Draft

Eighteen years ago during their inaugural draft, the Ravens landed future Hall of Fame middle linebacker Ray Lewis late in the first round. It was a masterful selection, especially since there were questions surrounding Lewis at that time due to a lack of ideal size. Lewis wound up winning a pair of NFL Defensive Player of the Year awards, providing leadership for two Super Bowl championship teams. Now that Lewis has retired, the Ravens are tasked with replacing him to bolster an inside linebacker spot weakened by Dannell Ellerbe signing with the Miami Dolphins and Jameel McClain still not medically cleared from a spinal cord contusion.

Each weekday through tomorrow, the day before the first round of the NFL draft, The Sun will look at where the Ravens stand at each position, the likelihood that they will address that spot early in the draft and some of the prospects that they may consider. Today we'll examine inside linebacker: Current inside linebackers under contract : Jameel McClain, Rolando McClain, Albert McClellan, Josh Bynes, Bryan Hall, Nigel Carr Chances that the Ravens draft an inside linebacker in first three rounds : High.

When Michael Huff arrived at team headquarters last month, it didn't mean the Ravens were suddenly set at safety. With free safety Ed Reed signing as a free agent with the Houston Texans and strong safety Bernard Pollard cut from the roster, filling the void created by their departures remains a job only halfway done. Signing Huff to a three-year, $6 million contract gives the Ravens a starting free safety to replace Reed, but the team still hopes to find a talented safety with enough versatility to potentially line up at either spot.

Though the flicker of collegiate game tape isn't exactly candlelight, it can sometimes be love at first sight for a scout sitting in a dark film room, pining over pro prospects. Daniel Jeremiah, a former NFL scout who worked four years in the Ravens organization, experienced one of those moments in the months leading up to the 2007 NFL draft while watching tape of Iowa's Marshal Yanda. Years later, he still remembers one play when the senior offensive lineman de-cleated a defender with a violent peel-back block.

The Ravens replaced pass rusher Paul Kruger with a three-time Pro Bowler in Elvis Dumervil. They are open to trying out defensive end Pernell McPhee at rush linebacker. Courtney Upshaw could improve his pass-rushing prowess before his second NFL season. And Terrell Suggs should have four fully-functioning limbs this fall. Will that keep the Ravens from drafting another pass rusher next week, possibly even with an early pick? This draft class boasts a mysterious but talented group of edge rushers, led by LSU's Barkevious Mingo, Oregon's Dion Jordan, Florida State's Bjoern Werner, Georgia's Jarvis Jones, and BYU's Ezekiel Ansah.

Towson Catholic alumnus Donte Greene, a free-agent small forward Donte Greene, signed a two-year, nonguaranteed contract with the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday. He'll be eligible for the postseason. Greene, 6 feet 11, has career NBA averages of 6.1 points, 2.4 rebounds and 0.6 of an assist in 16.8 minutes in 253 games (82 starts) over four seasons (2008-2012) with the Sacramento Kings. His field-goal percentage is .406. Greene, 25, hasn't played in the league since suffering a fractured ankle during an offseason workout Aug. 25. He recently played one game in Puerto Rico for Atleticos de San German of the Baloncesto Superior Nacional (BSN)