Here's how the Ravens ended up drafting Alabama linebacker C.J. Mosley Thursday night instead of trading back or taking somebody else.
The draft was shaping up well for them, and General Manager Ozzie Newsome said the Ravens knew they were going to have the opportunity to get one of three players they coveted.
"Then another one goes," Newsome said.
Notre Dame offensive tackle Zack Martin was selected by the Dallas Cowboys at pick No. 16. The Cowboys were one spot ahead of the Ravens because of a tie-breaking coin flip.
But the Ravens still had a very highly-rated player on their board, a player that Assistant General Manager Eric DeCosta said he would have taken at No. 10.
When Baltimore was on the clock, the phone started ringing. Newsome, who loves to acquire more picks and has frequently traded back, was listening.
But the Ravens met this afternoon and talked about how they wanted to utilize their chance to pick higher in the draft*than *they have in recent years. They hadn't had a pick as high as No. 17 since they selected defensive tackle Haloti Ngata at No. 12 in 2006.
Newsome said it would take a "bonanza" trade to move back.
"We always have interest in moving back," Newsome said. "There were some offers, but nothing came close to what we felt like the value was for us to move back that far.
"We knew we had a player that was rated higher than where he was getting picked. We were willing to accept all the calls and see if we were able to get a bonanza. That bonanza never came."
Newsome said the phone stopped ringing with six minutes left on the clock. The Ravens had another Alabama prospect, free safety Ha Ha Cllinton-Dix, on the board.
They turned in the card with Mosley's name on it.
"C.J. was the clear-cut guy at that pick," Newsome said.
