Baltimore Ravens 2015 Draft: Aggregating Report Card Grades from Around the Web
The 2015 NFL draft is over, and now analysts and experts from around the Internet are handing out their grades for all 32 teams.
Once a team's draft is complete, fans immediately want to know if it was a good class overall. A simple one-letter grade is often enough to suffice, and it can be a decent indicator as to how good that team's draft was compared to the rest of he NFL.
One must note that sometimes, we don't see the full potential of a draft pick until he's been in the league for two or three years. That's why it's unfair to take grades too seriously until we've seen how each pick adjusts to the NFL.
That said, let's take a look at how the Baltimore Ravens' draft is grading out thus far.
ESPN's Mel Kiper
1 of 4Every year when draft season rolls around, Mel Kiper becomes one of the most popular men in sports.
He's been ESPN's go-to draft analyst for over two decades now, and when he speaks, the draft community usually listens.
Kiper loved what Baltimore did with its draft, mainly because it addressed its biggest needs with players who were great value at where they were taken.
For that, Kiper gave the Ravens an A-minus grade, which was tied for the best mark any team received. It all started with UCF receiver Breshad Perriman in the first round, who was a top-15 talent in Kiper's eyes:
"Breshad Perriman could have been off the board by No. 14, and I wouldn't have blinked. To get a big (218 pounds), fast (sub-4.3 speed) big-play threat such as this at No. 26 is a great get. You bet Perriman needs to be more consistent with his hands, but there's some Dez Bryant to his game.
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The Dez Bryant comparison is something that should have Ravens fans gushing. If Perriman comes close to the level of receiver the All-Pro Bryant is, then we'll look back and call this one of the best picks Baltimore has made under Ozzie Newsome.
As for their next pick, the Ravens addressed their tight end woes with the best one in the draft in Minnesota's Maxx Williams: "Maxx Williams was a player the Ravens coveted, and to get him at No. 55 overall was good value. Both he and Perriman could be impact players from the rookie class, which is rare on a good team."
But the best pick Baltimore made in this draft could be Iowa defensive tackle Carl Davis, who Kiper had as a borderline first-round prospect: "Carl Davis provides needed rotation depth on the D-line and again looks like good value—he was my No. 34 player on the Big Board, and Baltimore got him at No. 90."
If Davis ends up being one of the 34 best players from this draft, it will simply go down as another mid-round steal we've become accustomed to seeing Ozzie Newsome get.
NFL.com's Bryan Fischer
2 of 4Mel Kiper may have loved Baltimore's draft, but not everyone shared his sentiments as strongly, at least when it came to Breshad Perriman.
NFL.com's Bryan Fischer was not a big fan of the Perriman pick, and he gave Baltimore a C-minus grade for it:
"The selection of Perriman is interesting, given his lack of college production and issues with drops. He's a great replacement for Torrey Smith, giving the team some ability to stretch the field, and he lands with the perfect team to learn the game behind some veterans on offense. His game film at UCF gives some cause for concern, but not much apparently for the Baltimore front office.
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I, too, was not a fan of the Perriman pick, but because I thought better receivers were still on the board. Arizona State's Jaelen Strong was a better receiver in my eyes, and I've been banging the table for Baltimore to draft him.
However, Strong has been dealing with a broken bone in his wrist, but he was later cleared by the Pittsburgh Steelers' team doctors, per ESPN's Adam Schefter.
It's safe to assume the sentiment wasn't shared by every team doctor, as Strong fell to Round 3, pick No. 70 overall to the Houston Texans.
If it turns out Strong's injury is serious, then Perriman was the best receiver on the board for Baltimore. Even if he wasn't, Perriman was still worthy of a first-round pick, so to give the Ravens a C-minus for that pick is too harsh.
As for the rest of the draft, Fischer loved how the Ravens traded up to get Maxx Williams, the draft's best tight end. They also got a big steal in defensive tackle Carl Davis in Round 3.
"The Ravens did a good job moving up a few spots to land Williams, who could be Todd Heap 2.0 and gives the team a much-needed boost at tight end," Fischer said. "Davis fell a bit in the draft but was a good case of the rich getting richer by going to the Ravens."
Overall, Fisher gave them an A. I agree with the overall grade, just not the assessment of the Perriman pick.
CBSSports.com's Rob Rang
3 of 4
While much of the praise surrounding Baltimore's draft has been on its early-round picks, it did just as well in the later rounds.
That was a key reason why CBSSports.com's Rob Rang was high on the Ravens' draft, giving them an A for their final grade:
"Filling other holes left by free agent defections happened in the middle rounds with stout defenders Carl Davis and Za'Darius Smith. Cornerback Tray Walker could surprise as a developmental press corner. The real steal, however, could be running back Buck Allen, who could take snaps from Justin Forsett as a rookie. Just another ho-hum brilliant draft in Baltimore.
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As Rang said, USC running back Buck Allen was a nice steal in Round 4. Anytime you get a back in the fourth round who rushed for 1,489 yards and 11 scores to go with 41 catches for 458 yards is a solid pick.
That's what the versatile Allen did this past season, and he brings an added dimension to Baltimore's backfield.
I actually think Allen wins the backup spot behind Justin Forsett this year. That, and he ends up getting more playing time this year than everyone except Breshad Perriman and Maxx Williams.
That's how good Allen can be for Baltimore and how much he can contribute as a rookie.
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Final Grades
4 of 4Outlet | Grade |
A- | |
A | |
A | |
A- | |
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As mentioned in the first slide, it's impossible to put an accurate grade on a draft until two or three years after it takes place.
While some players will make immediate impacts as rookies, others will need a year or two to develop before they start reaching their potential.
That said, it's clear the Ravens had a good draft class this year. From addressing their biggest needs to getting great value in every round, the Ravens accomplished everything they could have hoped to.
This draft class could be enough to get Baltimore over the hump and make it a true championship contender.
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.jpg?w=600 "Draft Grades Roundup 🔠")
