Baltimore Ravens: 2 problems that could have been avoided
Having No Weapons:
The Baltimore Ravens spent five of their seven draft picks on defense. They drafted two offensive linemen on the third day of the draft and one of them had a season ending injury. In other words, the Ravens did not help the offense at all in the 2017 NFL Draft. The Ravens signed Jeremy Maclin late in the offseason, but that just kind of fell into place. It’s not like the Ravens went out of their way to add weapons. Even with Maclin in the fold, this team is pedestrian at the wide receiver position. When Maclin missed the Bears game with a concussion, it was a death sentence to their passing attack. Without Maclin, Mike Wallace was the only competent receiver on the field.
Seriously, four straight draft picks for the defense?
O.J. Howard was there in the first round and the Ravens took a cornerback. I love Marlon Humphrey and I was okay with the pick. However, you figured after passing on a top tight end prospect, that the Ravens would go offense in the second round. They didn’t. Newsome took a cornerback, two outside linebackers and a defensive end. To top it off, he used the last pick on Chuck Clark. They drafted a safety they had no need for instead of taking a flyer on a wide receiver.
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The Ravens had JuJu Smith-Schuster fall right into their lap in the second round of the draft. The Ravens chose Tyus Bowser. The Pittsburgh Steelers drafted Smith-Schuster later in the second round. The USC receiver would have been an exciting new piece of the offense. Instead the Ravens gave the defense even more help. Smith-Schuster has 15 receptions for 122 yards and two touchdowns on an offense that has a plethora of options in the passing game. Just imagine what Smith-Schuster could do for the Ravens. I know one thing, his route running ability would give Joe Flacco one receiver who could actually get open.
Give the offense something…anything:
The Ravens ignored the wide receiver position all the way through the draft. They knew they had a problem. Breshad Perriman showed hope during the second half of the 2016 season, but the Ravens expected too big of a leap from him. Perriman didn’t take that leap. In fact he has gone backwards. The Ravens answer to the passing game was an injury prone Danny Woodhead and Maclin. Woodhead would have been a big factor as a receiving running back, if he hadn’t gotten hurt on the first drive of the season. The Ravens had no plan. They haven’t invested in the offense for years. This offseason counts as a major case of neglect.
Alex Collins has been the most explosive play-maker on the team. He got promoted from the practice squad. The Ravens had all but given up on Javorius Allen before this season, now he’s their most leaned on back. When Kenneth Dixon went down, the Ravens needed to address the problem. As you can see, that’s not on the menu for the purple and black.