The NFL Scouting Combine kicks off this week in Indianapolis, and for most fans it’s the beginning of the draft season.
The draft has been the Ravens’ lifeblood throughout franchise history. They put an immense amount of importance on nailing it every year.
Looking at Baltimore’s current situation, there’s a case to be made why this year’s offseason is more important than ever as the Ravens look to get over the hump and into the Super Bowl.
Here’s why, and more thoughts, all in 50 words or less:
– Maybe the Ravens restructure Lamar Jackson’s contract to free up salary-cap space, but either way, it’s going to get expensive ($32.4 million projected for 2024). That means less space to add ancillary pieces or shop the free-agency market. Baltimore will need cheap, young talent to keep the window open.
– The Chiefs won back-to-back championships because of Patrick Mahomes and a bunch of major contributors on their rookie contracts (Rashee Rice, Trent McDuffie, George Karlaftis, Isiah Pacheco, Creed Humphrey, Trey Smith, L’Jarius Sneed and more). That’s the model. Baltimore has a strong foundation of such players and will need more.
– After the Ravens won Super Bowl XLVII and paid Joe Flacco his big deal, they made the playoffs one of the following five years until Jackson arrived in 2018. There are many reasons for that, but looming large among them is early-round draft misses during that era.
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