Baltimore Ravens State of the Corps: Linebackers

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With a history of prolific players like Ray Lewis and Terrell Suggs manning the linebacker position, it isn’t hard to see why the Ravens’ defense has always been among the NFL’s best. Last year the Baltimore Ravens had the 8th ranked overall defense and the linebackers were a large part of that success, as usual.

Sep 11, 2014; Baltimore, MD, USA; Baltimore Ravens linebacker C.J. Mosley (57) reacts after recovering a fumble against the Pittsburgh Steelers at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Evan Habeeb-USA TODAY Sports

Since Ray Lewis left, the Ravens’ linebacker corps has seen new faces come in and rejuvenate the defense. Daryl Smith, Elvis Dumervil and C.J. Mosley have become crucial contributors to an excellent unit. Dumervil and Mosley both made the Pro Bowl last year, and Smith has been a leader of the defense for the last two years. With these three players and Terrell Suggs, the Ravens have an incredibly good starting linebacker corp, easily one of the best in the league.

Clearly then, a premier linebacker isn’t a major need at this time, but depth at the position is where the questions lie. The Ravens have 3 guys still on their rookie contracts: Arthur Brown, Zachary Orr, and Courtney Upshaw.

Brown was a second round selection in the 2013 draft who was brought in to play alongside Smith, but he hasn’t developed as hoped. Since then, injuries and the addition of C.J. Mosley have left him without a role on defense. Orr, an undrafted rookie last year, played in 15 of 16 games and made 8 tackles as a solid special teams player.

Upshaw, the most experienced of the bunch, is entering the final year of his rookie contract and is potentially going to play a role similar to that of Pernell McPhee’s last year: a first and second down hybrid linebacker giving way to Dumervil on third down. He had 42 tackles in 2014 and has shown his ability on multiple occasions (his jarring hit on Ben Roethlisberger last year is a great example).

The Ravens also have Albert McClellan on the roster, a 5-year veteran who is a good contributor, but predominantly on special teams.

Despite Suggs and Dumervil forming the league’s most effective pass rushing duo last season, they are 32 and 31, respectively, so the Ravens would be smart to look at potential replacements. Luckily, this year’s draft is incredibly deep at pass rusher, along with several other positions. So there is a chance that the Ravens take a pass rusher sooner rather than later in the draft.

Having said that, let’s take a look at two pass rushers they might consider in the first round.

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