The Baltimore Ravens have increased their attention to scouting players from small schools in order to improve their edge in the NFL Draft.

“For a long time we didn’t draft any small school guys, or a very, very few,” Ravens Assistant General Manager Eric DeCosta said. “In the last couple of years we have drafted more. I think one of the reasons is because we really draft best available player.”

The Ravens selected defensive tackle Brandon Williams out of Missouri Southern State with the 94th overall pick, while also taking players from Harvard, Colorado State-Pueblo and Elon in later rounds.

“I think scouting, in general, has gotten better across the league. It has forced us to adapt,” DeCosta said.

The NFL has converged on New York City for the first round of the 2013 draft. Without two sure-fire picks, as we saw last season with Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III, there promises to be a lot of drama on Thursday night.

As the action unfolds, check out Jeff Risdon's Mock Draft and see how our expert's predictions matched up with the actual picks.

You can also chat with fellow NFL fans in our NFL Draft forum as the picks are announced.

1. Kansas City Chiefs - Eric Fisher, OT, Central Michigan

2. Jacksonville Jaguars - Luke Joeckel, OT, Texas A&M

3. Miami Dolphins (acquired from Oakland) - Dion Jordon, OLB, Oregon

4. Philadelphia Eagles -Lane Johnson, OT, Oklahoma

5. Detroit Lions - Ezekiel Ansah, DE, BYU

6. Cleveland Browns - Barkevious Mingo, DE, LSU

7. Arizona Cardinals - Jonathan Cooper, G, North Carolina

8. St. Louis Rams (acquired from Buffalo) - Tavon Austin, WR, West Virginia

9. New York Jets - Dee Milliner, CB, Alabama

10. Tennessee Titans - Chance Warmack, G, Alabama 

11. San Diego Chargers - D.J. Fluker, G, Alabama

12. Oakland Raiders (acquired from Miami) - D.J. Hayden, CB, Houston

13. New York Jets - Sheldon Richardson, DT, Missouri

14. Carolina Panthers - Star Lotulelei, DT, Utah

15. New Orleans Saints - Kenny Vaccaro, S, Texas

16. St. Louis Rams - E.J. Manuel, QB, Florida State

17. Pittsburgh Steelers - Jarvis Jones, OLB, Georgia

18. San Francisco 49ers (from Cowboys) - Eric Reid, S, LSU

19. New York Giants - Justin Pugh, G, Syracuse

20. Chicago Bears - Kyle Long, G, Oregon

21. Cincinnati Bengals - Tyler Eifert, TE, Notre Dame

22. Atlanta Falcons (from Rams) - Desmond Trufant, CB, Washington

23. Minnesota Vikings - Sharrif Floyd, DT Florida

24. Indianapolis Colts - Bjoren Werner, DE, Florida State

25. Minnesota Vikings - Xavier Rhodes, CB, Florida State

26. Green Bay Packers - Datone Jones, DE, UCLA

27. Houston Texans - DeAndre Hopkins, WR, Clemson

28. Denver Broncos - Sylvester Williams, DT, North Carolina

29. Minnesota Vikings (from Patriots) - Cordarrelle Patterson, WR, Tennessee

30. St. Louis Rams (from Falcons) - Alec Ogletree, ILB, Georgia

31. Dallas Cowboys (from 49ers) - Travis Frederick, C, Wisconsin

32. Baltimore Ravens - Matt Elam, S, Florida

Trades

The Oakland Raiders traded the third overall pick to the Miami Dolphins in exchange for the 12th and 42nd overall selections.

The Buffalo Bills traded the eighth and 71st overall pick to the St. Louis Rams in exchange for the 16th, 46th, 78th and 222nd overall selections.

The 49ers traded the No. 31 and No. 74 pick to the Cowboys for the No. 18 pick.

The Falcons traded the No. 30 pick and a sixth rounder to the Rams to acquire No. 22 and a seventh rounder in 2015.

The Vikings have acquired the No. 29 pick from the Patriots for the No. 52, No. 83, No. 102 and No. 229 selections.

The Baltimore Ravens have signed Rolando McClain to a one-year contract.

The linebacker's deal is expected to have a $700,000 base salary and include $400,000 in incentives based on playing time, according to a source.

"It's a move that can't go wrong and I'm looking forward to playing in Baltimore as the Ravens run the same or very similar defense as I was a part of at the University of Alabama," McClain said.

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco has agreed to play Johnny Unitas in the upcoming film, "Unitas We Stand," according to Joe Unitas, Johnny's son.

"Obviously, the Baltimore ties are very important to me," Joe Unitas told the Baltimore Sun.

"I think it's great that Joe just won the Super Bowl with the Ravens and was Most Valuable Player in the game. A lot of the way Joe plays and his demeanor reminds me a lot of my dad. He's not a rah-rah guy. He throws a touchdown and maybe there's a little fist pump. ... (Flacco) does things the right way and is a good role model for kids and he gets what hard work is and does everything he can for the team. There are a lot of parallels that can be drawn between Joe and my dad."

Brendon Ayanbadejo, a highly visible defender of gay rights and same-sex marriage, told Newsday on Thursday he thinks his advocacy was one of the reasons the NFL champion Ravens released him.

"My bark is louder than my bite," Ayanbadejo told Newsday. "I make a lot of noise and garner a lot of attention for various things off the football field. When that starts happening, why do you have that player around?"

The Baltimore Ravens have released veteran defender Brendon Ayanbadejo, according to a source.

Ayanbadejo had been with the Ravens since the start of the 2008 season.

"I would like to thank the city of Baltimore and the Ravens organization for an amazing ride. We will forever be united as champions!" Ayanbadejo wrote on Twitter.

According to a report out of Baltimore, the Ravens were actually happy to see veteran defender Ed Reed sign with the Houston Texans.

Mike Preston of the Baltimore Sun writes, "Ravens coach John Harbaugh wanted Reed back as much as he wants a root canal."

When Reed left, Harbaugh said, "Ed has had a major impact on our organization and our community. He is a great player and a great friend. We will always be thankful for what we accomplished together."

Harbaugh's desire for Reed to leave may have stemmed from a near "mutiny" that was reported during the 2012 season. Reed and Bernard Pollard reportedly led the mutiny, complaining about the coach's practices and his general treatment of players.

Pollard has since been released.