Ravens Should Be Happy With Rookie Class

The Baltimore Ravens may not have had a perfect rookie crop this past season, but there are certainly some pieces worth investing in for the long haul on each side of the football.

It started at the beginning with cornerback Nate Wiggins, who was chosen with the No. 30 overall pick, and offensive tackle Roger Rosengarten, who the team took in the second round.

CBS Sports writer Chris Trapasso ranked all 32 rookie classes across the NFL, and the Ravens came in the middle of the pack at No. 14.

"Wiggins integrated perfectly into Baltimore's defense," Trapasso writes.

"He played stingy man coverage and tackled well all year despite his spindly frame. He had an interception and 13 pass breakups to go along with 33 tackles in the regular season. While Rosengarten's rookie season won't ever be confused with Johnathan Odgen's, he played over 1,000 snaps, wasn't a weak link for the run blocking and only allowed 36 pressures in pass pro."

The teams in the AFC that ranked higher than the Ravens were the Miami Dolphins, Tennessee Titans, Las Vegas Raiders, Los Angeles Chargers, Denver Broncos and Jacksonville Jaguars.

Considering the fact that some of the teams ahead of the Ravens had more opportunity to play rookies given their circumstances as a team, it isn't a bad spot to be in at No. 14.

While the Ravens had some strong contributions at the top of the draft class, there is reason to believe that the team will have the back end of this particular rookie crop doing more in the long run.

Third-round pass rusher Adisa Isaac played in just four games due to injury, while fourth-round cornerback T.J. Tampa started the season on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) List and only played in seven contests.