedly thought I could add value to the existing discussions.

(You can discuss this article on the BSL Board here.)

Looking back at those words 5 years later, I think I had things correct. There has been – and continues to be – more to learn. I also believe we have gained a voice, that has contributed to local discourse.

I did not have a grand vision for the blog when it was launched. Basically I was a bored office worker, and the writing became a cathartic outlet.  The ‘Life’ portion was my intent to also write about non-sports interests such local restaurants, pop culture, and politics. I quickly realized that writing about politics would only likely serve to tick off half of my potential audience; and that a narrowed scope of topics would be better for the site. There is a larger story to tell, but that would further extend out what will already be a long and drawn out post. The highlights are that during these 5 years, the following things have happened:

• We moved from the Blogspot domain, to our new digs here in November 2010.
• We added our Forum in December 2011.
• We began adding additional contributors in November 2012.
• Podcasts were also launched in November 2012, bleeding into the launch of BSL Radio in November 2013.
• 5x BSL has been named a winner in ‘The Mobbies‘ – which is The Baltimore Sun’s annual contest looking at the best blogs and social media accounts in Baltimore. In 2012 and 2013, BSL has been named Baltimore’s Best Pro Sports Blog. In 2012 BSL was named the Best Overall Blog in Baltimore.

We’ve talked about where we started and where we are; the more relevant question is where are we going?

The existing sports media leaders in Baltimore are 105.7 The Fan, WNST, CSN Baltimore, MASN, PressBox, The Sun, & WBAL Radio. Each of those outlets has positives and negatives. One constant with each of those organizations, is that there are good people and coverage (particularly reporting) to be found at each of those sites. Even if there are people you dislike personally or professionally at a particular outfit; it would be wrong to paint everyone else at that company with the same brush. It is only fair to judge people on their own merits.

BSL is being built, with the goal of being recognized as a legitimate competitor with those existing media leaders. Like those sites, we have our own strengths and weaknesses. Our primary weakness as a site is our reporting. You won’t see BSL breaking news. Why is that, you ask? Primarily because we lack Press Credentials. BSL would like to be credentialed by the Baltimore Orioles, Baltimore Ravens, and the University of Maryland. We’ve made requests previously, and have been declined.

There is a sizable portion of the credentialed established media who does not respect a site like BSL. Part of their lack of respect being that they don’t see us, or sites like Camden Depot, or Camden Chat, or Baltimore Sports Report, or I Hate JJ Redick, or Russell Street Report*  at Oriole Park or at 1 Winning Drive covering the Orioles and Ravens on a daily basis.  (*Actually, I believe RSR does have Ravens credentials, but regardless of the quality they put out – there is a portion of the ‘mainstream’ media which does not respect them.)

Some of the same ‘mainstream’ media which does not respect us (because we lack credentials) are the same people who believe credentials should not be provided; because we are not legitimate. That seems to be a circular argument, no?

What exactly is the argument against a site like BSL being credentialed? Since November 4th (the launch of BSL Radio) we’ve had guests on from ESPN, Sports Illustrated, NBC Sports, CBS Sports, Baseball Prospectus, Athlon, Sporting News, MLB.com, Brooks Baseball, Baseball Info Solutions,  The Boston Globe, The Washington Post, MLB Trade Rumors, Sports on Earth, Grantland, NFL Network, FanGraphs, Football Outsiders, ProFootballFocus, etc. etc.

Representatives from those sites find us viable to speak with. We would like to think the Orioles, Ravens, and Terps should as well.  If those local teams choose not to provide us with credentials, it will remain disappointing, but that is their right. They can operate their organizations as they deem fit. Unlike some, I’m not going to spend years crying about it on a daily basis.

The reasons why BSL would like to be credentialed are straight-forward. We would like to occasionally pose questions directly to the leadership of those teams. Additionally, we realize that being credentialed would make some look at us as more legitimate. Lastly, we think the work we’ve put out as a site demands respect, and we should be recognized as more of the equal we are.

We’ve acknowledged that a collective strength of the existing local sports media leaders is their reporting, and that reporting remains a weakness for us.

The focus of our site is analysis and discussion on the Orioles, Ravens, and Terps. In that regard, I feel we compare well with anyone locally. Here are some links to some of our coverage in just the past couple of weeks. Not previously familiar with our work? Review them, and let us know your thoughts.

Credentialed or not, this is the type of material you can expect us to continue to provide. BSL Radio will continue to grow as well.

If our primary weakness as a site is reporting, our second biggest road-block is name recognition. We have a great group of message board posters, and followers on Twitter & Facebook that help us promote the site; and we are extremely thank-full to each of them for doing so. Despite their efforts though, many locally still do not know us. Our analytics show that the people who find our site, return. We need to be on the radar of more people, and we are working on making that come to fruition. We have a strong Advisory Board comprised of accomplished professionals, who are being leveraged. Additionally, we’ve obtained some of the funding we need to increase our profile. We have a Sales Director who is working diligently on finding local companies to partner with. Companies who can take advantage of what we’ve accomplished to help advertise their respective businesses, while BSL uses those partnerships to have the means to continue to improve as a site.

We’ve come a long way over the past 5 years. There are a lot of people to thank for helping us build to this point. Sincerely, I’m as appreciative as one can be. There are additional roads to travel, and I’m excited to see what can be achieved in the next 5 years. Do you want an alternative to the existing local sports media leaders? Here we are.

The post Baltimore Sports and Life has turned 5…. now what? appeared first on Baltimore Sports and Life.

Everyone has a blog these days, and ultimately it is a narcissistic endeavor.

I say that, because a blog exists essentially because the author believes their opinions are worth public consumption. I would like to tell you that I am above that… that I am not that self-involved, but that reality holds for me as well.

I have listed my primary interests, and what I will be blogging about regularly.

The blog will exist because I have enough of an ego to believe I can add value to the discussion, and rise above the current rhetoric.

To be clear, I am not claiming to be an expert on all matters I will post on.

However, I will claim that I will definitively show that many hailed as ‘experts,’ regularly show questionable logic.

My number one passion is baseball, and I believe my knowledge in that sphere is strong.

One of the first things my father taught me about baseball, is that there is always more to learn.

I have never forgotten that, nor do I ever believe I will reach a point where that is not true.

I am looking at this blog as an opportunity to post my opinions, with my name attached to the thoughts.

I will respond to all emails with questions, or any points of contention.

Thank-you for indulging me…

Cheers,
Chris

The post My impersonation of Admiral Stockdale appeared first on Baltimore Sports and Life.