Dennis Pitta almost traded on draft weekend in 2010

Dennis Pitta came close to never playing a down for the Baltimore Ravens.

According to Ravens senior vice president of public and community relations Kevin Byrne, a team reached out to the organization after Pitta was taken with the 114th overall pick in the fourth round. This team apparently coveted Pitta and was hoping to take him with their next pick.

Ultimately, they'd offer three draft picks for Pitta — which today seems reasonable. It may have been a head-scratcher if that trade actually went through at the time. Three picks for a fourth-rounder seems a bit much.

The Ravens decided against it, and as Byrne wrote, the three players the other team selected are no longer in the NFL.

For a team that covets draft picks, they certainly made the right decision in refraining from adding them. Having already taken Ed Dickson in the third round, the Ravens could have easily decided to stick with Dickson and improve their numbers on the 2010 class.

Instead, they stuck with Pitta and have a quality tight end for seasons to come. Dickson, conversely, was not re-signed and is now with the Carolina Panthers.

Pitta has since become one of Joe Flacco's favorite targets and played a vital role in Baltimore's Super Bowl XLVII run two seasons ago. In his four years with the franchise, he's caught 122 passes for 1,244 yards and 11 touchdowns.

With Gary Kubiak installing his new offense that features the heavy use of tight ends in the passing game, he could find even more success moving forward.