NFL Draft 2015: List of Baltimore Ravens Draft Picks
By CM Towle
The Baltimore Ravens excel at building their team through the draft and they have 10 selections in the 2015 NFL Draft.
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The Ravens have a total of 10 picks in the 2015 NFL Draft and as they are one of the best teams in the league at building and improving their roster through the draft, this could be considered the second-most crucial time of the year for the team outside of games. Here is the basic information about this year’s draft:
It will be held at: Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University, Chicago
It will be held on: Thursday, April 30 – Saturday, May 2
Round 1 starts on Thursday, April 30 at 8 p.m. ET
Rounds 2 & 3 starts on Friday, May 1 at 7 p.m. ET
Rounds 4-7 starts on Saturday, May 2 at 12 p.m. ET
The Ravens have one pick in each of the first three rounds. They will pick at No.26 overall in Round 1, No.58 in Round 2 and No.90 in Round 3. Rounds 4 through 6 is where they have the bulk of their picks. Their normal pick is No.122, but then they have three traded picks and three compensatory picks. Those picks are as follows:
Round 4: No. 125 (from Detroit for Haloti Ngata) and No. 136 (compensatory)
Round 5: No. 158 (from Detroit for Ngata), No. 171 (compensatory) and No. 175 (compensatory)
Round 6: No. 203 (from Dallas for Rolando McClain)
The Ravens lead the league in total compensatory picks since the program was launched in 1994. They have a total of 44 compensatory picks, with the closest other teams being the Packers at 35 and the Cowboys at 33. The Ravens typically try to avoid signing free agents that have not been released by another team as this counts against the formula for receiving compensatory picks. Compensatory picks cannot be traded.
The Ravens lost a total of five free agent players last year: defensive tackle Arthur Jones, tackle Michael Oher, cornerback Corey Graham, safety James Ihedigbo and tight end Ed Dickson. They only signed one free agent that wasn’t cut by another team, and that was safety Darian Stewart, according to the Baltimore Ravens site.
The NFL hands out a total of 32 compensatory picks and factors in things such as the average salary, total playing time and postseason awards. Salary is typically the biggest factor in determining picks.
The Ravens have a few needs going into the 2015 draft. Running back is one of those needs, with recently re-signed back Justin Forsett going into his age 30 season this year, which is often when running backs start to fall off. Though it should be noted that Forsett has a lot less “miles” on him than most other top backs hitting 30. Nevertheless, Wisconsin running back Melvin Gordon continues to be a popular first round target in mock drafts for the Ravens. Despite that fact, the Ravens have actually only ever picked one running back in the first round and that was Jamal Lewis in 2000.
Two other needs for the Ravens are wide receiver and cornerback. The latter was a big weak spot for them last year and you can bet they will be looking for cornerbacks at some point during the draft. Washington cornerback Marcus Peters could be a first round target for the Ravens if Gordon is gone or they simply decide to pass him up. Wide receiver possibilities include Arizona State’s Jaelen Strong, Central Florida’s Breshad Perriman and Ohio State’s Devin Smith.
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