The Baltimore Ravens are often lauded for their draft picks, even while tending to avoid trades up. And general manager Eric DeCosta insists that’s not by accident, revealing in a recent interview that he believes the “only rational approach” to the NFL draft is to accumulate as many picks as possible due to the unpredictable hit rate of player selections.
“Teams simply don’t do any better drafting than anyone else,” DeCosta said. “They all do about the same. … [Some believe the] draft is inherently sort of a luck-driven process. I don’t [fully] believe that. But there is an element of luck involved. So if you accept that premise, then you’re trading up for a player that you think is better than anybody else. Most of the time, [the other teams are] not gonna draft that player. That player is probably gonna fall to you. [And] there is no guarantee that player is gonna be better. … All things being equal, the fact that no one really knows … the only rational approach is to get more at-bats, is to pick more.”
DeCosta’s rationale also stems from the fact most NFL teams are increasingly targeting similar players, he explained, perhaps partially due to intensified media coverage of clubs’ most prioritized positions and prospect types.
“What we’ve seen over the last five years, everyone seems to be drafting … the same players,” he said. “That’s kind of what the draft has become. … [So] for me, the idea of having more picks means I have a chance of getting more [value].”
DeCosta’s latest heralded draft-day effort? Landing Georgia safety Malaki Starks in the first round of this year’s draft, despite sitting tight rather than trading up from Baltimore’s No. 27 overall selection.
This news was originally published on this post .
About the author
Islanders have no GM but plenty of excitement after winning the NHL Draft’s No. 1 pick
It was perfect. Sixteen hockey executives in little Zoom rectangles on the ESPN screen at 7 p.m. on Monday — 15 general managers and one Miracle on Ice/four-time Stanley Cup winner.Ken Morrow, who has been an Islander since he shed his U.S. hockey jersey in February of 1980 — first for a decade as a player and now for three-plus decades as head of scouting — represented the Isles for the NHL Draft Lottery. With Lou Lamoriello relieved of duties two weeks ago as president and GM and no one yet named to replace him, Morrow was the man on the scene.AdvertisementAnd, armed with about the same win probability as the team of Americans had in 1980 against the USSR, Morrow watched the ping-pong balls pop up in the Isles’ favor.They won it!Now, uh … Does anyone want to make […]
Kings coach Jim Hiller retains ‘status quo’ attitude amid uncertainty after Rob Blake’s departure
EL SEGUNDO, Calif. – Jim Hiller has coached the Los Angeles Kings for just 16 months — if you count his time on interim status — but he has been in the business long enough to know how things can work when a team’s management structure changes.On Monday, the Kings and general manager Rob Blake separated after eight seasons. This was no blindside move. Blake didn’t have a contract for next season and there weren’t any talks toward renewal. Hiller didn’t know about Blake’s future and, in a March interview with The Athletic, said he hadn’t asked.AdvertisementThat day, Hiller also offered a defense of his boss and the work he had done – even knowing that uncertainty about Blake’s future could one day cloud his own.“I would say if you look back from seven years ago to today, I would […]
Reds’ Tyler Callihan departs game with broken forearm after crashing into wall
ATLANTA — Cincinnati Reds rookie Tyler Callihan left Monday’s game after he ran into the wall in left field at Truist Park trying to make a diving catch. Playing in his fourth big-league game, the 24-year-old Callihan walked off the field under his own power, but he appeared to suffer a serious arm injury.AdvertisementWith a runner on first and two out in the third inning, Matt Olson lined an opposite-field fly ball down the left-field line. Callihan raced over and attempted to make a catch just inside the line. The ball was briefly in his glove before he collided awkwardly and at full speed with the padded wall in foul territory, the force of the collision bending his left arm at a gruesome angle as his entire body crashed into the wall.The ball popped out and he immediately took off […]
Mets DH Jesse Winker expected to miss 6-8 weeks with an oblique injury
<!--> New York Mets designated hitter Jesse Winker is expected to miss six to eight weeks with a Grade 2 oblique strain, manager Carlos Mendoza confirmed on Monday.Mendoza also said reliever A.J. Minter will have season-ending surgery next Monday because of a torn lat muscle. Minter had a 1.64 ERA in 13 appearances this season.Infielder Brett Baty will take Winker's spot on the big league roster after being called up from Triple-A Syracuse.ADVERTISEMENT -->Winker left the first game of Sunday's doubleheader against the St. Louis Cardinals because of right side discomfort. He got hurt making a throw to the plate in the third inning during his first start of the season in left field after getting nearly all his playing time this year in a DH platoon with Starling Marte.The 25-year-old Baty hit .204 with one homer and four RBIs […]
Red carpet looks: Simone Biles, Saquon Barkley, other athletes attend 2025 Met Gala
To attend the annual fashion showcase that is the Met Gala, all you need is a special invitation — or $75,000 to buy a ticket. Even then, the money isn’t enough; your effort to buy a ticket must be approved.That’s the kind of exclusivity we’re dealing with at this event, which starts the spring exhibit for the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. It’s a place to be seen on the red carpet and show off your fashion sense, and it attracts celebrities of all stripes, with athletes playing prominent roles.AdvertisementNBA star LeBron James is an honorary chair and Formula One ace Lewis Hamilton is a co-chair. Simone Biles and husband Jonathan Owens are among those on the host committee. While James could not attend due to a knee injury suffered during the Los Angeles […]
LeBron James dumps Savannah James who steals the spotlight at the 2025 Met Gala
Savannah James turned heads at the 2025 Met Gala, making a show-stopping solo debut on May 5, hours after NBA superstar LeBron James announced he'd miss the event due to a playoff injury. The entrepreneur and style icon, 38, owned the red carpet in a stunning Hanifa gown, proving she's a fashion force in her own right.A fashion icon! Savannah James spice things up with Lebron James with a bold outfitSavannah's Met Gala MomentLeBron, an honorary chair for the 2025 Met Gala, was set to join co-chairs Colman Domingo, Lewis Hamilton, A$AP Rocky, Pharrell Williams, and Anna Wintour for the event, themed "Superfine: Tailoring Black Style" with a "Tailored for You" dress code. The exhibit draws inspiration from Monica L. Miller's 2009 book, Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity. But a knee injury sidelined […]
Related
Islanders have no GM but plenty of excitement after winning the NHL Draft’s No. 1 pick
It was perfect. Sixteen hockey executives in little Zoom rectangles on the ESPN screen at 7 p.m. on Monday — 15 general managers and one Miracle on Ice/four-time Stanley Cup winner.Ken Morrow, who has been an Islander since he shed his U.S. hockey jersey in February of 1980 — first for a decade as a player and now for three-plus decades as head of scouting — represented the Isles for the NHL Draft Lottery. With Lou Lamoriello relieved of duties two weeks ago as president and GM and no one yet named to replace him, Morrow was the man on the scene.AdvertisementAnd, armed with about the same win probability as the team of Americans had in 1980 against the USSR, Morrow watched the ping-pong balls pop up in the Isles’ favor.They won it!Now, uh … Does anyone want to make […]
Kings coach Jim Hiller retains ‘status quo’ attitude amid uncertainty after Rob Blake’s departure
EL SEGUNDO, Calif. – Jim Hiller has coached the Los Angeles Kings for just 16 months — if you count his time on interim status — but he has been in the business long enough to know how things can work when a team’s management structure changes.On Monday, the Kings and general manager Rob Blake separated after eight seasons. This was no blindside move. Blake didn’t have a contract for next season and there weren’t any talks toward renewal. Hiller didn’t know about Blake’s future and, in a March interview with The Athletic, said he hadn’t asked.AdvertisementThat day, Hiller also offered a defense of his boss and the work he had done – even knowing that uncertainty about Blake’s future could one day cloud his own.“I would say if you look back from seven years ago to today, I would […]
Reds’ Tyler Callihan departs game with broken forearm after crashing into wall
ATLANTA — Cincinnati Reds rookie Tyler Callihan left Monday’s game after he ran into the wall in left field at Truist Park trying to make a diving catch. Playing in his fourth big-league game, the 24-year-old Callihan walked off the field under his own power, but he appeared to suffer a serious arm injury.AdvertisementWith a runner on first and two out in the third inning, Matt Olson lined an opposite-field fly ball down the left-field line. Callihan raced over and attempted to make a catch just inside the line. The ball was briefly in his glove before he collided awkwardly and at full speed with the padded wall in foul territory, the force of the collision bending his left arm at a gruesome angle as his entire body crashed into the wall.The ball popped out and he immediately took off […]
Mets DH Jesse Winker expected to miss 6-8 weeks with an oblique injury
<!--> New York Mets designated hitter Jesse Winker is expected to miss six to eight weeks with a Grade 2 oblique strain, manager Carlos Mendoza confirmed on Monday.Mendoza also said reliever A.J. Minter will have season-ending surgery next Monday because of a torn lat muscle. Minter had a 1.64 ERA in 13 appearances this season.Infielder Brett Baty will take Winker's spot on the big league roster after being called up from Triple-A Syracuse.ADVERTISEMENT -->Winker left the first game of Sunday's doubleheader against the St. Louis Cardinals because of right side discomfort. He got hurt making a throw to the plate in the third inning during his first start of the season in left field after getting nearly all his playing time this year in a DH platoon with Starling Marte.The 25-year-old Baty hit .204 with one homer and four RBIs […]
Red carpet looks: Simone Biles, Saquon Barkley, other athletes attend 2025 Met Gala
To attend the annual fashion showcase that is the Met Gala, all you need is a special invitation — or $75,000 to buy a ticket. Even then, the money isn’t enough; your effort to buy a ticket must be approved.That’s the kind of exclusivity we’re dealing with at this event, which starts the spring exhibit for the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. It’s a place to be seen on the red carpet and show off your fashion sense, and it attracts celebrities of all stripes, with athletes playing prominent roles.AdvertisementNBA star LeBron James is an honorary chair and Formula One ace Lewis Hamilton is a co-chair. Simone Biles and husband Jonathan Owens are among those on the host committee. While James could not attend due to a knee injury suffered during the Los Angeles […]
LeBron James dumps Savannah James who steals the spotlight at the 2025 Met Gala
Savannah James turned heads at the 2025 Met Gala, making a show-stopping solo debut on May 5, hours after NBA superstar LeBron James announced he'd miss the event due to a playoff injury. The entrepreneur and style icon, 38, owned the red carpet in a stunning Hanifa gown, proving she's a fashion force in her own right.A fashion icon! Savannah James spice things up with Lebron James with a bold outfitSavannah's Met Gala MomentLeBron, an honorary chair for the 2025 Met Gala, was set to join co-chairs Colman Domingo, Lewis Hamilton, A$AP Rocky, Pharrell Williams, and Anna Wintour for the event, themed "Superfine: Tailoring Black Style" with a "Tailored for You" dress code. The exhibit draws inspiration from Monica L. Miller's 2009 book, Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity. But a knee injury sidelined […]
Be the first to leave a comment