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NFL Draft: Ravens place higher emphasis on production

By Chris Schisler

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell announces a pick by the Baltimore Ravens (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell announces a pick by the Baltimore Ravens (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /
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ARLINGTON, TX – APRIL 26: A video board displays the text “THE PICK IS IN” for the Baltimore Ravens during the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft at AT&T Stadium on April 26, 2018 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
ARLINGTON, TX – APRIL 26: A video board displays the text “THE PICK IS IN” for the Baltimore Ravens during the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft at AT&T Stadium on April 26, 2018 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /

The Baltimore Ravens place a higher emphasis on production when they go about the NFL Draft.

The Baltimore Ravens have changed the way they approach the NFL Draft. They have a huge list of draft hits starting in 1996. Ozzie Newsome’s best player available model is still in place however it seems like the way they determine the best player available has changed. Eric DeCosta obviously has an eye on production at the college level.

Every prospect has three things that make up the way the NFL sees them. They have game tape, production and measurables. The game tape is supposed to be the biggest factor in a player’s evaluation. If the team likes the game tape of several players, they will likely end up in a debate. Should they lean towards measurables (Speed, strength, frame, etc.) or should they lean towards players with the most production?

The Ravens used to be wowed by traits more than production. This explains some of their misses. Look at Maxx Williams. Williams had two seasons with the Minnesota Golden Gophers. His best season was 36 receptions and 539 yards. He had big play potential and his yards per reception at Minnesota did reflect that. Other than that and  his ability to get in the end zone his stats weren’t overly impressive. He wasn’t a go to target.

Compare his numbers to Mark Andrews and Hayden Hurst. For the first two years at Oklahoma, Andrews had numbers that  weren’t much different. However in the 2017 season, Andrews shot up to 62 receptions, 958 yards and eight touchdowns.

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Hurst had three years at South Carolina but really didn’t get it going until his second season. Hurst had 48 receptions in 2016 and 44 in 2017. In that South Carolina offense, that was a decent chunk of production. It showed that he was at least a reliable target over the middle of the field. Hurst had solid numbers. Andrews had very encouraging stats. Williams had a stat line you had to convince yourself on.

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