National Football League

Ravens trade 25th overall pick to Denver Broncos

Published Apr. 23, 2010 5:07 a.m. ET

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The Baltimore Ravens opted for quantity in the first round of the NFL draft.

While on the clock with the 25th overall pick Thursday night, the Ravens traded the choice to the Denver Broncos for three selections later in the draft.

Baltimore received picks in the second, third and fourth rounds - the 43rd, 70th and 114th selection overall.

Prior to the draft, the Ravens traded their third- and fourth-round picks to Arizona Cardinals for wide receiver Anquan Boldin and a fifth-round selection. That, and a 2008 deal with Tampa Bay that landed defensive end Marques Douglas, left Baltimore with only five picks entering the draft.

So general manager Ozzie Newsome dealt his top pick to the Broncos to increase the total to seven.

``We've always felt that this was a draft that could be very beneficial to us if we could have multiple picks, and now we have them,'' Newsome said.

Newsome said the Broncos made an offer early Thursday morning, then sweetened the deal when it came time for Baltimore to choose.

``Certainly, there were some players we really like,'' said Eric DeCosta, the Ravens director of player personnel. ``But it wasn't that hard of a decision, based on the players available.''

By making the trade, the Ravens passed up choosing several potential stars, including Tennessee defensive tackle Dan Williams and Rutgers cornerback Devin McCourty, who went 26th and 27th overall. Both would have filled important needs, because the Ravens lost free agent tackle Dwan Edwards to Buffalo and have two cornerbacks - Fabian Washington and Lardarius Webb - coming back from season-ending injuries.

But the Ravens were certain they could secure quality players on Friday and Saturday.

``We knew back in September this was going to be a strong draft, and it's proven to be a strong draft,'' DeCosta said. ``We wanted more picks. Our scouts and coaches are very excited. We see (Friday) as a tremendous opportunity for this organization to get better.''

The Broncos selected Florida quarterback Tim Tebow with the pick they got from Baltimore.

Newsome said there were other teams interested in trading with the Ravens for the 25th pick, and that Denver increased its offer for the selection ``two or three times.''

In the end, even though the Ravens saw some players worth taking in the first round, they decided to wait another day.

``As the board started to unfold, and as (Denver) started to call us and make us offers about trading out of the pick, we were matching up what's available on the board versus what we can get from this pick,'' Newsome said.

Said DeCosta: ``Draft picks are a little bit like currency, and we have a little more money now to play with. We're excited, but there's a little bit of uneasiness because we don't know who we're going to get.

``I thought I would be able to sleep tonight, knowing who our first-round pick was. Now I'm going to be up all night again, waiting until tomorrow night.''

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