Did ‘best we could’
DeCosta sticks with the strategy that works, stocks up on talent in a most unusual draft
At the end of a long day that he knew would stretch long into the night, Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta took stock of an NFL draft that had been unusual in all the most obvious ways except for one.
Amid a coronavirus pandemic that had kept team officials socially distanced — their prospect discussions held over video conference, their trade packages offered from the safety of their homes, their home office decor broadcast to a national audience — the Ravens did what they always do: They picked the players they believed to be the most talented available.
It is the strategy that gave the team the foundation for its record-breaking 14-win season last year. It is that strategy that, after three days and 10 picks this weekend, might have left DeCosta and coach John Harbaugh with an even better roster next season — whenever next season starts.
“We did the best we could,” DeCosta said in a conference call Saturday with Baltimore reporters. “We tried to draft the best players that checked off the most boxes to help us right away and also long term. … In most cases, you’re always going to have a hole that kind of stays open. But we’ll continue to try and fill those holes.
“And that’s the thing about this that I’ve learned, and I think Coach and [director of player personnel] Joe [Hortiz] would feel the same way: Things always pop up. You’re always going to have needs. They change daily in this business, and you just have to try and adjust on the fly. And we will do that to the best of our abilities.”
It does not take Mel Kiper Jr. to identify the star of the class. Among all the Ravens’ needs this offseason — edge rusher, linebacker, interior offensive line — none was greater than inside linebacker. When All-Pro C.J. Mosley left for the New York Jets last offseason, the defense lost a middle-of-the-defense stalwart.
The replacement the Ravens found in the first round Thursday night looks nothing like him. But LSU’s Patrick Queen is considered a new breed, an undersized