Realistic prospect projections for Ravens at positions of need

Realistic prospect projections for Ravens at positions of need

The Baltimore Ravens are no strangers to picking in the back half of each round in the annual NFL Draft. It is a well-deserved byproduct of being a perennial Super Bowl contender, especially since Lamar Jackson became the face of the franchise.

Coming off their deepest playoff run in over a decade and having lost a bevy of talent on both sides of the ball since free agency began, the Ravens have several needs heading into the 2024 NFL Draft later this month.

Countless fans, analysts and pundits like to fantasize about some of the most highly rated prospects falling into General Manager Eric DeCosta’s lap, which happens from time to time. However, there are more realistic options throughout the draft they could target to fill holes and provide quality depth.

Here are realistic prospect projections for the Ravens at their positions of need:

Offensive Line

There are several prospects with the positional versatility to play both guard and tackle such as Duke’s Graham Barton, Arizona’s Jordan Morgan, and Washington’s Troy Fautanu if he miraculously falls to them or within reasonable range to consider trading up. The Ravens recently had Fautanu in for a top 30 pre-draft visit even though he is a projected top 20 pick which is similar to how mind-boggling it seemed when they hosted Hamilton for a visit during the 2022 pre-draft process only to see him fall into their lap without needing to move up.

A trio of tackle prospects who are extremely athletically gifted and could develop into future All-Pros under the tutelage of Ravens Offensive Line Coach Joe D’Alessandris are Georgia’s Amarius Mims, Oklahoma’s Tyler Guyton and BYU’s Kingsley Suamataia. All three are projected to still be available when the Ravens are on the clock in the first round at No. 30 and have been linked to them in several mock drafts.

At guard, they could target the likes of Kansas State’s Cooper Beebe, UCONN’s Christian Haynes and South Dakota State’s Mason McCormick on Day 2 in the second or third rounds who fit the athletics mauler profile they prefer at the position. The Ravens are in the midst of a rebuild of their offensive line and could find as many as two immediate starters at guard and right tackle as well as an eventual successor to Ronnie Stanley on the left side in this year’s draft.

Wide Receiver

DeCosta has selected a receiver in the first round in three of his five drafts at the helm of the Ravens’ front office, so taking a fourth in 2024 isn’t inconceivable. A handful of prospects they might consider at No. 30 overall include Florida State’s Keon Coleman, Texas’ Adonai Mitchell and Xavier Worthy, South Carolina’s Xavier Legette, Oregon’s Troy Franklin and Georgia’s Ladd McConkey.

The Ravens brought in Worthy for an official top 30 pre-draft visit following his record-breaking 40-yard dash time at the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine in which he ran a 4.21. McConkey already has a connection to the coaching staff with Offensive Coordinator Todd Monken whom he won a pair of national titles playing for in college from 2021-22. While Franklin is another slender speedster like Worthy, when it comes to making contested catches and consistently playing above the rim, Coleman, Mitchell and Legette are among the best in the entire class.

Day 2 also presents some promising playmakers such as Florida’s Ricky Pearsall, Western Kentucky’s Malachi Corley and Washington’s Ja’lynn Polk. The Ravens have already hosted Corley for a pre-draft visit and he comes with the official Steve Smith Sr. stamp of approval as well as apt comparisons to Deebo Samuels. Polk is excellent on boundary with how well he can track the ball and go up to make contested catches while Pearsall is a well-rounded receiver who can do it all when it comes to lining up inside and out, running crisp routes, and stretching the field vertically and they both catch the ball exceptionally well with strong hands.

Cornerback

The Ravens are firm believers in the mantra a team can never have enough corners because they have had to endure several seasons in which multiple injuries and lack of quality depth at the position cost them dearly. A pair of prospects they might consider using their pick on in the back half of the first round are Iowa’s Cooper DeJean and Alabama’s Kool-Aid McKinstry, if they’re still on the board at No. 30 overall. McKinstry is a well-rounded prospect with great size, pedigree, experience as a three-year starter for a blue-blood program, a high football IQ, and is poised to start and thrive on the outside.

A fractured fibula prevented DeJean from doing much in the pre-draft process outside of interviews prior to his private Pro Day workout where he showcased the same elite athleticism he had before the injury and which shows up on his film. He is perhaps the most versatile defensive prospect in this year’s draft would is capable of coming in and not just playing, but starring in multiple positions such as outside and nickel corner as well as at safety. DeJean is also an electric return specialist who could seamlessly replace two-time Pro Bowler Devin Duvernay who departed in free agency. His projected range is from the mid-to-late first round so if he falls into their lap, he might very well be the Ravens’ best player available.

The Ravens haven’t had the best of luck recently when it comes to drafting and developing later-round cornerbacks, mostly due to injury. However, on Day 2, some big athletic cornerbacks they could target to address this need include Iowa State’s T.J. Tampa, Rutgers’ Max Melton, Georgia’s Kamari Lassiter, Boston College’s Elijah Jones and Notre Dame’s Cam Hart.

Outside Linebacker

In the first round, if UCLA’s Laiatu Latu or Florida State’s Jared Verse falls to them or gets within reasonable trade-up range, the Ravens likely wouldn’t hesitate to pull the trigger on taking either. They could also sit tight and select Missouri’s Darius Robinson who has been popularly linked to them in countless mock drafts and is projected to come off the board in this range. His stock has been on a steady rise throughout the pre-draft process beginning with a dominant showing at the 2024 Reese’s Senior Bowl, an event the Ravens historically love to pull talent from, and he also reportedly had a strong showing at this Pro Day where he made significant improvements on what was a solid performance at the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine.

Day 2 will provide several gifted situational pass-rushing options such as Alabama’s Chris Braswell, Utah’s Jonah Ellis, and Colorado State’s Mohamed Kamara. There are also several solid all-round edge defenders with high motors such as Western Michigan’s Marshawn Kneeland, Washington’s Bralen Trice and Penn State’s Adisa Isaac. The re-signing of 10-year veteran Kyle Van Noy made this position much less of a pressing need but they will still likely take one at some point in the mid-to-late rounds if they don’t land one early.

Safety

Finding late-round safeties to fill specific roles is an ability the Ravens have shown they are capable of over the past decade with the likes of Geno Stone, DeShon Elliott, and Chuck Clark. A trio of Day 3 prospects who could be potential targets for the team include Air Force’s Trey Taylor, Oregon’s Evan Williams and Texas Tech’s Dadrion Taylor-Demerson.

Williams has nice range and ball skills and was a standout during the week of practice down at the Senior Bowl and made plays in the all-star game itself. Taylor-Demerson had a very strong showing at the Combine and was a ball hawk in college with seven interceptions and 13 pass deflections in his final two years in college.

Taylor is a Ravens’ legacy as the cousin of Hall of Fame safety Ed Reed and was the 2023 Jim Thorpe Award recipient, given to the top defensive back in all of college football. They hosted him for an official pre-draft visit last month and he has all the makings of an immediate special teams contributor with upside as a defensive role player.

Running back

The depth at the position in this year’s draft has been much-maligned in the media and even to a degree by DeCosta himself but there are still talented prospects who could fill specific roles or round out a backfield committee. Some Day 3 options at the position who would be nice fits include Louisville’s Isaac Guerendo, Notre Dame’s Audric Estime, Kentucky’s Ray Davis, Marshall’s Rasheen Ali and Southern Mississippi’s Frank Gore Jr.

Guerendo has the least amount of treadwear of all of them but might have tested his way into late Day 2 consideration with a phenomenal display of explosive athleticism at the Combine. The Ravens met with Estime at the Combine before his lackluster on-field performance which may have bumped him to early day three where he could be an option to be taken with one of their two fourth-round picks. They hosted Ali for an official pre-draft visit last month and he is viewed as a potential sleeper who could prove to be a steal or at least a tremendous value of a mid-to-late round pick.