Baltimore Ravens Select Arthur Brown After Trade with Seattle Seahawks

Baltimore Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome is at it again, trading up to the middle part of the second round to get a replacement for retiring linebacker Ray Lewis.

That replacement will be Kansas State LB Arthur Brown, selected by the Ravens after Newsome traded up with the Seattle Seahawks for the No. 56 pick and drafted Lewis' successor.

Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune had the report on Twitter:

According to Baltimore sports columnist John Eisenberg, the Ravens sent a fifth- and a sixth-round selection to the Seahawks to move up from the 62nd pick:

Brown had 201 tackles combined during his final two seasons for the Wildcats. He was a big part of the success Kansas State had during those two years and is considered to be one of the premier linebacker prospects in this draft.

After starting his career at Miami (FL), Brown transferred to Kansas State after his 2009 (sophomore) season. He sat out a year due to NCAA eligibility rules, but made sure his two years with the Wildcats put him in position to make the leap from college to the NFL.

In addition to his two 100-tackle seasons at Kansas State, Brown also had 16.5 tackles for loss and three interceptions during his time in Manhattan in which the Wildcats went to the Cotton Bowl and Fiesta Bowl. 

He joins Florida safety Matt Elam as Baltimore's 2013 NFL draft picks, and both will be tasked with taking over for two players (Lewis and Ed Reed) destined to join the Pro Football Hall of Fame one day.

Those are certainly big shoes to fill, but the Ravens are high-caliber talent evaluators, and trading up to get Brown in the second round should tell you how highly the coaching staff feels of his ability to be a long-term starter for the defending world champions.