Working the phones and making shrewd picks that addressed the present and future needs of the Baltimore Ravens
Mika Zibanejad Jersey , Ozzie Newsome conjured one final fascinating draft for a team that has relied on his intuition since its inception.
After making six trades and selecting 12 players, Newsome declared Saturday night: ”The Baltimore Ravens are a better football team after the past three
days.”
Newsome is stepping down as general manager after this season. He has owned the final say in the Ravens’ draft room since 1996, when he chose future Hall of
Famers Jonathan Ogden and Ray Lewis in the first round.
The 2018 draft may not turn out to be as successful, but coach John Harbaugh – who’d heading into his 11th year with Baltimore – wouldn’t bet against it.
”I told Ozzie just as we finished this thing up, I feel like this is his best draft since I’ve been here,” Harbaugh said. ”Heck, maybe the best ever.”
Denying last month that he was carrying any nostalgic feelings into the draft, Newsome insisted he was focused solely on filling holes on a team that’s
missed the postseason for three straight years.
He did just that. For trivia buffs out there, his final draft pick was at defensive end: Zach Sieler of Ferris State in the seventh round.
His work done, Newsome was about to hang up the phone when he realized the significance of the moment.
”Yes, it was emotional
Zemgus Girgensons Jersey ,” he acknowledged. ”The kid told me he was going to make me proud.”
For his last day as Baltimore’s draft guru
Authentic David Perron Jersey , Newsome had eight choices. Each was made with intense consideration, as always.
”A lot of work has gone into this, starting back last June,” Newsome said. ”I really, really feel very good about this class and how it came to be.”
Some items of note from the Ravens draft:
HERE’S THE CATCH: The theme of this offseason for Baltimore has been to overhaul the receiving corps, and Newsome continued the process in the
draft.
After signing free agent receivers Michael Crabtree, John Brown and Willie Snead in recent weeks, Newsome collared two tight ends in the draft and on
Saturday used two straight picks on receivers: Jaleel Scott of New Mexico State
in the fourth round and Jordan Lasley of UCLA in the fifth.
Scott and Lasley both topped 1,000 yards receiving last season and each scored nine TDs.
ON THE DEFENSIVE: After using the first two days of the draft to improve the Ravens’ offense, Newsome turned his attention Saturday to the other side of the
ball.
He selected Alabama cornerback Anthony Averett at 118th overall, UCLA inside linebacker Kenny Young at No. 122 and Texas safety DeShon Elliott at 190 and
then
Mikkel Boedker Jersey , finally, Sieler.
HOLD THAT LINE: Extending his effort to make life easier for Flacco, Newsome attempted to shore up the offensive line in the draft.
After the Ravens lost right tackle Austin Howard and center Ryan Jensen during the offseason, they grabbed a few potential replacements.
In addition to Brown, the Ravens took tackle Greg Senat from Wagner, a 6-foot-6, 305-pounder who also played on the basketball team. In the seventh
round, Newsome again tapped his alma mater, selecting Alabama center Bradley
Bozeman.
STILL NEED: The Ravens are fine with running back Alex Collins but hoped to find at least one backup in the draft.
DeCosta said that just as Baltimore was ready to pounce, another team stepped in and took the Ravens’ choice.
”There will be more opportunities for us,” he said.
—
A person with knowledge of the situation says the Phoenix Suns have decided not to re-sign center Alex Len and point guard Elfrid Payton
Ben Bishop Jersey , clearing some $10 million in salary cap space as the team prepares to make a run at free agents.
The person asked to remain anonymous because those intentions have not been made public. Free agency begins in the NBA on Sunday.
The moves were expected.
The 7-foot-1 Len, who comes from the Ukraine, was the fifth overall pick in the 2013 draft after one season at Maryland. He played in 335 games over four
seasons with Phoenix, averaging 7.2 points and 6.5 rebounds per game, never
becoming the dominant big man the Suns had hoped he would be. Last season, Len
appeared in 69 games, averaging 8.5 points and 7.5 rebounds.
Acquired from Orlando for a second-round pick at last season’s trade deadline, Payton averaged 11.8 points, 5.3 rebounds and 6.2 assists in 19 games
with Phoenix but shot 44 percent from the field, 20 percent from 3-point
range.
The Suns’ decision not to re-sign the players first was reported by azcentral (The Arizona Republic).
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