Apr 26, 2009 8:28 pm US/Eastern
Ravens Delighted With Oher, 5 Other Newcomers
OWINGS MILLS, Md. (AP) ―
It took less than 24 hours for Michael Oher to adopt the mind-set of his new team, the Baltimore Ravens.
After being selected with the 23rd overall pick in the NFL draft on Saturday night, Oher, a 315-pound offensive tackle out of Mississippi, was formally introduced to the Baltimore media on Sunday.
Oher posed for pictures, then wedged between Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome and coach John Harbaugh before discussing his goals.
"I'm going to give it my all and do everything I possibly can to get them to beat Pittsburgh," Oher said.
The Steelers ruined the 2008 season for the Ravens. Pittsburgh beat them twice to finish ahead of Baltimore in the AFC North, then defeated the Ravens in the AFC championship game before winning the Super Bowl.
Baltimore's objective this offseason is to narrow the gap, and Newsome hopes his 2009 draft class will help get that done.
After taking the 6'5" Oher and defensive end Paul Kruger on Saturday, the Ravens picked Nicolls State cornerback Lardarius Webb in the third round, then worked trades with New England and Denver to jockey for position in the later rounds.
Newsome selected TCU linebacker Jason Phillips and East Carolina tight end Davon Drew in the fifth round before finishing up with Virginia running back Cedric Peerman in the sixth round.
As a star at Mississippi, Oher hated Southeastern Conference teams such as Mississippi State and Alabama. With Baltimore, the enemy is Pittsburgh.
"The reason that they're the team we have to shoot at is they have the Lombardi Trophy," Newsome said. "That's our goal, to get another one of those trophies in this building."
The Ravens hope the addition of Oher was a big step in the process.
The Ravens originally had the 26th pick in the draft and figured the big tackle would go in the top 15.
But Oher remained available way past that, so Newsome worked a deal with New England to snag him at 23.
That made this draft a successful one for the Ravens.
"Going into the offseason, after I had a chance to get over the Pittsburgh game, when I looked at our football team I felt securing a tackle for the future was No. 1," Newsome said. "I told (everyone) we had to get this tackle thing straightened out because of our quarterback. (Joe Flacco) is the franchise and we have to take care of that.
"I came into this draft not thinking we could resolve that issue, and we did it with Michael," Newsome said.
The Ravens were excited about Oher and the other five draftees because of their talent and the personal obstacles some of them had overcome.
Oher went from a homeless teen to a top draft pick, Kruger shrugged off the loss of a kidney and Webb bounced back after being thrown out of Southern Mississippi.
"I think we'll look back two years from now and say, 'You know what? That draft really helped our football team.' And we were a strong football team coming into this draft," Newsome said.
Eric DeCosta, director of player personnel for the Ravens, said, "This is a draft about toughness. Mental toughness. Most of these guys have had some sort of adversity that they've overcome in some way, shape or form. But also physical toughness. We got tougher across the board at every position."
The 5'10" Webb can play cornerback, safety and return kicks.
"I get to play with my idol, my role model, (five-time Pro Bowl safety) Ed Reed," Webb said. "Baltimore has a great, great defense, and to be part of that is really breathtaking."
The 6'1", 239-pound Phillips had 84 tackles and 3 1/2 sacks as a senior at TCU and will compete to fill the void left by the departure of Bart Scott.
Phillips will get a late start, however, after tearing the meniscus in his left knee at the NFL scouting combine.
Drew had 43 catches for 695 yards and three touchdowns as a senior, and the 5'10", 220-pounder Peerman ran 774 yards and seven TDs in his final season with the Cavaliers.
Peerman, an ordained minister, was an honorable mention All-ACC tailback last year.
"Anytime you can get size and speed toward the end of the draft, you're talking about someone who could come in and make his mark on special teams. That's what attracted us to him," Newsome said of Peerman.
The Ravens didn't get a much-needed wide receiver in the draft.
Although the return of the injured Demetrius Williams could help in 2009, Newsome didn't rule out a free agent pickup before the season opener against the Chiefs.
"Our job is never done as far as I'm concerned," he said. "I'm sure between now and the time we play Kansas City that someone could become available that we would be attracted to."
(© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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