Updated 2018 NFL Draft Order
With the Super Bowl in the books, we now know the draft order for the entire first round of the 2018 draft. Here’s the rundown:
1. Cleveland Browns (0-16)
2. New York Giants (3-13)
3. Indianapolis Colts (4-12)
4. Cleveland Browns (via the 4-12 Houston Texans)
5. Denver Broncos (5-11)
6. New York Jets (5-11)
7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-11)
8. Chicago Bears (5-11)
T-9. Oakland Raiders (6-10)
T-9. San Francisco 49ers (6-10) (Note: The Raiders and 49ers have identical records and the same strength of schedule. The tie will be broken by a coin flip with the winner getting pick No. 9 and the other club receiving the No. 10 pick.)
11. Miami Dolphins (6-10)
12. Cincinnati Bengals (7-9)
13. Washington Redskins (7-9)
14. Green Bay Packers (7-9)
15. Arizona Cardinals (8-8)
16. Baltimore Ravens (9-7)
17. Los Angeles Chargers (9-7)
18. Seattle Seahawks (9-7)
19. Dallas Cowboys (9-7)
20. Detroit Lions (9-7)
21. Buffalo Bills (9-7)
22. Buffalo Bills (via the 10-6 Kansas City Chiefs)
23. Los Angeles Rams (11-5)
24. Carolina Panthers (11-5)
25. Tennessee Titans (9-7)
26. Atlanta Falcons (10-6)
27. New Orleans Saints (11-5)
28. Pittsburgh Steelers (13-3)
29. Jacksonville Jaguars (10-6)
30. Minnesota Vikings (13-3)
31. New England Patriots (13-3)
32. Philadelphia Eagles (13-3)
DeCosta Promotion Won't Violate Rooney Rule
- The Ravens‘ decision to announce Eric DeCosta will succeed Ozzie Newsome did not violate the Rooney Rule. Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk notes a team is allowed to make a promotion of this sort without conducting an interview, provided the executive has been labeled as the GM-in-waiting.
Ravens To Hire Senior Scouts
- The Ravens will hire more senior scouts to work with the personnel department in the near future, owner Steve Bisciotti said (via Mike Preston of the Baltimore Sun). The team recently lost four scouts to the Eagles in Joe Douglas, Andy Weidl, Ian Cunningham and T.J. McCreight, with Preston writing they had a combined 55 years’ experience with Baltimore. Bisciotti made it clear the Ravens will be targeting experience when searching for scouting assistance. “I think that in retrospect, you can say you can’t lose those three scouts with 30 years of experience between the three of them and then hire 25-year-olds that are ready to give it the old try,” Bisciotti said, referencing some of the Ravens’ recent high draft picks that haven’t panned out. “I think that it shows that we have not done a very good job of filling in for senior people with senior people. So that’s something we’re going to address starting right now.”
Ozzie Newsome Discusses Front Office Shakeup
We heard yesterday that longtime Ravens GM Ozzie Newsome will step down from his role following the 2018 season. Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun passed along a quote from the executive regarding the move (via Twitter):
“I will remain as the Ravens’ GM through the 2018 season and continue my role directing free agency and the draft,” he said. “After that, Eric (DeCosta) will take over as our GM and assume all the duties that come with that, including heading our personnel department and directing free agency and the draft. I plan to remain with the Ravens in a significant position in personnel and help us win more Super Bowls. We have planned this succession over the last five years.”
Ravens Considered Firing HC John Harbaugh
Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti admitted Friday that he considered firing head coach John Harbaugh this offseason, according to Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter links). “It was a consideration, but it wasn’t one I was inclined to make,” said Bisciotti.
[RELATED: Eric DeCosta To Take Over As Ravens GM In 2019]
Baltimore, of course, missed out on the postseason after allowing a last-second touchdown to the Bengals in its regular season finale. The loss pushed the Ravens to 9-7, and they missed a Wild Card berth thanks to tie-breakers which favored the Bills and Titans. Since that time, Baltimore has made a change at coordinator, as DC Dean Pees “retired” (perhaps not voluntarily) after leading the Ravens to a No. 3 defensive DVOA finish. Marty Mornhinwheg, the club’s offensive play-caller, is staying on despite Baltimore ranking just 21st in offensive DVOA.
While nearly every team that doesn’t make the playoffs likely “considers” making a head coaching change, Bisciotti’s statement is notable given both Harbaugh’s long run in Baltimore and the team’s recent lack of success. Harbaugh is currently the NFL’s sixth-longest-tenured head coach, as he’s been with the Ravens since 2008. During that time, he’s posted a record of 94-66, but Baltimore hasn’t been to the postseason since 2014. In the past three seasons, the Ravens have managed a paltry 22-26 record.
As Zrebiec notes, Bisciott did not say Harbaugh now has a “playoffs-or-bust” mandate for 2018. But given his acknowledgement that he nearly fired Harbaugh this year, Bisciotti seems unlikely to tolerate another campaign that doesn’t end with a postseason contest.
Was Dean Pees Forced Out As Ravens DC?
- It’s still not clear whether Dean Pees was forced out of his role as the Ravens‘ defensive coordinator, Jeff Zrebiec of The Baltimore Sun writes. Pees, 68, retired at the end of the 2017 season only to accept a job as the Titans’ defensive coordinator four weeks later. It’s possible that Pees painted himself into a corner by making his pending retirement known to members of the organization ahead of time, setting the table for Don “Wink” Martindale to take over as the new DC this year. Regardless of how it went down, Zrebiec argues that change can be a good thing. Pees isn’t necessarily responsible for all of the Ravens’ defensive woes, but the team did have a handful of late-game, late-season meltdowns under his watch.
- Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (on Twitter) expects Eric DeCosta to reach out to Ray Rice to join the team in some capacity when he takes over as Ravens GM in 2019. DeCosta will take over as the Ravens’ GM in 2019 with current GM Ozzie Newsome moving to a consultant role.
Ravens’ Ozzie Newsome To Step Down In 2019, Eric DeCosta To Take Over
The Ravens’ front office will have a new chief in 2019. Next year, longtime GM Ozzie Newsome will step down, allowing assistant GM Eric DeCosta to take over, owner Steve Bisciotti announced (via Jeff Zrebiec of The Baltimore Sun on Twitter). 
DeCosta has been chased by rival teams for years now, but he has rebuffed many of those advances. Recently, DeCosta rejected an opportunity to interview for the Packers’ GM vacancy, yet another indication that a promotion was in his future. In building this succession plan, the Ravens have found a way to retain one of the league’s most sought-after executives while doing right by Newsome.
“I get a chance to work with my friends,” DeCosta said in 2015 when asked why he has stayed with the Ravens despite overtures from other teams (via Zrebiec). “Every day, I come in and work with my friends. I think it’s a relationship business. In the end, personal ambitions aside, all you have is really your reputation and your friends and your enjoyment in life. And I love Baltimore, the community…My wife is from Baltimore. I’ve been here 20 years, my kids go to school here. It’s great. I sit with these guys every day and give everybody a hard time, get a chance to play jokes on everybody every day, and it’s just fun. I enjoy work. I enjoy coming in here. We have a great owner, awesome stadium and best fan base in the country. So, what more do you want?”
Finally, DeCosta will have the chance to run his own show. Meanwhile, Bisciotti says Newsome – who constructed two Super Bowl winning teams in Baltimore – will remain with the team as a consultant.
2018 Proven Performance Escalators
According to the NFL’s contractual bargaining agreement, players drafted in rounds three though seven are entitled to raises during the fourth year of their respective rookie contracts. The pay bumps are tied to playing time — a player must have played in 35% of his team’s offensive or defensive snaps in two of his first three seasons, or averaged 35% playing time cumulatively during that period.
If one of these thresholds is met, the player’s salary is elevated to the level of that year’s lowest restricted free agent tender — that figure should be around $1.908MM in 2018. Players selected in the first or second round, undrafted free agents, and kickers/punters are ineligible for the proven performance escalator.
Here are the players who will see their salary rise in 2018 courtesy of the proven performance escalator:
49ers: Trent Brown, T; Eli Harold, LB
Bears: Adrian Amos, S
Bengals: Tyler Kroft, TE; Josh Shaw, DB
Bills: John Miller, G
Broncos: Max Garcia, G; Trevor Siemian, QB
Browns: Duke Johnson, RB
Buccaneers: Kwon Alexander, LB
Cardinals: David Johnson, RB; J.J. Nelson, WR
Chargers: Kyle Emanuel, LB
Chiefs: Chris Conley, WR; Steven Nelson, CB
Colts: Henry Anderson, DE; Mark Glowinski, G; Denzelle Good, OL
Dolphins: Bobby McCain, CB
Eagles: Jay Ajayi, RB; Jordan Hicks, LB
Falcons: Grady Jarrett, DT
Jaguars: A.J. Cann, OL
Lions: Quandre Diggs, CB
Packers: Jake Ryan, LB
Panthers: Daryl Williams, T
Patriots: Trey Flowers, DE; Shaq Mason, G
Raiders: Clive Walford, TE
Rams: Jamon Brown, G
Ravens: Za’Darius Smith, LB
Redskins: T.J. Clemmings, OL; Jamison Crowder, WR
Saints: Tyeler Davison, DT
Seahawks: Tyler Lockett, WR
Steelers: Jesse James, TE
Vikings: Stefon Diggs, WR; Danielle Hunter, DE
OverTheCap.com was essential in the creation of this post. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Ravens Audition Ryan Nassib
The Ravens auditioned free agent quarterback Ryan Nassib on Wednesday, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Nassib, a former fourth-round pick, spent four years as Eli Manning‘s backup in New York, but attempted only 10 total passes during that time. After hitting free agency last spring, Nassib initially signed with the Saints, but was quickly released. Another one-year deal, this time with the Jaguars, ended in the same fashion, and Nassib spent the majority of the 2017 campaign unsigned. Baltimore, meanwhile, only has two quarterbacks under contract for 2018: starter Joe Flacco, and former undrafted free agent Josh Woodrum, who signed a futures deal earlier this month.
C.J. Mosley Expects Ravens Extension
- C.J. Mosley has no designs on leaving Baltimore. One of numerous 2014 first-round picks to be stuck in fifth-year option limbo, Mosley is eyeing a career that ends with him being ranked as the second-best linebacker in Ravens history, he said (via Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com). The Pro Bowl inside ‘backer expects something to get done regarding an extension. Mosley is set to make $8.718MM next season.