The 5 Worst Draft Picks

We are less than 3 weeks away from the 2024 NFL Draft. Throughout franchise history, the Baltimore Ravens have earned a reputation for be among the very best at sorting through collegiate talent and uncovering draft weekend gems. Some believe that the Ravens, led by Ozzie Newsome and Eric DeCosta, have no peer when they are on the clock. But that said, the heralded pair of talent evaluators have had their fair share of unsavory draft picks.

In this inaugural edition of Ravens List Of…, we’ll reveal the Top 5 worst draft picks in franchise history, giving consideration to the career performances of the players, coupled with the draft capital invested in those draft picks per the Jimmy Johnson trade value chart.

5. Kamalei Correa, Boise State, Edge, 480 Draft Capital Points

Correa was selected with the 42nd overall pick in 2016. He possessed a high motor and plus sideline-to-sideline speed, yet he never really developed as a pass rusher in the NFL. Projected as a Day 3 pick, the Ravens scouts apparently saw something in him that they thought the coaching staff could work with. Unfortunately, Correa was a puzzle the Ravens could never solve. Nor could any other team for that matter, but it was the Ravens who invested poorly. Correa produced just 19 tackles in 25 games for Baltimore. He never registered a single sack as a Raven. His career lasted just 5 seasons. He totaled 84 tackles and 8 ½ sacks in 63 career games.

Notables Passed On: RB Derrick Henry (45th pick); WR Michael Thomas (47th pick)

“It didn’t take much to figure out that he was our kind of guy. We knew what his character was. We had 15 minutes; that was all we needed to know.” ~ John Harbaugh after the Ravens selected Kamalei Correa

4. Arthur Brown, Kansas State, LB, 340 Draft Capital Points

Compared to the 49ers four-time All Pro NaVorro Bowman, many expected Brown to be selected in the 20-40 range of picks during the 2013 NFL Draft. Given the Ravens investment of the 56th overall pick in Brown, most considered him to be a draft day bargain. He wasn’t.

Brown was MIA during most of his career. He appeared in 48 games during his 4 seasons in the league, never starting a single game. During his 3 seasons in Baltimore, Brown posted a total of 17 tackles, something his “comparable” Bowman often did in about 6 quarters of work.

“My goal coming into this league was to be a productive, competitive player.” Arthur Brown to the Ravens’ Ryan Mink

THAT player never showed up in Baltimore. Truth be told, Brown rarely showed up except on pay day.

Notables Passed On: TE Travis Kelce (63rd pick); WR Keenan Allen (76th pick)

3. Breshad Perriman, Central Florida, WR, 700 Draft Capital Points

This was the book on Perriman per NFL.com in 2015:

Rare combination of size, top-end speed and suddenness that can be found in some of the best receivers in the game. His routes are sloppy and a work in progress, but his hands keep him out of the top tier of receivers. His drops will drive teams crazy, but his physical traits and ability to hit the big play should warrant early round consideration.

Perriman entered the league as a project. And in 2023 he exited the league as a failed project. Perriman played for 9 different teams during his 7 seasons in the NFL. Each of those teams saw a rare combination of top-end speed and size that represented vast potential. Each of those teams soon recognized that their hopes for Perriman as a productive receiver were about as real as the Easter Bunny. But only 1 team invested a first-round pick and $8.7M in the former CFU Knight. The Ravens ROI? Twenty-seven games, 4 starts, 43 catches and 3 TD’s in three years.

“The thing that I like about Perriman is he’s grown up around the game of football. The game is not going to be too big for him.” ~ Ozzie Newsome

Notables Passed On: DB Byron Jones (27th pick); G Mitch Morse (49th pick)

2. Matt Elam, Safety, Florida, 590 Draft Capital Points

The Ravens were the reigning Super Bowl Champions, but they lost their two greatest defenders of all-time in one offseason. Ray Lewis retired and Ed Reed, a free agent, signed with the Houston Texans. To help fill the void left by Lewis, the Ravens selected Arthur Brown. To address Reed’s departure, Ozzie turned in the card for Matt Elam. These two draft picks coupled with the trade of Anquan Boldin highlighted Ozzie’s worst offseason ever.

If you scrambled the letters in Elam’s last name, it could spell “lame”. And to describe this draft pick of Elam, the 32nd overall, as lame, would be a ginormous understatement.

Elam was in Baltimore for four seasons, missing the entire 2015 season due to a torn biceps. He never played for another NFL team. Elam did go on to play in Canada, various indoor teams and in the XFL. He’s still an active player for the Massachusetts Pirates. As a Raven, Elam played in 41 games, started 26 while recording 131 tackles, 1 INT and ½ sack.

“I’ve never been so excited. It was fun watching him play. To watch a player on tape and play after play you say, ‘Oh wow.’” ~ Ozzie Newsome after selecting Matt Elam during the 2013 NFL Draft

Notables Passed On: DB Darius Slay (36th pick); RB Le’Veon Bell (48th pick)

1. Kyle Boller, California, Quarterback, 1290 Draft Capital Points

Coming off a 2002 season during which the Ravens sent Jeff Blake and Chris Redman out on the field as their starting QB’s, head coach Brian Billick desperately wanted a new signal caller capable of being the club’s franchise quarterback. On draft day the Ravens thought they had a deal with the Vikings to move up in the draft to take Byron Leftwich. The deal fell through because the teams failed to call in the trade in a timely fashion. When the clock ran out to make the pick, chaos ensued as the Vikings lost their spot. When the confusion settled and the picks were made, the Ravens ended up with future Hall of Famer Terrell Suggs. But they still lacked their quarterback of the future.

So, the Ravens cut a deal with the Patriots…

Ozzie Newsome landed the 19th pick which they used to select Boller. It cost the Ravens a couple of draft picks – the 41st overall in 2003 and the team’s first-round pick in 2004. That pick became the 21st overall which the Patriots used to select Vince Wilfork.

The 19th overall pick has a value of 875 points. The Ravens gave up 490 points in 2003 and 800 points in 2004 to make Boller their quarterback. And while Boller was a good teammate and hard worker, his inefficiencies wasted years of a great defense. His accuracy, or lack thereof, probably shaved a couple of seasons off the career of Todd Heap.

Notables Passed On: DB Nnamdi Asomugha (31st pick); G Eric Steinbach (33rd pick)

“Kyle has been very impressive. His physical skills are obvious, obvious to anyone who’s ever even watched him practice.” ~ Brian Billick during the summer of 2003, Boller’s rookie season

A quick story…

I was in attendance for one of the team’s OTA’s back in 2005. The exact day escapes me. The Ravens were running one-on-ones with receivers facing off against DB’s. It’s a drill that is heavily tilted towards offensive success since there is no pass rush.

Boller dropped back to throw, and his receiver had a couple of steps on the defender while running a 9-route down the right sideline and towards the end zone. At the back of the end zone on the practice field, maybe 10 yards off to the right, there was a metal storage shed. Boller’s throw to the open receiver sailed long and wide right. He missed his intended target but he did hit one thing with authority – the shed.

The sound was that of a mini explosion. I half expected the shed to collapse. It didn’t, but I did – with laughter. A couple media members nearby told me that I shouldn’t be laughing that hysterically and if I didn’t reel it in, I could be asked to leave the facility. But you know the feeling – when you’re laughing at something when you shouldn’t and the realization of that just makes it even funnier. That was me one day at mini-camp.

The Ravens have made some draft picks that they’d like to forget but none more than Kyle Boller.

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