Baltimore Ravens 2007 NFL Draft Preview

Football Betting Lines

04/02/2007 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Ravens filled their most pressing offseason need by trading for running back Willis McGahee on March 8th, but following the defections of right tackle Tony Pashos (Jaguars), guard Edwin Mulitalo (released) and fullback Ovie Mughelli (Falcons), finding some people to block for McGahee will be a priority. Perennial Pro Bowl tackle Jonathan Ogden is talking retirement, so help at that spot is of utmost importance. Baltimore will probably add a quarterback to grace the depth chart behind 34-year-old Steve McNair and contractual short-timer Kyle Boller, but probably not until the second day. At linebacker, Baltimore lost its most dynamic player, Adalius Thomas, to free agency, and soon-to-be-32-year-old Ray Lewis has begun to show his age in the middle. Elsewhere on defense, cornerbacks Chris McAlister and Samari Rolle took turns serving as pariahs in Charm City last year, and a player to push one or both could be helpful.

2006 Record: 13-3

First Pick: No. 29

Number of Selections: 8 (1, 2, 4, 4, 5, 5, 6, 6)

RECENT FIRST ROUND HISTORY: 2006 - Haloti Ngata (DT, Oregon); 2005 - Mark Clayton (WR, Oklahoma); 2004 - none; 2003 - Terrell Suggs (DE, Arizona State), Kyle Boller (QB, California); 2002 - Ed Reed (S, Miami); 2001 - Todd Heap (TE, Arizona State); 2000 - Jamal Lewis (RB, Tennessee), Travis Taylor (WR, Florida); 1999 - Chris McAlister (CB, Arizona); 1998 - Duane Starks (CB, Miami); 1997 - Peter Boulware (LB, Florida State); 1996 - Jonathan Ogden (OT, UCLA), Ray Lewis (LB, Miami).

Wwwstratlv Football Betting News

<< Pittsburgh Steelers 2007 Draft Preview
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Despite expectations that he would introduce his 4-3, Tampa-2 defense in Pittsburgh, new head coach Mike Tomlin appears set to keep Dick LeBeau's 3-4 zone-blitz scheme, at least for now. Still, you can expect the Steelers to

<< Houston Texans 2007 Draft Preview
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Since Houston's braintrust of head coach Gary Kubiak and general manager Rick Smith focused much of their attention on defense last season, tabbing defensive end Mario Williams and linebacker DeMeco Ryans in the first two rou

<< Tennessee Titans 2007 Draft Preview
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Titans' needs could change drastically between now and draft day, depending on what happens at two important positions. After losing Travis Henry to free agency, Tennessee is in need of a running back, and is reportedly c

<< Line of Scrimmage: Draft '07 - What Will Oakland Do?
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - We all want choices in life, but there can be no denying that having a multitude of options can be both a blessing and a curse. Too many options can lead us to overanalyze, and the more choices we have, th

<< Pressel soars to fourth in women's world rankings
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Morgan Pressel claimed her first LPGA Tour win Sunday, and her first major title, as she won the Kraft Nabisco Championship. The big win helped Pressel soar 13 places to fourth in the late

New England Patriots 2007 Draft Preview >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Patriots have endured perpetual health problems in the secondary, particularly at safety, where Rodney Harrison has missed most of the last two years due to injury. If New England doesn't target secondary help with one of

New York Jets 2007 Draft Preview >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Jets could use some assistance in the secondary, where safety Kerry Rhodes is the only player that warrants special notation in the opposing scouting report. New York added a wealth of players to the front seven via free

Miami Dolphins 2007 Draft Preview >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The million dollar question for the Dolphins involves the quarterback position. Joey Harrington was released, Daunte Culpepper cannot realistically be viewed as a reliable option, and Dan Marino does not appear ready to come

Kansas City Chiefs 2007 Draft Preview >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Though defensive-minded head coach Herm Edwards would probably rather shore up his area of expertise, there is no disputing that Kansas City has more significant needs on offense. The Chiefs have long lacked a first-rate No.

Cincinnati Bengals 2007 Draft Preview >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Cincinnati had its problems defensively last season, then lost reliable players like linebacker Brian Simmons (released) and safety Kevin Kaesviharn (free agent to Saints) in the offseason. The Bengals need to get younger and

Pacific-10 Conference odds

Teams that should be in: Stanford

Oregon and USC get their tickets punched after taking care of business this weekend. Yes, the Trojans' computer numbers aren't great, but there's no way the third-place team in this league is getting nixed. Grudgingly, I added Arizona after consultation with our Bracketologist. I don't know that Arizona will lose its last three (including a Pac-10 quarterfinal game), and even if the Cats do, I still can't see how they'd be left out, given the overall profile. That said, it bears watching, as three more L's would leave them at 18-12 (9-9) and on a 6-11 skid entering the Dance. It would be nice to see the Wildcats get at least one W in the Bay Area next week, as Cincinnati (albeit without Armein Kirkland and with a worse profile) was axed after a similar slide last season. I just couldn't rationalize having some of the other teams as locks and not having Arizona in that category -- there just aren't enough good teams behind the Cats to threaten their spot, it seems. Stanford has its fate in its own hands with the Arizona schools coming to the Farm to close out the regular season next weekend.

Should be in:

Stanford [17-10 (9-7), RPI: 40, SOS: 21] No shame in not getting a win in L.A., but that makes the home game against Arizona State a must-win ahead of what could be an intriguing meeting with Arizona should the Cats lose at Cal. Getting to 11 Pac-10 wins would make Selection Sunday much more comfortable, but 10's probably more than enough this season. The Cardinal have nonconference wins over Texas Tech and at Virginia to lean on, although they also lost badly to Air Force and Santa Clara at home.

Southeastern Conference odds
Work left to do: Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Mississippi State

It looks more and more possible that no one from the SEC West will make the NCAAs. How weird is that? Tennessee and Vandy move into the locks category after more good work this weekend. Kentucky stays there, although it would be smart for the Cats to handle Georgia at home Wednesday ahead of a trip to the Swamp. Could a disaster scenario (two more L's and a first-round SEC tourney exit) somehow dislodge the Cats despite their incredible computer numbers? Still unlikely, but not worth chancing it.

Work left to do:

Alabama [19-9 (6-8), RPI: 43, SOS: 47] The tough L at Tennessee was understandable, and even created some hope. Unfortunately, that hope was dashed by a home loss to Auburn, which leaves the Tide in some real trouble. There's still no signature win on the profile (no, Kentucky doesn't count), and the computer profile is weakening rapidly. The Tide conceivably could beat Ole Miss and win at Miss. State to get to 8-8 and clinch at least a share of the West crown, but that's probably not enough right now. The Tide will need to do some work in the SEC tourney.

Georgia [16-10 (8-6), RPI: 52, SOS: 23] This is the team with the best chance to make it from this section right now. The Bulldogs rebounded from a terrible performance at Ole Miss to beat down Miss. State. Now they are at Kentucky (king of the RPI 51-100 win) and home to Tennessee. That would be worth a lot of computer points to get both (which is doable), as both teams are in the top 11 in RPI. Finishing at least 9-7 is an absolute must, and I would feel much better about the Dawgs' chances if they got both to get to 10 SEC wins. They also beat Gonzaga, but lost to ACC bubblers Georgia Tech and Clemson.

Mississippi [18-10 (7-7), RPI: 63, SOS: 79] Like everyone else in this division, Ole Miss gacked up a chance to stake a claim, losing by double figures at South Carolina. Even 9-7 likely is not nearly enough with a nonconference profile devoid of anything notable.

Mississippi State [16-11 (7-7), RPI: 66, SOS: 37] With a chance to get in the mix, these Bulldogs were leashed by their Georgia counterparts. Could they get to 9-7? I guess -- although winning at Arkansas, then beating Alabama is no lock -- but would that mean all that much for a team with this overall profile? Probably not. There's nothing of note (on the good side) in the nonconference profile.

For more College Basketball betting lines go to MySportsbook.com

Additional sports lines can be found at: www.Sportsbooks.com

To bet on March Madness games this online sportsbook accepts credit cards.