NFL Draft: Baltimore Ravens Could Go Many Different Directions
By Joe Schiller
The Baltimore Ravens could go a ton of different ways in the draft
With the 2017 NFL Draft less than a month away, the Baltimore Ravens still have a ton of needs. Some have been addressed in free agency, but there are still holes to be filled. The main needs include wide receiver, pass rusher, offensive line, linebacker, and cornerback.
All the talk coming from the draft is that the cornerback class is very deep. There are potential starters past the first round. It looked like the Ravens were going to be set on taking a cornerback in the first round, but things have changed. They added a reliable starter in Brandon Carr during free agency and potential draft target Sidney Jones tore his Achilles.
In a perfect world the teams desperate for a quarterback take a chance on Trubisky or Watson early. It could bump pack a top ten player like Derek Barnett or Mike Williams. If this is the case, I can’t see the Ravens passing them up, especially with pass rusher and wide receiver being one of the two major needs.
Expect The Unexpected
While it is almost 100% that the Ravens will address one of their major needs in the first round, we just never know. Ozzie and the front office have shown that they like to take the best available player, even if it doesn’t fit an immediate need. The Ravens attempted to trade up last year two spots to #4 to take safety Jalen Ramsey, but running back Ezekiel Elliot was not out of the question.
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As much as experts can predict where players will fall, nothing is certain until draft night. There are always players that slide or move up unexpectedly. Take last years draft for example. Offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil was regarded as a possible #1 pick, but his stock look a hit when a video surfaced of him wearing a gas mask and smoking a bong. Shortly after, pictures on Tunsil’s Instagram surfaced showing text messages between him and head coach Hugh Freeze. The conversation showed Tunsil asking for money from Freeze. A potential target for the Ravens was passed up and they selected Ronnie Stanley. It was one of the most bizarre situations in NFL Draft history. The pick ultimately worked out well for the Ravens, but it just goes to expect the unexpected.