The last time the Ravens had such a dearth of draft picks, Bill Clinton had just been impeached and Michael Jordan had just retired for the second time. The year was 1999, the Ravens were coming off a dismal 6-10 season in what was just their third year of existence and they had just four selections in that April’s NFL draft.
Things also worked out well — Baltimore nabbed future All-Pro cornerback Chris McAlister with the 10th overall pick, took wide receiver Brandon Stokley in the fourth round, and two years later beat the New York Giants in Super Bowl XXXV with McAlister and Stokley as significant pieces of that championship team.
This year, the Ravens have just five picks (Nos. 22, 86, 124, 157, 199) and none in the second round. Only the Denver Broncos with five and Miami Dolphins with four have so few picks this year, and once again Baltimore’s focus will be on cornerback and wide receiver, with those two positions the most glaring needs on a team that went 10-7 a season ago and narrowly lost in the wild-card round to the Cincinnati Bengals.
But those aren’t the Ravens’ only needs, and general manager Eric DeCosta has said that one of Baltimore’s goals is to add picks if it can. That could mean trading back to add an extra pick or two.
“I think the chances for us to be able to do it are pretty decent,” DeCosta said. “We have to look at the capital that we can get by trading back, and we’ll make the best decision that we can.”
In terms of other decisions and what the Ravens need most, here’s a look at the positions they’re likely to fill in the draft, beginning April 27 in Kansas City, Missouri:
Marlon Humphrey is back, but beyond the All-Pro and three-time Pro Bowl selection (including last season) there are major holes to fill with Brandon Stephens, Damarion Williams and Jalyn Armour-Davis the other top options at the position. While Humphrey ranked as the 14th-best corner in the NFL last season, according to Pro Football Focus, Stephens rated 107th out of 118. Veteran Marcus Peters also remains a free agent — though it’s possible the Ravens could bring him back, Baltimore will need to add a corner via the draft. Two possibilities: Maryland’s Deonte Banks, who, at least physically, is similar to Humphrey, or Michigan’s DJ Turner, should he be available late in the first round or early in the second if the Ravens slide back and add a second-round pick.
“We have a history of drafting defense in the first round,” DeCosta said. “We love corners; our defense is really built to succeed with a great, strong secondary. Coach [John] Harbaugh loves big, physical, press-type guys. There are a lot of these types of guys in the draft. So, for us to look at that, we think it’s one of the most important positions on your football team, and it’s a position that we’ll always look at very closely.”
With the free agent additions of Odell Beckham Jr. and veteran Nelson Agholor, the Ravens got some much-needed talent, depth and experience. Still, they hardly solve the problem for an offense in which receivers have been notoriously ineffective the past few years. Beckham is coming off a year out of football after a second torn ACL. Agholor had hamstring issues last season and projects as a third or fourth receiver. Incumbent third-year wideout Rashod Bateman is coming off season-ending foot surgery. And Devin Duvernay, while speedy and promising, has yet to break out in his three seasons in Baltimore. Harbaugh said before the Beckham signing that the Ravens will draft a receiver, and that almost certainly hasn’t changed.
“We see a multitude of guys that could go in the first couple rounds,” DeCosta said of what he termed a deep receiver class. “It’s a great opportunity for us.”
“There is some depth [at wide receiver] into the third, fourth, fifth round if they want to wait that long,” added ESPN draft guru Mel Kiper Jr. Some possibilities in those rounds, according to Kiper: Oklahoma’s Marvin Mims Jr., North Carolina’s Josh Downs, Tennessee’s Jalin Hyatt and Cedric Tillman, and Wake Forest’s A.T. Perry.
Guard Ben Powers’ departure to Denver leaves a gaping hole on the left side of the line. Harbaugh said last month at the NFL owners meetings in Phoenix that Pat Mekari will be “in the mix” to fill it, but it was clear there will be competition for the starting job. Ben Cleveland has started just six games, including only one last season, in his first two years, while John Simpson, who Harbaugh said he thinks “will surprise some people” is coming off a mediocre year with the Las Vegas Raiders, where he started just two games before being waived late in the year after starting all 17 in 2021. The Ravens also lost backup center and guard Trystan Colon to the New York Jets in free agency, further chipping away at their depth on the interior.
Possibilities along the inside of the offensive line for the Ravens in the middle rounds, according to Kiper, include N.C. State’s Chandler Zavala, Utah’s Braeden Daniels, Clemson’s Jordan McFadden, Georgia’s Warren McClendon and Penn State’s Juice Scruggs.
The Ravens will miss the veteran leadership and production of Calais Campbell, whom they released to clear salary cap space last month before he signed with the Atlanta Falcons. But in some ways they could afford to absorb the loss with starters Justin Madubuike, Broderick Washington and Michael Pierce all returning, Travis Jones coming off a solid rookie season and Brent Urban chipping in as well. Still, Pierce hasn’t played a full campaign in years and is coming off season-ending bicep surgery, while Madubuike, Washington and Urban are set to hit free agency after this season.
Should the Ravens look to add to the line via the draft, it would again likely happen in the middle rounds. Among the players Kiper sees as options include Louisville defensive end YaYa Diaby, Ole Miss defensive end Tavius Robinson, Stephen F. Austin defensive end BJ Thompson and Louisiana linebacker Andre Jones.
The Ravens have repeatedly said they want Lamar Jackson as their quarterback in 2023 and in the long term. Beckham’s addition certainly helps the cause, at least in the short term. Yet, Jackson and the Ravens haven’t reached a deal, with the 2019 NFL Most Valuable Player having still not signed his $32.4 million nonexclusive franchise tag. No team has come forward with an offer sheet to force the Ravens’ hand to match it if they want to keep Jackson. Should Jackson get an offer and the Ravens don’t match it, they would get two first-round picks, including one this year if the deal comes before the draft. It’s also possible a team could wait until after the draft to make him an offer. The Ravens could also trade the 26-year-old star to load up on picks and take their quarterback of the future now.
Five years ago, Baltimore drafted Jackson at the end of the first round when it had an incumbent and Super Bowl MVP quarterback in Joe Flacco already on the roster and signed to an extension. But Flacco got hurt in Week 9 of the 2018 season against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Jackson went 6-1 in his place and that was that. The Ravens traded Flacco to the Broncos in February 2019 for a fourth-round pick.
With Jackson and the Ravens having been unable to reach an agreement on a long-term deal over the past two years, is it possible they’ll draft his replacement? DeCosta certainly didn’t rule out taking a quarterback.
“Who do we think has the best chance to come in and make us the best football team? If that’s a quarterback, if that’s a receiver, a corner, an offensive tackle, we’re going to look at that very strongly and make the best decision we can knowing that over time, we think, [when] building a team, best available player is the right way to go,” he said last month.
Three mid-to-late round possibilities, according to Kiper: Fresno State’s Jake Haener, TCU’s Max Duggan, who like Jackson has shown a dynamic ability to run, and Georgia’s Stetson Bennett, who spent the past two years playing under now Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken.
NFL draft
Thursday, April 27, to Saturday, April 29
TV: ESPN, NFL Network
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