OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Coming away with seven more defensive players on the final day of the NFL Draft, the Ravens will now look to the next phase of the offseason with a new batch of rookies.
The Ravens selected Florida safety Matt Elam with the 32nd overall pick, addressing an immediate need at safety following the departures of Ed Reed and Bernard Pollard earlier this offseason. Of course, Baltimore still would like to address needs at inside linebacker, wide receiver, and left tackle, and the profile of this year’s draft suggested the best value would fall in the second, third, and fourth rounds.
General manager Ozzie Newsome and the front office expressed optimism on Thursday night that plenty of “draftable” players remained on the board as the Ravens entered Friday slotted to have the 62nd and 94th overall picks. Considering they originally held nine third-day picks, the Ravens were a good bet to trade up at some point Friday night and did so in the second round in order to draft Kansas State linebacker Arthur Brown.
With their third-round pick, the Ravens chose defensive tackle Brandon Williams of Missouri Southern State.
In order to move up to the 56th overall pick, the Ravens surrendered their original second-round pick (62nd overall) as well as the 165th (fifth round) and 199th picks (sixth round). Coincidentally, the 199th pick was acquired from San Francisco when the Ravens traded Anquan Boldin at the beginning of last month.
Elam and defensive coordinator Dean Pees met with the local media on Friday afternoon. You can listen to the press conference HERE.
Here’s a breakdown of what the Ravens were able to add over the last three days:
Round 1, No. 32 overall – S Matt Elam, Florida
Round 2, No. 56 overall – LB Arthur Brown, Kansas State
Round 3, No. 94 overall – DT Brandon Williams, Missouri Southern State
Round 4, No. 129 overall – DE John Simon, Ohio State
Round 4, No. 130 overall (compensatory) – FB Kyle Juszczyk, Harvard
Round 5, No. 168 overall (compensatory) – OL Ricky Wagner, Wisconsin
Round 6, No. 200 overall – DE Kapron Lewis-Moore, Notre Dame
Round 6, No. 203 overall (compensatory) – C Ryan Jensen, Colorado State-Pueblo
Round 7, No. 238 overall – WR Aaron Mellette, Elon
Round 7, No. 247 overall (compensatory) – CB Marc Anthony, California
* Compensatory picks may not be traded.
