Re-Grading Baltimore Ravens' Past 5 Drafts
Draft grading isn't much more than putting words on paper until we've gotten a chance to see how players from a specific draft develop into NFL players.
Sometimes, we don't see the full potential of a draft pick until he's been in the league for two three years. That's why it's simply unfair to grade how well a team did in a draft until we've seen how each pick adjusts to the NFL.
For the Baltimore Ravens, they've been one of the better drafting teams over the past decade. For this article, we're taking a look at the past five Ravens draft class to see who panned out, who didn't and who is still a prominent member of the team.
2010
1 of 5
The Picks
| Rd | Pick | Player | College/Univ |
| 2 | 43 | Sergio Kindle | Texas |
| 2 | 57 | Terrence Cody | Alabama |
| 3 | 70 | Ed Dickson | Oregon |
| 4 | 114 | Dennis Pitta | BYU |
| 5 | 156 | David Reed | Utah |
| 5 | 157 | Arthur Jones | Syracuse |
| 6 | 194 | Ramon Harewood | Morehouse |
This was easily the worst draft Baltimore has had in the past five years, but it still managed to produce several quality players.
The best player to come out of this class didn't come until the fifth round, when the Ravens selected Syracuse defensive lineman Arthur Jones.
He would develop into one of the most reliable defenders on a Ravens defense that routinely was among the NFL's best during his time in Baltimore.
In Jones' final year in Baltimore (2013), Pro Football Focus gave him a plus-8.1 grade, the fifth-best of any Ravens player that year. That year, he had 15 quarterback pressures, five sacks and 30 stops (defined by PFF as tackles that cause an offensive failure).
Last offseason, Jones left the Ravens to sign a five-year, $6 million-per-year deal with the Colts. For a fifth-round pick, he was easily one of the biggest steals of that draft.
Another late-round steal from this draft was BYU tight end Dennis Pitta. In 2012, he was a Pro Bowl-caliber player while catching 61 passes for 669 yards (11.0 yards per catch) and seven touchdowns.
However, his other four NFL seasons have seen Pitta combine for just 77 passes for 700 yards and four touchdowns.
In five NFL seasons, Pitta has had just one productive season, and multiple hip injuries have prevented him from having a better career. Still, getting what Baltimore has gotten out of Pitta made him a good fourth-round pick.
The major miss in the class was Baltimore's first-round pick. Texas linebacker Sergio Kindle played just two seasons and never recorded anything more than a single tackle.
As for the other picks, Terrence Cody, Ed Dickson and David Reed were decent backups who are no longer with Baltimore. Ramon Harewood was out of the NFL after one year.
In terms of the quality of players Baltimore got in this draft, it was a solid class. However, the best player (Jones is gone), and the next best guy (Pitta) could be retiring, per BaltimoreRavens.com.
Kindle being a major flop as Baltimore's first pick in this draft is what really hurts it.
Grade: C-
2011
2 of 5
The Picks
| Rd | Pick | Player | College/Univ |
| 1 | 27 | Jimmy Smith | Colorado |
| 2 | 58 | Torrey Smith | Maryland |
| 3 | 85 | Jah Reid | Central Florida |
| 4 | 123 | Tandon Doss | Indiana |
| 5 | 164 | Chykie Brown | Texas |
| 5 | 165 | Pernell McPhee | Mississippi State |
| 6 | 180 | Tyrod Taylor | Virginia Tech |
| 7 | 225 | Anthony Allen | Georgia Tech |
Baltimore hit it big early and often in the 2011 draft.
It began with Colorado cornerback Jimmy Smith in the first round. He's developed into the Ravens' No. 1 corner, and they just re-signed him to a deal worth $48 million.
The Ravens hit another home run in the second round with Torrey Smith. In four seasons with Baltimore, he caught 213 passes for 3,591 yards (16.9 YPC) and a franchise-record 30 touchdowns.
He left to sign with the 49ers this offseason on a five-year deal worth $40 million. That's over $80 million that's been spent on Baltimore's first two picks from this draft.
The Ravens then got a quality pass-rusher in Mississippi State linebacker Pernell McPhee in the fifth round. He registered 7.5 sacks this past season before signing a five-year deal worth $38.75 million with the Bears this offseason.
Tyrod Taylor, Chykie Brown, Jah Reid and Tandon Doss were all backups who stayed in Baltimore for multiple seasons.
Overall, this was a great draft for Baltimore, as it managed to draft three impact starters (J. Smith, McPhee and T. Smith). Anytime you can add that many quality starters, it was a great draft.
Grade: B+
2012
3 of 5
The Picks
| Rd | Pick | Player | College/Univ |
| 2 | 35 | Courtney Upshaw | Alabama |
| 2 | 60 | Kelechi Osemele | Iowa State |
| 3 | 84 | Bernard Pierce | Temple |
| 4 | 98 | Gino Gradkowski | Delaware |
| 4 | 130 | Christian Thompson | South Carolina St. |
| 5 | 169 | Asa Jackson | Cal Poly |
| 6 | 198 | Tommy Streeter | Miami (FL) |
| 7 | 236 | DeAngelo Tyson | Georgia |
This was another quality draft because of Baltimore's ability to get multiple starting-caliber players.
Kelechi Osemele is a quality left guard who has that spot locked down for the foreseeable future. Pro Football Focus gave him a plus-21.6 grade this past season, tied for the third best of any Ravens player.
Courtney Upshaw has been a great situational linebacker who should step into a larger role in 2015 with Pernell McPhee now gone.
Asa Jackson has developed into a quality backup corner who started six games this past season before suffering a season-ending knee injury.
The same is true of DeAngelo Tyson, who's become a good backup who has started six games in his three-year NFL career.
With no first-round pick, Baltimore still managed to add one impact player (Osemele) and three other quality players (Upshaw, Jackson and Tyson).
Grade: B
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2013
4 of 5
The Picks
| Rd | Pick | Player | College/Univ |
| 1 | 32 | Matt Elam | Florida |
| 2 | 56 | Arthur Brown | Kansas State |
| 3 | 94 | Brandon Williams | Missouri Southern |
| 4 | 129 | John Simon | Ohio State |
| 4 | 130 | Kyle Juszczyk | Harvard |
| 5 | 168 | Ricky Wagner | Wisconsin |
| 6 | 200 | Kapron Lewis-Moore | Notre Dame |
| 6 | 203 | Ryan Jensen | CSU-Pueblo |
| 7 | 238 | Aaron Mellette | Elon |
| 7 | 247 | Marc Anthony | California |
Nose tackle Brandon Williams was a steal in the third round and the best prospect to come out of this class. According to Pro Football Focus, he had the 10th-best grade of any interior defensive lineman this past season.
The 6-1, 335-pound Williams is a load in the middle that anchored the Ravens defense this past season and will continue to do so in 2015.
Offensive tackle Ricky Wagner was another great pick in the fifth round. Per PFF, he received the 15th-highest grade of any offensive tackle this past season. He did so while becoming the full-time starter at right tackle for Baltimore this past season, his first year as an NFL starter. Wagner looks to be the future at that position for the Ravens.
Another late-round steal from this draft was fullback Kyle Juszczyk. Drafted in the fourth round out of Harvard, he emerged as the starting fullback this past season. In addition to being a solid blocker in the run game, Juszczyk was a nice option in the pass game coming out of the backfield. He finished the regular season with 19 catches for 182 yards and one score.
Matt Elam has started 26 games over his first two seasons, but his inconsistencies led to his benching last year in favor of Will Hill. He needs to step up in 2015 to avoid drawing the "bust" label.
John Simon was a decent backup who's now with the Texans after being signed off the Ravens practice squad. Arthur Brown has rarely seen the field after being drafted in the second round.
Overall, Baltimore managed to add two impact players in Wagner and Williams in addition to several other players who've mostly been backups. That's a good haul.
Grade: B+
2014
5 of 5
The Picks
| Rd | Pick | Player | College/Univ |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 17 | C.J. Mosley | Alabama |
| 2 | 48 | Timmy Jernigan | Florida State |
| 3 | 79 | Terrence Brooks | Florida State |
| 3 | 99 | Crockett Gillmore | Colorado State |
| 4 | 134 | Brent Urban | Virginia |
| 4 | 138 | Lorenzo Taliaferro | Coastal Carolina |
| 5 | 175 | John Urschel | Penn State |
| 6 | 194 | Keith Wenning | Ball State |
| 7 | 218 | Michael Campanaro | Wake Forest |
The Ravens kicked off this draft with a bang in the first round by getting Alabama linebacker C.J. Mosley.
After notching 133 tackles, three sacks and two interceptions, he was voted to the 2015 Pro Bowl, making him the first Ravens player to be selected in his rookie season.
He was also the runner-up for NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year and looks to be on the verge of becoming one of the NFL's best linebackers.
The Ravens found another starter in the second round in Florida State defensive lineman Timmy Jernigan. He registered 23 tackles and four sacks in 12 games as a rookie. He should be a starter next year.
As for the rest of the draft, Terrence Brooks, Michael Campanaro and Crockett Gillmore all showed enough promise that they could fight for starting jobs in 2015.
John Urschel and Lorenzo Taliaferro also showed enough promise that they should be quality backups going forward.
Anytime you can add two starters and several quality backups in one draft, that's a solid class.
Grade: B+
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