The events continued Friday at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis.
Ravens General Manager Ozzie Newsome spoke with the media for the first time since last year's draft, and he discussed the need to upgrade at wide receiver, the looming roster cuts and the plan for Eric DeCosta to replace him as the general manager next year.
In addition to Newsome's press conference, here were some of the other news and notes from the day:
- Alabama wide receiver Calvin Ridley told reporters that he had a meeting scheduled with the Ravens for Friday night. Ridley is widely viewed as the best receiver in this year's draft and is an intriguing option for the Ravens at No. 16. The fact that he's meeting with the Ravens doesn't come as a big surprise because Baltimore coaches and scouts meet with virtually every player at the Combine in some capacity, but it's a sign the Ravens are doing their homework on him.
- Maryland wide receiver D.J. Moore has been speculated as a Day 2 target for the Ravens in this year's draft. He's heard the buzz around that possibility and said he receives more tweets from Ravens fans about the possibility of landing in Baltimore than any other fan base. "That would be a sight to see," he said about getting drafted by the Ravens.
- Orlando Brown's difficult week continued Friday. After putting up just 14 reps on the bench press Thursday, he ran the 40-yard dash in 5.85 seconds, which was the worst time of anyone. He came into the Combine viewed as a first-round pick and a popular projection to the Ravens at No. 16, but his stock appears to have taken a big hit.
- Running back Saquon Barkley continued to solidify his spot at the top of the draft with a stellar workout. He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.46 seconds and jumped 41 inches in the vertical. If there was any doubt about Barkley being a top-five pick, he seems to have erased that over the last two days.
- SMU wide receiver Courtland Sutton is a borderline first-round pick, and he said he's trying to convince teams that he can be a difference maker at the NFL level. The physical 6-foot-4 receiver has worked out with former Ravens receiver Anquan Boldin this offseason, and he admires his physical style of play.
- Cincinnati Bengals Head Coach Marvin Lewis knows Newsome well from the time they spent together in Baltimore. Lewis was the defensive coordinator on Baltimore's first Super Bowl team, and he praised Newsome for the job he has done throughout his career. "He's just tremendous. He's been great how he's handled things. He's done it without an ego," Lewis said. "He's provided for the franchise, for the coaches, and has just done a tremendous job. I guess in succession will be Eric, which I've seen from he started there with us. I'm excited for him, and what a fine job Eric has done."
- Baltimore added Quarterbacks Coach James Urban this offseason after he spent the last seven years as an assistant on Lewis' staff in Cincinnati. Lewis had good things to say about the kind of coach Urban is. "James has a great knowledge of the game of football," he said. "James, from the onset, came in and did a fine job in coaching our receivers and being a big part of everything we did in the evaluation process of both the quarterbacks and the receivers, all the time."
- The Bengals drafted wide receiver John Ross with the No. 9 overall pick last year, and the speedster had a disappointing rookie season. He played in just three games and didn't catch a pass, and he fumbled on his one carry of the season. Despite the issues, Lewis said, "I don't think John is a miss. I just think guys, unfortunately, come here once in a while and they have injuries that need to be attended to. With John, we had some things that need to be attended to."
