The NFL officially lists the Baltimore Ravens with one first-round pick in the 2016 draft. The Ravens would respectfully disagree.
Baltimore expects to find an impact player at the No. 6 overall pick, land a first-round talent with the No. 36 selection and gain another first-rounder with the return of wide receiver Breshad Perriman, who didn't play a down for the Ravens last season.
"We're taking the approach that we have have three first-round picks," assistant general manager Eric DeCosta said.
It all starts with the No. 6 overall pick. This is the highest the Ravens have selected since taking running back Jamal Lewis with the No. 5 pick in 2000.
It's a rare situation for Baltimore knowing it has a shot at getting a top-10 prospect like UCLA linebacker Myles Jack, Ohio State pass-rusher Joey Bosa, Oregon defensive end DeForest Buckner or Florida cornerback Vernon Hargreaves.
"It's completely different in terms of the players that we're looking at," coach John Harbaugh said. "We've looked at these guys lovingly from afar knowing that we would have to play against them most years. Now, we're going to have one of those players on our team. I'm really excited about that. I just don't ever want to be in this position again."
With Harbaugh, the average Ravens' first pick has been No. 27. In five of the last six drafts, Baltimore's first selection has been No. 26 or later.
That's why the Ravens' second-round pick at No. 36 overall has a first-round feel. Baltimore expects one of their top-30 players to be there at that point in the second round.
"That pick to us should be a first-round type player," DeCosta said.
The other factor that hasn't gone overlooked is getting back Perriman, the No. 26 pick of the 2015 draft. He's a freakish athlete with his size (6-foot-2) and speed (40-yard dash in 4.25 seconds at his pro day). Perriman showed flashes in offseason workouts in the spring, and he had a chance to start alongside Steve Smith Sr. in the opener.
But Perriman partially tore his posterior cruciate ligament on the first day of training camp and didn't play a snap during his rookie season. He is expected to be cleared to participate in Baltimore's offseason program, which begins April 18.
From the Ravens' perspective, his return gives them their third first-round addition this year.
"Hopefully, he can pick up from where he was on that first day of training camp," general manager Ozzie Newsome said. "I really had a smile on my face that first day."