State of the Draft: Ravens Top Ten

With Sunday's loss to the Chicago Bears, the Baltimore Ravens have fallen two games below .500 for the second time this season. Having a losing record this late in the season is something new for Coach John Harbaugh's Ravens, as they are currently on a five year playoff streak.

Due to the Raven's 4-6 record as well as their strength of schedule, Baltimore currently holds the 10th overall pick in this upcoming draft after the eleventh week of NFL action. This is a far cry from where the Ravens traditionally select at the end of the first round.

The last time Ozzie Newsome was dealt a top 10 pick to work with, he drafted former Defensive Player of the Year Terrell Suggs in 2003. That's right- it has been ten years since the Ravens have been this bad.

For context, the last 5 picks at the 10th overall spot have been: Chance Warmack by the Tennessee Titans, Stephon Gilmore by the Buffalo Bills, Blaine Gabbert by the Jacksonville Jaguars, Tyson Alualu, by the Jacksonville Jaguars, and Michael Crabtree by the San Francisco 49ers.

Warmack was regarded by some as the most talented player in the draft last year but fell due to his position of offensive guard, Gilmore is developing into a nice defensive back, the Jaguar's selection are representative of that franchise, and Crabtree broke out last season with Colin Kaepernick throwing to him.

The way this draft is shaping up, number 10 puts the Ravens in great position to grab an elite prospect such as wide receivers Mike Evans (Texas A&M), Sammy Watkins (Clemson), or Marquise Lee (USC); offensive tackles Taylor Lewan (Michigan) or Cyrus Kouandijo (Alabama); or defensive lineman such as Louis Nix III (Notre Dame) or Kahlil Mack (Buffalo).

Perhaps the most depressing aspect of this is that, by definition, the Baltimore Ravens are one of the ten worst teams in the NFL.