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NFL Draft: Baltimore Ravens Must Help Offense Tonight

By Chris Schisler

January 2, 2017; Pasadena, CA, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions wide receiver Chris Godwin (12) celebrates after he runs the ball in for a touchdown against the Southern California Trojans during the second half of the 2017 Rose Bowl game at the Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
January 2, 2017; Pasadena, CA, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions wide receiver Chris Godwin (12) celebrates after he runs the ball in for a touchdown against the Southern California Trojans during the second half of the 2017 Rose Bowl game at the Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports /
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We are just hours away from the second round of the 2017 NFL Draft. Tonight we have two rounds of action and the Ravens must help the offense:

The Baltimore Ravens defense is going to be dominant in the 2017 season. The Ravens finished in the top 10 last season, though were the number one defense for much of the season. They just drafted Marlon Humphrey with the 16th overall selection, last night. The Ravens secondary is now fully stocked; remember they signed Tony Jefferson and Brandon Carr this offseason. A good defense fixed it’s biggest problem.

The 2017 Ravens will try to win because of their dominant defense, but the offense can’t get in the way. Joe Flacco has the highest cap hit next season in the entire NFL. The Ravens are heavily invested in the former Delaware Blue Hen at the quarterback position.

One would think the Ravens would do anything in their power to help Flacco be successful. However it’s been almost four months into the offseason and the best the Ravens have done to help the offense is sign Danny Woodhead.

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If the Ravens don’t find help at the wide receiver position, and they ignore the offensive line, all that defense is going to go to waste. The 2015 Denver Broncos may have won with little offense but at least they had Peyton Manning and Demaryius Thomas. Manning may have had a flailing noodle arm, but he gave the Broncos enough offense to win it all. The 2000 Ravens style of championship play really doesn’t work anymore. The offense has to do more than not lose the game.

If the Ravens offense was even average for most of the 2016 season, the Ravens would have been a very difficult team to beat. In 2016 the Ravens offense fizzled out more often than it functioned, and that was with Steve Smith Sr. and Kyle Juszczyk as part of the attack.

The Bottom Line:

The moral of the story is that the offense just doesn’t have enough talent for the 2017 season. The moral of the story is that the Ravens are an average offense away from being contenders.

Next: NFL Draft: Day 2 Targets For Baltimore

Ozzie Newsome must prioritize the offense with his three picks tonight. I’m not saying that a pass rusher is out of bounds, it’s a need too. The rule however, is that two of the three picks tonight must be offensive players. An offensive lineman and a wide receiver would do the trick.

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