With their 2014 season officially in the books, the Ravens now know where they’ll be picking in the 2015 draft set to begin in Chicago on April 30.
By advancing to the divisional round, Baltimore will now pick 26th overall in hopes of building on a 10-6 regular season. The Ravens are currently scheduled to have six draft picks, but that number will increase when compensatory choices are awarded later this offseason.
General manager Ozzie Newsome will have his original choices in the first four rounds, but the Ravens traded their 2015 fifth-round pick to Tampa Bay in exchange for center Jeremy Zuttah last offseason and sent their sixth-round choice to Cleveland for the 2014 seventh-rounder spent on wide receiver Michael Campanaro.
Baltimore will receive Dallas’ sixth-round pick in exchange for its original seventh-round choice as part of last summer’s Rolando McClain trade. The Ravens will also have the Miami Dolphins’ seventh-round pick as part of last year’s Bryant McKinnie trade.
After losing unrestricted free agents Arthur Jones, Michael Oher, Corey Graham, and James Ihedigbo last offseason while only signing one notable unrestricted free agent — safety Darian Stewart — the Ravens are projected to receive three compensatory picks, which would bring their total to nine selections. Players who were cut or signed after being released elsewhere — such as wide receiver Steve Smith — do not impact the compensatory pick formula.
This will mark the seventh consecutive year in which the Ravens will be picking in the bottom half of the first round. Inside linebacker C.J. Mosley was selected 17th overall in last May’s draft before going on to become the first rookie in franchise history to make the Pro Bowl.
The only player to be selected 26th overall in franchise history was linebacker Ray Lewis in 1996.
