The Baltimore Ravens are the epitome of average. Joe Flacco stinks, the surrounding talent stinks, and Ozzie Newsome stinks. It looks like John Harbaugh could even be on the hot seat if Baltimore doesn’t make the playoffs this upcoming season. Realistically the team hasn’t improved much besides for swapping out John Brown for Jeremy Maclin. Having said that, what can we expect from the Baltimore Ravens during the 2018 NFL Draft?
There is a huge rumor that is surfacing around the Ravens. Baltimore brought in Robert Griffin III to be the backup quarterback but I believe there is much more to this story. There are rumblings that Lamar Jackson of Louisville is the target. RG3 was simply brought in to mentor Jackson if Baltimore pulls the trigger. That, of course, doesn’t guarantee that Jackson will be available. If he is, he’s going to be the pick. If you think about it by this time next year Greg Roman will likely become the offensive coordinator after Joe Flacco gets another coordinator fired. Roman was famous for bringing Colin Kaepernick to prominence. Don’t be surprised if Jackson becomes the bridge quarterback for Flacco after the upcoming season.
If Jackson is off the board, there’s no doubt that Calvin Ridley is destined to become a Raven. Ozzie Newsome loves Alabama prospects and the team needs a desperately wide receiver. The Ravens also love deep threats and really haven’t had a reliable one since Torrey Smith. Even Mike Wallace was signed to try to replicate that. Ridley is the best deep threat in the draft and is a spitting image of Amari Cooper. Ridley has that knack for getting open deep down the field and is a polished route runner. In a weak receiver class, I would expect him to be very high on the priority list.
Ravens General Manager Ozzie Newsome Will Step Down After 2018/2019 NFL Season
Running back will also be on the wish list. Alex Collins was great in 2017 but there really isn’t a backup plan in place. Danny Woodhead was a flop. Kenneth Dixon, Terrance West, and Lorenzo Taliaferro aren’t reliable options either. Bo Scarbrough of Alabama might be their guy. Scarbrough is another inside physical runner that Baltimore seems to love. Remember, Baltimore also gave Trent Richardson a shot. Ozzie loves Alabama guys. Will Scarbrough be a Mark Ingram or Eddie Lacy type of guy? That remains to be seen.
