Eric DeCosta says talent over position drives Ravens draft

Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta said positional value should not override exceptional talent, even at non-premium positions, pointing to Baltimore's history of success with players who do not fit traditional draft value charts.

DeCosta acknowledged there are roster-building complications tied to certain positions, but emphasized that elite players ultimately change games regardless of where they line up.

"I don't know. It's hard for me to say that. I know we've been a team that has gone off-script and taken some non-traditional, non-premium positions with some success, but I also understand – and we've sort of seen it – it can present some problems for you, especially if the guys end up being pretty good, because then you've got an issue, in some ways, with the fifth-year option. We've seen that a couple times now with 'P.Q' [Patrick Queen], and we've seen it with Tyler [Linderbaum], both, given the nuances of the fifth-year option and how they get lumped in together and all those things. And so, that's definitely a factor, I think, with those positions in some ways. But again, if the guy's a great football player who can change the face of your program, you're going to take him, right? If the guy's special, and you think he can really impact [your team] – you go back, and you think about the Baltimore Ravens over the last 30 seasons – some of our very best players that we've had that are in the Hall of Fame with non-premium positions, we probably wouldn't have won Super Bowls without those guys. And so, I think the idea is to build the best possible team and to get guys who can take over games for you in different ways. And if that guy ends up being in a non-premium position, I think you should still take him."

For Baltimore, DeCosta reinforced that elite talent will always outweigh positional convention when evaluating draft decisions.

This article originally appeared on Ravens Wire: Eric DeCosta says elite talent outweighs positional value