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Past, present & future: All the factors impacting Ravens in NFL Draft

By Chris Schisler

BALTIMORE, MD - NOVEMBER 6: Wide receiver Breshad Perriman #18 of the Baltimore Ravens misses a catch while cornerback Artie Burns #25 of the Pittsburgh Steelers defends in the second quarter at M&T Bank Stadium on November 6, 2016 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
BALTIMORE, MD - NOVEMBER 6: Wide receiver Breshad Perriman #18 of the Baltimore Ravens misses a catch while cornerback Artie Burns #25 of the Pittsburgh Steelers defends in the second quarter at M&T Bank Stadium on November 6, 2016 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /
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BALTIMORE, MD – OCTOBER 26: Wide Receiver Jeremy Maclin #18 and wide receiver Breshad Perriman #11 of the Baltimore Ravens celebrate after a first quarter touchdown against the Miami Dolphins at M&T Bank Stadium on October 26, 2017 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
BALTIMORE, MD – OCTOBER 26: Wide Receiver Jeremy Maclin #18 and wide receiver Breshad Perriman #11 of the Baltimore Ravens celebrate after a first quarter touchdown against the Miami Dolphins at M&T Bank Stadium on October 26, 2017 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) /

Today we’re going to take a look at all the factors that may go into the Baltimore Ravens’ decision making come the 2019 NFL Draft. We’ll start by looking back at the past:

The Baltimore Ravens have a great history with the NFL Draft. They have drafted players like Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, Jonathan Ogden, Terrell Suggs, Peter Boulware, Chris McAlister, Duane Starks, Jamal Lewis in the first round. The Ravens have won two Super Bowls and have been one of the more consistently competitive teams during their history. Whatever you think of Ozzie Newsome his resume is a tall mountain to top for Eric DeCosta.

The one position the purple and black really never got right in the draft (in the first round anyway) is wide receiver. The Ravens most recently missed on Breshad Perriman. In the 2015 NFL Draft they took a chance on Perriman as a boom or bust player. It worked out about as poorly as any draft pick has for Baltimore. The Ravens inability to draft receivers in the first round started early. In 2000, the Ravens missed on Travis Taylor. In 2005 they took Mark Clayton and he massively underwhelmed. Drafting a quality wide receiver in the first round would be a big accomplishment for DeCosta. His predecessor couldn’t get it done and one has to think there’s some urgency to get this done.

That being said the Ravens won’t alter the draft strategy much. It has worked more than it hasn’t. Drafting always has been a process where mistakes are inevitable, and Newsome’s method is tried, tested and proven. DeCosta was with the organization through just about all of it. He learned from Newsome. He also showed discipline and patience in free agency. Looking at the past, it’s a good bet that DeCosta won’t force a pick at any position and the Ravens will stay true to their board.

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