Tre McBride a Perfect Fit for Baltimore Ravens on Day Two of Draft

Now that the ink has dried on Torrey Smith’s five year $40 million contract with the San Francisco 49ers the Baltimore Ravens have third year player Marlon Brown penciled in as the teams starting wide receiver opposite Steve Smith with Kamar Aiken and Mike Campanaro behind them. It’s not a receiving group that will strike fear into the hearts of many defensive coordinators, but it is a solid mix of talented young players who’ve earned their presumed increase in playing time.

Still it’s a unit that lacks ideal depth and the Ravens are fully expected to address the position at some point in the 2015 NFL draft at the end of the month. The Ravens currently hold the 26th pick in the first round and with plenty of receiver needy teams picking ahead of them it seems unlikely that one of the top players will still be available. The Ravens pride themselves on drafting the best player available, particularly in the first round and the value could lie elsewhere.

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Luckily there will be plenty of pass catchers still available on the second day of the draft and one player who I think could be of particular interest is William and Mary Tribe standout Tre McBride. McBride first popped up on the national radar at the East-West Shrine Game where he spent the week of practice putting to rest any concerns that he wouldn’t be able to get separation against a higher level of competition.

The step up to NFL competition will still be a steep one, but moving from FCS competition to college all-stars with relative ease certainly bodes well for the small school prospect. He also backed up his Shrine game performance with a solid combine, clocking in at 4.41 in both his 40 yard dash attempts and was a top performer in the 20 yard shuttle with a time of 4.08 seconds, proving to scouts he has the speed and agility to succeed at the next level.

The worst thing you could say about McBride is that he measured just a little short of his 6 foot 2 inch listing (he’s listed at 6 foot 0 on his combine profile.)

Prior to the East West Shrine Game, Philadelphia Eagles reporter, Tony Pauline, reported that area scouts viewed McBride as “soft” and more recently Kevin Weidl of ESPN tweeted his concerns about McBride’s consistency.

Unfortunately for the young NFL hopeful, the only way to address these concerns will be to get on the field in the regular season, beat some press coverage, take a few shots from a linebacker or strong safety over the middle and continue to gain separation. At 210 pounds McBride has a solid frame that will make him tough to push around and he’s a natural hands catcher; regularly catching the ball away from his body, making acrobatic catches look easy.

What I think will make him interesting to the Baltimore Ravens in particular though is that McBride already seems to have an advanced understanding of the position, and doesn’t shy away from any aspect of the game. He’s can play outside as well as in the slot, he’s a willing run blocker, a quality kick returner (averaged 23.8 yards per return in his final two seasons) and every scouting/practice report praises his fluid route running. McBride already does all the little things coaches love and that’s what really will appeal to the Ravens.

In Marlon Brown and Kamar Aiken, Baltimore has two young players that started out as unpolished size/speed threats, McBride would give them a player with a little more polish and incredible upside. McBride may not be as big as Aiken or Brown, but he was regularly used as a red zone target at William and Mary to great effect, recording 15 TDs in two seasons. He’s not a true deep threat like Torrey Smith was or like Phillip Dorsett or Devin Smith will be, but he’s got plenty of speed to get down field in a hurry when asked.

Aug 30, 2014; Blacksburg, VA, USA; William & Mary Tribe wide receiver Tre McBride (3) during the game against the Virginia Tech Hokies at Lane Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter Casey-USA TODAY Sports

The only issue may be how well McBride’s rising draft stock aligns with the Ravens current draft picks. With the 90th overall pick (third round) Baltimore could be in perfect position to land McBride or they could just miss him (CBS Sports lists him as their 84th).

General Manager Ozzie Newsome will have some ammunition to move up if he chooses, with two picks in the fourth and one in the fifth, as well as compensatory selections in each round (two in the fifth).

The bottom line is Tre McBride has the skill set and polish to contribute right away in the Ravens pass attack as well as on special teams while providing enough upside to become a bona fide starter. In other words, exactly the type of player Ozzie Newsome loves drafting and Head Coach John Harbaugh’s staff seems to love developing.

Next: Baltimore Ravens, Rob Housler a great match?

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