Ravens’ Strategy Once Again Ahead of the Curve
Since the Ravens’ inception, the organization has developed new concepts to gain an advantage on their longer-existing counterparts.
In the early years, according to General Manager Eric DeCosta, the Ravens couldn’t participate in free agency, so the team “became a very draft-centric team.” They utilized the middle rounds of the draft and the compensatory draft formula to their advantage.
But in the NFL—rightfully deemed a “copycat league,” the Ravens’ concepts were adopted by others, and Baltimore needed to gain a step once again on the pack. Sports Illustrated’s Connor Orr believes the Ravens have done so.
“While some of you might have missed it, the Ravens seem to be fleecing the NFL again,” Orr wrote.”
“As other teams caught on to their strategy, it looks as though the Ravens began searching for another roster building advantage: constructing a team around the best players at non-premium positions.”
In the most recent draft, the Ravens selected “undervalued position” players. They drafted safety Kyle Hamilton and center Tyler Linderbaum in the first round. In the fourth round, they picked tight ends Charlie Kolar and Isaiah Likely, and punter Jordan Stout. Orr sees the latest draft as a demonstration of the Ravens’ new theory.
“Here’s why this is a big deal: the Ravens are sitting out the NFL’s absurd and cutthroat bidding war for non-quarterback premium players,” Orr wrote. “The cornerback market is now $21 million per year after the Jaire Alexander deal. This offseason, the Ravens signed the best safety in free agency, Marcus Williams, for $14 million. They drafted Hamilton, believed to be one of the best coverage players in the draft, with the No. 14 overall pick. Hamilton dropped, principally, because he played safety and the position is viewed as unworthy of a top draft selection. In October, he was being discussed as a top-three pick before the senseless truisms of the old football guard took hold.”
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