Quarterback
Dave Ragone
College: Louisville
Year: Senior
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 255
Birthday: October 3, 1979
Strengths: Dave Ragone is known by his teammates as “Magnum.” Stop laughing, it’s not what you think. Ragone acquired the name because he carries a cannon below his left shoulder. Word is that he can launch the ball 75 yards downfield.
Ragone’s size makes him a load to take down. He won’t have anyone mistake him for Michael Vick, but he can scramble away from trouble if he has to abandon ship. Ragone will probably outweigh more than half of the defenders on the field when he takes his first NFL snap.
Ragone will show patience in the pocket, choosing to hold onto the ball instead of forcing it where it doesn’t belong. His field vision helps him recognize what the defense is giving him better than most. He parlays that vision and poise into making a good pass to the right receiver. Last fall, Ragone threw just 7 interceptions to go with his 23 touchdowns. His coach has also called him a good leader, one that’s willing to get in the facemasks of his teammates.
Areas for Concern: Ragone began altering his throwing motion toward the end of the 2001 season. According to an interview with ESPN The Magazine, he lowered the starting motion from his ear to his shoulder. Wha?? Why? Ragone says he did it to give him better touch and more velocity. Also, on the advice of scouts, Ragone has added forty pounds onto his frame in about a year’s time. Now some are saying his accuracy has been adversely affected by all the extra weight.
Throwing a good, deep ball has been somewhat of a challenge for Ragone. Oh, sure, he can get it there, but he’ll need to learn how to put the right amount of air underneath his passes so more of them are caught. If there is another concern with Ragone, it is his no holds barred style of running with the football. A couple hits from Jamie Sharper should knock enough sense into him to learn how to slide.
How Would He Look in Steel Blue? We’ll never know with David Carr as Houston’s QB. An interesting subplot that may develop next spring is if the Ravens lose faith in their QB, Chris Redman, and use the 2003 draft to find his replacement. Redman was Louisville’s quarterback before Ragone, but Ragone is the better prospect of the two.
(profile written by Keith Weiland
)
Dave Ragone’s 2001 Stats G ATT CMP % YDS TD INT 12 383 231 60.3 3,056 23 7
Dave Ragone 
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