The string of injuries the Ravens dealt with in 2015 was staggering. The loss of Terrell Suggs in week one was the first domino to fall. From that point forward, the Ravens suffered devastating injuries to the most important parts of their roster. If we had known before the season that players like Suggs, Steve Smith Sr, Crockett Gillmore and of course, Joe Flacco would finish the season on injured reserve, the resulting 5-11 season would not have come as a shock.
In fact, the bad news started on the first day of training camp with the knee injury to first round pick Breshad Perriman. What started as a day to day injury lingered into weeks, then months and eventually a spot on Injured Reserve. Perriman became the only first round pick in team history to never play a snap in his first season with the team. It became one of the most intriguing and bizarre story lines of 2015.
Looking at the rash of injuries and the way the Perriman situation played out, it’s fair to wonder how much that will influence the Ravens plans on draft day. There are a couple of players in this year’s class who could end up being very good football players, but teams will need to proceed with caution because of their injury history. It wouldn’t be surprising if the Ravens took them off their draft board altogether.
Myles Jack is a player who has somewhat flown under the radar compared to guys like Joey Bosa, Laremy Tunsil and Jalen Ramsey. There are some scouts, however, who believe he could be the top player in this year’s class. “He’s the best player in in the draft,” one scout told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “He’s a slam dunk. He can play modern-day football. He ain’t never leaving the field.”
Jack, however, suffered a knee injury in his final season at UCLA, and he was unable to participate in the NFL Combine this past weekend. He has been highly regarded as one of the top 3 players in this year’s draft and would form a dynamic duo if paired with C.J. Mosley.
Now, he is expected to be fully cleared by his pro day in a couple of weeks. Still, the Ravens may be hesitant to spend their top pick on an injured prospect.
Jaylon Smith is another intriguing player. Before tearing his ACL and LCL in this year’s Fiesta Bowl, Smith was in the conversation as the potential top overall pick. Even after the injury, Smith is so talented, that some drafts still had him being drafted in the top 10. However, on Friday, the NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that teams found nerve damage during their medical exams. It now looks like a safe bet that he’ll miss his entire rookie season and could go as late as the third round.
Would the Ravens be willing to use a third round pick on an injured prospect was once regarded as a top five pick? Whatever team drafts Smith will surely be taking a risk, but one that could pay big dividends come 2017. It could be a tough proposition for the Ravens, though, when you look at the amount of holes they have to fill.
With the sixth pick, Ozzie Newsome will be looking for a player who can make an immediate impact and be a day one starter. After Breshad Perriman had the “slowest healing PCL of all time,” taking on a player coming off of any sort of injury will be a risky play for the Ravens. It’s fair to wonder how that could impact their board on draft day and how carefully they consider injured prospects.
