3. LT Jonathan Ogden (first round, 1996)
The story is all too famous now as Newsome was being pressured by owner Art Modell and others to make a splash in their new city by drafting troubled Nebraska running back Lawrence Phillips with the fourth overall pick. Thankfully for the Ravens, the young executive stayed true to his board and selected the UCLA left tackle who went on to be named to 11 Pro Bowls in his 12-year career while Phillips would go down as one of the biggest busts of the last 20 years.
Even with the full support and loyalty of Modell over the years, Newsome has often said he wouldn’t still be the general manager in Baltimore had he bowed to the temptation to take Phillips and almost certainly wouldn’t have won a Super Bowl as quickly without Ogden creating running lanes and protecting the blind side of a number of shaky quarterbacks. You can’t get much better than selecting a Hall of Fame player with the first pick in franchise history as Ogden’s selection set the tone for a number of tremendous drafts in Baltimore.
Continue to next page for No. 2
