Ravens Defensive Preview: Rush Hour

The AFC North features arguably the best group of pass rushers in the entire NFL. T.J. Watt of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Myles Garrett of the Cleveland Browns are both former Defensive Players of the Year, while Trey Hendrickson of the Cincinnati Bengals has 17.5 sacks in each of the past two seasons.

By comparison, the Baltimore Ravens don't have quite the star power at the position that their rivals do. What they do have is a unit that comes together perfectly to make life difficult for opposing quarterbacks.

As is usually the case, the edge rushers are the ones getting home most of the time. That group is led by Kyle Van Noy and Odafe Oweh, who both set new career-highs last season with 12.5 and 10 sacks, respectively. Van Noy is now 34, but with how dominant he's been in his two years as a Raven, he could very well keep going.

Those two may be the headliners, but the younger edge rushers shouldn't be overlooked. That group includes David Ojabo, Tavius Robinson, Adisa Isaac and rookie Mike Green, all 26 or younger. Green, who led all FBS players with 17 sacks last season at Marshall but fell to the second round due to off-field issues, is especially worth keeping an eye on.

"Mike is the best example of this new generation that have learned from the pros, and he comes in already really highly skilled up," pass rush coach Chuck Smith told reporters on June 11. "So, I give him a lot of credit. His 'get-off'... I'm just amazed that he's in his base two-point stance, and he has no false steps. He gets off on the ball fast. So, I can't say enough about Mike so far. Now we put the pads on ... The Mike Green that we've seen so far is everything that we thought he would be when we decided to draft him."

The edge rushers may be the ones getting home, but the interior linemen are the ones opening up those opportunities. Nnamdi Madubuike is a fearsome pass rusher in his own right with 19.5 sacks over the past two seasons, while Travis Jones makes more of an understated impact, taking up space in the middle and keeping opposing linemen occupied.

The depth along the interior is very much worth watching. Broderick Washington is still a very solid third tackle, but Michael Pierce and Brent Urban are both gone. In their place are veteran John Jenkins, Pierce's replacement as the team's nose tackle, and rookie Aeneas Peebles, a smaller lineman with a big motor.

The Ravens have finished in the top two for sacks in each of the past two seasons, and their run defense has been very solid as well. If they're going to finally get where they want to be, they'll need their defensive front to continue dominating.