Baltimore had 11 draft picks last year, including two first-round draft picks who played important roles as starters — safety Kyle Hamilton and center Tyler Linderbaum. DeCosta said the Ravens will still have a talented group of young players with promising futures, even if they don’t acquire additional draft picks.
“Our goal will be to add picks if we can at some point,” D’Costa said. “In saying that, I think it’s important to note that we’ve had a lot of choices over the last four or five years. I’ve gotten to a point where maybe having a lot of choices isn’t necessarily the right thing. You almost have to get a cleanse at some point.” Because you have all these young players on the team, and they can’t all make the team if you keep piling on these huge, huge classrooms.”
The Ravens may find it wise to drop from the 22nd in a trade that brings them an extra pick on the second or third day. This year’s draft is deep at wide receiver and cornerback—two positions the Ravens are targeting. The Ravens may be able to trade, get an extra pick, and still draft a receiver or cornerback who can help them next season.
“I think our chances of doing that (lower trade) are very decent,” DeCosta said. Of course, if we like someone while we’re on the clock, we’ll make the choice.
“We always have to gauge that — how strong we feel about a potential customer who is available against a chance to come back and get additional picks. Sometimes you get lucky because there’s someone you might really want, and you make the hard decision to win back the trade and still get them. This happens more than you think. We have to look at the capital we can get by trading again, and we will make the best possible decision.”
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