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Instead of taking defensive tackle Dan Williams, cornerback Kyle Wilson, or one of the other highly-touted prospects still on the board at the 25th pick, the Ravens decided to trade down out of the first round tonight, marking the first time in franchise history that they've done so.
In return, the Ravens acquired the Broncos' 43rd, 70th and 114th overall picks, boosting their overall total to seven selections in what is considered one of the deepest drafts in recent memory.
"Draft picks are a little bit like currency and we have a little bit more money to play with now," Ravens director of player personnel Eric DeCosta said.
"We're a team that has historically been built through the draft, and we knew back in September that this was going to be a strong draft, and we wanted more picks."
DeCosta and Newsome said that there were players available at 25 who they would have liked to take, but that moving back and stockpiling picks was a priority.
The Ravens now own two second-round picks, a third-rounder, a fourth-rounder, two fifth-round picks and a sixth-rounder. They currently are scheduled to pick three times tomorrow - with the 11th pick in the second round, 25th pick in the second round, and sixth pick in the third.
"Our scouts and coaches are very excited, and we see tomorrow as a tremendous opportunity for this organization to get better," DeCosta said. "There's going to be a little bit of uneasiness as we see some of these early players come off the board, but there are some great opportunities for us to get better, and we're excited about that."
Ravens fans might be disappointed that their team leaves Day One of the draft without having a player under their control. In a sense, DeCosta shares that disappointment.
I thought that I would be able to sleep tonight knowing who our first-round pick was, and now I'm going to be up all night again waiting until 6 o'clock tomorrow night," DeCosta said. "From that standpoint, it's frustrating. The new format makes it frustrating. As Ozzie said, let's just call the Commissioner and see if we can keep this thing going.
"It's a weird feeling. I think everybody's kind of mulling all the possibilities now - the players that we can get, but we don't have them yet."
