Best Draft Ever?

While Ozzie Newsome has deservedly gotten a lot of attention for his success for the Ravens in the NFL draft his best draft may have come before the Ravens officially came to be. In 1996 the Ravens had just officially moved to Baltimore from Cleveland, and were still working out of the Browns’ complex in Berea, Ohio when it was time for the annual draft. The Ravens had two first round picks, the 4th and the 26th and did not have a 3rd or 4th round pick.

Knowing that he would have a small margin for error with a new city, and a roster with a lot of holes to fill, Ozzie proceeded to have one of, if not the best, drafts in NFL history.

With the 4th pick the Ravens avoided taking the sexy pick of running back Lawrence Phillips and instead opted to take the top offensive lineman in the draft, Outland Trophy winner Johnathon Ogden, a big tackle out of UCLA.

The recently retired Ogden proceded to make 11 straight Pro Bowls at left tackle, impressive since he only played 11 seasons at the position (having spent his first season at guard). He also made 9 All-Pro teams and caught a pair of touchdown passes. Ogden protected the blind side of the Ravens’ rotating quarterbacks and led a bruising running game that won Super Bowl XXXV. He is expected to be a unanimous first ballot member of the NFL Hall of Fame and is considered, with Forrest Gregg and Anthony Munoz, one of the top three tackles in the history of the NFL.

Now normally, taking a player who would define the offense for the next decade would be enough to consider any draft class a success, but the Ravens weren’t done. With the 26th pick in the first round the Ravens took the 4th linebacker to go off the board, Ray Lewis, out of the University of Miami.

Lewis held his own when it came to awards and honors, making nine Pro Bowls, seven All Pro teams and twice winning the AP Defensive Player of the Year award, in the 2000 Super Bowl season and again in 2003. An energetic and boisterous player, Lewis has been called the heart of the Ravens record setting defense, and has been a fan favorite with his exceptional play and elaborate pre-game dances. Lewis is often considered the prototype of the new breed of linebackers, combining the aggressiveness and tackling skills of the traditional linebacker with sideline to sideline speed and exceptional hands. He has 30 sacks, 25 interceptions and has led the NFL in tackles five times. He was named a starter on Sports Illustrated’s All-Time team and will eventually join Ogden as a first ballot member of the Hall of Fame.

And Just so special teams weren’t left out the Ravens drafted Jermaine Lewis, a local player out of Lanham and the University of Maryland in the 5th round. Lewis made two Pro Bowls and two All Pro teams as a kick and punt returner. He had six return touchdowns, included his gamebreaking 84 yard kickoff return for a touchdown in the 2001 Super Bowl. The Ravens lost him to the Houston Texans in the 2002 expansion draft.

In addition to these exceptional player the Ravens drafted DeRon Jenkins, a two year starter at cornerback, Lineback Dexter Daniels, Reciever James Roe and Quarterback John Stark.

Well, ok, maybe they didn’t do as well with depth as they did in later years, but with only seven picks the Ravens managed to grab two of the top 40 players in the history of the league and a game changing kick returner.

Not too shabby…

*Oh, and if you were wondering about the jerseys that the players are wearing in the pictures above, the Ravens were so new they had yet to settle on a team logo or colors.