The annual NFL draft has always been a gamble for teams looking for prospective players, but the Ravens went off script Friday night in the selection of Marshall edge rusher Mike Green with the 59th overall pick in the second round.

It could be the difference in Baltimore’s recent postseason failures.

Overall, this draft could have significant impact even though the outcome won’t be determined for another three or four years until this class has developed.

The Ravens drafted Georgia safety Malaki Starks in the first round Thursday night with the 27th pick and then selected LSU right tackle Emery Jones Jr. in Round 3 on Friday night after Green.

But it’s Green that has this city buzzing in more ways than one.

He faced sexual assault allegations in high school and at the University of Virginia in 2022 before transferring to Marshall in 2023.

Those allegations forced him to drop from the top 20 list of prospects, and it comes as the NFL continues to investigate numerous sexual misconduct allegations by massage therapists in the Baltimore area against Ravens kicker Justin Tucker.This also follows the Ray Rice incident from 2014 in which video showed the former Pro Bowl running back punching his then-fiancée in the face in an elevator in a casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

It would seem that the Ravens would stay away from players with these reputations, but they still selected Green.

“I would say that we investigated this situation very thoroughly. I think we have the best scouts in the NFL,” Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta said Friday night. “We’ve got great scouts that go into Virginia. They go into Marshall. We’ve got people that work for investigating different incidents with players all the time, and we felt comfortable taking [Mike Green].

“We think he’s a talented player. We understand the severity of what these allegations were, of course, but doing our due diligence, we are comfortable with Mike. I personally spent an hour and a half with him in my office, and I think the best is yet to come with him, and I’m glad we got him.”

Let’s be honest, what did you expect him to say?

I believe DeCosta. At this point, the Ravens have too much to lose. Because of the video, Rice became the centerpiece of many discussions about domestic abuse in America and Tucker’s alleged misconduct has become the topic of numerous conversations around the NFL, especially since he might be the most accurate field goal kicker in NFL history. But the Ravens’ zero tolerance policy in regards to players was fictional, even amusing. If that were the case in either the league or with the Ravens, there would be no NFL or Baltimore Ravens.

There are few choir boys in the NFL, which is why the Ravens’ selection of Green was so intriguing. DeCosta revealed the most basic truth when he said, “We think he’s a talented player.” Case closed.

If other teams wanted to pass over Green in the first round and late into the second, that’s their problem. If the Ravens did their due diligence, then they might have gotten perhaps the best pass rusher in college football even though he went to a smaller school like Marshall.

If he doesn’t pan out in Baltimore, so what? This team has a history of messing up in the second round with clunkers like linebackers Sergio Kindle (2010 draft), Arthur Brown (2013), Kamalei Correa (2016) and Tyus Bowser (2017) and tight end Maxx Williams (2015). Ring a bell?

The Ravens were in desperate need of edge rushers. Outside linebacker Kyle Van Noy had a career-high 12 1/2 sacks this season but he recently turned 34. The other edge rusher, Odafe Oweh, had 10 sacks but neither showed up in big games. Replacements Tavius Robinson, David Ojabo, Adisa Isaac and Malik Hamm combined for 5 1/2 sacks. That’s not good enough, especially in the postseason.

That’s where the Ravens will face the best in the likes of Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow, Buffalo’s Josh Allen and Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes. The Ravens were in need of some fresh legs and some new blood, which they got in Green.

It’s hard to tell if he will be the next Peter Boulware or Terrell Suggs, but at 6-foot-3 and 251 pounds, he led the nation in sacks with 17 in 2024. He doesn’t have great bulk but an explosive first step, and his wrestling background allows him to gain leverage. He lines up on the outside but can twist inside against slower guards.

He has a nonstop motor and can play with power, having bench-pressed 225 pounds 28 times at the scouting combine in Indianapolis.

The Ravens have done well in the first three rounds. Starks’ ability to play the deep ball allows them to move fellow safety Kyle Hamilton up near the line of scrimmage, where he becomes an impact player. Jones fits the Ravens’ mold as a run blocker even though he has a strong punch and can neutralize an end once he gets his hands on him.

But the addition of Green might be outstanding. In the past, the Ravens have remained status quo with their philosophy of drafting the best player possible even though they “stretch” like most other teams in certain situations. This time, though, they reached and gambled on Green. It could pay off.

Have a news tip? Contact Mike Preston at epreston @baltsun.com, 410-332-6467 and x.com/MikePrestonSun.