Ravens badly want a do-over for their forgettable 2019 draft haul

Ravens, Justice Hill (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
Ravens, Justice Hill (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) /
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In the 2018 draft, the Baltimore Ravens selected their quarterback of the future. The year after, the team swung and missed on most of their eight picks.

Baltimore selected wide receiver Marquise Brown with its first pick in 2019, which could be considered a great pickup…if Brown was still on the team.

The Ravens traded away their most productive wideout earlier this summer, and while Brown did put together three solid seasons in Baltimore and his value was recouped with the Tyler Linderbaum pick, the team is still badly missing a dependable WR1.

Other than Brown, the rest of the Ravens’ 2019 picks have struggled to break into the starting lineup as each player has assumed a backup role at best.

Bleacher Report’s Maurice Moton recently graded every NFL team’s 2019 draft haul and gave the Ravens a D for their selections:

"“Ben Powers is the only player in the group who remains on the roster with a chance to start in the upcoming campaign. For the 2021 term, he opened 12 out of 13 contests with the first unit, allowing three sacks and committing three penalties in 844 snaps, per Pro Football Focus.”"

Moton notes that the grade doesn’t account for third-round pick Jaylon Ferguson, who tragically passed away in June of this year.

The Ravens should be disappointed with a pitiful 2019 draft haul

2019 third-rounder Miles Boykin left for the Pittsburgh Steelers and sixth-rounder Trace McSorley left for the Arizona Cardinals, and the Ravens shed no tears over those two departures.

Baltimore released 2019 fourth-round cornerback Iman Marshall on Saturday, so the only two players left from that year’s draft class are Justice Hill and Ben Powers.

Hill will continue making an impact on special teams but probably won’t get starting offensive snaps, not when there are better running backs like J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards available.

Powers has the most potential to earn a starting spot with the Ravens’ shaky left guard situation, yet even if Powers does win the starting spot, he could hardly be considered a franchise mainstay in the trenches like Ronnie Stanley.

Baltimore’s 2019 class failed to produce any long-term reliable assets as well as failed to equip Jackson with the offensive weapons he needed to succeed in the future.

Jackson’s time with Brown was cut too short, and heading into 2022, Jackson has neither the wide receiver depth nor offensive line stability at left guard.

Next. Projecting the futures of the Ravens’ top 2023 free agents. dark

It’s fair to call 2019 an unfortunate draft year for the Ravens given that most of their picks have since parted ways with the team.

The Ravens have long been known for their sustainable model of drafting and developing players, but keeping those players around is a different story.