Baltimore moved from No. 26 to No. 23, adding a fifth-round…
Baltimore moved from No. 26 to No. 23, adding a fifth-round pick to select tackle Michael Oher. Oher started every game in five Ravens seasons and was part of the Super Bowl XLVII championship team. New England immediately recycled picks 26 and 162 to Green Bay for selections 41, 73 and 83, then continued trading from that pool. The Patriots created substantial draft flexibility while Baltimore secured a durable starter, making this a legitimate win for both sides.
Baltimore Ravens Received
- pick 2009 1st round pick (23rd overall, Michael Oher)
New England Patriots Received
- pick 2009 1st round pick (26th overall subsequently traded, Clay Matthews )
- pick 2009 5th round pick (162nd overall subsequently traded, Jamon Meredith )
Trade Analysis
Baltimore's draft philosophy under Ozzie Newsome often emphasized moving decisively when a targeted player reached an attainable range. In 2009 the Ravens sent New England the 26th and 162nd selections to move to No. 23, where they drafted Mississippi tackle Michael Oher. The Patriots were comfortable moving back and immediately continued reshaping the return.
Oher provided exactly the stability Baltimore wanted. He started all 16 regular-season games in each of his five Ravens seasons, played both tackle spots, and finished second in the 2009 Offensive Rookie of the Year voting. He was the starting left tackle for much of the 2012 season and started throughout the postseason run that ended with Baltimore winning Super Bowl XLVII. Eighty consecutive regular-season starts for the team made the first-round investment easy to justify.
New England's return was more complicated but also valuable. The Patriots packaged picks 26 and 162 together in a trade with Green Bay for selections 41, 73 and 83. New England used No. 41 on Darius Butler and No. 83 on Brandon Tate. Pick 73 was later traded to Jacksonville for No. 232 and a 2010 second-round pick; No. 232 became Julian Edelman, while the future second became part of further draft maneuvering. Not every downstream piece should be credited solely to the Baltimore trade, but the extra flexibility clearly mattered.
Baltimore gets an A for acquiring a five-year starting tackle and championship contributor. New England also gets an A because moving down generated a larger pool of picks that fed several useful transactions and players. The cleanest historical reading is an Even Trade: Baltimore chose certainty and got it, while New England chose flexibility and successfully compounded it.