Ravens second-round pick Mike Green: Falling to Ravens a "blessing in disguise"

Edge rusher Mike Green’s wait to be drafted took longer than he would have liked, but his eventual landing spot cushioned the blow.

Green led FBS players with 17 sacks at Marshall last year, which led some to predict that he’d be a first-round pick. Green slipped to the Ravens at No. 59, however, and he told reporters at their rookie minicamp this weekend that joining the team was a silver lining to his draft experience.

“That was a goal I set for myself,” Green said. “I didn’t really get to get that goal, but coming to the Ravens was a blessing in disguise. I live by that and I mean that. I honestly can say I don’t think there’s a better program or franchise I can be a part of than the Ravens.”

One reason for Green’s slide might have been a pair of sexual assault allegations from high school and college. Green has denied those allegations and said on Sunday that he’s ready to move past them as he begins his pro career.

“Every team asked me and I’ve been completely open about everything,” Green said. “It’s something I had to go through, I got through it, and from this point forward I’m just focusing on moving on with my career.”

Green said that lasting into the late second round has left a chip on his shoulder that he’s planning to use as motivation as a pro. If that results in the kind of production he flashed in college, the Ravens will be very happy that no one picked him up before they came up to pick in the second round.