The Ravens wrapped up Day 3 of the NFL Draft on Saturday with a slew of picks. RSR staff react to what we saw here…
Todd Karpovich
— Overall, the Ravens had 12 picks in this year’s draft, which tied for the most in franchise history.
— Ozzie Newsome was able to add several players ready to make an immediate impact, i.e. Hurst, and Andrews. and others that have a huge upside for the future, such as Lamar Jackson.
Chad Racine
Day 3 is all about value in Ozzie’s last draft. He traded back more than I cared to sit through but that’s the equivalent to buying more lottery tickets (with better odds). Rumor has it through these trades he was also able to acquire ten 6th round picks in 2025, a lifetime Netflix subscription and the jelly of the month club lifetime membership.
The few names that stand out to me are WR Jordan Lasley, CB Anthony Averett and S Deshon Elliott. All of those players could have been Day 2 selections. Lasley comes with off-the-field issues but when you have 12 picks and take him in the fifth round it’s well worth the risk. Ozzie delivered in his final draft.
Adam Bonaccorsi
What’s that you say? Trading down all over the place, while nabbing a pair of Bama picks, a pair of small school picks, and ending with a DL pick for the 10th straight draft?
Ozzie Newsome’s final draft was literally a microcosm of his entire GM career in Baltimore.
Plenty of value came today, namely Averett & Bozeman out of Bama. Both will contribute in 2018 without question. A few of the offensive lineman today should end up on the practice squad, but that’s simply a numbers game- but not a bad one, as I’d rather play the odds of more bodies to see who shakes out on that line.
Overall, a solid Day 3 by Ozzie Newsome & his team, to end an era in Baltimore sports history. Tip of the hat to the Wizard of Oz!
Ken McKusick
Day 3 had a number of developmental selections with 8 total picks. You can’t normally keep 12 draft picks around, but expect a number of mysterious injuries which will keep some of the players drafted around for a 2nd season.
Of the day 3 picks, the most exciting is Deshon Elliott, a safety prospect on whom there is divided opinion as to whether he’d be better at FS or SS. That’s a good problem to have, but the Ravens must feel he has a shot to be effective on the back end or they would not have selected him given their need for a CF behind Weddle.
The Ravens ended up with just 2 small school picks. Greg Senat is a developmental tackle from Wagner with a basketball background. He’s 6’6”, 302. Ozzie’s final selection was, fittingly a DE, Zach Sieler from Ferris State who is 6’5”, 290, ran a 4.8 40 and is reportedly very athletic. I don’t have figures to back this up, but I would bet Ozzie has had more DL filched from the Ravens practice squad than any other GM. It’s also a fitting transition pick as Eric DeCosta has flexed his depth of scouting mall schools.
Reviewing the list of needs, all were addressed in some way, which is a victory in itself. Thanks for the memories, Mr. Newsome.
Carey Stevenson
Solid work from Ozzie and company. Draft weekend is when teams tell you how they truly feel about their football team without saying a word. The Ravens surprisingly made 12 selections, obviously motivated to create more competition.
The most interesting Day 3 selection to me was the first one. Adding Anthony Averett to an already talented and crowded cornerback room was BPA3 in the minds of the Ravens brass but it’s pretty clear there was more to it. That selection was absolutely made with the cap numbers of Jimmy Smith and Brandon Carr in mind.
John Darcey
Anthony Averett: good corner who played extremely well for Alabama. Humphrey worked out well last year, and I would expect Averett to be just fine. Do not be surprised when Humphrey and Averett are the starting corners in 2019 and maybe sometime this year. Corner is no longer a position of worry for the Ravens.
Kenny Young: May not be the full time starter next to Mosley, but he is the kind of ILB they needed. Closes quickly on RBs in the run game and can be the coverage LB the Ravens desperately needed. He is fast and can run with RB and TE in the passing game. UCLA has turned out some quality NFL LB over the past few years.
Anthony Averett and DeShon Elliott will be starters in 2019. This will be a grooming year for both, though they all play in sub packages this year. Lasley and Scott are more developmental picks but that is what Day 3 is all about.
This may spell the end for Breshad Perriman. Bozeman is what the Ravens need. A true center, who will be the starter by Week 5. Great pick and value in the 6th. Sneat has practice squad written all over him.
The Ravens dipped into the Division II ranks for a pass rusher yet again. It worked with Matt Judon, but this may take a year longer. Don’t be surprised if Sieler underwhelms in training camp and he gets IRed.
Overall, great third day. Can’t wait to see what the UDFA class looks like. This was a deep draft class, and that is evident by the Day 3 picks.
