Baltimore Ravens Received C Grade In 1996 NFL Draft

Back in 1996, the Baltimore Ravens did not receive a great draft grade for their picks

An article from Freezing Cold Takes on thecomback.com brought back up a very critical grade of the Baltimore Ravens 1996 NFL Draft class.

"One writer was not impressed with the Ravens’ haul.  Former ESPN NFL analyst Len Pasquarelli, then with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, wrote a “draft grades” column the day after the end of the draft. Here’s his Ravens grade…“Baltimore: C…Jonathan Ogden, OT, Ray Lewis LB…Passed on the draft’s best player, and where does Ogden play?"

Needless to say, this draft grade did not turn out to be true. Odgen and Lewis were the first two draft picks in franchise history with the 4th and 26th pick and turned out to be great. If anything, the Ravens took the best player to come from the draft in linebacker Ray Lewis. In that draft, there were many great players selected including Keyshawn Johnson, Tedy Bruschi, Eddie George, and Terrell Owens.

Only two players in that draft have made the hall of fame: Marvin Harrison and Ogden himself. Ray Lewis is also in line to be a first ballot Hall-Of-Famer once he is eligible this season. What other teams can say that their first two picks in franchise history were Hall-Of-Famers? None. As much as “Draft Experts” and teams can scout and predict players, you just never know how things will turn out. It is possible to find a Hall-Of-Fame player anywhere in the draft and even outside of it. Tom Brady, arguably the best quarterback of all time, ran a 5.28-second 40 yard dash.

The Ravens Know How To Draft

There is always criticism from fans and media about drafting players, but the Ravens have shown how they can draft. They are always regarded as one of the teams to watch out for in the draft. It may not always be a big splash, but the front office knows when and where to take a player. Obviously there are misses, but that happens with every team. No team is ever going to be perfect with every pick.

Next: Baltimore Ravens: The Perfect 7 Round Mock Draft

People are quick to point out the misses in the past drafts, but there should be a lot of optimism going forward. I look at the defensive line as an example. Brandon Williams is at the fore front but the rest of the line has unproven talent. Now that Timmy Jernigan is gone, players like Carl Lewis, Willie Henry, and Bronson Kaufusi have a chance to showcase their talent. With Ozzie Newsome at the helm, Raven’s fans should be confident going into the 2017 draft. There are many areas to be filled, but it is a very deep draft class. The positions that are deep are positions that the Ravens need help in.