The Baltimore Ravens and their fan base will want to make the splashy move in the 2019 NFL Draft and snag a receiver, but Cody Ford may be the smarter play.
If the modern-NFL has taught us anything over the last decade-or-so, it’s that the best-of-the-best teams almost always have elite offensive lines. The 2011-2012 San Francisco 49ers offensive line was loaded between starters like Joe Staley and Mike Iupati. The Dallas Cowboys have three future Hall of Famers in Tyron Smith, Travis Frederick, and Zach Martin. The 2016 season saw the Oakland Raiders win 12 games and look like competitors, and a lot of that had to do with the play of Donald Penn, Kelechi Osemele, and Rodney Hudson.
I could go on with more examples, but you get the idea. For the Baltimore Ravens, pieces of the puzzle are in place, but more work needs to be done. The team has already found their bookend tackles in Ronnie Stanley and Orlando Brown Jr, something not a lot of NFL teams can claim. With Marshal Yanda extending his Hall of Fame career at least one more season, one piece of the interior offensive line is set. As for the left guard and center spots, upgrades are certainly needed.
In the 2019 NFL Draft, the interior offensive line group isn’t necessarily inspiring. There are only so many players who can be day one starters, but Oklahoma’s Cody Ford is one of them. In fact, Ford’s explosiveness and versatility could have him off the board by the time the Ravens pick at 22nd overall, making him that much more enticing to select should he be there.
Taking an offensive linemen is never the sexy pick, but more often than not it is the smarter pick. For Baltimore, shoring up the offensive line must take top-priority in this draft, as is adding weapons for Lamar Jackson and continuing to add developmental prospects for the defense. There plenty of the latter and many good receiver prospects to fancy, but the offensive line group will be depleted quickly.
In round one of the 2019 NFL Draft, there are few interior offensive line prospects who will be available in the late first round. Cody Ford is by far the best of the bunch and because of supply and demand he may end up being a top 15 pick. This is why, if he’s available, Baltimore might not be able to pass him up. Thankfully, the value remains solid, as Ford is a Pro Bowl level talent with experience at tackle. His skill-set and versatility makes him a great pick, should the Ravens elect to take him.
The sparsity of good offensive line products will make this draft an intriguing one, as guys with fringe round one talent could be top 25 selections. In the case of Cody Ford, he could be a huge beneficiary of this trend and make some serious coin. Should Ford be on the clock at 22nd overall for the Baltimore Ravens, they me be wisest to grab Ford, even if this means passing on guys like N’Keal Harry or D.K. Metcalf.