Per a report from The Athletic that ranked NFL Draft outcomes over the last five years, the Baltimore Ravens were slotted among the top-five.
Nick Baumgardner’s draft power rankings had the Detroit Lions on top at No. 1 with a 10.53 average Approximate Value. Next was the Kansas City Chiefs (9.46), followed by Baltimore (8.95) at No. 3.
Immediately following the Ravens were the Tampa Bay Buccaneers right on Baltimore’s heels (8.94) at No. 4, and the Dallas Cowboys (8.74) at No. 5.
The criteria that made up Baumgardner’s ratings were the number of Top 50 selections over the span of five-drafts, the number of Pro Bowlers produced, and the number of starting seasons produced among the combined draft selections.
For example, players drafted by Detroit in the last five years have combined for 13 Pro Bowl selections and 35 starting seasons. Most notable, the Lions have added Penei Sewell at No. 7 overall in 2021, and receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown at No. 112 in the same draft class.
When it came to the Ravens, the organization has selected eight players among the first 50 selections among the last five NFL Drafts. There have been a combined 11 Pro Bowl nods, and 37 starting seasons (which tops the Lions at No. 1, boasting 35 starting seasons).
Rated the best draft pick by Baumgardner was Kyle Hamilton, the No. 14 overall selection in the 2022 NFL Draft. Since then, the former Notre Dame star has logged 285 total tackles, 19 tackles for loss, seven sacks, five interceptions, five forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries.
The worst pick was considered David Ojabo, the former Michigan Wolverine who was selected No. 45 overall in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft. The best value pick, according to Baumgardner, was defensive Nnamdi Madubuike, the No. 71 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.
Madubuike has recorded 221 combined tackles over his five pro seasons, along with 42 tackles for loss, 31 sacks, and two forced fumbles.
“Getting Hamilton and Tyler Linderbaum in 2022 made for one of the best Day 1 hauls a team could want. Some front-office executives are still afraid of taking safeties early, but Baltimore held strong on Hamilton,” Baumgardner wrote. “The Ravens always take the best player on their board and have had almost zero premium whiffs in this stretch.”
In the upcoming NFL Draft, Baltimore owns three picks among the Top 100 selections (No. 27, No. 59, No. 91), followed by a pair of fourth-round picks (No. 129, No. 136), and six additional selections across the last three rounds (No. 176, No. 183, No. 203, No. 210, No. 212, No. 243).
