As the draft approaches, plenty of rumors will be surface. And plenty of those rumors will be smokescreens deliberately created by teams with an agenda.
Case in point, the report from Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net that the Ravens covet tight end Eric Ebron at No. 17 feels like an effort to ensure that Ebron, a player the Ravens don’t need, will be gone before the Ravens pick, pushing someone the Ravens actually want farther down the board.
With tight end Dennis Pitta returning on a big-money deal, tight end Owen Daniels joining the team, and the Ravens adding receiver Steve Smith and re-signing receiver Jacoby Jones, it makes no sense to ignore one of the various other needs -- like right tackle -- at No. 17.
If the Ravens truly want Ebron, the Ravens are never going to let that cat out of the bag. The far more likely explanation is that the Ravens want others to think they want Ebron, in order to help them get the guy they really want.