2016 NFL Draft: Ravens have in depth conversation with OLB Noah Spence

The Baltimore Ravens interview one of the best pass rushers on the 2016 NFL Draft class in outside linebacker Noah Spence. Spence has been interviewed by many NFL teams this offseason due to his off the field issues and the Ravens have made it perfectly clear in recent years that the organization won't tolerate immature behavior for very long.

Ravens Assistant General Manager Eric DeCosta noted that the team spoke to Spence extensively recently to get a good idea where his mind is at.

"In Noah's case, we've interviewed him at length, we've studied him and we'll continue to do that up until the draft and make the best decisions we can for the team," DeCosta noted via BaltimoreRavens.com.

But at the same time, DeCosta wants to make sure that the Ravens get everything right in terms of a player's character.

"Everything a player does we consider, good or bad," DeCosta noted via BaltimoreRavens.com. "Every player has a different story; every player has a different book. We talk to people. We trust people that we have built relationships with. That's a big thing that our area scouts and coaches do, is we build relationships over time. In some instances, especially with some of our coaches, they have 20, 25 years history with some of these coaches in college football and we talk to those people and we consider everything."

Spence knows that NFL teams are looking for him to mature and it is up to him to straighten up.

"With anybody with a substance abuse problem that they've had, I feel like they're pretty leery about it. But, if you can put it behind you, you can convince the team it's behind you," Spence noted in February during the NFL Draft Combine via BaltimoreRavens.com."There's a group of people I can't hang with. I have to be more myself and stay away from that party scene."

There's a lot of pressure for the Ravens to get things right early on in the draft as the team is coming off of a disappointing 5-11 season in 2015 with 22 players going on injured reserve as well. If the Ravens learned anything in 2015, it was that the organization needs players who are available and reliable. Spence has a lot of talent, but his availability due to his off the field issues is in question for the future.