For Ravens, It Won't Be Long Now

Will tight end Brandon Pettigrew fall to the Ravens at No. 26?

Do the Ravens fall back in the first round?

Have the Ravens fallen out of the trade picture for wide receiver Anquan Boldin?

These are the questions facing the team when the NFL draft begins Saturday. They should be answered by late evening.

The Ravens have strong interest in Pettigrew with the 26th overall pick. But there are three teams standing in the way of the Ravens and Pettigrew, the Oklahoma State standout who is the consensus top tight end in the draft.

* The Buffalo Bills: : It's unlikely they will take Pettigrew with the 11th overall pick, but they could trade up from the 28th spot and ahead of the Ravens.

* : The Detroit Lions: : They could draft Pettigrew at No. 20, but it's hard to believe that defensive-minded coach Jim Schwartz (Mount St. Joseph) would take two offensive players in the first round. Detroit, which has the first overall pick, has reportedly agreed to a six-year deal with quarterback Matthew Stafford.

* : The Philadelphia Eagles: : They will probably take a hard look at Pettigrew at No. 21, especially after not bringing back L.J. Smith. But the Eagles need a running back (Knowshon Moreno, Donald Brown and LeSean McCoy are options) and might choose a tight end in the second or third round.

The Ravens have had a history of coveted players sliding to them, but general manager Ozzie Newsome wouldn't speculate whether that trend would continue Saturday.

"All I can tell you is that I'm prepared for 26 players," Newsome said Friday. "If it ends up being that 26th player, we'll be very happy with him."

In what could be an unpredictable draft - the top 20 players could be vastly different on each team's draft board - the Ravens could trade back, acquire more picks and still get a valued prospect.

The Ravens, who start with six draft picks (their fewest since 2000), will likely move back at some point to obtain more selections.

Asked whether he has talked to teams about trading in the first round, Newsome said: "We've had conversations, but it probably won't start again until we get to the 20th pick. Teams that are behind us want to wait and see who they have a chance to pick."

Although it was already considered unlikely the Ravens would trade for Boldin, their chances seemingly took a blow Friday.

According to ESPN, the Arizona Cardinals have lowered their asking price to a second-round pick, which has piqued the interest of the New York Jets, New York Giants and Eagles.