Reason 1: The Ravens filled every need
Baltimore Ravens fans should be excited about this draft because the team literally filled every need they have. The Ravens got better in the passing game with Hayden Hurst and Mark Andrews becoming the centerpiece of it. The offensive line got an offensive tackle that should replace Austin Howard and a center (Bradley Bozeman) that will compete for the starting job. The Ravens added two receivers with high upside later in the draft, in a year where good receivers fell way too far down the board. The Ravens even got an inside linebacker in Kenny Young that could battle for the starting job next to C.J. Mosley.
Andrews will be a pass catching tight end who the Ravens can line up in the slot. Hurst will be Flacco’s security blanket and he will do a bit of everything at the tight end position. The Ravens will use a lot of two tight end formations, and they will lean on a great offensive line and a powerful running game. The offense is going to be more exciting than anything the Baltimore fan base has seen in a long time. The Ravens have answers to the doubts that crept in after they missed the playoffs for the third year in a row. The Ravens have filled the voids that haunted the roster.
Baltimore does not have any glaring needs now. These picks do have to pan out, but because the Ravens drafted each player at a good value, John Harbaugh should have plenty to work with this fall. The Ravens are a better team than they were and it isn’t even close. Newsome gave the Ravens all the tools they need to be successful in the last year or two of the Flacco era.