Baltimore Ravens Select Ronnie Stanley No. 6 Overall

The Baltimore Ravens Select Ronnie Stanley in the First Round of the 2016 Draft to Address Offensive Line Issues

The Baltimore Ravens selected the offensive tackle out of Notre Dame 6th overall in the 2016 NFL Draft.

The Ravens have had extreme issues on the line, and especially at offensive tackle, for a while. Since Jonathan Ogden they have had issues at the spot and Stanley is the new guy in Baltimore to protect Joe Flacco.

Laremy Tunsil was the expected top offensive tackle of the draft, but a video of Tunsil smoking right before the draft could have scared teams off. The Ravens certainly needed to make sure they had a big guy who would be on the field and focused on the game, so Stanley makes sense here.

The Ravens also have needs on the defensive side, particularly pass rushers, but those needs will have to wait until at least the second round. Joe Flacco was terrorized all year by opposing pass rushers and the run game for the Ravens was nothing short of an atrocity. Offensive line was the way to go, but many are surprised Tunsil wasn’t the guy.

The Notre Dame prospect had concerns regarding his physical attributes including arm length and strength. These are traits crucial to tackles in the offensive line, but Stanley’s technique and football IQ are excellent and he’s still not a bad pick for them.

A small trade down could have been in option if this is their guy, but if the coaches were set on Stanley the pick makes sense. He’s a clean player on and off the field who has the mental attributes needed to compete in the NFL.

Somewhere out there a very happy Joe Flacco is celebrating.