NFL.com Senior analyst Pat Kirwan looked at the AFC North to see what their team needs were prior to the 2011 NFL Draft. The story is titled, "QB could come into play for rebuilding Bengals, Browns." He starts off with the Baltimore Ravens and list their most pressing team needs as a speed wide receiver, cornerback, safety and defensive end.
While I don't have a problem with the need of the WR, CB and DE, I do not think this team needs to look at the safety position at all in this draft. Despite the concern on the health of All-Pro Ed Reed, he is going into the 2011 season as healthy as he has been in years. Both Tom Zbikowski and Haruki Nakamura could probably start for most NFL teams, so the possible loss of current starter Dawan Landry to free agency should not be viewed as a major concern.
At the same time, the offensive line is absolutely a concern and even though Kirwan touches on this in his narrative, he still does not list it as a team need. Every Ravens fan knows that GM Ozzie Newsome's draft mantra is "Best Player Available," but if you go around the league, that pretty much is what other teams say as well.
Drafting two tight ends in successive rounds of the 2010 draft may have been part of the strategy of that BPA theory, but other than Michael Oher, the past two Ravens draft classes have been nothing really to brag about, although most true football fans know that the success of a specific draft will really not be know for a few more years.