“Ozzie Newsome hasn’t had a good draft since 2008″ has become a catchphrase in Baltimore. But is this statement actually true?
Ozzie Newsome is a legendary general manager. He has built two Super Bowl teams. He has given the Ravens long runs as a power in the AFC. Nothing that happens from this point on can change the fact that we owe Mr. Newsome our undying gratitude. There is an overwhelming sentiment going around that he has struggled in recent years in the NFL Draft. The general manager is of course the first place you look when your team has a 5-11 season.
Newsome has gotten diminished results from his draft classes. There really is no disputing that. However, Newsome built his reputation on the fact that he brought legends into the Ravens organization. In the Ravens first draft he selected Jonathan Ogden and Ray Lewis in the first round. He built much of the Ravens legendary 2000 defense through the draft. Overall he had hit more than any other general manager in the NFL. He had such a good start that a handful of bad drafts doesn’t really diminish his reputation.
Every time I turn on 105.7 the fan, I hear a caller say that the Ravens have not had a good draft since 2008. On face value this seems unlikely. If this were true the five straight trips to the playoffs from 2008-2012 were miraculous. The Ravens may have a problem now, but did it really start this far back. Let’s go back to 2009 and re-evaluate the Ravens draft record from 2009-2016.