Drafting for the future:
One of the reasons for Baltimore’s sustained success is because they don’t just look at what they need right now in the draft. Instead, the Ravens use their “best-player-available” philosophy to grab great prospects sliding down the draft board to stock their roster for the future.
The most shining example of that was when Baltimore selected cornerback Marlon Humphrey in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft, despite not having a dramatic need at the position. Humphrey got some playing time as a rookie but largely spent his first two seasons in a backup role before securing the starting job last season and turning in an All-Pro performance.
As I had said before the draft, the Ravens taking a running back early was a real possibility if someone fell right into their laps. Sure enough, that’s exactly what happened, with Baltimore taking Dobbins in the second round, someone DeCosta didn’t expect to be there that late.
“We thought he was going to be a first-round pick,” DeCosta said following Day 2 of the 2020 NFL Draft. “We thought he might have been the first back, might have been a guy that went 25-to-30 or somewhere in there.”
Though Dobbins is surely going to get some playing time as a rookie, he could see a similar entrance to the NFL as Humphrey. With Ingram in front of him, Dobbins will likely be relegated to more of a rotational role early and as he continues to learn the intricacies of the position, he’ll see an increase in playing time. By the time Dobbins actually starts, he should be primed for a Pro Bowl season.
With the Ravens’ run-heavy offensive scheme, having guys waiting in the wings to take over is a wise strategy. When Baltimore is ready to move on from Ingram, they won’t have to hope a player they love as much as Dobbins is available for them to pick. They won’t have to potentially reach for a running back or spend valuable cap space on a free agent simply because it’s a pressing need. In the end, that saved draft capital and money can go to building up other positions and further making the Ravens’ roster better.