Going into the draft, the stakes for the Baltimore Ravens were high. The Ravens 2015-2016 suffered one of the worst season in its franchise history. Gaping holes appeared in the defense as teams, like the Cleveland Browns and Jacksonville Jaguars, found ways into beating the Ravens by close margins. Not to mention, veterans such as Terrell Suggs, Joe Flacco, and Steve Smith Sr. all suffered injuries throughout the season. In fact, the Ravens suffered the most injuries in the NFL in the season. Regardless, hopes are high in Baltimore, as some ESPN analysts say that the Ravens draft may have been the best draft in the league. In case you missed the draft, here are some highlights from the Ravens draft this year!
Round 1:
Refusing to take the Ole Miss Tackle, Laremy Tunsil, after a video leaked from his on Twitter of him smoking weed out of a gas mask, the Ravens played it safe and picked Offensive Tackle Ronnie Stanley from Notre Dame. Someone who could immediately come and fill in a vacancy at the left tackle position. 20 years following the draft of one of the greatest offensive linemen of all-time, Jonathan Ogden, the Ravens hope that they once again struck gold in drafting this left tackle from Notre Dame. Hopefully this tackle will help an ACL-Injured Joe Flacco return to glory, and keep him safe on his backside.
Mid-round Noticeables:
The Ravens then turned their attention to the defense with their next three picks being all defensive players. Kamalei Correa, outside linebacker from Boise State, and Bronson Kaufusi, Defensive End from BYU, both should add to the Ravens’ ailing pass-rushing game. Both of the Ravens premier rushers, Elvis Dumervail and Terrell Suggs, are aging and becoming more injury prone as time runs up for these veterans. Tavon Young, a corner from Temple University, was brought in the 4th round to help a secondary that has been plagued by injuries, and has been unstable since Bernard Pollard left for free agency following the Ravens last Super Bowl in 2012. Chris Moore, a wide receiver out of Cincinnati, and Alex Lewis, an Offensive tackle out of Nebraska, will also hope to add depth to the offense, and to potentially fight for starting positions in the relative future. Willie Henry, a defensive tackle from Michigan, will also hope to add more depth to the Ravens aging front seven of defense.
Wild Card pick:
In the 6th round of the draft, the Ravens selected Keenan Reynolds from the United States Naval Academy. Regarded as the best quarterback to come out of Navy since Roger Staubach, Reynolds will be seen as a wide-receiver/returner for the Baltimore Ravens. Holding an FBS record for most touchdowns in a career, Reynolds is not afraid to score and deliver under pressure. His quickness and agility is matched only by his awareness on the football field, as he is able to analyze situations quickly on fly, and to adjust accordingly. He has the potential to be the biggest steal in draft, as Reynolds will be playing less than 50 miles away from his Alma Mater at Navy.
