The Baltimore Ravens nailed the draft. In my opinion, the ultimate cherry on top was when Baltimore was able to land JK Dobbins in the second round. What made it even more incredible is that it was the pick they acquired in the laughable Hayden Hurst trade. Baltimore didn’t need Dobbins but he was too good to pass on.
Eric DeCosta essentially echoed those sentiments:
“it would have been irresponsible”
“My philosophy is talent wins,” DeCosta said. “If you have a running back who you think can be a dynamic player for you and you are a team who loves to run the football, to me it makes too much sense.”
Amen right there. I love how he threw a jab towards the analytical nerds who know absolutely nothing. All the Ravens do is run the football (which the nerds at PFF hate) and they win games. Running the ball and playing defense still works. Sorry nerds.
DeCosta is right though. He would have been a lunatic to pass on Dobbins. He was by far the best player available. I agree with him when he says Dobbins was a first round talent. Statistically, he was better than Ezekiel Elliott who went 4th overall in his draft. In Elliott’s final year at Ohio State, he had 289 carries for 1,821 yards (6.3 yards per carry) and 23 touchdowns. Dobbins beat those marks after his 2019 campaign of 301 carries for 2,003 yards (6.7 YPC) and 23 touchdowns.
Landing Dobbins in this draft is what put it over the top. He’s the perfect back to take over the lead role as Mark Ingram ages. Ingram, 30, could benefit from Dobbins and will likely extend his career. Baltimore is going to love JK Dobbins who excels in every single area.