There was a lot of speculation that the Baltimore Ravens were going to find help for Joe Flacco early in the draft.
That did not happen. Whether it was the board falling to best player available or just getting a player to fill a need, this was very surprising to me. This shows the determination to make this defense a top 5 defense next season with enough depth to still be very good, regardless of the situation. Maybe the Baltimore Ravens were thinking about the games they lost last season and how the defense collapsed at times when it was critical. Now, the defense can become a real strength and could also be a force in the future.
Nevertheless, the Ravens did a few things to help the defense. First, get quality depth at cornerback and a potential replacement for Jimmy Smith in Marlon Humphrey with their first selection.
Second, get potential pass rushers to replace Elvis Dumervil and eventually Terrell Suggs with their 2nd and second 3rd round selections. Tyus Bowser is a versatile outside or inside linebacker and Tim Williams is an edge pass rusher.
And third, find a replacement for Timmy Jernigan in Chris Wormley with their first 3rd round selection.
While some did not like the route Ozzie Newsome and the Ravens staff went with this draft, I disagree. This gives the Baltimore Ravens an elite defense for years to come.
The Ravens have always been a defense oriented team and stuck to the gameplan in the first three rounds in this draft. There are still options to fix the defense with their Day 3 selections so I expect that to be the plan. Let’s evaluate these four selections and how they fit with the Baltimore Ravens.