2018 NFL Draft: 3 reasons the Baltimore Ravens are the biggest winners

Reason 3: Newsome got steal after steal in his final draft

The Buffalo Bills traded a good bit to get Josh Allen. Lamar Jackson has more upside than Allen. The Ravens got a franchise quarterback at the end of the first round. The Bills and Jets had to trade a lot more to get their franchise quarterback. While trading into the 1st round isn’t exactly cheap (even at pick number 32), the Ravens spent less resources getting their quarterback of the future. On top of that, Newsome cushioned the cost of moving up by getting extra picks by trading back from 16 and then 22 before picking Hayden Hurst at 25.

In the third round Newsome managed to get two players that easily could have been 2nd round picks. Andrews was a very productive tight end at Oklahoma. Brown Jr. was my number two offensive tackle in the NFL Draft class before the combine. When you balance the lackluster workout in shorts with the stellar game tape a third round pick is more than fair. The Ravens walked into the draft with one third round pick. Even after trading back into the 1st round, they still had two third round selections. Now, that is how it is done, ladies and gentlemen.

Jaleel Scott was a steal in the fourth round. Yes, there are off the field concerns, but none of them look all that serious with the understanding that this is a man who is just exiting college. Scott has the chance to be a special wide receiver and a third round selection wouldn’t be out of the question in other years. DeShone Elliott is a safety that could be the successor to Eric Weddle and the Ravens got him with the 190th overall pick. If you would have told Newsome before the draft that he could get him there, I’m sure you would have gotten a big grin from the legendary executive. When it is all said and done the Ravens really won the draft. They showed the rest of the NFL how it’s done.