Ravens wait, take Edwards

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — The Baltimore Ravens remained idle for more than seven hours yesterday before finally selecting Oregon State defensive tackle Dwan Edwards with the 51st overall pick in the NFL Draft.

The Ravens can only hope he’s worth the wait.

Stuck without a first-round pick for the first time in their nine-year existence, the Ravens could do nothing more than watch as the other 31 teams raided the college ranks. Baltimore was desperate to snare a receiver, but the best players at that position were gone when it came time for the Ravens to make their second-round pick.

After wide receiver Devery Henderson of LSU went to the New Orleans Saints at No. 50, the Ravens chose the 6-foot-6, 315-pound Edwards.

Baltimore nabbed a receiver in the third round, however, moving up six notches in a trade with Minnesota to take Devard Darling of Washington State with the 82nd overall pick.

Darling led the Cougars last season with 50 catches for 830 yards and seven touchdowns. He entered the draft after his junior season following a career in which he caught 106 passes for 1,666 yards and 19 touchdowns.

“This is a piece of the puzzle, but we’ll continue to try to improve at the receiver position,” Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome said.

Baltimore entered the draft with a deficiency at wide receiver, but Newsome was also intent upon bulking up a defensive front that yielded 165 yards rushing in a playoff loss to the Tennessee Titans.

“A lot of that was that we basically have an undersized defensive line,” Newsome said. “One of the things we wanted to do this offseason was upgrade the defensive line. … Dwan Edwards is going to be a very productive part of our team.”

The Ravens traded away their first-round pick to get quarterback Kyle Boller with the 19th overall selection last year. Baltimore thought it solved its deficiency at wide receiver by trading for four-time Pro Bowl star Terrell Owens in March, but the deal was nullified.

That left Travis Taylor as the only returning wide receiver with more than 14 catches last year. The Ravens had their eye on several wideouts, including Henderson, but figured Edwards was the best player on the board.

“To add this guy into the rotation is going to be of great value to us,” Ravens coach Brian Billick said.

Edwards played right tackle at Oregon State, where he amassed 159 tackles over a four-year career. He also had 12 sacks and recovered three fumbles.

The Ravens were impressed with his speed, size and attitude during a scouting combine in Indianapolis. So when it finally came time to make a move, they were delighted to see him still available.

“We’ve been waiting all day long to pick, and when got down to the 51st selection, we feel like he’s a real solid player,” director of player personnel Phil Savage said.

Edwards, contacted at his Oregon home, said, “I’m a guy that’s going to lay it on the line every day. I think I can do a lot of things for this team.”

Like the Ravens, Edwards spent most of the afternoon waiting for something good to happen.

“It’s been a long day, but I’m glad I finally got a place,” he said.

If nothing else, Newsome learned that enduring draft day without a first-round pick just isn’t a lot of fun.

“It’s going to be tough for me to trade a No. 1 pick again,” he said.

The Ravens gave their third and fifth-round picks to the Vikings to pick Darling, who began his career at Florida State but transferred after his twin brother, Devaughan, died during an offseason conditioning program.