Baltimore Ravens Draft Ronnie Stanley (My Angry Rant)

Nov 8, 2014; Tempe, AZ, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish offensive lineman Ronnie Stanley (78) against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Sun Devil Stadium. Arizona State defeated Notre Dame 55-31. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 8, 2014; Tempe, AZ, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish offensive lineman Ronnie Stanley (78) against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Sun Devil Stadium. Arizona State defeated Notre Dame 55-31. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /
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Ronnie Stanley Drafted By The Baltimore Ravens

The Baltimore Ravens couldn’t get Jalen Ramsey because the Jacksonville Jaguars beat them to the punch. They could not have taken Ezekiel Elliott. They could have taken DeForest Buckner or traded the pick away. They instead took the all but consensus number two tackle in the NFL Draft. The Ravens haven’t had a great left tackle since Jonathan Ogden. While the jury will be out on Stanley for a while, I still don’t think the Ravens have a great left tackle.

Eugene Monroe was a serviceable tackle. Yes he got injured often, but when he was on the field he was very solid. If the Ravens got a back up plan a little later in the draft, I would have been okay with it. You need a plan B with an injury prone tackle. Yet Stanley is a plan A, and now Monroe’s future with the team is a mystery.

For those thinking about trading Monroe away, have fun with the sixth round pick you’d get. I just don’t think this changes much for the Ravens. I don’t think this is a game changer. With the sixth overall pick that is what you have to look for. I am not a fan of this pick, and I hope to be wrong.

So why don’t I like Stanley. He is a very quick footed offensive tackle with a lot of strong traits. The problem is that Stanley is built very lean, especially in his upper body. He isn’t a human plow. He lacks the Thor like strength of Laremy Tunsil. I am not mad that Tunsil wasn’t the pick; I didn’t want him either. I figured however that Tunsil would be the tackle the ravens would want, in an event they pick a position they already have a starter for.

So Ravens Nation, I hope I am wrong about Stanley. I hope he becomes the long time leader you expect the sixth overall pick of the NFL Draft to be. I just don’t like the pick. I don’t think we can go about with a puppy like euphoria. I have more doubt than I do hope with the Ravens first pick.

Next: Baltimore Ravens 5 Worst Draft Picks Ever

We waited forever for this pick. We thought we would make a strong move to get the defense back on track or draft an offensive playmaker. Instead we took an offensive tackle. We didn’t do what we needed to do. We didn’t do what would help the team the most. The Ravens went for the best player available and didn’t draft the best player available.