The Ravens failed to make the postseason for the fourth time in five years, but where exactly did their players stack up across the NFL in 2017?
Whether it’s discussing the Pro Bowl or picking postseason awards, media and fans spend much time debating where players rank at each position, but few put in the necessary time and effort to watch every player on every team extensively enough to develop any kind of an authoritative opinion.
Truthfully, how many times did you closely watch the offensive line of the Los Angeles Chargers this season? What about the Detroit Lions linebackers or the Miami Dolphins cornerbacks?
That’s why I can appreciate projects such as Bleacher Report’s NFL1000 and the grading efforts of Pro Football Focus. Of course, neither should be viewed as the gospel of evaluation and each is subjective, but I respect the exhaustive effort to grade players across the league when so many of us watch only one team or one division on any kind of a consistent basis. It’s important to note that the following PFF rankings are where the player stood at the conclusion of the regular season.
Below is a look at where Ravens wide receivers ranked across the league, according to those outlets:
Running backs
Defensive linemen
Tight ends
Cornerbacks
Wide receivers
C.J. Mosley
2017 defensive snap count: 1,078
NFL1000 ranking: 3rd among inside linebackers
PFF ranking: 37th among linebackers
Skinny: He’ll always be unfairly compared to Ray Lewis, but the 2014 first-round pick made his third Pro Bowl in four seasons despite dealing with an array of nagging injuries late in the season. His pass coverage still needs to improve, but signing Mosley to a long-term contract is on the to-do list this spring.
Patrick Onwuasor
2017 defensive snap count: 648
NFL1000 ranking: 38th among inside linebackers
PFF ranking: 41st among linebackers
Skinny: The 25-year-old was the latest in a long line of former rookie free agents to start at inside linebacker for the Ravens, beating out Kamalei Correa for the weak-side spot. Onwuasor shows the aggressive physicality you like, but he needs to be more consistent to remain in a starting role.
Kamalei Correa
2017 defensive snap count: 147
NFL1000 ranking: 59th among inside linebackers
PFF ranking: n/a
Skinny: The Ravens saw Correa as a tweener and moved him inside as a rookie because of immediate need and short arms that were expected to be a hindrance on the edge. The move hasn’t worked, and a return to his college spot may be in order to try to salvage value from a disappointing second-round pick.
Bam Bradley
2017 defensive snap count: 2
NFL1000 ranking: n/a
PFF ranking: n/a
Skinny: The rookie from Pitt was one of the good stories of the preseason as he made the 53-man roster before tearing an ACL in Week 2. With Onwuasor being inconsistent as a starter and Correa not living up to expectations, Bradley is a sleeper at this position to watch in the preseason.
2018 positional outlook
The Ravens appeared to be in really good shape at this position before the unfortunate retirement of Zachary Orr last January, and they predictably experienced drop-off with his replacements. The use of the dime package helps minimize deficiencies at the inside linebacker spot, but Baltimore needs more from both Mosley and whoever else is on the field as covering tight ends was a significant issue throughout the season. With Mosley in line for a big payday and only under contract through the 2018 season, the Ravens need to be economical with any efforts to improve at the other spot. Special-teams standout and veteran linebacker Albert McClellan remains under contract after missing the entire 2017 season with a torn ACL, but the presence of so many younger options could lead to him being a casualty of a tight salary cap this offseason.
