2013 Ravens NFL Draft Class Receives Accolades

Shortly after they won Super Bowl XLVII, the dismantling of the Baltimore Ravens began. When it was over, experts and fans alike were writing the obituary of the team, saying they were a mere shadow of themselves and would slowly sink towards the bottom of the AFC North, as their run of playoff appearances was surely done.

Not so fast, said GM Ozzie Newsome. One NFL analyst said something to the fact that the Ravens and Newsome shop in free agency with coupons while others pay full price. Holes were not only filled but solidified with younger, faster and strong players. Additional bulk and depth was added and while the NFL Draft is far from the end of the re-tooling of the Ravens, it signified the Ravens would definitely be in the mix to return to the playoffs for a league -leading sixth time in a row much less compete for another shot at the Super Bowl.

The Ravens hit the jackpot in the first two rounds of the draft and might have found players who will ultimately be considered steals as the season progresses, in the mid-late stages of the draft. Here is the full listing of their ten draft picks this past weekend:

Round 1: Matt Elam, Safety (Florida)

Round 2: Arthur Brown, ILB (Kansas State)

Round 3: Brandon Williams, DT (Missouri Southern State)

Round 4: John Simon, DE/OLB (Ohio State)

Round 4: Kyle Juszczyk, FB (Harvard)

Round 5: Ricky Wagner, OT (Wisconsin)

Round 6: Kapron Lewis-Moore, DE (Notre Dame)

Round 6: Ryan Jensen, C (Colorado State-Pueblo)

Round 7: Aaron Mellette, WR (Elon)

Round 7: Marc Anthony, CB (California)