The Ravens didn't trade for Anquan Boldin and didn't select one of the 34 drafted wide receivers this weekend.
In fact, they were one of only four AFC teams not to take a wide-out.
But this draft wasn't about building a passing attack around quarterback Joe Flacco. It was about loading up on players who have the mind-set to overtake the Pittsburgh Steelers in the gritty AFC North.
"This was a draft about toughness," said Eric DeCosta, the Ravens' director of player personnel. "Most of these guys have had some sort of adversity that they've overcome in some way. We have a tough team. We're in a tough division. We've got tough coaches who demand a lot from our players. We got tougher at every position across the board, and that's going to help us in the fall."
In recent drafts, the Ravens selected players who had athleticism, but not an attitude. Prospects such as Adam Terry, Chris Chester, David Pittman and Yamon Figurs have struggled to make it onto the field.
The latest Ravens draft class has an edge about it, which comes from the road that led the players to the NFL.
* Offensive tackle Michael Oher, first round: : As a teenager, he lived on the streets in one of the poorest parts of Memphis, Tenn., trying to avoid foster care.
* Defensive end-linebacker Paul Kruger, second round: : He lost one kidney in a car accident in 1999 and needed 50 staples to close incisions after a stabbing in January 2008.
* Defensive back Lardarius Webb, third round: : In a pre-draft interview, Webb said his mother was on drugs while he was growing up and his father is an alcoholic. His brother is in jail, Webb says.
* Inside linebacker Jason Phillips, fifth round: : The son of a high school coach whose highlights often feature him bleeding. He was described as a "glass-eating" overachiever by Pro Football Weekly.
* Running back Cedric Peerman, sixth round: : An ordained deacon, Peerman grew up working on his family's tobacco farm.
"I think we'll look back two years from now and say, 'You know what? That draft really helped our football team,' " general manager Ozzie Newsome said. "And we were a strong football team coming into this draft."
The biggest criticism has been the Ravens' decision not to draft a wide receiver, especially in the first two rounds.
If the Ravens hadn't moved up in the first round to take Oher, they would have been able to take wide receivers such as Hakeem Nicks (29th to the New York Giants), Kenny Britt (30th to the Tennessee Titans) and Brian Robiskie (36th to the Cleveland Browns).
