National Football League

Baltimore Ravens: 5 Underrated Draft Picks From The Past 5 Years

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 1:09 p.m. ET

Fansided, Chris Schisler/FanSided via Ebony Bird

Feb 22, 2014; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Baltimore Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome speaks at the NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Pat Lovell-USA TODAY Sports

The Baltimore Ravens are still being led by Ozzie Newsome. Here are five quality players that he found in the draft recently:

There has been a lot of talk about Ozzie Newsome and his declining draft results. The Baltimore Ravens have missed the playoffs three of the past four seasons; any general manager is going to get criticized in that time period. Newsome is still a competent football mind, he has forgotten more about football than you or I may ever know. When you’re a GM of an NFL team nothing is going to stop fans from hurling blame your way. That being said, anyone who doesn’t respect Newsome doesn’t respect the game of football.

More from Ebony Bird

Newsome was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a tight end. He has had an equally historic run as an executive in the NFL. We have all complained about some of the decisions he has made, but we can never stop being grateful for what he has done. He built two Super Bowl teams. Newsome also played a large role in helping John Harbaugh win at least one playoff game in his first five seasons.

Things have not been as good lately. Everybody understands that. Sometimes, it is just nice to give praise to Newsome for the things he is still doing right. He started off his run in Baltimore drafting Jonathan Ogden an Ray Lewis in the same season. He has drafted several Hall of Fame worthy players and a bunch of Pro Bowl selections. Nothing in this world stays as hot as Newsome was in the NFL Draft. While we have all been whining, here are five underrated players that he found in the past five years.

Dec 25, 2016; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Baltimore Ravens fullback Kyle Juszczyk (44) stretches the ball across the goal line to score a touchdown in the fourth quarter of a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field. Pittsburgh won 31-27. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports

5. Kyle Juszczyk:

If his late touchdown against the Pittsburgh Steelers had been a game winner, Kyle Juszczyk wouldn’t have to pay for his own drink in Baltimore ever again. The Harvard fullback is going to the Pro Bowl this season. He is a do it all kind of player. He blocks and he is a weapon. Juszczyk is a physical player with a ton of heart. The fullback position doesn’t get a lot of love in this modern era of football but Baltimore loves number 44.

Juszczyk has been deceptively involved in the offense. You may be surprised when I tell you, he has caught 97 passes in the last three seasons. The Ravens drafted “Juice” in the fourth round of the 2013 draft. It’s pretty safe to say that the Ravens got the most out of their investment.

I would argue that the Ravens did not use Juszczyk enough this season. The team seemed to be built for two backs in the backfield and a hard hitting ground game. Instead the Ravens primarily used one back and threw the football.

Sep 18, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Baltimore Ravens offensive guard Alex Lewis (72) against the Cleveland Browns during the second half at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Ravens defeated the Browns 25-20. Mandatory Credit: Scott R. Galvin-USA TODAY Sports

4. Alex Lewis:

The Ravens found one heck of a diamond in the rough with Alex Lewis. It is rare to find a guy who can play left guard and left tackle in the fourth round. Lewis arguably has as much positive potential as Ronnie Stanley. Stanley was this sixth pick in the 2016 NFL Draft. Lewis was the 130th pick in the draft. Before getting hurt in the Ravens TNF game against the Browns, Lewis was having a fantastic rookie season.

Lewis’s NFL.com Draft Profile had him as a 5th or a 6th round pick. The profile was penned by Lance Zierlein and it says “There is enough there to work with Lewis as a back up tackle.” The Ravens took Lewis in the fourth round and started him next to a rookie left tackle. It sounds like a disaster waiting to happen and it was not a problem at all. Lewis even got some time at left tackle when Stanley was hurt.

Stanley was pegged as an average athlete who wasn’t going to be a starter in the NFL. The Ravens saw something else. This is a pick that Newsome and company should get an awful lot of credit for.

Sep 20, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Baltimore Ravens tight end Crockett Gillmore (80) celebrates with receiver Kamar Aiken (11) after scoring on a nine-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter against the Oakland Raiders at O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

3. Crockett Gillmore:

I keep waiting for Gillmore to take over the reigns at the tight end position and he keeps battling injuries. Talent is clearly not the issue for this third round pick out of Colorado State. Gillmore was quite the find for Newsome. We’re talking about an athletic and big target that still has a ton of untapped potential. Gillmore is 6’6″ and is as physical as they get at the tight end position.

Gillmore had 33 receptions in the 2015 season. He only played in 10 games that year due to injuries. It became very clear that Gillmore was a preferred target of Joe Flacco and that he was a weapon with the ball. When Gillmore is running with the football, he plans to run people over.

It’s not out of the realm of possibilities that Gillmore could become a star. Last season he was leaned on when he was healthy. If Gillmore can avoid the injury bug, the sky is the limit. Circumstances more than anything, have prevented a bigger contribution from Gillmore. He missed 11 games in 2016 and six games in 2015. When he has been on the field, he has performed well.

Sep 20, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Baltimore Ravens right tackle Rick Wagner (71) defends against Oakland Raiders defensive end Mario Edwards Jr. (97) at O.co Coliseum. The Raiders defeated the Ravens 37-33. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

2. Rick Wagner

The Ravens asked a lot from their fifth round pick in the 2013 Draft. They had Rick Wagner become the starting right tackle in his second season. Since then he has only missed three starts. There is a reason that Wagner is not a left tackle. However, he is a serviceable player on the right side. When the Ravens lost Michael Oher, they needed an affordable option to fill his shoes. Wagner has taken the job and hasn’t looked back.

The Ravens have made a habit of making players that other teams passed up into role filling picks. Wagner has outproduced what a fifth round pick is supposed to do. Wagner is never going to break the bank, but he will have a job in the NFL for a while. Decent right tackles are hard to find these days.

The Ravens find talent in the trenches better than most teams. It is the area that Newsome is most comfortable drafting. This is why Baltimore always has an answer to their problems along the line of scrimmage.

Nov 24, 2014; New Orleans, LA, USA; Baltimore Ravens nose tackle Brandon Williams (98) reacts after a New Orleans Saints turnover during the first quarter of a game at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

1. Brandon Williams:

Sometimes you don’t know what you have until it’s gone. I am afraid that could be the case with Brandon Williams, who is set to become a free agent. Williams has been a space eating, double team demanding beast for the Ravens. He is one of the best run stopping defensive tackles in the entire football league. When Kelechi Osemele was about to hit the open market everybody freaked out. There has not been much conversation about keeping Williams.

Williams is on this list because he is underrated and he outperformed his draft positioning. Williams has been one of the best 3-4 nose guards in all of football. When you look at the impact he has made, you have to be impressed.

If you are looking for Tavon Young or Kenneth Dixon, they are not on this list. I think everybody is buzzing about those two players, so they were not underrated picks. That only proves my point though, that things have not been all bad for the Ravens drafting. There have been more misses in recent years but the Ravens still get some talent in the draft.