The Baltimore Ravens are reportedly focusing on Ohio State’s Joey Bosa and a pair of other edge pass-rushers with the sixth overall pick in the 2016 NFL draft.
According to Jamison Hensley of ESPN, the Ravens believe Bosa is the “type of young pass-rusher” needed to prepare for life after aging veterans Terrell Suggs and Elvis Dumervil. If Bosa is gone when Baltimore comes on the clock at No. 6, Georgia’s Leonard Floyd and Clemson’s Shaq Lawson are secondary options.
Father Time is forcing the Ravens to add to a pass-rush headlined by two older stars.
Suggs will turn 34 years old during the 2016 season, while Dumervil turned 32 earlier in the year. The Ravens can’t be sure either will remain consistently effective for a number of years down the road, necessitating the need to focus the sixth overall pick on a pass-rusher.
Bosa—whose father and uncle both played in the NFL—is widely considered the top edge rusher in the class.
“I think all that hype headed into the year hurt him some because he’s not a superman off the edge,” one NFL personnel man told Lance Zierlein of NFL.com. “But he’s a good player. He’s athletic with good hands and every pass rusher starts to add to what they do in the pros. If he dedicates himself to the game, he’s going to be one of the safest guys in the draft.”
It’s possible Bosa could go No. 4 to the Dallas Cowboys or No. 5 to the Jacksonville Jaguars. If so, the Ravens will have to look to other options.
Lawson was a dominant edge run defender with almost 50 career tackles for losses for Clemson, while Floyd is a long, explosive athlete who possesses huge upside.
The Ravens rarely get a chance to draft within the top 10 picks. Given the opportunity this year, it appears general manager Ozzie Newsome will use the sixth overall selection to upgrade his defense’s pass-rush—one of the modern game’s most coveted assets.
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