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The NFL Draft Will Determine The Baltimore Ravens Relevance

By Chris Schisler

Nov 24, 2014; New Orleans, LA, USA; Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh walks off the field after their 34-27 win over the New Orleans Saints at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 24, 2014; New Orleans, LA, USA; Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh walks off the field after their 34-27 win over the New Orleans Saints at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports /
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While the Baltimore Ravens have never been darlings of the media, when they have played winning football they mattered. The NFL Draft will determine the Ravens place in the national conversation:

The Baltimore Ravens are a good showing in the NFL Draft from becoming the power they once were. In the first five years of the Harbaugh era, the Ravens were a team that you could never count out. They knocked and knocked on the door, until they won it all in the 2012 season.

The Ravens were a team that nobody wanted to see in the playoffs. They were a team that found a way to win. The Ravens were never the most talked about team on SportsCenter or NFL Total Access, but the Ravens forced their way into the conversation. The Ravens were a respected team and everyone knew that the purple and black played a punishing style of football.

Whether it was Corey Redding intercepting Drew Brees’s last desperate pass in 2010, Torrey Smith catching the game winning pass in Pittsburgh, after a 92 yard drive in 2011, or the Mile High Miracle from Joe Flacco to Jacoby Jones, the Ravens had no quit in them. They believed in each other and the fans believed in them.

Play Like A Raven Still Has Meaning:

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The culture in the Ravens locker room is the same. Things are clearly different without Ray Lewis, who was arguably the most inspiring leader any team has ever had. John Harbaugh still runs the ship the same way though. The term “Play Like a Raven” may have been embodied best by Lewis, but the Ravens way is still alive. Players like Terrell Suggs, Marshall Yanda and Jimmy Smith know what a Raven is supposed to play like. Eric Weddle and Brandon Williams are leaders by example, and they have unquestioned heart.

The idea that the Ravens will never be the same without number 52 is completely true. He was a legend that can never be replaced or replicated. The idea that the Ravens can’t find the same toughness and grit that defined them during Lewis’s tenure is laughable.

Reasons For Hope Include Heart:

Joe Flacco and company drove down the field and scored a touchdown with just over a minute to go, on Christmas night. Ben Roethlisberger and company found a way to win the game. That happened to to the Ravens on numerous occasions in the Lewis era. The Ravens dug down deep and gave it everything they had. They fell short. There is a lot to take from the Ravens loss to the Steelers in week 16. The prevent defense is garbage, and clock management has never been Harbaugh’s strength. A lack of heart isn’t something you can honestly complain about.

Must Read: What Does Play Like A Raven Mean?

That brings us to the NFL Draft. If you believe, like I do, that the team can reestablish the Ravens way, it’s really just a question of talent. The Ravens offense is where every doubt lies. The defense looks stacked. The offense has uncertainty along the offensive line and a lack of dependable play-makers. The NFL Draft is where the Ravens have to fix the offense. You can win a championship because of your defense, but even the 2000 Ravens needed the offense to stay out of the way.

With An Upgraded Roster, The Swagger Will Return:

The Ravens have never had a draft quite like this one. They have always been a “Best Player Available” kind of team. This is a draft in which they must draft for need. Though it’s a fine line. If the Ravens reach for players just to fill these needs, they could end up with draft busts.

Just imagine what would happen if the Ravens come out of the NFL Draft with a legitimate superstar for their offense. Things would change a lot. If the Ravens fix the offensive line, that will make a huge difference. If they do all of this and add a pass rusher for good measure, the Ravens will have a chance to be contenders. Otherwise the Ravens will just waste a talented defense with yet another year of uninspiring offense.

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That’s what is at stake. A good draft will give the Ravens the offensive tools they need to be competitive. With an offense and a defense, the Ravens will be good again. They will be right in the thick of things. A good draft will give the Ravens the talent they need to be special. If they get their swagger back, the Ravens are going to be the talk of the NFL.

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