When the Ravens went back-to-back with tight ends in the third and fourth rounds of the draft to get Ed Dickson and Dennis Pitta, it was the first time since 1997 that they spent such high picks on the same position.
In 1997, they drafted a pair of linebackers in the first two rounds -- Pete Boulware with the fourth overall pick and Jamie Sharper with the 34th overall pick in the second round.
In 2000, they used two sixth-round picks to take defensive end Adalius Thomas (No. 186) and defensive tackle Cedric Woodward (No. 191), although they clearly had different skills and projections.
And in 2005, when they had no third-round pick, the Ravens took offensive tackle Adam Terry in the second round (No. 64) and center/guard Jason Brown in the fourth (No. 124).
"It's kind of unusual for us to have picked a player at a position and then come back and back it up, but that's how good we felt about bringing Dennis into the fold," GM Ozzie Newsome said.
Dickson, a converted defensive end, was the 70th pick in the draft and third tight end taken. Pitta, a onetime cornerback and wide-out in high school, was the 114th player and seventh tight end chosen.