With the 74th overall pick, the Baltimore Ravens have selected Michigan defensive tackle Chris Wormley
“Screw the offense,” – Ozzie Newsome.
That’s not really what the Ravens general manager was saying when making this pick, but the Ravens have used their first three draft picks on the defensive side of the ball. Not to mention that almost all of their free agent additions have been defensive players, with the exception being running back Danny Woodhead.
Wormley, a 6’5″, 298-pound specimen, was named to the All-Big Ten defensive first-team following his 2016 season. He was also named a second-team All-American by Sporting News. Wormley has experience playing both inside and outside along the defensive line. He sets the edge, closes the line quickly and has great balance. However, his biggest weakness seems to be consistency. He needs to get a bigger burst off the point of attack, and he needs to learn how to move through his progressions faster.
In four seasons with Wolverines, Wormley racked up 119 tackles (62 solo), 17.5 sacks (5.5 in 2016), and a forced fumble.
Wormley’s addition will be welcome to a Ravens’ defensive line that lost both Timmy Jernigan and Lawrence Guy this offseason. It was not a huge need by any means, but it helped fill the void left by the two players that left through either free agency or a trade.
Day 3 of draft needs to be full of offense for the Ravens
This is kind of like beating a dead horse here, but the Ravens’ offense has received virtually no help this offseason. At the conclusion of the 2016 season, the Ravens’ brass talked a lot about giving Joe Flacco more weapons. Well, that has not happened yet, and the Ravens are running out of time. Yes, Baltimore can still find gems in the later rounds, but the odds of that happening are getting thin. With three picks left, the Ravens need to enter day 3 of the draft ready to help out Flacco and the offense. All signs point to the Ravens being excellent on defense next season, but the offense needs a lot of work.
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Also…
Just four picks after the Ravens drafted Wormley, Baltimore drafted Alabama outside linebacker Tim Williams. That makes all four of the Ravens’ draft picks so far defensive players, two of them from Alabama, Newsome’s Alma-Mater.