Super Bowl 2013 rosters shaped by the NFL Draft

The Baltimore Ravens' Super Bowl rosters have a fairly even distribution of players picked from the first round to undrafted free agents. The Ravens' roster is proof of the excellent drafting ability of general manager Ozzie Newsome. A member of the Baltimore front office since 1996, the Baltimore roster was built fully by the Hall of Famer.

As former Ravens scout Daniel Jeremiah points out, everything around Newsome – the owner, head coach, players and facility – has changed. Newsome has been the constant, and Jeremiah noted the drafting philosophy he employs:

I learned that it's important to build a team rather than just collect talent. I also learned the importance of adding tough-minded players. Ozzie always made a point to ask the important questions during NFL draft meetings. These were the two that he repeated most often:

1) "How will he fit in our locker room?"

2) "Does he help us beat the Pittsburgh Steelers?"

The 53-man Baltimore roster consists of 39 players added by Newsome. It features eight first-round picks, with all but one (Matt Birk) being a Newsome choice. Of Baltimore's nine second rounders on the roster, Newsome picked six of them.

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The 2008 draft for Baltimore sticks out. Although only two of the 10 picks Newsome made that year are still on the roster, Joe Flacco and Ray Rice more than make up for the missed choices. That year the Ravens made a push to trade up and select Matt Ryan. Had they been successful, Baltimore likely would have needed to give up the pick used on Rice.

In addition to Rice, Newsome has also made the most of several of his second-round picks. He added starters in Kelechi Osemele this year, Torrey Smith in 2011 and Paul Kruger in 2009.

Although players like Ray Lewis (1996) and Haloti Ngata (2006) were first-round steals for Newsome, he's also hit on undrafted free agents. The team has 13 undrafted players, with linebacker Dannell Ellerbe and kicker Justin Tucker tops among them.

By comparison, San Francisco's Super Bowl roster is much heavier at the top of the draft. The roster is loaded with 15 first rounders, nine of whom were picked by the 49ers. Of the 53 players on the roster, 35 are original 49ers.

The success of the San Francisco 49ers can largely be attributed the talent that was added in 2010 and 2011. General manager Trent Baalke drafted playmakers on both sides of the ball with Aldon Smith, Colin Kaepernick and Chris Culliver in the first three rounds of 2011.

San Francisco's draft in 2010 was nearly as important when the team added starting offensive linemen Anthony Davis and Mike Iupati in the first round and middle linebacker Navorro Bowman in the third. The 49ers were had an extra first-round pick that year after giving up a second- and fourth-round pick the previous year so the Carolina Panthers could take Everette Brown and Mike Goodson.

But the 2007 class is the backbone of the San Francisco roster. Of the past five years of drafts, none may be more impressive than what the 49ers did in 2007. That class features five Super Bowl starters in Patrick Willis (1st), Joe Staley (1st), Ray McDonald (3rd), Dashon Goldson (4th) and Tarell Brown (5th). Willis, Staley and Goldson have all made it to the Pro Bowl, McDonald is a solid piece on the line and Brown is a starter at cornerback.

More: Baltimore Beatdown | Niners Nation

The 2008 draft is a forgettable one for the 49ers. The team has two players on its roster from that year in seventh-round pick Larry Grant and third-round pick Tavares Gooden. Grant is a backup who spent some time in St. Louis before returning to the 49ers. Gooden was actually drafted by Newsome. The 2008 free agent class was much more important for San Francisco when defensive end Justin Smith and linebacker Ahmad Brooks were brought on.

The 49ers' roster also features 12 undrafted players. While most of them are depth players, Alex Boone has turned into a solid starting guard and David Akers is having a down year after a long, solid career.

Baltimore Ravens roster breakdown:

1st rounders - 8
2nd rounders - 9
3rd rounders - 4
4th rounders - 4
5th rounders - 6
6th rounders - 4
7th rounders - 5
Undrafted free agents - 13

San Francisco 49ers roster breakdown:

1st rounders - 15
2nd rounders - 3
3rd rounders - 6
4th rounders - 3
5th rounders - 5
6th rounders - 4
7th rounders - 5
Undrafted free agents - 12

BALTIMORE RAVENS

SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS

I urge you to read Jeremiah's full story on how the Ravens' roster was constructed. It offers a lot of insight on how Newsome runs his draft and front office.