Nfl

Here is a roundup of which first-round draft prospects the Ravens are linked to in 2013 NFL mock drafts. --- Pat Kirwan of CBS Sports predicts the Ravens will take LSU inside linebacker Kevin Minter at pick No. 32. “Some believe Manti Te'o is a better pick for the Ravens,” Kirwam wrote. “But I studied both and prefer Minter because he has better pass-drop awareness and plays under more control.” --- Don Banks of Sports Illustrated also thinks the Ravens will draft Minter -- unless they trade the pick to someone else . “If the Ravens don't choose to replace one of the inside linebackers they lost (Dannell Ellerbe and Ray Lewis)

NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said on his Twitter page today that the league is expected to release its regular-season schedule Thursday night at 8 p.m. The unveiling is expected to be made on NFL Network. It was initially expected that the schedule would be released today, but it's been delayed for two days. The Ravens will open on the road after they couldn't work out a scheduling compromise with the Orioles on the night of Sept. 5. The Denver Broncos are believed to be their most likely opponent that night, but the Pittsburgh Steelers and Chicago Bears are also possibilities.

Ravens assistant general manager Eric DeCosta was reading comments recently from former Dallas Cowboys head coach Jimmy Johnson that he felt summed up his organization's drafting philosophy perfectly. "I think the thing we want to try to do - this is something that Jimmy Johnson believes - [is] when you have a lot of picks as he had when he did the Herschel Walker trade, you've got to make sure to approach the draft like every pick is the only pick you have," DeCosta said. "It's easy when you have so many picks to just throw some picks away and deal and do all these different things.

This afternoon I did a chat on our site about the Ravens and the NFL draft. Maybe the most popular question, besides ones about the situation at inside linebacker and the uncertainty along the offensive line, was about what it would take for the Ravens to trade up so they can draft one of the top left tackles or electric wide receiver Tavon Austin or some other highly-touted prospect who will be long gone by the time the Ravens pick. We get these questions every spring, so I figured I would do a little homework and address trading up here.

A federal judge last week threw out a Baltimore security guard's copyright infringement case against National Football League Properties, saying there was no evidence the NFL had licensed the use of the Ravens logo he'd designed to a software company. Frederick E. Bouchat has been credited with designing the Ravens' first logo, known as the "Flying B logo," and is awaiting compensation. In this most recent case, Bouchat claimed he wasn't getting credit for the use of the logo in some Madden NFL video games.

Loyola sophomore Damon Hazelton stood on the sideline of the Ravens' practice field on Saturday afternoon, admiring the place where he one day hopes to play. He positioned himself in front of the far wall of the Under Armour Performance Center, where an image of the Lombardi Trophy towers over the goal posts. Wide receiver Jaison Young (Riverdale Baptist) grabbed Hazelton's cellphone and took his picture. “I wouldn't mind playing here,” Hazelton said, smiling. “It just makes me want to play even more.” Unfortunately for Hazelton, the odds of making it to the NFL are not in his favor.

This NFL offseason represents the 10-year anniversary of the inception of the "Rooney Rule. " The rule, named after Pittsburgh Steelers' Chairman Dan Rooney, requires teams to interview minority candidates for all head coaching and senior football operation positions. Initially, the rule showed some signs of success, but the coaching moves from this offseason have even Dan Rooney's son, Steelers' President Art Rooney II, wondering "whether we are really reviewing minority coaches in a satisfactory manner.