Baltimore Ravens should target Riley Ferguson in NFL Draft

The Baltimore Ravens may not be thinking quarterback in the first round, but at some point, they have to get on that. Riley Ferguson should be part of the Ravens day three plan:

The Baltimore Ravens are looking to add weapons to the offense in the 2018 NFL Draft and quarterback isn’t their top need. That doesn’t mean that the quarterback position isn’t something the Ravens should address. We’ve spent a lot of time talking about the 16th overall pick, but we seldom talk about what they should do after it. Riley Ferguson should be a player that interests the purple and black.

I have a third round grade on Ferguson. I’ve seen enough from him at Memphis to be intrigued but I’m not taking that kind of risk in the first and second rounds if I’m Ozzie Newsome. Anywhere from the third or fourth round is a fair landing spot for Ferguson. It’s a quarterback heavy draft. Josh Rosen is a superstar waiting to find out where he’ll be playing. Baker Mayfield and Lamar Jackson have that special magic about them and Sam Darnold and Josh Allen are interesting players. Ferguson’s upside is high, but you can get him in the second wave of quarterbacks going in this draft.

Productive QB that passes the eye test:

In 2016 Ferguson put up 3,698 yards for 32 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Ferguson followed that up with 4,257 yards for 38 touchdowns and 9 interceptions in 2017. I know what you’re going to tell me. You’re going to say that Paxton Lynch put up big numbers at Memphis and that it’s not working out for the Denver Broncos. You’re going to tell me that he is a system quarterback who leaned on his star receiver, Anthony Miller. I hear you, and I get it. However, we’re not talking about Newsome taking him in the first round. We’re talking about something that could happen late on day two or early on day three of the draft.

Ravens fans seem caught in between two arguments. The first argument is that the Ravens can’t prioritize a quarterback over play-makers. The second argument is that the Ravens can’t wait until the sixth or seventh round to take a chance on a quarterback. The Ravens have to choose how much they’re willing to invest in the quarterback position. A third or a fourth round pick is still a big investment.

Take home point:

However Ferguson is the perfect solution to the Ravens quarterback problem. There is no situation (Other than injury) where Ferguson wouldn’t be Joe Flacco’s understudy for a year or two. The Ravens would have the chance to let the Flacco saga play out while they developed the next franchise quarterback. Ferguson had an insanely healthy touchdown to interception ratio as a two year starter at Memphis. He had a healthy completion percentage and he displayed good arm talent and accuracy.

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Ferguson has a chance to be good. The Ravens need a better back up quarterback and it would be nice if they had a young passer to develop. Who knows what will happen, but Ferguson could prove to be the steal of the draft. He could end up being Flacco’s successor. It’s something the Ravens should roll the dice on if they can get Ferguson at the right price.

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