It was quite a busy weekend for the reigning Super Bowl Champion Baltimore Ravens. They had 12 picks in the 2013 NFL Draft, plenty to help them bolster and rejuvenate their depleted defense.
After winning the Super Bowl, Pro Bowl linebacker Ray Lewis retired, the Ravens also lost several key defensive players in free agency. They added linebacker Elvis Dumervil, safety Michael Huff and defensive linesmen Chris Canty and Marcus Spears.
Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome is a drafting genius with a proven track record of selecting the best talent and players who are a good fit for the Ravens.
Newsome is hopeful that this year’s draft selections will help rebuild the team:
“Every draft kind of sits on its own, but this one is very important in the sense that we are starting to build a good nucleus of players and we need to have an influx of other young players in this draft to fit in,” General Manager Ozzie Newsome said.
- Round 1, 32nd Overall: Matt Elam, S, Florida
- Round 2, 56th Overall: Arthur Brown, LB, Kansas State*
- Round 3, 94th Overall: Brandon Williams, DT, Missouri southern State
- Round 4, 129th Overall: John Simon, DE/LB, Ohio State
- Round 4, 130th Overall: Kyle Juszczyk, FB/TE, Harvard
- Round 5, 168th Overall (compensatory pick): Rick Wagner, G/T, Wisconsin
- Round 6, 200th Overall: Kapron Lewis-Moore, DE, Notre Dame
- Round 6, 203th Overall (compensatory pick): Ryan Jensen, C, CSU-Pueblo
- Round 7, 238th Overall: Aaron Mellette, WR, Elon
- Round 7, 247th Overall (compensatory pick): Marc Anthony, CB, California
*The Ravens traded their 2nd, 5th and 6th round picks to Seattle to get LB Arthur Brown.
- Matt Furstenberg, TE, Maryland
- Jeff Braun, OT, West Virginia
- Ray Holley, RB, Louisiana Tech
- Murphy Holloway, TE, Ole Miss
- Brynden Trawick, DB, Troy
- Jermaine Copeland, OLB/DE, University of Pennsylvania
- Gerrard Sheppard, WR, Towson University
- Trent Steelman, QB, Army
- Nathan Stanley, QB, Southern Louisiana
- Moe Lee, CB, Utah
- Jose Cheeseborough, DB, Florida International
- Jordan Devey, OL, Memphis
BaltimoreRavens.com writer John Eisenberg said the Ravens will have a new generation of defense:
“It’s called evolution and it’s happening now, in real time, right before your eyes. Say hello to the new generation of defense in Baltimore. Not a moment too soon, I might add.”
I am pleased with the Ravens 2013 draft class. In Ozzie I trust and I’m excited to see what these rookies will bring to the field this season.
Zennie Abraham