Ravens needs: Flacco in place, finishing touches to come

No matter what the Baltimore Ravens do in the upcoming draft, it probably won't come close to what they accomplished last year.

They landed franchise quarterback Joe Flacco. For a team searching for a quarterback for years, it put to rest the anxiety of not having one.

The Ravens might draft Maryland's Darrius Heyward-Bey, keeping him close to his roots. (Getty Images)

That's why general manager Ozzie Newsome remains one of the tops in his field. He knows what it takes to put good teams on the field. The Ravens won a Super Bowl in 2000 without a franchise passer, proof of that.

Getting Flacco will make it much easier now to build around him. The Ravens could use a dominant receiver to grow with Flacco, somebody with burning speed. That could be where they use an early pick.

The rest of the offense is loaded with young players who have their best football in front of them.

The same can't be said of the defense. Age is a factor at some spots, but the biggest need is at corner. They signed Domonique Foxworth in free agency and they have Fabian Washington, but they need a young star there to groom.

Newsome once picked corner Chris McAlister in the first round, and that paid off big. Don't be shocked to see him try that position again in the first round.

This draft should be easy for Newsome. Landing a franchise passer last year can make a GM sleep better at night.

QB: Flacco is coming off a successful rookie season. He is their long-term answer, which has to be calming to the franchise. Troy Smith is a nice backup, capable of providing a different dimension.

RB: With Willis McGahee, Le'Ron McClain and Ray Rice, the Ravens are set at this position. They have a power runner in McClain, a glider in McGahee and a young player to groom in Rice.

WR: Derrick Mason is a still a productive receiver, but he is getting up in years. They need to find a replacement. Mark Clayton is solid on the other side, but he has to do more. Demetrius Williams offers hope as a third receiver. They need to find a young speedster to help Flacco with his deep stuff.

TE: Todd Heap is a capable receiving tight end when he's healthy. He's a threat in the middle of the field. Quinn Sypniewski is a capable young backup. They could use help here.

OL: They lost center Jason Brown to the St. Louis Rams in free agency, but they replaced him with veteran Matt Birk. He isn't as good as Brown, but he will do. Tackles Willie Anderson and Jared Gaither form a good tandem and guards Ben Grubbs, Chris Chester and Marshall Yanda are all experienced and solid players.

DL: In Trevor Pryce, Haloti Ngata and Kelly Gregg, the Ravens have a good front three for their 3-4 scheme. Pryce is getting up in years and Gregg is coming off an injury-shortened season, so they might look for help here early in the draft. Backups Justin Bannan and Dwan Edwards offer depth.

LB: They lost Bart Scott in free agency, but the Ravens have a lot of young players they like that will battle to fill the role. Tavares Gooden gets the first shot. But look for Jameel McClain in the mix. The winner plays next to Ray Lewis, who can still get it done. Terrell Suggs returns outside to key the pass rush with steady Jarrett Johnson on the other side. Prescott Burgess offers depth.

Secondary: They signed corners Chris Carr and Foxworth, but I think they still need help there. Add in Washington and all their corners have been castoffs at one time. The safety duo of Ed Reed and Dawan Landry is a good one. Tom Zbikowski offers depth.