Baltimore Ravens lose rookie draft pick in move that blows up in their face

The Baltimore Ravens thought that they could get Kyu Blu Kelly to their practice squad, but they were wrong

D. Ross Cameron-USA TODAY Sports

The Baltimore Ravens released rookie fifth-round pick Kyu Blu Kelly in order to get their roster to 53. The team thought that they may be able to get him onto the practice squad for a year to grow, but that was not the case. The Seattle Seahawks claimed Kelly on waivers, ending the run of Kelly with the Ravens before it ever started.

Baltimore Ravens lose rookie cornerback Kyu Blu Kelly to waivers

Considering the Ravens invested a draft pick in Kelly it was a bit surprising that the team cut him. However, if you watched him on the field it was not a shock in any way. He was downright bad, and he could not move up the depth chart.

The Ravens were starting Kevon Seymour over Kelly in the preseason, and they even cut Seymour. Seymour played better against better competition than Kelly throughout the summer, and reports are that Seymour will be back on the roster at some point.

That is the other dynamic. The Ravens kept eight cornerbacks, and Seymour will be the ninth that got a roster spot over Kelly. Marlon Humphrey, Ronald Darby, Rock Ya-Sin, Ar'Darius Washington, Arthur Maulet, Pepe Williams, Brandon Stephens, Jalyn Armour-Davis, and Seymour all were higher on the depth chart than Kyu Blu Kelly. That says something about how low they thought of him and that they may not miss him. He even led the Ravens in special teams snaps, showing that the team gave him every shot. He also was the worst-graded special teamer, showing this decision makes sense.

The decision makes sense now, but the decision to draft Kelly is obviously an all-timer in terms of how bad it was. Baltimore decided within a few months that he was not even going to be in their long-term plans. That says a lot.

The Ravens entered the 2023 NFL draft with their biggest need being cornerback. When they went Zay Flowers over Joey Porter fans got nervous. Trenton Simpson felt like a luxry and now the Ravens have a group of veterans with no influx of youth from the draft. A bad decision then led to an easy decision now.

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