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Meet The Baltimore Ravens Draft Class of 2019

marquise brown

Welcome to my favorite blog of the entire year. The NFL draft is where great franchises truly construct their roster. It’s where NFL general managers’ careers are defined. The ability to consistently draft NFL quality players, not just from a quality standpoint but from a quantity standpoint as well, is what separates the franchises that have front office and turnover, and those that have continuity.

The Ravens were fortunate enough to have a legendary GM for their entire existence to this point. Ozzie Newsome drafted two of the greatest players to ever play their positions in the 1996 and set the franchise up for years to come. There were certainly some misses along the way, but more often than not he was able to perpetually build good football teams through the draft.

After his retirement this past year, his protege Eric DeCosta got his first crack at drafting 8 new Baltimore Ravens. This class in particular will surely form that first impression for Ravens fans that will define EDC for years to come. He has some gigantic shoes to fill, and I think he did an admirable job.

DeCosta clearly made building around Lamar Jackson the #1 priority in this draft. For more than a decade, Ozzie Newsome elected not to make many top picks in support of Joe Flacco on his side of the ball, and when he did, those picks tended to fail miserably. I don’t fault Ozzie for that too much because the defensive picks he did make were usually excellent, but it’s clear that DeCosta is going another direction this time around and doing things his way. And it appears his way is all about SPEED. 3 of the first 4 picks were offensive skill players who ran some of the fastest 40 times at their position. When you think about what Lamar Jackson is able to do and how teams have to gameplan for him, it’s borderline unfair to add some of these guys to the mix. I’m torqued just thinking about it. He rounded out the rest of the class by addressing some important needs for the team. So without further ado, here is your 2019 Ravens draft class.

(2018 Draft Class)

(2017 Draft Class)

(2016 Draft Class)

(2015 Draft Class)

(2014 Draft Class)

1st Round (25th overall) – Marquise “Hollywood” Brown, WR from Oklahoma

brown

We all know what Hollywood is all about. Dude can fucking fly with the best of them. Many were saying he had a real shot to beat John Ross’ record combine 4.22 40 time. Unfortunately a foot injury took that opportunity away from us. Regardless, it’s hard not to love what he brings to the table. He clearly has a work ethic that matches his top-level speed. Dude came from squalor, working his way up from a Juco where he was operating amusement park rides to get by, all the way to become a 1st round pick.

Yes, he’s related to Antonio Brown which can have its concerns, but there are far more pros there than cons. He’s been training with AB for over a year, which shows on his tape in the 2018 season. He really elevated his route-running from the previous offseason, and that’s a testament to the hard work ethic that he shares with him. He really buckled down and became a student of the position, which you can’t say too much about other receivers the Ravens have drafted high in the past. He isn’t just a downfield target, he can work the routes underneath, catch screens, run jet sweeps… he’s electric in every way and that’s gotta scare a lot of defenses in the AFC North when you couple that with Lamar Jackson. Despite a lot of buzz about other guys that put up gaudy combine performances, Brown prevailed as the first receiver taken in this year’s draft. Too excited for what Greg Roman is going to draw up with Hollywood.

3rd Round (85th overall) – Jaylon Ferguson, DE from Louisiana Tech

NCAA Football: Hawaii Bowl-Louisiana Tech vs Hawaii

Jaylon Ferguson was a guy the Ravens were praying would fall to them and luckily he did. Rarely can you get an impact pass-rusher this late in the draft, and it’s hard to imagine he isn’t going to be one. Say what you will about some of the competition he faced at La Tech, you don’t get 45 sacks in your college career unless you’re an absolute hound for the QB. If anything, I think it speaks volumes about his ability to still rack up stats even when he was clearly the most dangerous player on the field every Saturday. You have to imagine teams would gameplan all week for him and he would still find a way to fight through double teams to get to the QB. The small-school element reminds me a lot of Matt Judon. Dude racked up an eye-popping 21 sacks his junior year and entered the draft out of DII Grand Valley State, and Judon has turned out better than FBS guys like Tim Williams (Alabama) and Tyus Bowser (Temple).

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Oh, and those 45 sacks? Only the most in the entire history of FBS football, breaking the record previously set by the one they call Sizzle.

3rd Round (93rd overall) – Miles Boykin, WR from Notre Dame

boykin

The Ravens were originally slated to pick 102nd in the 3rd round, but saw an opportunity to take another WR and moved up to 93rd. It’s easy to see why. Boykin has a lot of things going for him that jump off the page, to the point where it’s a little curious why he didn’t go sooner. Usually receivers who are 6’4, 220 lbs and can run a 4.41 are guys that are surefire 1st round picks.

The knock on Boykin is that he’s a little bit raw and needs a good amount of work in press coverage. There’s no point in having that kind of size if you’re not able to use it. Apparently he’s a little bit of a project on that front, which is fine for a late 3rd round pick. He’s got all the tools to be a great WR and one that complements the offense well. He’s got the speed that matches the rest of the skill players around him, and his size pairs up well on the outside so that Brown can be a weapon in the slot. Should be a great red zone option for Lamar for years to come.

4th Round (113th overall) – Justice Hill, RB from Oklahoma State

justice

Here we have the fastest RB in the entire damn draft. SPEED SPEED SPEED. The Ravens have got their power in the backfield with the likes of Mark Ingram, Gus Edwards, and Ken Dixon. Now they’ve got another guy who can fly. Hill was 1st team All Big-12 the past two years, so you know he can produce. Perfect big play ability to pair up with Lamar on some speed options.

The downside with him is that he doesn’t have great size at 5’10, 198 lbs, and he isn’t exceptional in pass protection. But he’s not being drafted to be a 3-down back. Those hardly exist in the NFL these days. He brings something different to the table than what we’ve already got in then backfield, and that’s more than enough for me as a 4th rounder.

4th Round (123rd overall) – Ben Powers, G from Oklahoma

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ben powers

There was a lot of discussion going into the draft about the Ravens’ need to draft an interior lineman. I wasn’t so sold that it was a NEED, but I believed that we could improve our depth there and that’s what this pick accomplishes. He’s a physical guy who has gotten where he is through hard work and determination. Like Hollywood, he played a year at a JuCo before landing at Oklahoma and playing a part on one of the most dynamic offenses in college football.

He’s far more conditioned to be a run-blocker than a pass protector, which is a-ok in this offense. He’s a force over finesse guy, and likes to get downhill as a pulling blocker. Did I say “like”? I meant “LOVE”. I mean, the guy said he loves taking a man’s dreams and crushing them. How do you not love that?

4th Round (127th overall) – Iman Marshall, CB from USC

Iman_Marshall.0

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Ever since the great cornerback dearth of 2014, the Ravens have made it a point to stockpile as many CB’s as possible. They already have a ton on the roster between Jimmy Smith, Marlon Humphrey, Brandon Carr, Tavon Young, Anthony Averett, Maurice Canady, Stanley Jean-Baptise, and Cyrus Jones… but what does one more hurt?

Marshall is a physical corner, much more fit to play the outside or guard tight ends than to chase down guys in the slot. He’s not the fastest guy out there, nor does he have exceptional ball skills, but he doesn’t get bullied. That makes him a great fit to be a Raven. He was a top 10 recruit in the country 3 years ago and didn’t light the world on fire at USC, but was still plenty good enough to make some All-Pac 12 teams. He may not have high ceiling as a pro, but he should be able to contribute and be reliable in nickel and dime packages.

5th Round (160th overall) – Daylon Mack, DT from Texas A&M

Northwestern v Texas A&M

Daylon Mack is another guy who was a top recruit 3 years ago who had a solid college career, but maybe not as excellent a career as many had hoped. Regardless, Daylon Mack is an absolute unit at 6’1, 334 lbs. I see his ability as a bullrusher as a great fit in a 3-4 defense on the inside. The Ravens have always prioritized taking a d-lineman in the draft, and those picks tend to be steals. This certainly looks like one that could be a key starter down the road. It’s not being discussed much yet, but Brandon Williams has a large cap number in the coming years that may make him a cap casualty. Having somebody to pair up with Michael Pierce would make that casualty much easier to swallow, and Mack might just be that guy.

Btw, lesser bloggers would have forced a “mack truck” joke into this write-up somewhere. Big credit to me for not being that guy.

6th Round (197th overall) – Trace McSorley, QB from Penn State

VRBO Citrus Bowl - Kentucky v Penn State

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Certainly one of the most interesting late round picks of the draft… I’m well documented as not being a big Penn State guy, but I understand what EDC is doing here. McSorley is a guy who’s a proven competitor who has beaten long odds (such as that fuckstick Randy Edsall refusing to offer him a scholarship at Maryland as anything other than a safety). He fits the mold of a QB who can run the system in place, and could be a solution as the long-term backup once RGIII moves on.

And of course, there’s discussions about him being the “next Taysom Hill”. I suppose that’s possible, but it always bugs me when something really rare comes along (like a Taysom Hill) and everybody has to try to label something as the “next” of that thing right away. The uniqueness of that thing is exactly what makes it unlikely that another will come along any time soon. But I digress. I suppose it’s a possibility that he chips in here or there somewhere other than QB, but I don’t see him having anywhere near that sort of impact at his size. He can certainly be a serviceable backup who fits the offensive scheme well and that’s just fine as a 6th round pick.

And there ya have it. Another draft class for the books. Anything can happen with these guys, and that’s the beauty of the draft. Most “experts” are putting the Ravens’ grades somewhere in the top 10, which sounds about right. Speed on offense is the theme of this draft and I can’t wait to see Lamar get out there with his new toys.