Grading the Ravens day three picks: Nico Siragusa, Jermaine Eluemunor and Chuck Clark

On the third day of the 2017 NFL Draft, the Ravens finally addressed the offensive side of the ball with the selection of Nico Siragusa as well as Jermaine Eluemunor. The Ravens also added one more player to the secondary with the selection of Chuck Clark.

Let’s start with the Ravens fourth round pick, Siragusa. My grade for this pick is an A. The Ravens desperately needed a guard if they planned to move Alex Lewis out to right tackle, and now they have filled that need with a player that comes with a lot of experience.

The best ability is availability, and Siragusa provided that to San Diego State as he started all 41 games over the last three seasons. Siragusa was named to the All-Mountain West first team for the second straight year in 2016, and he even earned AP All-American third team honors in 2016.

These honors came as a result of how well Siragusa has played over the course of his college career. He was one of the top reasons as to why Donnel Pumphrey was able to set the NCAA career rushing yards record.

Siragusa is an absolute mountain, standing at 6’4” and weighing 319 pounds. Not only is he big, but he is very strong, recording 28 reps on the bench press.

Strength as a blocker is one of Siragusa’s best traits. His strength allows him to be a great drive blocker. He makes it very hard for interior defensive lineman to get by him. Siragusa’s talent as a run blocker is evident in Pumphrey’s rushing stats, but he is also a really solid pass blocker.

The Ravens filled a need with a solid player. Siragusa looks to have the inside track to a starting job. That’s an A grade.

Next, the Ravens went right back to the guard position in the fifth round and selected Jermaine Eluemumor. This is a kid that has been heralded as one with a lot of talent, but one that will be a project.

I’m giving this pick a B. Eluemunor has the potential to be the starter over Siragusa, but not in the near future. The Ravens now looked to have a log jam at guard with Siragusa, Eluemunor, John Urschel, Jarell Broxton, and De’Ondre Wesley all competing for one left guard job. On top of that, the Ravens still only have Urschel and Matt Skura as players who can play center. To take Eluemunor, the Ravens passed on the third best center in the draft, Tyler Orlosky from West Virginia.

However, I like this pick because Eluemunor has a lot of potential. The Texas A&M product stands at 6’4” and weighs 332 pounds. He has great strength, as shown in his 32 reps on the bench press at the Combine. His size and strength are two of his best traits as a player. Scouts have also noted that Eluemunor is really light on his feet, which is impressive considering his size.

Eluemunor is a developmental prospect because he got a late start to football, meaning that he still has to improve his technique and knowledge of the game. Being that he already has shown to be a talented player at Texas A&M, the fact that he still has a lot of room to grow is really encouraging. I give the pick a B because after taking Siragusa, guard wasn’t the biggest need, but the Ravens were able to select a player with really high potential.

Finally, the Ravens selected Chuck Clark with the team’s sixth round pick. I’m giving this pick a C-. After signing Tony Jefferson and Lardarius Webb, and adding Marlon Humphrey in the first round, the secondary was not a position of need for the Ravens.

What was a position of need? Wide receiver.

When the Ravens went on the clock for the 186th pick, Malachi Dupre, Robert Davis Isaiah Ford, Stacy Coley and Noah Brown all on the board. So many talented receivers seemed to go just before the Ravens could get them, and Ozzie Newsome finally had a chance to add someone to what is a unit relatively devoid of talent, and passed.

With the draft completed, the Ravens, shockingly, did not take a single wide receiver. Taking a chance on a sixth round receiver would have been a much better pick than a defensive back who may never see the field in a Ravens uniform outside of the pre-season.

Clark is most well known for his tackling, recording over 50 in each of the last two seasons. I just don’t think he was the best use of the pick. Orlosky was still on the board here to, and Newsome could have addressed the need at center.

Similar to my original thoughts on the pick of Marlon Humphrey (which I have really started to warm up to the more I thought about it), this isn’t about the player, but more about who the Ravens passed on. This pick gets a C-.

Overall, I really like this draft class for the Ravens. Despite not addressing the need at wide receiver, the Ravens have the potential to have a really dominant defense after getting a huge haul on day two. I haven’t loved every pick, but the Ravens look to have gotten five starters from this draft, which is pretty impressive.