The Ravens made a big investment in tight ends over the weekend.
Baltimore drafted Minnesota's Maxx Williams in the second round and then used a fifth-round pick on Delaware's Nick Boyle.
The moves showed that the Ravens are injecting youth into the tight end position, and it begs the question of what the draft indicates about the future of veteran Dennis Pitta.
"Dennis is what it's going to be, and I still don't know what's going to happen with him," General Manager Ozzie Newsome said after the draft.
Pitta's future is in doubt as he recovers from his second major hip injury in as many years.
The second fractured and dislocated hip injury occurred last year on a non-contact play against the Browns in Week 3. The injury was considered career threatening the first time it happened in 2013, and the second has put his career in greater jeopardy.
The Ravens have said repeatedly they are holding on hope for a return, and Pitta has emphasized he wants to play again. He is currently participating in the team's voluntary conditioning program.
Regardless of Pitta's status, Newsome said the Ravens added the tight ends based on the draft board.
"Maxx Williams was way ahead of anybody that we had on the board when we picked him, and Boyle was the same way," Newsome said.
Williams was the consensus top tight end in the class, and the Ravensnabbed him with the No. 55 overall pick. Boyle was a late-round pick, but he's a big bodied player who can work as an in-line blocker.
They will team up with last year's third-round pick Crockett Gillmore, and potentially Pitta or Phillip Supernaw.
"We have a very tight end-friendly offense, so having one or two is not enough," Newsome said. "You need three or four or maybe even a fifth one if we can find a way to keep him, because we want to maintain the continuity of the offense in the way they want to attack people by having the tight ends on the field."
