Which Quarterback Should the Ravens Draft?
Last week, Baltimore Ravens head coach, John Harbaugh, said in his presser that drafting a quarterback in the upcoming NFL Draft is a real possibility.
With backup Ryan Mallet a upcoming free agent, and likely not to be brought back, the Ravens will need to replace him, and the draft is the best place to do it. Harbaugh was quoted, saying “Certain positions are going to be more important than others, but when you have a veteran quarterback at this stage, that is the time you are always looking for a young backup.”
Most of the big names like Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold will definitely be gone by the time the Ravens get to pick, which leads many to expect them to wait until the third or fourth round to pick a quarterback, with Oklahoma State’s Mason Rudolph and Washington State’s Luke Falk as the top two choices. So which one would be the better pick?
Mason Rudolph
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CKJ9NYaZp3M
Rudolph is your prototypical quarterback. He’s 6’5, weighs 230 lbs, and has a darn good arm. A senior this past season, Rudolph finished seventh in the Heisman voting with career highs in completion percentage (65.0), yards (4904), touchdowns (37),and QBR (170.6). Although Rudolph had phenomenal numbers this season, it was in the Big 12 Conference, which is not known for stud defenses. Rudolph has the big arm, but has been inconsistent in ball placement and decision-making
Luke Falk
Falk is also the stereotypical quarterback, as he’s 6’4 and weighs in at 224 lbs. Also a senior this past season, Falk had decent numbers. 3593 passing yards, 30 touchdowns, 13 interceptions, a 66.9 completion percentage, and a QBR of 137.0. Falk also has shown he has an incredible drive, as he went from a walk on at Washington State, to the starter and now PAC-12 record holder in touchdown passes and completions.
Falk shows great poise in the pocket, but seems to look past the intermediate option and just throw a check-down. Falk also has inconsistencies in throwing the ball between the numbers. Instead of throwing the receiver open, he tends to wait until the receiver breaks open.
Verdict
If I had to choose between these two, I would pick Rudolph. He has outstanding numbers in a weaker conference, but appears to be more NFL ready. Plus Rudolph is projected to go higher in the draft as a late second/early third round pick. Although Falk has been more accurate, I think he needs the right system to succeed in the NFL, and I do not think that system is here in Baltimore.
For NFL comparisons, Rudolph reminds me of Ben Roethlisberger and Falk reminds me of Matt Hasslebeck/Sam Bradford.
In a dream world, I would love for the Ravens to get Baker Mayfield, or even better, wait two years for a quarterback and go all in on taking Jake Fromm from Georgia. But if I cannot have Mayfield, I guess the other quarterback from Bedlam would do.
What do you Ravens fans think? Who would make the better backup and possible successor to Joe Flacco? Mason Rudolph or Luke Falk?
