OWINGS MILLS, Md. — The Ravens addressed two of their biggest positional needs on the second day of the NFL Draft, selecting Washington offensive tackle Roger Rosengarten in the second round and then Penn State edge rusher Adisa Isaac in the third round.
Coupled with the first-round pick of cornerback Nate Wiggins, the Ravens fortified some of their top areas of concern with their most premium draft picks during the first two days of the draft. They are scheduled to have six additional picks on the third and final day of the draft on Saturday, April 27.
General manager Eric DeCosta said he felt “fortunate” that the draft board fell in such a way that that could attack some of their most pressing needs.
“So far we’ve gotten lucky,” DeCosta said. “We were fortunate. When your need and best player match up, then you really have something special, and I think that’s happened a couple of times for us.”
DeCosta said the Ravens had identified Rosengarten as one of their top Day Two targets and got him late in the second round at the front end of a run on offensive linemen. After Rosengarten went to the Ravens with the No. 62 pick, nine of the next 19 picks were offensive tackles or guards.
Rosengarten (6-foot-5, 310 pounds) started all 15 games this past season for the Huskies, who advanced to the FBS national championship game before losing to Michigan. He started 28 games at right tackle the past two seasons, shifting from the left side to protect the blind side of Washington southpaw quarterback Michael Penix Jr. He is a former high school basketball player with good footwork, and he ran the fastest 40-yard dash of any offensive lineman at this year’s Combine (4.92).
Rosengarten impressed the Ravens at the Senior Bowl and then did the same in an interview at the NFL Scouting Combine.
“He was just so on point,” head coach John Harbaugh said. “He was on point, he knew his technique, he knew his assignments. He was very self-aware of the things he needed to get better at, and he just seemed like a motivated guy. He seemed like a Raven.”
Harbaugh said Rosengarten will have a chance to compete for a starting job at right tackle, where a vacancy was created by the trade of veteran Morgan Moses last month. Third-year tackle Daniel Faalele, who rotated at times with Moses last season, is a candidate to start as well, and super-sub Patrick Mekari could also be in the mix.
“Roll the offensive line out there and let them compete,” Harbaugh said.
In addition to losing Moses, the Ravens have also lost both starting guards, as Kevin Zeitler (Detroit Lions) and John Simpson (New York Jets) were signed away as free agents. Rebuilding the line is the top priority for an offense led by reigning league MVP Lamar Jackson and All-Pro running back Derrick Henry, the team’s top free-agent acquisition.
Isaac (6-foot-4, 253 pounds), meanwhile, adds another element to the Ravens’ pass rush after leading Penn State in both sacks (7.5) and tackles for loss (16) this past season.
In Baltimore, he will reunite with his former Nittany Lion teammate and fellow edge rusher Odafe Oweh, who helped recruit Isaac to Penn State.
Isaac is “a very athletic guy,” Harbaugh said. “Very explosive starter, can cover ground. … He’s got some real pass-rush ability [and] he’s heavy-handed against the run.”
The Ravens led the NFL with 60 sacks last season, but lost edge rusher Jadeveon Clowney, who had 9.5 sacks and 43 tackles, as a free agent. They re-signed Kyle Van Noy, who set a career high with nine sacks a year ago, and also return Oweh, who had five. The Ravens also hope to have third-year linebacker David Ojabo healthy for the first time in his three-year career.
“We got a pretty good group out there coming off the edge [and] setting the edge,” Harbaugh said.
Barring any trades, the Ravens will have six picks on the final day of the draft, with two in the fourth round, one in the fifth, one in the sixth and two in the seventh. DeCosta has said he expects to draft a running back at some point, and offensive guard, wide receiver and safety are still position areas the Ravens could look to bolster.
But with some of their top needs already checked off, DeCosta said his approach on the final day of the draft can be an “open highway. We can just sit back and just draft the best guys that we see on the board without any real thought to position or how they’re going to fit roster-wise. We’re just going to draft the best football players.”
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Washington Athletics