This is a critical draft for Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta.
The team needs to add several playmakers who will be able to make an immediate impact because of holes in the roster.
However, DeCosta was already able to fill several gaps in free agency with the additions of safety Marcus Williams, offensive tackle Morgan Moses and defensive tackle Michael Pierce. The Ravens were also able to bring back Pat Ricard at fullback.
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This should give DeCosta a bit more flexibility to take the best player available in the draft as opposed to selecting for need, which can cause problems if the player can’t adjust to the NFL.
DeCosta has 10 draft picks to play with and he’ll likely move up or down the board a few times as he navigates the process.
However, he admitted the recent additions of Williams, Moses and Pierce abated some of the pressure.
“That’s definitely part of the process,” DeCosta said. “We think of the offseason as a bunch of different roads that you can take, and I think to get to your destination, the more roads you can eliminate before the Draft, the easier it is to pick the best available player. You never want to be in a position, I think, as a drafter where you’re specifically drafting every pick need-based. So, the way that we envision it is we have a bunch of different holes; we try to fill some. You can’t fill them all in free agency – the cost is prohibitive.
“But you try to eliminate some holes, and then you really laser focus with the Draft, trying to assess the talent and then find the best possible players at the positions you need who are the best position players available at the time.”
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The Ravens’ most pressing needs are still at cornerback and pass rush. They also need to add depth along both lines. It will be interesting to see the direction they take with the 14th overall pick.
“This is an interesting draft class,” DeCosta said. “Offensive line, I think, is very, very strong this year. We’ve had a chance to meet with some guys already. I’m impressed with the players that we’ve met with. Outside linebacker, for us, which would be the 4-3 defensive end, but for us the 3-4 outside linebacker-type guys, the edge players, I think is a strong class. Then cornerbacks as well, it looks pretty deep. It looks like you can get a corner pretty much at any point throughout the draft process.”
The top cornerbacks in this year’s draft are Derek Stingley Jr, Sauce Gardner, Kaiir Elam and Trent McDuffie. The Ravens might be tempted to take one of those players that fall to the 14th pick.
[See All Our Defensive Back Prospect Breakdowns at Ravens Draft Central]
Some of the offensive linemen the Ravens could target are Mississippi State tackle Charles Cross, Northern Iowa tackle Trevor Penning, Iowa center Tyler Linderbaum, Alabama tackle Evan Neal and Texas A&M tackle Kenyon Green.
[See All Our Offensive Line Prospect Breakdowns at Ravens Draft Central]
“If you look at this draft class, you’re going to have, in my opinion, some really outstanding offensive linemen, for sure,” DeCosta said. “You’ve got a guy like Evan Neal, who we met with last night. Extremely impressive – what he did at Alabama. [He’s] imposing, physical, strong, [a] run blocker. [He] has a chance to be an outstanding pro.
“Another guy [is] Charles Cross – offensive tackle. Again, just [an] outstanding athlete. [He] looks like a power forward out there in pass protection. [He’s], again, a guy I think that’s very, very gifted. [Tyler] Linderbaum at Iowa – a center … We’ve had very good luck with Iowa players over the years. Marshal Yanda, to me, [will be] a Hall of Famer someday. When we look at a guy like Tyler Linderbaum, we see a lot of the same qualities: tough, gritty, very, very athletic, very intelligent and smart. [He’s] the type of guy that can really be the centerpiece of your offensive line.”
DeCosta could select a defensive lineman, especially if Jordan Davis from Georgia falls to them.
Regardless, the draft should be exciting for Ravens fans because of the potential of landing blue-chip players.
The Ravens are usually at their best during the draft and they’ll have to be especially sharp this year to lay more groundwork for future success.
