Reviewing the draft: Baltimore Ravens

For the most part the Ravens have drafted well through the years and Baltimore’s Class of ’06 could well be one of the best groups no one is talking about. This is a team, and more to the point, a head coach, who must win soon.

Baltimore needed a big body on the defensive line and made a move to acquire the best one available. Maligned before the draft, Haloti Ngata controls the game up front and should quickly break into the starting line-up. The knock that Ngata does not play hard is overblown in our opinion and Ngata was a steal with the 12^th pick. While many pundits think Chris Chester was selected a bit early in round two, this was another good move by Baltimore. Chester has immense upside, only playing on the offensive line for one full season. The ability to be used at guard or center gives him a real chance to start as a rookie. We were not as high on David Pittman as others and feel round three was a bit early. Still, the cornerback is a solid developmental prospect with starting ability. The teams next three choices were all steals. Demetrius Williams has second round talent but dropped due to poor forty times, amongst other things. He has all the tools to be a productive second wide out in the NFL. Had P. J. Daniels been able to stay healthy off a terrific sophomore campaign there is no doubt he would’ve been a top 45 choice. That said, expending a 4^th round selection on a ball carrier with the ability to rotate into the line-up and see action as a spot starter was a good move. Dawan Landry plays much faster then he times and is an intelligent defensive back. He looks well suited as a traditional strong safety. Round five was early for oft-injured tight end Quinn Sypniewski, yet he is a perfect compliment for starter Todd Heap. Their final two selections are terrific long-term prospects. Derrick Martin could thrive in dime formations as a rookie while Ryan LaCasse has all the makings of a terrific rush linebacker.

The Ravens flip-flopped slots with the Browns in order to acquire Ngata and gave up only a sixth round choice; well worth it. They then received a choice in round three from the Giants after moving from pick number 44 down to the 56^th selection, another solid move.

Rd	Sel#	Player	Pos.	School
1	12	Haloti Ngata	DT	Oregon
2	56	Chris Chester	C	Oklahoma
3	87	David Pittman	CB	Northwestern St
4	111	Demetrius Williams	WR	Oregon
4	132	P.J. Daniels	RB	Georgia Tech
5	146	Dawan Landry	FS	Georgia Tech
5	166	Quinn Sypniewski	TE	Colorado
6	203	Sam Koch	P	Nebraska
6	208	Derrick Martin	CB	Wyoming
7	219	Ryan LaCasse	OLB	Syracuse