Tony Lombardi: Most OTA's are voluntary yet fans and the media are quick to point out the players that don't show up for the voluntary camps. What is the organization's viewpoint on this and do players that volunteer to show up gain an edge in any way?

Eric DeCosta: Guys that show up learn, improve technique, become more familiar with schemes. Plus from a conditioning perspective it’s huge. Fortunately our team has bought in and our participation levels are as good as they’ve ever been.

When Ray Lewis takes part in voluntary workouts it sends a statement. It’s impressive to other guys and they follow Ray. Despite it being voluntary we do get better and we’ve been able to get work done.

TL: You have extensively scouted your draft choices prior to making them Ravens. But when they take the field during OTA’s what are you hoping to see in their performances?

ED: We are really looking for improvement from the first practice through their last practice. The players have a lot to deal with… a new environment, new terminology, and new teammates. We want to see work ethic, players flying around and trying to lead despite being younger and new.

We throw a lot at them in a short span and there are other things pressing them as well. Some are just graduating; others traveling cross country. So, all of these things affect the learning curve initially. At the end of the day or this case the OTA’s, we really just want to see growth and improvement from practice to practice.

TL: OTA’s are conducted in shorts, jerseys and helmets but no pads. What determines a productive practice in the eyes of scouts and coaches?

ED: We like to see cohesiveness of the groups. On offense we don’t want to see passes hit the ground.  We want them completed and we’re looking for crispness in and out of the huddle, up to the line and the presnap adjustments. We don’t want offsides penalties and we want the coming off the ball as a unit.

On defense we don’t want to see big plays being given up. We want enthusiasm, energy, and we want to get a vibe on how the team looks and feels. What is the energy level on any particular day.

TL: What similarities do you see in Greg Mattison’s coaching style and that of Rex Ryan? How do they differ and how might those differences manifest themselves in the defensive approach this season?

ED: The two are similar in that they are both extremely confident and upbeat. They possess a “we can do it” mentality and both are players’ coaches. That said neither is afraid to jump a guy if he’s not playing at Ravens’ speed.

I think with Greg Mattison you will find a coach who stresses fundamentals and will demand that his players are sound in that regard. He will stress gap responsibility and control and stress the importance of preventing the big play. He’s learned from Rex yet he is possibly more conservative. I’m not sure that we’ll see so many exotic blitz packages and quite honestly I hope we don’t have to do that because it leaves you vulnerable to the big play. The Colts for example have exploited that. We want to pressure offenses without the exotic packages.

One thing you can look for under Greg is that we’ll be in the right spot and we’ll be a physically tough and aggressive defense.

TL: As great as Ray Lewis is, he seems to be a bit of a liability in pass coverage.  He’s now 34 years old. Might it be time to see him come off the field in obvious passing situations given the newly found depth in the secondary and with younger players like Paul Kruger, Antwan Barnes and Jameel McClain all being better pass rushers?

ED: That’s a coaching decision. Ray can still cover opposing players. It will however be a point of emphasis for our defense to get better at covering underneath routes. We have an abundance of good players on paper and that should translate into an abundance of sub-packages on the field that will take advantage of our versatile skill sets.

TL: Lorenzo Neal is now gone with no other FB on the roster with NFL experience save Le’Ron McClain. Do you see McClain as being less of a factor in the running game with the return of a healthy Willis McGahee and the addition of Cedric Peerman?

ED: We have some depth at running back. Jalen Parmalee we are high on as well. It will be a game time decision based on matchups. Sometimes McClain may be better suited at fullback against one opponent yet he could be the featured back against another – again based on the match-ups. One of the things I really admire about Cam Cameron is his flexibility – his ability to select which players are best suited to exploit the weaknesses of that week’s opponent and use it to our advantage.

TL: David Pittman was a third round corner taken from a small school. Lardarius Webb, same thing. Why will Webb not be the disappointment that Pittman was?

ED: First of all we look at players and draw comparisons from different players. Keep in mind that Lardarius did play at Southern Miss first so he did go up against Division I teams and prototypical Division I programs so he has that experience.

Lardarius has also had some adversity and he’s overcome that while Pittman did not. Baltimore was too big for Pittman. And let’s keep in mind that the NFL is a tough, physical game and it’s important to have a demeanor to match. We’ve learned that that can be more important than whether or not a corner can flip their hips quickly. Webb in our opinion is one of the most physical players pound for pound in the 2009 NFL Draft.

TL: Back to Paul Kruger…some had him as a first round talent yet he went in the second round, much like Dan Cody who was slated to play a similar position. Talk about their similarities and differences.

ED: Similarities…well both are white and really that almost makes the comparison inevitable. If Kruger was an African-American would people be making the same comparisons? What if I said he reminds me more of Tony Weaver, also a second round pick?

As for differences we can start with their personalities – completely different. Let’s face it Cody had a lot of catastrophic injuries and while Kruger has had his share they aren’t structural injuries like Cody’s. Kruger is much stronger and has the potential to be bigger. His lower body today is far more developed than Dan’s was even after 3 years of working with our strength and conditioning coaches.

Kruger was also a quarterback in high school so he has a unique sense for the game from a DE’s perspective. That experience affords him ball skills and ability in space uncommon for a player of Paul’s size.

It may be easy for some to conclude that Kruger is Cody all over again, but we’ve spent time analyzing how he fits our team and what he can do today and down the road and with that in mind we feel fortunate to have Kruger on our roster.

TL: One of the criticisms directed towards the Ravens’ front office this offseason has been the inability to bring in a quality receiver through the draft or free agency. Talk about your efforts there and then comment on the development of receivers currently on the roster such as Marcus Smith and Demetrius Williams.

ED: We do like our receivers and people may laugh or chuckle at that. They have shown signs of improvement and both Mason and Clayton particularly towards the end of the season showed the ability to make plays. We do want more productivity from our third receiver whether that is Demetrius Williams or not.

We tried to address the position in the draft and if the right player was there we would have chosen him. But that said we can’t artificially fabricate a wide receiver. If you bring in an unworthy guy you build a false sense of expectation. Last year folks thought we were crazy for not giving D.J. Hackett a closer look yet one year later he’s out on the street looking for a job. We could have drafted someone in the second round and the initial exhilaration would have been high among fans. But the next year they would be questioning why the player didn’t play well.

We had two, maybe three receivers we liked in the first round but didn’t like the ones available at our pick. We loved Robiskie in Round 2 but the Browns got him before we could. You can’t take your 120^th ranked player in Round 3 just to fill a need especially if that player isn’t as good as Marcus Smith.

Marcus is now stronger, more confident; he’s a solid special teams guy and a viable third receiver option with a great demeanor, attitude and approach to the game. Demetrius is as talented as anyone but durability and strength are a factor. He’s bigger and stronger now and if we can get him back to full speed and restore his confidence after his injury, he can be a viable No. 1 receiver in this league.

TL: In the past, you’ve said that to gauge how a collegiate talent might project into the NFL, you compare him as a collegian to someone in the NFL now. So with that in mind, let’s go through the 2009 draft class and tell me which player comes to mind at the NFL level:

ED: Michael Oher: Tough call there…I’ll say Jordan Gross (Carolina)

Paul Kruger: Mike Vrabel (KC, formerly New England)

Lardarius Webb: Sheldon Brown (Philadelphia)

Jason Phillips: Zach Thomas (Miami, Dallas)

Davon Drew: Bo Scaife (Tennessee)

Cedric Peerman: Ryan Grant (Green Bay)

Now keep in mind, style wise that is who these players compare to. Time will tell if they are as productive at the NFL level.

TL: Which UDFA’s should Ravens’ fans keep an eye on when training camp is in full swing?