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Baltimore Ravens Draft Grade

By Joe Serpico

Apr 28, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Ronnie Staley (Notre Dame) is selected by the Baltimore Ravens as the number six overall pick in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft at Auditorium Theatre. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 28, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Ronnie Staley (Notre Dame) is selected by the Baltimore Ravens as the number six overall pick in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft at Auditorium Theatre. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Baltimore Ravens exited the 2016 NFL Draft with eleven new players. We will know more about this Ravens draft class in a few years, but right now, it’s a questionable draft class.

The phrase around Baltimore has been “In Ozzie We Trust.” That has not been the case as the Ravens have failed have a strong draft in recent memory, and the 2016 class is going to be judged heavily.

The Baltimore Ravens added 11 new pieces to the puzzle, but many of the choices left us scratching our heads. The first three picks – Ronnie Stanley, Kamalei Correa and Bronson Kaufusi – had most of Ravens Nation wondering what the draft plan was. Fans and “experts” thought there were better players still on the board at the time, but Ozzie stuck to his draft bored

The Jacksonville Jaguars, who selected ahead of the Ravens most of the draft, played a part in how things turned out for the Ravens. Ozzie wanted Jalen Ramsey enough to call the Dallas Cowboys about a trade. In the second round, they took Myles Jack, another fan favorite. And if the Ravens were hoping to land former Maryland Terrapin Yannick Ngakoue in the third, the Jags stole him too.

It wasn’t until the fourth round that fans started to applaud some of the Ravens selections. Our grade for the 2016 draft class is….

C. 1 (6) Ronnie Stanley, OT, Notre Dame<br />2 (42) (from Miami) Kamalei Correa, OLB, Boise State<br />3 (70) Bronson Kaufusi, DE, BYU<br />4 (104) Tavon Young, CB, Temple<br />4 (107) (from Miami) Chris Moore, WR, Cincinnati<br />4 (130) (from Denver) Alex Lewis, OT, Nebraska<br />4 (132) Willie Henry, DT, Michigan<br />4 (134) Kenneth Dixon, RB, Louisiana Tech<br />5 (146) (from Jacksonville) Matt Judon, DE, Grand Valley State<br />6 (182) Keenan Reynolds, WR, Navy<br />6 (209) Maurice Canady, CB, Virginia. . . BALTIMORE RAVENS

The reports of the Ravens wanting Laremy Tunsil over Stanley means they settled instead of drafting the best player on their board. The video of Tunsil hitting a bong scared them away. Meanwhile, they still have Eugene Monroe on the roster, who has repeatedly said the NFL needs to change its policy on painkillers and let players smoke marijuana. Maybe the front office didn’t want the two of them getting high together.

The second day choices were not popular picks, but Steve Biscotti said he wanted pass rushers in the draft, and that’s what he got. People were furious that Noah Spence and Myles Jack were still available and not taken.

Tavon Young, Kenneth Dixon and Willie Henry salvaged the draft for the Ravens. Each had higher projections than where they were drafted, and Dixon was the top-rated pass-catching running back in this class. That’s important in Marc Trestman’s offense.

Keenan Reynolds, a triple-option quarterback from Navy, had fans buzzing. Reynolds holds the FBS record for most career touchdowns and is making the transition from quarterback to playmaker. I say playmaker because no one really knows if he’s going to play running back or wide receiver in the NFL. He’s just a damn good football player.

Next: Keenan Reynolds an Intriguing Choice for Ravens

In all, this was an okay draft for the Ravens. This grade could be wrong in a couple years, but right now, we have no idea what to expect from this group.

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