Ebony Bird
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Baltimore Ravens Are Good Draft Away From Being Contenders

By Chris Schisler

Jan 1, 2017; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Baltimore Ravens outside linebacker Terrell Suggs (55) against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium. The Bengals won 27-10. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 1, 2017; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Baltimore Ravens outside linebacker Terrell Suggs (55) against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium. The Bengals won 27-10. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Baltimore Ravens are a good draft away from being contenders, not only in the AFC North crown, but for the whole thing.

If you’re looking for talent the Baltimore Ravens defense has it. They have a dominant defensive line led by Brandon Williams and Timmy Jernigan; a line that will be boosted by the addition of a healthy Bronson Kaufusi. They have one of the best linebackers in the game of football, in C.J. Mosley. Baltimore also boasts a true legend, Terrell Suggs.

Behind this beastly front seven Baltimore has Eric Weddle and Tony Jefferson as arguably the best safety combination in the league. The addition of Brandon Carr really gives the cornerback group a boost. Defense wins championships and the purple and black have plenty of defense going into the 2017 season.

Sure, the New England Patriots had to put up 34 points to win Super Bowl 51.  Sure, Tom Brady had to complete 43 out of 62 passes to be hailed the Super Bowl MVP. However the Patriots had to stop the number one scoring offense in the league to comeback from a 28-3 deficit. Defense still wins championships. Without the number one scoring defense in the NFL, the Patriots would have lost the big game (and Ravens fans would have been okay with that).

In 2000 Ray Lewis and company won it all behind what I believe to be the greatest defense of all time. When the Broncos won with the best defense we have seen since the 2000 Ravens, it was a statement. The Broncos won a Super Bowl with defense. They may have had Peyton Manning, but he only threw for 141 yards in that game. Von Miller was the Super Bowl MVP and the defense was the reason the Broncos got there in the first place.

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Before the Ravens made some moves, I had little hope for the 2017. The fact that I’m having this conversation with you tells you what I think of the Ravens defense. If the Ravens pick up two or three more pieces in the NFL Draft, they will win the AFC North.

The Steelers didn’t get much better this offseason. The Bengals became even more of a mess, losing key free agents. I’ll worry about the Browns when I have a reason to. The Ravens are the only AFC North team that made big changes that will move them forward. Do you really think that the 2017 Ravens can’t outdo the 8-8 2016 squad?

The Ravens have three pressing needs. They need a wide receiver. They need an answer or two on the offensive line and they need an upgrade at outside linebacker. If you go to NFL.com’s Mock Draft Center, two of their experts (Bucky Brooks and Charley Casserly) have John Ross going to the Ravens. Wide receiver is the Ravens biggest need and it isn’t unrealistic to think they will fill it in the first round. If one of the big three receivers falls to the Ravens, it’s hard to imagine they will pass them up. There are enough teams with other needs in front of the Ravens for one of these receivers to be on the board.

When everyone seemed to be freaking out that the Ravens were likely to lose Rick Wagner, I wrote a post reminding that the Ravens have a knack for finding offensive linemen in the draft. This is what I wrote, explaining why Rick Wagner is replaceable: 

"“Wagner was a fifth round pick. Jeff Mitchell, the center of the Ravens Super Bowl XXXV team, was a fifth round pick. Edwin Mulitalo was a fourth round pick. Mike Flynn was a long time starter for the Ravens and he was an undrafted free agent. I could go on, but do you get the point?”"

The Ravens will more than likely find an offensive linemen in the draft. The Ravens history proves that Newsome should be trusted to get this done. If the Ravens do indeed fill their two biggest needs on offense, we may actually see a somewhat balanced roster. With the Ravens fully loaded defense this could lead to good things.

Next: 2017 Baltimore Ravens: 5 Things We Know Before The Draft

That leaves pass rusher as the last problem Newsome would have to fill in the draft; though it must be noted that Matt Judon could fill the void opposite of Suggs. If the purple and black fill these three needs in the draft they will go into 2017 as contenders to win it all. With a dominant defense and a good enough offense the Ravens could win it all.

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