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With the No. 123 overall pick in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL Draft, the Baltimore Ravens have selected former Oklahoma Sooners offensive guard Ben Powers.
We have selected Oklahoma G Ben Powers with the 123rd overall pick in the draft.
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) April 27, 2019
Welcome to Baltimore, @BigBen_72❗️ pic.twitter.com/fTUIuGCmkz
Baltimore fans should be excited about Powers joining the team if for nothing else this soundbite from the 2018 Big 12 Media Days last July.
Highlight of the day for me right here. #Sooners OL Ben Powers (@BigBen_72) on what it takes to be an offensive lineman. pic.twitter.com/9VfFjIEbOe
— TJ Eckert (@TJEckertKTUL) July 16, 2018
The Baltimore Ravens just cannot get enough of that #OUDNA as they select yet another Oklahoma Sooner to make their home in the AFC North. The Ravens selected Orlando Brown and Mark Andrews back to back last year, this year they’ve selected Marquise Brown in the first, but continue to bolster their trenches with another Sooner in Powers. With the move from Flacco to former Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson, the Ravens are likely going to ground and pound along with several RPO selections and that’s not something Powers is unfamiliar with. Whichever guard spot he plays, it would likely be a service to place him nearest to former teammate Orlando Brown. This is the third consecutive Heisman Trophy QB that Powers will have blocked for, and the same goes for Marquise Brown with catching passes.
Ben Powers, a Wichita, Kansas native, attended Butler Community College after high school after receiving next no attention from D-I programs. After transferring to OU in 2016, he started 35 of 38 games in his three seasons with the Sooners. Notably, he was named a Consensus All-American as a senior (first team for AFCA, FWAA, Sporting News and Walter Camp Foundation), was a member of the 2018 Joe Moore Award winning O-line unit, and gave up zero sacks while blocking for Heisman Trophy winner and No. 1 overall pick Kyler Murray.
As far as NFL comparisons go, analyst Lance Zierlein likens Powers to New England Patriots G Ted Karras. While he may not be a Day 1 starter, he’s good enough to be a reliable back-up as a rookie, and sharp enough to learn a complex offensive system quickly if needed.
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