The 2015 regular season is over, and that means it's time for legit 2016 NFL Draft analysis and predictions for the top 20 picks, which are now set. Picking No. 6 in the draft are the Baltimore Ravens, and they need some help all over the offense. The biggest area of need may be a playmaker on the outside, but that could be an issue with such a high pick. Therefore, offensive tackle Ronnie Stanley, OT from Notre Dame, seems to be the best option at where they're selecting.
Back when the Ravens won the Super Bowl over the San Francisco 49ers a few years ago, the offensive line was a strength. Matt Birk, Marshal Yanda, Michael Oher and Bryant McKinnie were all playing at a very high level, and helped keep Joe Flacco upright as he had a fantastic postseason.
Today, however, that unit is in disarray.
Yanda is the only one who remains, while the two tackles are now James Hurst and Ricky Wagner, an undrafted free agent and fifth-round pick, respectively. That's not cutting it, as the run game is now a far cry from what it once was, and although QB Joe Flacco and company weren't sacked all that much, that's likely due to Marc Trestman's scheme that consists of a lot of quick passes. Ultimately, the quarterbacks played pretty poorly and a lot of that had to do with (1) a lack of talent at receiver and (2) a lack of time to throw more extensive patterns. The Ravens simply didn't even try to do anything down the field all that often because the personnel isn't there right now.
Certainly, a receiver seems like a good pick at this spot, but the question is whether or not the current top guy at that position available -- Ole Miss' Laquon Treadwell -- is worth this high of a pick. Some say that he is while others detest that thought.
A safe pick here for the Ravens that would for sure fill a need is Ronnie Stanley of Notre Dame. A projected franchise left tackle, he may be the best talent at that spot for Baltimore since Jonathan Ogden left years ago.
The 6-foot-5 (and a half, some say), 315-pound tackle was a beast for Notre Dame this year. Almost all draft analysts consider him to be a top-10 pick come this April, and there's no question why. All of the physical tools are there, and he moves so well. Mel Kiper Jr. has praised the improvements he made from last year to this one, as his consistency caught up to his talent. All of that bodes well for the Ravens who need an anchor on the line moving forward.
I could see a scenario where perhaps the Ravens try and trade down from this spot, but if that doesn't happen, expect Stanley to be taken, and I don't think they'll come to regret that decision one bit.
