nfl draft

The Baltimore Ravens made a tough business decision on Monday, dealing veteran wide receiver and playoff hero Anquan Boldin to the San Francisco 49ers for a sixth-round pick after he wouldn't accept a pay cut.

The Ravens have traded veteran wide receiver Anquan Boldin to the San Francisco 49ers in exchange for a sixth-round draft pick, according to league sources with knowledge of the situation.

The NFL offseason heats up on Tuesday when the free agency period begins and the NFL draft will take place next month. In anticipation of those events, blogger and reporter Matt Vensel will look at six key positions the Ravens might address in free agency and the NFL draft in the days leading up to the start of free agency. Today, he looks at safeties.

The NFL offseason heats up on Tuesday when the free agency period begins and the NFL draft will take place next month. In anticipation of those events, blogger and reporter Matt Vensel will look at six key positions the Ravens might address in free agency and the NFL draft in the days leading up to the start of free agency. Today, he looks at offensive tackles.

The NFL offseason heats up on Tuesday when the free agency period begins and the NFL draft will take place next month. In anticipation of those events, blogger and reporter Matt Vensel will look at six key positions the Ravens might address in free agency and the NFL draft in the days leading up to the start of free agency. Today, he looks at defensive tackle.

The NFL offseason heats up on Tuesday when the free agency period begins and the NFL draft will take place next month. In anticipation of those events, blogger and reporter Matt Vensel will look at six key positions the Ravens might address in free agency and the NFL draft in the days leading up to the start of free agency. Today, he looks at pass rusher.

The NFL offseason heats up on Tuesday when the free agency period begins and the NFL draft will take place next month. In anticipation of those events, blogger and reporter Matt Vensel will look at six key positions the Ravens might address in free agency and the NFL draft in the days leading up to the start of free agency. Today, he looks at wide receivers.

The NFL offseason heats up on Tuesday when the free agency period begins and the NFL draft will take place next month. In anticipation of those events, blogger and reporter Matt Vensel will look at six key positions the Ravens might address in free agency and the NFL draft in the days leading up to the start of free agency. Today, he looks at inside linebackers.

Shawne Merriman 28, played eight seasons in the NFL after being drafted by the San Diego Cargers in the first round with the 12th overall selection of the 2005 NFL draft. He registered 10 sacks as a rookie, made the Pro Bowl and was named NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year.

The Ravens have done well in the past taking calculated gambles on players with legal issues. That includes former NFL Defensive Player of the Year outside linebacker Terrell Suggs, who was facing an felony aggravated assault case in Arizona when the Ravens drafted him 10th overall in the first round of the 2003 NFL draft. The case was later dismissed.

ACC pass rusher is coming off torn anterior cruciate ligament, clouding his draft outlook

Free safety Ed Reed has been a presence in the NFL for nearly a dozen years, instinctively patrolling the Ravens' secondary and baiting quarterbacks into miscues.

The Ravens have set their radar on evaluating a deep class of defensive players. Among the meetings they've scheduled at the NFL scouting combine: towering SMU defensive end Margus Hunt and LSU junior inside linebacker Kevin Minter.

Tavon Austin, a former Dunbar and West Virginia star, had predicted he would run fast, and now he has

Former Dunbar standout Tavon Austin is projected to be drafted in the first round of NFL draft

The welcome prospect of having a top quarterback is juxtaposed by a challenge: trying not to lose several key players due to a tight salary cap situation that will be impacted by the expense that Flacco carries this year and going forward.

Defensive line class for April is deep

West Virginia star Tavon Austin is expected to go in the first round of the 2013 NFL draft.

Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te'o among players analysts say would be on Ravens' list

The usual faces were present in the auditorium at the team's practice facility Thursday but there was a constant reminder that this wasn't the typical "State of the Ravens" address.

Baltimore Ravens facing a lot of issues after winning Super Bowl championship

Remember this name: Tyler Palko, if only for a moment. For anyone out there who still yearns for the days of Troy Smith or who still thinks Tyrod Taylor ought to get a shot at quarterbacking the Ravens (Seriously, does anyone still believe that?) let the name Tyler Palko serve as yet another example of what I like to call the gross underestimation of how truly great a quarterback the Ravens have in Joe Flacco.

Jonathan Ogden, the first draft pick in Ravens history and the quintessential left tackle of his generation, was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday in his first year of eligibility.

Now, just over a year since winning a national title with the Crimson Tide, Courtney Upshaw's second in four years in Tuscaloosa, the Ravens rookie linebacker has returned to New Orleans, the site of Sunday's Super Bowl.

Every morning, Monday through Friday, blogger Matt Vensel will hook you up with reading material -- mostly on the Ravens but with some other Baltimore sports stuff, too -- to skim through as you slug down coffee and slack off at the start of your workday.

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Michael Crabtree might not have the wow factor and name value of some of the league's elite receivers, but it will take a team effort from the Ravens secondary to limit the damage in the Super Bowl.

The Ravens offensive line will face another tough test in the Super Bowl on Sunday. The 49ers have one of the most physical and effective fronts in the NFL, and one of the most feared pass rushers in football in linebacker Aldon Smith, who will be chasing after Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco all evening.

On Sunday, the Ravens play the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl XLVII, and they will attempt to win their second Lombardi Trophy with a roster largely constructed with homegrown players raised in the Ravens Way.

Is former Delaware coach K.C. Keeler surprised his star pupil is playing in the Super Bowl? Not at all. He saw greatness in quarterback Joe Flacco, even when he considered benching him in his junior year, and he told the Ravens that before they drafted Flacco in 2008.

Baltimore Ravens undrafted free agent Dannell Ellerbe had 89 tackles, 4.5 sacks in regular season, interception in AFC championship

Each day this week, Baltimore Sun reporter and blogger Matt Vensel will break down a key matchup for the Ravens in Sunday's Super Bowl XLVII. Today, he looks at the challenge of defending San Fransisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick and the pistol offense.

His memory is a bit hazy, but Sam Koch remembers watching his first Super Bowl in his family's home in Nebraska and being entranced by San Francisco 49ers quarterback Joe Montana. So while sitting down for either Super Bowl XXIII in January 1989 or XXIV the following year, Koch discovered what he wanted to do when he was older.

Former Baltimore Ravens outside linebacker works out for last year's Super Bowl champions

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Dennis Dixon to imitate the San Francisco 49ers' Colin Kaepernick for defense¿s benefit

NFL Network analyst Kurt Warner said Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco has earned $100 million contract

After 12 months defined by injuries, untimely deaths in their extended family and abrupt personnel changes, the Ravens are right back where they were last January, headed to Foxborough, Mass., for the AFC championship game.

After a strong senior season at South Carolina, former Hereford kicker Adam Yates will play in the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl on Saturday.

Corey Graham, Jacoby Jones and Justin Tucker are Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome's latest key finds

Every morning, Monday through Friday, blogger Matt Vensel will hook you up with reading material -- mostly on the Ravens but with some other Baltimore sports stuff, too -- to skim through as you slug down coffee and slack off at the start of your workday.

Kelechi Osemele, a second-round pick in the 2012 NFL draft, has been challenged throughout his rookie year. Growing pains were to be expected, but Osemele has passed most of the tests. The latest came in Sunday's 24-9 win over the Indianapolis Colts in the wild-card round, and he aced it. After starting every game during the regular season at right tackle, Osemele slid inside to left guard when the Ravens inserted Bryant McKinnie in the starting lineup and moved Michael Oher from left tackle to right tackle. It was his first start at guard since the preseason.