The Baltimore Ravens Focus On Front 7 In Round 3
With the 70th pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, the Baltimore Ravens selected Bronson Kaufusi. Kaufusi is a 3-4 defensive end from BYU. The Ravens have shown a real commitment to rushing the passer. With their second round selection the Ravens took Kamalei Correa, an outside linebacker from Boise State. Kaufusi had 25 sacks in four seasons with the BYU Cougars.
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So what kind of player have the Ravens gotten with Kaufusi? The Ravens are getting a defensive end that can penetrate into the backfield. He had 10 sacks last season as well as 18.5 tackles for a loss. In 2014 he had 11 tackles for a loss and seven sacks. Kaufusi is a hand in the dirt defensive end who has a good bit of explosive ability.
For those who were clamoring for the Ravens to take DeForest Buckner, this could be a poor man’s DeForest Buckner. He is 6’6″ and 285 pounds. At the NFL Combine, he ran the 40 yard dash in 4.87 seconds. He did a fairly impressive 25 reps of 225 on the bench press. Another attractive number is his 110 inch broad jump, showing explosion is his lower body.
This is a good draft pick. The Ravens got value here. The real concern is the Ravens lack of a plan at the cornerback position. It was a pretty deep cornerback class. The keyword there, was. Many of the Ravens best options at cornerback are gone. The Ravens either have confidence in what they have, or covet a cornerback they can get later.
Next: Baltimore Ravens Trade Back, Select Kamalei Correa
There are two ways to fix the passing defense. You can either build the secondary, or have your front seven make the quarterback’s life miserable. The Ravens have chosen the second method so far in this draft.