27. CB Jimmy Smith A-

The Ravens made this pick at 27 instead of 26 because a botched trade with Eugene Levy…er Jerry Angelo and the Bears forced them to go over their time on the clock. However, I’m not holding that against them because they still got their guy and it wasn’t even their fault. Smith fits the range well, but I had Brandon Harris rated higher as a cornerback. I also didn’t have cornerback rated that highly as a need. They may only have two under contract, but they’re either going to resign Chris Carr or sign Nnamdi Asomugha so they’d really only need a 4^th cornerback. Yes, you can never have enough corners and a trio of Lardarius Webb (assuming he’s healthy), Carr/Asomugha, and Smith is pretty nice, but I think their pass rush was the bigger problem with their pass defense. Outside of Terrell Suggs and Haloti Ngata, they managed just 11.5 sacks. That’s not very many. They desperately needed a 3^rd pass rusher.

58. WR Torrey Smith B

I think Smith was a reach by about a round here, though people obviously disagree with me. I don’t like his inconsistent production and small hands. However, there’s no denying he fills a need for them as a speedy receiver to stretch the field.

85. OT Jah Reid C-

Right tackle was definitely a need, as was right guard and Reid can play either of those positions. I just don’t get using a 3^rd rounder on him. I had a 5^th round grade on him. Also, I don’t like that they traded up for him.

123. WR Tandon Doss A-

Two receivers? Well I don’t hate it. Their receiving corps are pretty thin, but they had other needs. They need to get a 3^rd pass rusher. Doss is a good value at this point though.

164. CB Chykie Brown B-

More cornerback depth here. They had other needs, but given that they technically only have 2 cornerbacks signed for next year, adding 2 cornerbacks in one draft isn’t a terrible idea. Also, Brown fits the range.

165. 3-4 DE Pernell McPhee C+

Well this is a pass rusher and McPhee fits the range, I just don’t think he fits the 3-4 scheme at all.

180. QB Tyrod Taylor B-

A backup quarterback shouldn’t have been high on their list, but Marc Bulger is probably gone as a free agent so this makes some sense even though he’s a minor reach.

225. RB Anthony Allen A

Willis McGahee probably will be gone this offseason so they need another power back to spell Ray Rice.

Overall:

This was a pretty solid draft. Only the Jah Reid selection was a major reach and at least they filled a need with that one. I would have liked to have seen them grab a 3^rd pass rusher along with Terrell Suggs and Haloti Ngata rather than taking two cornerbacks, but Jimmy Smith in the first round was an above average pick. Torrey Smith was a reach in the 2^nd round, but he fits their needs like a glove. There was nothing amazing about this draft, but it wasn’t bad either.

Grade: B