We’re finally within days of the NFL Draft, or as we know it in this business “the one thing that’s keeping us all afloat at the moment.”
In Baltimore, one particularly draft concept has proven to be rather controversial. It’s the one ESPN’s Sal Paolantonio happens to think is the team’s top need.
“I think the most important thing is the team needs depth at the running back position,” Paolantonio told us April 14.
The reaction was so overwhelmingly negative that when I saw pictures of idiots packed together in Annapolis to yell at the governor this weekend, I honestly thought the situations might be related.
Paolantonio isn’t the only person who thinks the Ravens should prioritize running back early in the Draft. NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah (a former Ravens scout) had previously mocked Georgia running back D’Andre Swift to them with the 28th pick. CBS Sports’ Chris Trapasso STILL has them selecting Wisconsin’s Jonathan Taylor in Round 1. Others have suggested the team should consider Ohio State’s J.K. Dobbins or LSU’s Clyde Edwards-Helaire in the early rounds of the draft.
And yet when the idea is presented to a great number of Ravens fans, a type of anxiety sets in that is similar to the feeling of accidentally standing up in the middle of your work Zoom meeting and everyone getting definitive proof of how long it has been since you’ve considered wearing pants.
So … I’m going to attempt to walk through all of my thoughts on this particular topic, admitting that it is most certainly the most complicated of all of the practical thoughts related to what the Ravens do during the draft.
A.) No, I absolutely do not agree with Sal that the “most important thing” is the need for running back depth.
In the immediate future, the Ravens have very little NFL-caliber talent at inside linebacker. There’s L.J. Fort and there’s a guy who hasn’t basically hasn’t played for two seasons … as long as he passes his physical. They’re strikingly thin. BUT they’re an organization with a history of finding capable inside linebackers later in the draft (Ed Hartwell), on the undrafted market (Bart Scott, Jameel McClain, Dannell Ellerbe, Josh Bynes), later in free agency (Daryl Smith) or even in the middle of a season (Fort and Bynes … again).
They face no bigger immediate drop-off at the moment than they do at right guard. With no offense to Ben Powers or any other internal option, the difference between an actual All-Pro still at the top of his game (Marshal Yanda) and a replacement-level player is staggering.
Receiver (Marquise Brown) and edge rush (Matthew Judon) are not necessarily areas of “emergency,” per se, given that they have at least one quality player at each, but depth is a major concern and Judon’s long-term status is unknown while Brown comes with injury concern.
B.) There’s no dismissing how plugged in Paolantonio is and that he’s not creating something out of thin air.
It’s OK to say “I disagree” with someone’s opinion. But when you try to diminish someone of Paolantonio’s status, you’re simply showing your ass. Responding back by saying “national guys just make things up” or “he doesn’t know the Ravens, he only knows the Eagles” makes you look stupid. Sal Paolantonio is as plugged in and respected as just about any other national NFL reporter. He has relationships with all of the decision makers in the Ravens’ organization.
Unless you’re actually Eric DeCosta or Ozzie Newsome or John Harbaugh or Joe Hortiz (and if you are, thanks for stopping by!), you don’t know more than Sal Paolantonio. But that doesn’t mean that any of those guys have directly told “Sal Pal” what the team is going to do in the Draft. He’s done his research because he has to “cover” the Ravens during the ESPN/NFL Network broadcast of the Draft. He’s made his opinions based on that. I don’t fully agree with them. But I know better than to think I know better than Sal Paolantonio.
C.) The team might have more pressing needs, but that doesn’t mean they should be drafting for need.
Ahead of the 2018 NFL Draft, the Ravens faced a significant issue at tight end. Benjamin Watson had departed. Nick Boyle had struggled to break through due to suspensions and inconsistency. Maxx Williams was in a similar boat due to injuries and inconsistency. Tight end was an absolute need that they were clearly hellbent on addressing.
With the 16th pick, the team had the opportunity to select Derwin James, who was believed to be a transcendent talent worthy of being picked much earlier. Instead, they traded out of the pick knowing they could still comfortably take the tight end they wanted (Hayden Hurst) later in the round. Yikes.
This move hasn’t hurt them nearly as much because they ultimately found a stud tight end later in the draft anyway (Mark Andrews) and they ended up acquiring the literal NFL MVP just picks after Hurst, but imagine how much better they’d stand to be/have been with James, Lamar Jackson and Andrews instead of Hurst and the aforementioned duo.
Jackson however is the perfect example of why a team SHOULDN’T draft for need. Just months after owner Steve Bisciotti said the team had “bigger fish to fry” than trying to replace Joe Flacco, they ended up landing a generational talent.
We roll our eyes at the concept of “best player available.” But the same strategy that gave the Ravens Jonathan Ogden instead of Lawrence Phillips in 1996 remains the absolute best strategy in 2020.
D.) Greg Roman is this team’s offensive coordinator. They’re going to run the ball a billion times. There is logic in constantly trying to make sure you’re the absolute best team at running the ball when you’re going to be constantly running the ball.
While I don’t think running back depth is the Ravens’ most pressing need, I think there is wisdom in recognizing who you are and what you do best and making sure you are the absolute best you can be at what you do.
Some of the negative reaction surrounding drafting a running back is perhaps based around our selfish hope that now that we’ve seen Lamar Jackson improve significantly as a passer, we’d like to see the Ravens throw the ball a bit more. There’s significant fallacy there. Greg Roman teams eternally run the football. If you wanted to get away from that, there’s no sense in having him around. The Ravens will continue to develop the passing game around their run, but they’re going to run the ball. And run the ball. And run the ball.
Other negative reaction surrounding the idea is based around a defensiveness of the talent the team already has. Mark Ingram was great last season. Gus Edwards has done nothing but run hard and largely hold onto the football since he arrived. Justice Hill showed flashes of being a good player. And the Ravens have found running backs after the early rounds in their history that have panned out. (In fact, they once plucked Raheem Mostert away from the Dolphins while they were trying to get him on their practice squad and he ended up helping to carry the 49ers to the Super Bowl last year.)
That said, there’s no reason to think it would be a BAD idea for the Ravens to be even better or deeper at the position if possible. Perhaps they could draft a running back early who would give them greater confidence in their ability to keep the train running should one of their current backs get hurt. OR they might just genuinely believe that a player like Dobbins is truly one of the five best players in this class and is set to have a great 10-year career. Pairing a player like that with Ingram can’t possibly be a bad idea. Imagine passing up on a particularly spectacular talent simply because you like the other guys on the roster and you think there’s some sort of limit to how many you’re allowed to have.
This isn’t quarterback. More than one running back is going to play this season no matter what.
I’m not telling you that the Ravens will take a running back with the 28th pick. Or with any of their picks in the first three rounds. But I won’t be shocked if they do. And I won’t scream and lose my mind if they do it during the first round of the draft April 23.
But if I have to watch “Forky Asks a Question” on Disney+ for a 6,381th time since March 10th, I probably will.
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Ohio State Athletics