Coming off a successful Friday night of drafting, the Baltimore Ravens got back to work early Saturday morning as they entered the day with three picks in the fourth round.
After addressing wide receiver, tight end and defensive line needs in rounds one-three, the Ravens turned their attention to other notable needs, filling holes with capable players.
Ozzie Newsome and Co. kicked things off with a typical choice in Kentucky edge rusher Za’Darius Smith, who was selected with the 122nd overall pick. With the loss of Pernell McPhee and Courtney Upshaw’s impending 2016 free agency campaign, adding depth to the position was necessary, and the selection of Smith helps the team not only replace some of McPhee’s production, but also potentially have an incumbent to take over for Upshaw in 2016.
Fellow Kentucky pass rusher Bud Dupree earned the hype as the first round pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers, but Smith is a quality consolation prize. Totaling 10.5 sacks and 14.0 tackles for loss in two full seasons with the Wildcats, Smith established himself as an edge-setting run defender with enough pass rush productivity.
The third day of the draft typically is not a prime opportunity to find quality edge players, but Smith should provide the Ravens ample value. At best, Smith likely establishes himself as Baltimore’s fourth-best option on the edge, but as noted, depending on his development, he could be Baltimore’s long-term replacement for Upshaw.
Baltimore’s readiness on draft day to have not just the upcoming season in mind, but also future years, often works to its advantage, and that appears to be the case with the Smith selection.
With Baltimore’s second pick in the fourth round, the 125th overall selection was used to fill another void, as the team selected USC running back Javorius “Buck” Allen.
Essentially, the Ravens replaced Bernard Pierce with another Bernard Pierce, and that is not necessarily a bad thing. With Pierce’s release, there was an opening in the backfield, and Allen can step in rotationally as a player who offers much of what Pierce did for the Ravens.
Like Pierce, Allen is a big-bodied (6’0, 221 pounds), imposing running back with an upright but decisive running style. He is not as physical of a ball carrier as his size would suggest, but he offers the Ravens another well-built running back to pair with Lorenzo Taliaferro as the change of paces to Justin Forsett.
Averaging 5.5 yards per carry over his career, Allen also tallied 63 receptions for 710 yards over his final two seasons, and he can be relied on as a diverse option out of the backfield. Allen can navigate his way between the tackles and has enough lower body burst to bounce runs to the outside when necessary.
Heading into Saturday, Forsett and Taliaferro were Baltimore’s lone notable options at running back, so Allen should not have trouble finding himself in a complementary role as a rookie.
Right on cue, Baltimore’s third selection (136th overall) in the fourth round addressed another need, as the Ravens selected Texas Southern cornerback Tray Walker.
After extending Jimmy Smith, a starting cornerback was not necessary in the draft, but depth at the position was. Walker visited the Ravens prior to the draft, so he has been on the scouting department’s radar for quite some time.
Looking strictly at the physical aspect, it is easy to see why Walker was coveted by Baltimore. Walker is listed at 6’2, 200 pounds, ran the 40-yard dash in 4.42 seconds, and posted a 36 1/2 inch vertical jump. He also intercepted four passes last season.
Walker was not invited to the NFL Scouting Combine and appears to be a developmental project at cornerback for the Ravens. However, with Walker’s impressive athleticism, it should be expected that he will contribute on special teams during his rookie season.
