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Ravens take Urban, then get offensive in draft

By WTOP Staff

DAVID GINSBURG
AP Sports Writer

OWINGS MILLS, Md. (AP) — On the third day of the NFL draft, Baltimore Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome finally gave offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak some ammunition for the 2014 season.

Newsome started Saturday’s session by taking Virginia defensive end Brent Urban in the fourth round. At the point, four of Baltimore’s first five picks were designed to improve a defense that ranked 12th in the NFL last year.

Newsome balanced the ledger by picking four straight offensive players to close out his 19th draft with Baltimore. He selected Coastal Carolina running back Lorenzo Taliaferro with the team’s second compensatory pick in the fourth round, then picked Penn State guard John Urschel in the fifth round before snagging Ball State quarterback Keith Wenning in the sixth round.

That was supposed to be the end of the draft for the Ravens, who went 8-8 last year. But Newsome traded Baltimore’s sixth-round pick in 2015 to get Cleveland’s seventh-round selection and took wide receiver Michael Campanaro, who played high school ball in Maryland before starring at Wake Forest.

Final tally for the 2014 Ravens draft: Five offensive players, four defensive players.

“It just worked itself out that way,” Newsome said. “We did not go in today saying we were just going to draft offensive players. We were going to try to take the best players that were available, and they just happened to be offensive players.”

The early picks, of course, have a far better chance of making an impact. This draft will be judged heavily on the contributions of Baltimore’s first three choices (in order): Linebacker C.J. Mosley of Alabama; nose guard Timmy Jernigan of Florida State and strong safety Terrence Brooks, also from FSU.

Going into Saturday’s session, the hope was that the Ravens could find a few players who would prove to be helpful to Kubiak, who took the offensive reigns during the offseason.

Baltimore never did get a right tackle, which remains the team’s most glaring hole. The way it stands now, Rick Wagner, drafted last year in the fifth round, is the heir apparent to the departed Michael Oher.

“It wasn’t stacked very well, and we were not going to reach down and just take a player at the tackle position,” Newsome said. “Also, we’re not done as far as building this football team.”

Newsome has a reputation for gleaning talent from the later rounds, but on Saturday he gambled on a former hockey player and a small-school running back.

The 6-foot-7, 298-pound Urban had 40 tackles in eight games last year with the Cavaliers, missing time with a high ankle sprain.

Drafted 15th overall by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats before his senior season at Virginia, the Canadian-born Urban quit hockey around the age of 16 after realizing his body was better suited for football.

“I was definitely the biggest guy and I’d get a lot of penalties that a smaller guy wouldn’t have gotten,” he said. “So it was right about that time that I decided to switch over.”

Although Urban didn’t take up football until high school and was slowed by injury last year, he displayed enough raw talent at Virginia to convince the Ravens to take a chance with the 134th overall pick.

“He has the physical traits in terms of the burst, the speed and the quickness,” said Joe Hortiz, director of college scouting for the Ravens. “He is going to have to develop his hand playing and his pad level. But the potential is there to you an inside pass rush presence.”

Taliaferro rushed for 1,729 yards and scored 27 touchdowns last season before finishing his college career at the Senior Bowl.

The 6-foot, 230-pounder has sure hands and is expected to back up Ray Rice and Bernard Pierce.

“When you factor in his running and receiving ability and pass protection as well as special teams value, that’s what you really want to get out of a third-day back,” Hortiz said.

Urschel was a defensive tackle in high school before coming to Penn State. The 6-3, 313-pounder was twice named to the All-Big Ten Conference first team.

He won the 2013 William V. Campbell Trophy, awarded to the nation’s premier college football scholar-athlete.

Wenning will compete with Tyrod Taylor to be the backup to Joe Flacco. The 6-3 Wenning set school records at Ball State with 92 touchdown passes, 11,402 passing yards and 1,035 completions.

___

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Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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