Ravens Have Successful 3-Day Draft Haul

It was a very successful NFL Draft for the Baltimore Ravens. They started strong and finished even stronger.

The first-round draft choice for Baltimore was former Georgia safety Malaki Starks. Starks will be great opposite another former first-round pick, Kyle Hamilton. This duo should have the makings of a very good defensive backfield for the Ravens.

The Ravens got another steal at No. 59 with Marshall edge rusher Mike Green. Green has first-round talent, but had some character questions coming into the draft that might have caused him to slide a bit. He had prior sexual abuse allegations that never resulted in charges being filed, and were thoroughly investigated by the league and the teams.

Ravens' general manager Eric DeCosta said the team investigated matters and found no reason not to invest the pick in Green. This was a great value pick.

Baltimore had two selections near the bottom of each of the first two rounds and got presumptively capable Day 1 starters out of each. These were great moves by the front office and the defense should be even better than it was last year. 

The next pick was Emery Jones, Jr., in the third round. The offensive tackle is another great pick by DeCosta. Jones was also projected to go earlier and due to the plethora of offensive tackles at the top of the draft, he fell to the Ravens at No. 91. 

There were two picks in the sixth round that I also really liked. I thought the drafting of a kicker would happen on Saturday, as the Ravens cannot leave anything to chance. With the selection of Tyler Loop from Arizona, it appears as though Justin Tucker's days as a member of the Ravens are numbered.

Tucker is facing sexual abuse allegations, but no charges were filed. The Ravens do not know yet how the proceedings, if any, are going to turn out. 

I also really liked the pick of wide receiver LaJohntay Wester from Colorado. He was a great pick for the sixth round. He had 74 receptions last season for 931 yards and 10 scores. 

He will give Lamar Jackson a big, speedy target who can line up on the outside or in the slot. He would be a very good WR2 or WR3 and should compete with DeAndre Hopkins for playing time on the outside.