Ravens fill needs in draft

By: Corey Johns

Let me first preface this by saying I’m not super high on the Ravens draft that national media seems to be calling one of the best in the league. Ozzie Newsome did not take any gambles. In the past, he was the draft guru because he would pick out these guys who maybe were a little too small (Ray Lewis) or couldn’t tackle well (Ed Reed) or were too slow (Todd Heap) or weren’t strong enough (Jarrett Johnson) and built two Super Bowl teams. But this was a safe draft that probably won’t have too many busts, but it’s hard to imagine anybody outside of the No. 6 overall pick Ronnie Stanley becoming a Pro Bowler.

That being said, the Ravens draft addressed most of the team’s needs that needed to be addressed and certainly, the Ravens should be much better next year for it.

Need 1: Offensive Line

Believe it to not, Joe Flacco is actually 31-years-old entering his ninth season as the Ravens’ starting quarterback. Protecting him is the top priority and last year the team could not do that. The inability for the offensive line to stay intact last year as multiple blockers battled injury or simply struggled to perform, led to both the team’s starting and backup quarterbacks getting hurt, and their starting running back to getting hurt.

Eugene Monroe has failed to live up to expectations since the Ravens traded for him a few years ago so with the sixth overall draft pick they made sure they upgraded the most important position on that line to secure a franchise left tackle and blindside blocker by taking Notre Dame’s Ronnie Stanley. He may not have been the best pure tackle in the draft, but he was right up there as an elite prospect and had nowhere near the red flags Laremy Tunsil had. It was the safe pick, and also the smarter pick.

In the fourth round the Ravens added another offensive lineman in Nebraska tackle Alex Lewis, who may actually end up bumping inside to guard. Nebraska offensive linemen are always as tough as they come but while he’s a project, he will at least provide some reliable depth and has upside that could have him cracking into the starting lineup down the road.

Need 2: Pass Rusher

Last year was brutal for the Ravens trying to get into the backfield. It was made worse with Terrell Suggs going down in the team’s first game, but even before that there were worries about who could step up as a third pass rusher with the loss of Pernell McPhee in free agency. Early in the preseason it was thought to be rookie Za’Darius Smith, but as the season progressed it was clear he would be the replacement for Courtney Upshaw, an edge-setting defender who was best against the run.

Without much of a pass rush last season, the Ravens defense really struggled, so this draft they brought in a bunch of edge rushers; perhaps figuring law of averages said one of them has to hit. Kamalei Correa is a high-motor edge rusher out of Boise State, Bronson Kaufusi is a very athletic son of a coach out of BYU and fifth round pick Matt Judon is a tremendous athletic prospect with tons of room to grow. Even undrafted free agent Victor Ochi from Stony Brook had potential to become a solid situational pass rusher.

Need 3: Offensive Playmakers

The Ravens had absolutely no sort of explosiveness last season on offense. They really focused on that in the offseason with the free agent additions of Mike Wallace and tight end Ben Watson, along with the hope that last year’s first round pick Breshad Perriman will hit the field and be a big playmaker.

In the fourth round of the draft the Ravens took a 6-foot-1 burner Chris Moore. He’s far from a polished receiver, but he doesn’t have to run crisp routes and catch a ton of passes to impact a game. In college he once had 221 yards and three touchdowns on just three catches. That sort of explosive ability stretches the field and when he does grab a catch it will impact the game.

The team also drafted running back Kenneth Dixon that round. He is second all-time in touchdowns as the FBS level. The Ravens have a ton of running backs, but he perhaps has the most complete skillset with very deceptive speed to go with a violent running style and very nice hands to provide a receiving threat, making him a true three-down back.

And then they got the only man with more touchdowns than Dixon when they took Navy star Keenan Reynolds in the sixth round. They drafted him as a wide receiver while most experts expected him to move to running back. Either way, he’s a tremendous athlete with big-time playmaking ability that the Ravens will find a way to have him contribute on offense.

Need 4: Defensive line depth

Other than No. 6 overall Ronnie Stanley, the best pick of the Ravens draft might prove to be fourth round pick Willie Henry. You can bet John Harbaugh got a great inside scouting report and recommendation from his brother, who coaches Henry last season. He’s a tough guy who might immediately become a rotational player on the defensive line.

The Ravens not only needed to add pass rushers, but they needed to add a big body up front to fill in for the vacancy left by Chris Canty’s retirement. Henry is strong and has good athleticism for his size and will take up blockers in a 3-4 front. As a rookie he will probably be in a heavy rotation with last year’s third round pick Carl Davis for the third spot on the defensive line next to Timmy Jernigan and Brandon Williams.

After the draft the Ravens took a couple defensive tackles. Samford’s Michael Pierce is 6-foot, 329-pounds and can squat 725 pounds. Garner Webb’s O.J. Manu is an athletic Samoan nose guard who dominated double-teams at a lower-level in college and Florida Atlantic’s Trevon Coley is a quick-off-the-snap bulldozer who was his team’s MVP.

Need 5: Cornerback

This need is listed last because while the Ravens drafted two cornerbacks, they definitely could have filled the need more. With Lardarius Webb moving back to free safety it is hard to figure who will be the second starting cornerback behind Jimmy Smith, and the Ravens did not address that in the draft, but they did get a tough guy in Tavon Young in the fourth round that figures to be an immediate slot corner.

That may be his peak because of his size (only 5-foot-9) but he’s very quick, hits hard and has the agility to keep up with slot receivers, which are usually smaller and quicker guys anyway.

In the sixth round the Ravens drafted Maurice Canady, a 6-foot-1 guy who has tremendous athletic ability and instincts. The word on him is that he’s not tough enough, but in the sixth round it’s more than worth it to draft a guy who has his combination of size, speed and athleticism.

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