The 2016 NFL draft is a week away and the Ravens’ position continues to improve without general manager Ozzie Newsome even needing to pick up the phone.
With Philadelphia moving up to the second overall pick in a trade with Cleveland on Wednesday, the Eagles are clearly set on taking a quarterback, meaning another of the elite non-quarterback prospects will be available when Baltimore is scheduled to pick at No. 6. The move came less than a week after the Los Angeles Rams traded up to the No. 1 pick in a blockbuster deal with Tennessee.
Now that quarterbacks Jared Goff and Carson Wentz are projected to come off the board with the first two picks, at least two of the following players will be available when Newsome and the Ravens are on the clock: Mississippi left tackle Laremy Tunsil, Florida State defensive back Jalen Ramsey, Ohio State edge rusher Joey Bosa, Oregon defensive end DeForest Buckner, and UCLA linebacker Myles Jack.
Of course, Wednesday’s trade could just intensify the rest of the quarterback sweepstakes with other teams hunting for a signal-caller now knowing Goff and Wentz will be gone early. Does Memphis quarterback Paxton Lynch now enter the conversation as a potential top 10 pick? If so, would Newsome and the Ravens forgo selecting one of the top players on their board if another team desperate enough to hand over a lucrative bounty of picks comes calling to move up?
It’s interesting to note that Lynch took an official visit with the Ravens, according to agent Leigh Steinberg. No one could possibly expect the Ravens to draft Lynch with their first-round pick, so Newsome could be trying to gauge which teams have expressed the most interest in the quarterback to explore trade scenarios at the sixth spot.
Regardless of how it ultimately plays out on Thursday night, the latest trade just improves the chances of the Ravens either landing a player they truly covet or setting up the possibility of obtaining terrific value in a trade-down scenario.
Ravens' draft position continues to improve with latest trade
Luke Jones
Luke Jones is the Ravens and Orioles beat reporter for WNST BaltimorePositive.com and is a PFWA member. His mind is consumed with useless sports knowledge, pro wrestling promos, and movie quotes, but he often forgets where he put his phone. Luke's favorite sports memories include being one of the thousands of kids who waited for Cal Ripken's autograph after Orioles games in the summer of 1995, attending the Super Bowl XXXV victory parade with his dad in the pouring rain, and watching the Terps advance to the Final Four at the Carrier Dome in 2002. Follow him on social media @BaltimoreLuke or email him at Luke@wnst.net.
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