How the Ravens/Eagles trade affects the Steelers
Tony Romo‘s retirement wasn’t the only news to come out of this week which could impact the Steelers on draft day later this month.
Last month, the league awarded 32 compensatory picks to 16 teams for the 2017 NFL Draft. Compensatory picks are awarded when “a team loses more or better compensatory free agents than it acquires in the previous year.” A formula determines the top 32 values of those losses and then distributes additional draft selections throughout the third to seventh rounds to those teams. (Any values beyond the top 32 are disregarded.)
As Steelers fans may be aware by now, Pittsburgh is the recipient of one of those compensatory selections. The Steelers gained an additional third round pick (105th overall) to pair with their “standard” 94th overall selection in the same round.
Baltimore was also a beneficiary of gaining an extra draft choice. The Ravens received the 99th pick overall, which is also in the third round, by virtue of the league’s the compensatory system. However, that pick is now going to the Philadelphia Eagles, along with Baltimore’s starting defensive tackle Timmy Jernigan. In exchange, the Eagles have swapped their third round pick with the Ravens.
The net result of the trade helped the Ravens move up in the third round, which will have an effect on multiple teams, including the Steelers. Baltimore previously had their own 78th round draft pick along with the 99th compensatory pick. With pick 99 headed to Philadelphia, the Ravens now jump 25 spots up to 74 overall.
| Round | Overall | Team | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 74 | Baltimore Ravens | via Eagles trade |
| 3 | 75 | Buffalo Bills | |
| 3 | 76 | New Orleans Saints | |
| 3 | 77 | Arizona Cardinals | |
| 3 | 78 | Baltimore Ravens | |
| 3 | 79 | Minnesota Vikings | |
| 3 | 80 | Indianapolis Colts | |
| 3 | 81 | Washington Redskins | |
| 3 | 82 | Denver Broncos | |
| 3 | 83 | Tennessee Titans | |
| 3 | 84 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | |
| 3 | 85 | Detroit Lions | |
| 3 | 86 | Minnesota Vikings | |
| 3 | 87 | New York Giants | |
| 3 | 88 | Oakland Raiders | |
| 3 | 89 | Houston Texans | |
| 3 | 90 | Seattle Seahawks | |
| 3 | 91 | Kansas City Chiefs | |
| 3 | 92 | Dallas Cowboys | |
| 3 | 93 | Green Bay Packers | |
| 3 | 94 | Pittsburgh Steelers | |
| 3 | 95 | Atlanta Falcons | |
| 3 | 96 | New England Patriots | |
| 3 | 97 | Miami Dolphins | |
| 3 | 98 | Carolina Panthers | |
| 3 | 99 | Philadelphia Eagles | via Ravens trade |
The move is smart for Baltimore, who ultimately saw a number of obstacles ahead of them who may have the same needs. Some of those needs are shared by the Steelers, which include pass rushers. The Ravens will ultimately have to find a replacement for Timmy Jernigan, but I feel the move from 99 to 74 has more to do with making sure the Ravens find an edge rusher. To do so they had to move ahead of those teams who have a similar need. Those franchises who are also strongly looking at the position via pro day visits, combine interviews and pre-draft visits include the Bills (75), Saints (76), Broncos (82), Cowboys (92), Packers (93), our Steelers (94), and finally the Patriots, who have the FIRST pick in this draft at number 96. Also sandwiched between 74 and 99 are teams such as the Vikings (86), Raiders (88), Seahawks (90), Chiefs (91), and Falcons (95) who have defensive minded coaches at the helm and/or who focus on defensive depth in the middle rounds.
In total, those are a dozen teams that the Ravens just moved ahead of to secure a higher valued draft prospect. For the Steelers, it adds another obstacle ahead of them now, who could have their eyes set on a player whom Pittsburgh has on their draft board.
I won’t lie: that worries me. The Ravens are in desperate need of a solid draft after several years of selecting players who haven’t panned out. We mentioned the loss of Jernigan, but in the back of Baltimore’s mind they also have to find suitors for departed players such as Elvis Dumervil (an outside linebacker or “edge” rusher), Zach Orr (the linebacker retired this offseason), Shareece Wright (cornerback) and Ladarius Webb (corner and safety).
That’s a lot of bodies to find, and a lot of bodies who conflict with Pittsburgh’s priorities at edge and in the secondary. The trade may now force the Steelers hand to possibly move on a player whom they think could’ve previously fallen to them in the third round, instead of pulling the trigger on them in the first and second rounds.
I must say, it was a gutsy but potentially smart move by the Ravens. Jernigan was in the final year of his contract and set to become an unrestricted free agent following the 2017 season. Had they held on to pick 99, they could’ve seen Jernigan or Dumervil’s replacements come off the board to competing teams. Now they better position themselves to have those replacements, rather than be left entirely empty-handed next offseason.
For the Steelers, the nail-biting continues. Did this shift their plans? Not likely, but it will have an impact on their draft board when day two of the NFL draft rolls around.
