Ravens Passed on Taking Developmental QB

The Baltimore Ravens may not be in the market for a new quarterback anytime soon, but that doesn't necessarily mean they couldn't have taken one in the NFL Draft.

Even teams with star quarterbacks sometimes take developmental players in the later rounds of the draft, often just to see what they could be. After all, sixth- and seventh-round picks are often akin to lottery tickets, so why not try and see if a quarterback could play above their draft position?

This year, the Ravens apparently considered taking such a player, but ultimately opted against it.

"We did look at that," general manager Eric DeCosta told reporters Saturday evening. "We had a few guys that we liked. We were probably in a situation on the third day when we might've done that. And I can tell you that one guy got picked that we really did. We talked about it. I mean we still think Devin [Leary] has a chance to develop, and I think he improved over the course of the year. But again, there were some guys we liked, one in particular that we might've taken, but he got picked."

Leary, a sixth-round pick out of Kentucky in last year's draft, essentially already fills the developmental quarterback role. The 25-year-old struggled throughout the preseason, but was able to stick around on the practice squad throughout the season.

The Ravens typically only carry two quarterbacks on their active roster during the season with a third on the practice squad. This year, it's almost certainly going to be Lamar Jackson and new backup Cooper Rush on the active roster with Leary possibly staying on the roster. As such, there's not much room for any rookie to get much development time.

Maybe next year the Ravens will take a flier on another young quarterback, but not this year.