Over the course of their franchise history, the Baltimore Ravens have generally been known as a team that drafts well. They employ multiple different strategies on draft weekend which include taking the best player available on their board while also not ignoring need altogether.
Some drafts have gone better than others for Baltimore, as is the case with every NFL organization. When grading each team’s 2019 draft haul over three years later, Maurice Moten of Bleacher Report wasn’t impressed with who the Ravens were able to land, giving them a “D” grade. He mentions that his grade doesn’t factor in the late Jaylon Ferguson, who tragically passed away as he was entering his fourth professional season, but talks about some of the other members of the draft class.
“On Day 1 of the 2022 draft, the Ravens traded their most productive player from the class, sending Marquise Brown to the Arizona Cardinals in exchange for a first-round pick. Last year, he logged career highs in catches (91) and receiving yards (1,008)…Ben Powers is the only player in the group who remains on the roster with a chance to start in the upcoming campaign. For the 2021 term, he opened 12 out of 13 contests with the first unit, allowing three sacks and committing three penalties in 844 snaps, per Pro Football Focus…In April, Baltimore released Miles Boykin, who caught 33 passes for 470 yards and seven touchdowns through 40 contests (24 starts) with the team. At best, Justice Hill is the No. 3 running back on the depth chart behind J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards, but eighth-year pro Mike Davis may bump him down to the fourth spot.”
Moten ends his analysis by saying that no one stands out as a long-term asset from the class. Other players that Moten didn’t touch on include fourth-round cornerback Iman Marshall, fifth-round defensive lineman Daylon Mack and sixth-round quarterback Trace McSorley. Only Hill, Powers, and Marshall remain on the team from Baltimore’s 2019 draft class, and each hasn’t done much to impress over their first three years in the league.
Brown had many nice flashes with the Ravens, but he was the only draft pick from his year that provided big-time returns on the investment that Baltimore placed in their 2019 draft class. There’s still time for Hill, Powers and Marshall to make an impact, but their window seems to be closing.
