Ravens 2008 Draft Class - Tavares Gooden Biggest Miss

The Ravens are the only team to have made the playoffs in each of the past four seasons. That’s a credit to G.M. Ozzie Newsome, who has given coach John Harbaugh enough talent to mold this team into a contender.

As we close in on the 2012 NFL draft, we’ll take a look at how the Ravens have fared in recent drafts. It’s too soon to give a fair evaluation from the 2010 and 2011 classes, but three years of NFL service time is enough for us to grade their 2007, 2008 and 2009 classes. In today’s blog post, we will break down the 2008 class.

Total picks: 10 (No. 18 overall, 55, 71, 86, 99, 106, 133, 206, 215, 240).

2011 starters: quarterback Joe Flacco, running back Ray Rice

Players still with the team: two (Flacco and Rice).

Best pick: Rice. It was mildly surprising when the Ravens used a second-rounder on Rice since they had a highly paid starter in Willis McGahee, but Rice, a two-time Pro Bowler, eclipsed McGahee in his second year.

Biggest miss: Tavares Gooden. With the first of their three third-round picks, the Ravens took this speedy inside linebacker out of Miami -- and he was immediately mentioned as the eventual successor to Ray Lewis. Needless to say, Gooden didn’t live up to those unfair comparisons and was cut before the 2011 season.


(baltimoresun.com)