The most pivotal time of the year for the Baltimore Ravens is not free agency. Throughout the years, Baltimore more has established a reputation of waiting out the madness that is NFL free agency and instead wait for April. The NFL Draft is the primary night in which NFL teams are assembled but is perhaps most coveted by the Ravens. A weekend in which the biggest building blocks of your franchise are found.
From the infamous Ray Lewis and Jonathan Ogden draft to grabbing three starters in 2018, the Ravens organization makes their living on draft weekend. They are currently building around a young quarterback and have a ton of pressure on them this season to put more cornerstones in place to build a perennial contender. They’ve already made a couple of big moves in free agency but have a lot of work to do every day of the draft this season.
Baltimore has a lot of holes to plug from April 25th-27th, but it should be nothing new to this franchise. With new general manager Eric DaCosta finally in the driver’s seat, it’s time for him to prove Ozzie Newsome was right to leave him in charge. This is a breakdown of what to expect from the Ravens at the NFL Draft in 2019.
The last time a Baltimore Ravens GM made their first NFL draft pick it turned out pretty well… pic.twitter.com/q6fxE2k8Nb
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) April 22, 2019
Ravens First Round Draft Targets.
Ravens Mid-Round Draft Targets.
Baltimore Ravens Draft Preview 2019
Top Team Needs: WR, EDGE/OLB, OG, C, MLB
Tier 1: WR, Edge/OLB
Wide Receiver: Over the last two seasons the Ravens have worked to recreate their receiving core twice. It didn’t work either time. Bringing in veterans has always been a commonly used strategy by Ravens management when finding receivers but this has largely been because they have failed to draft quality players at the position. It could be argued the last time the Ravens hit on a receiver in the draft AT ALL was Torrey Smith in 2012. Whether it has been because of a lack of attempts or just completely missing, they need to change that this year. Lamar Jackson needs players that can get open on the outside.
Edge/Outside Linebacker: The spot that took the biggest hit in free agency this year was at edge. The Ravens lost over a third of their sack production as Terrell Suggs and Za’Darius Smith both walked out the door in free agency and have no immediate fix in-house to replace them. Tyus Bowser and Tim Williams were taken in back-to-back rounds in 2017 but only have a combined 5.5 sacks in the two seasons they have played in Baltimore. One of them will likely have a starting role to play next season. However, the Ravens have been defined by the edge defender position throughout their history. This year’s class is incredibly deep at the position and the Ravens will likely be looking to draft a future face of their franchise on the edge early.
Tier 2: OG, C
Offensive Guard: If the Ravens want to keep Jackson and his electric playstyle from getting hurt, they need to protect him. Getting a guard that can, at least, stabilize the line will likely be a priority because of Alex Lewis‘ continued injuries. Don’t expect the Ravens to pick one in the first round but it isn’t impossible either. Marshal Yanda was extended through the 2020 season and the Ravens know at 34, he won’t be around forever. His successor probably isn’t in this draft but it’s important to shore up the line with a mobile quarterback under center.
Center: Matt Skura signed a tender to keep him Baltimore another year but the Ravens are not tied to him. Skura had an up and down 2018 and would likely be replaced if possible. This isn’t necessarily going to happen as it was Skura’s first year back at center since being signed out of Duke in 2016. But upgrading is always a good option. The Ravens drafted Bradley Bozeman in the sixth round of last years draft, who also struggled in 2018 during limited playing time.
Tier 3: MLB
Middle Linebacker: C.J. Mosley‘s untimely departure leaves middle linebacker as a prime hole to fill. Mosley was arguably the best player on the Ravens defense since he stepped onto an NFL field for the first time in 2014. Despite this, the Ravens have two good interior linebackers that can bandage the hole left by Mosley for another season.
Patrick Onwuasor made a number of impact plays beside Mosley last season but is a free agent in 2020. This means that next season will serve as a trial period for if either he or second-year player Kenny Young can effectively fill Mosley’s role. If Ownuasor can’t, he walks. The middle linebacker selection this year is good in the early middle-rounds and DeCosta will likely select another player to come in and compete with Onwuasor and Young for that true run-stuffing middle linebacker role.
"I always feel more confident in myself every year." Patrick Onwuasor pic.twitter.com/L0TmitLBrB
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) April 16, 2019
A Trade Back Is Likely But Not Certain
Newsome was known as a GM who favored collecting picks rather than spending them to move up. In the past, he used them to knab active roster players and moved back multiple times. Two of the three times in the past ten years the Ravens have moved up in the first round, have been to take quarterbacks; Joe Flacco in 2008, and Jackson in 2018. However, both picks were acquired after the Ravens had already traded back previously in the night. The only other time was in 2009 when Baltimore traded up three spots to draft Michael Oher by moving a fifth-round pick along with their 26th overall selection. The Ravens likely won’t be drafting a quarterback in round 1 in 2019.
Trading back, on the other hand, happens a bit more often. As mentioned before, the Ravens traded back in both the 2008 and 2018 first rounds as well as in 2010 and 2012. In both 2010 and 2012, the Ravens traded completely out of the first round. Repurposing their accumulated picks is usually what has given Baltimore room to roam around the draft board.
In 2019, the draft board is expected to fall in a way that Baltimore can trade back and still get players that best fit their needs. The draft class is very deep at both wide receiver, pass rusher and there will likely be two good centers available behind when the Ravens pick. While Baltimore may not completely trade out of the first round, getting a later pick in a draft with so much depth seems likely. NFL Draft Analyst and former Ravens scout Daniel Jeremiah was even quoted as saying “To me, if the Ravens pick at 22, I will buy you dinner the next time we’re together” to NBC Sports Peter King.
If Baltimore Pick at #22
It would be surprising if the Ravens to pick at #22 but can still happen. The Ravens need to be hoping for a run at quarterback or offensive lineman to drop some of the drafts premier pass rushers and receivers to when the Baltimore picks. There will be good players at these positions whether the Ravens trade back or not but it doesn’t hurt to get a shot at the best ones available.
If the Ravens end up staying at #22 on draft night, I expect the pick to be Clelin Ferrell. There are no other prospects that (realistically) will be at #22 that fit the Ravens needs and have a skill level equal to the pick. Ferrell was a leader on an incredibly talented Clemson defense and was one of the best players in all of college football last year. He earned ACC Defensive Player of the Year in 2018. This also included a great showing against Jonah Williams, debatably the draft’s best tackle, in the national championship game.
Other potential options may be ILB Devin Bush, or DEs Montez Sweat and Brian Burns. They all likely figure to be gone by the Ravens selection but fit the Ravens needs. All could come in and become immediate impact players.
No Second-rounder, No Problem
Despite all the draft capital the Ravens have gathered going into the 2019 draft, they will be without their second-round pick. Newsome and DeCosta may have been thinking far ahead when they made the choice to package two second-round picks in order to obtain the 32nd-overall pick in 2018 used to draft Jackson.
This year’s draft class’ biggest strength will likely come from the players potentially available in the middle rounds. Receiver is one of Baltimore’s big needs as well as maybe this class’ deepest position group. Of the top-10 receivers, all are spread out on draft boards depending where you look and some even have the potential to slip multiple rounds. The sweet spot appears to be the third round — where the Ravens have two picks. Of the top-10 receivers in the class, four or five will likely be left on the board when the Ravens pick. There’s a good chance they take a swing at more than one as well. Which ones remain to be seen but a couple of the back end receivers in this class fit Baltimore’s needs perfectly.
Examples include the giant and box-out specialist JJ Arcega-Whiteside and the speedy and elusive underneath threat Parris Campbell.
These are the rounds it is more likely the Ravens move up in. Baltimore has a total of eight picks this year and can use those to move where they want on draft night.
Last Word
The Ravens have a lot riding on this draft, to say the least. It is a new general manager’s first run at setting up the team his way and there isn’t a lot of room for error. With all the starter spots to fill on the roster, DeCosta has to find a couple of plug-and-play players or at least, find players that will contribute in the long term. Baltimore has been forced to nail drafts in order to stay competitive in the past and they always manage to show up.
The AFC North is going to be maybe the best division in football this year and the Ravens need to use the draft to keep up.
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