The Baltimore Ravens have an important draft coming up in 2022. Coming off of their worst finish since 2015, general manager Eric DeCosta and head coach John Harbaugh have a number of holes they need to fill. Baltimore’s rough finish to the 2021 season was largely due to their slew of injuries. But the Ravens have noticeable needs on both sides of the ball. They have addressed a number of concerns on the offensive and defensive lines through free agency but understand that foundation of a team is built through the draft.
The good news is that the Ravens have more than enough selections to address their needs. DeCosta has ten draft picks at his disposal. He will likely be depending on a number of drafted players to contribute early to the Ravens’ championship-caliber team. It is unlikely the draft comes and goes without the Ravens making a lot of movement from pick to pick. The lasting philosophy of DeCosta has been that it is easier to hit on players later in the draft if you have more selections.
Baltimore’s primary needs going into the 2022 draft are on defense. The Ravens finished 2021 as the NFL’s best-ranked run defense but the worst-ranked pass defense. Their depth was heavily tested last year. DeCosta and Harbaugh are likely looking to avoid another depth-testing catastrophe in 2022. This is a Baltimore Ravens seven-round mock draft for the upcoming 2022 NFL Draft.
Baltimore Ravens Seven Round Mock Draft 2022
This mock draft was done using the Draft Network’s Mock Draft Machine and TDN’s predictive big board. There were no trades allowed in this sim.
Round 1 (14th-overall) – Andrew Booth Jr. (Clemson) – Cornerback
DeCosta has always preached that an NFL team can not have too many cornerbacks. The Ravens were decimated by injuries at the cornerback position in 2021. Each of Marlon Humphrey, Marcus Peters, and Jimmy Smith missed four or more games in 2021. Anthony Averett and Tavon Young both played in 14 or more games but have found new teams for the upcoming 2022 season. Humphrey is the only cornerback on the Ravens roster with a contract that extends past 2021. The Ravens need to put their highest draft pick since 2017 into a premium position.
While there is a chance the Ravens move up for one of Derek Stinley Jr. or Ahmad Garnder, here, the Ravens elect to pass on the more developed Trent McDuffie and select the toolsy-er prospect in Booth. He had some off-days at Clemson. But Andrew Booth Jr has the build and skillset of a prototypical man-to-man NFL cornerback. His ball skills and footwork are impeccable. And his ability to trigger toward the ball carrier would make him very valuable to the Ravens as a blitzer.
If Baltimore is going to pick a cornerback in the first round, it will likely be one who excels in man coverage to replace Smith. Booth does not stand 6’2″ like Smith. But he would serve a similar purpose in new defensive coordinator Mike Mcdonald’s scheme.
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Round 2 (45th-overall) – Christian Harris (Alabama) – Linebacker
The Ravens push to sign Bobby Wagner shows an interest in upgrading at linebacker. DeCosta has tried to fill the CJ Mosley-sized hole in the Ravens defense from a multitude of different angles but has failed to find a consistent presence in the middle of the field. They may be looking for a run stopper. But Wink Martindale made a living off of getting his best players free runs at the quarterback via the blitz. Patrick Queen has had his ups and downs and has shown he should be an every-down linebacker in the Ravens defense for the foreseeable future. However, he still struggles in coverage and needs a partner or two so that the Ravens are not asking him to do everything.
Christian Harris may not be a true Mike linebacker. He still offers a lot of great physical tools to a defense that has put a premium on athleticism. Two of the three Ravens first-round picks (Queen and Odafe Oweh) have tremendous athletic upside and Harris tested very well at the NFL combine. He had the second-best 40 Yard Dash time (4.44s) and second-best Broad Jump (132″) amongst linebackers. His best trait is his ability to cover tight ends. He also has the raw speed and blitzing prowess to track down running backs and stop them behind the line of scrimmage. Harris brings a similar build and athleticism to Queen. The Ravens have benefitted heavily from putting good athletes in a place to succeed.
Round 3 (76-overall) – Drake Jackson (USC) – EDGE
EDGE rusher is perhaps the Ravens thinnest position group going into 2022. While Oweh and Tyus Bowser both enjoyed fine 2021 campaigns, the Ravens will be losing their highest-graded EDGE Justin Houston this off-season. They have very little in the way of replacing the vet that handled 579 defensive snaps in Baltimore last season. Houston had 24 of the Ravens 155 QB pressures and led the team in QB knockdowns with 12 in 2021. Baltimore has made a living off of developing mid-round pushers such as Za’Darius Smith, Pernell McPhee, and Matt Judon, and will almost certainly be looking to grab another EDGE or two at some point in the 2022 draft.
This pick could ultimately turn into a defensive tackle if the Ravens are planning to sign a veteran pass rusher in free agency. For now, they select USC’s Drake Jackson.
Jackson was the first defensive lineman to start a season-opener as a true freshman since Everson Griffen in 2007 for the Trojans. He is a plus-athlete with great flexibility and speed but is unrefined from a technical standpoint. His production in college left a lot to be desired. But he could be just the player the Ravens could develop into a pivotal piece of their defense in a few years’ time. Jackson has already changed his weight multiple times to fit USC’s defensive schemes. He could greatly benefit from the Ravens molding him into the type of player they covet.
Round 3 (100th-overall) – Rasheed Walker (Penn State) – Offensive Tackle
Morgan Moses was one of the Ravens two earliest signings in free agency. He was brought in to replace the retiring Alejandro Villaneuva and should be penciled in to start the Ravens opening game at right tackle. While Moses has been a consistently solid tackle for the New York Jets over the past couple of seasons, he is already 31 years old and his contract only has $5.5 million in guaranteed money. This leaves the door open to DeCosta and Ravens brass to move on from Moses if he struggles in his first season or two in Baltimore.
Rasheed Walker is a fairly raw prospect. He was a three-year starter at Penn State at left tackle but was largely successful because of his pure athletic traits as opposed to his developed playing ability. At 6’5 1/2″ and 313 lbs, his frame and length are tailor-made for the NFL. He also has incredibly nimble feet and enough power and anchor to keep power rushers at bay. Walker fits well with the Ravens because he will not be rushed through his development baring another catastrophe of injuries in 2022. This will allow him ample time to work out some of his bad habits and become acclimated to the Ravens blocking schemes.
Round 4 (110th-overall) – Myjai Sanders (Cincinnati) – EDGE
Can you ever have too many edge rushers? No! After Za’Darius Smith pulled a U-turn on DeCosta and the Ravens in free agency, Baltimore will likely be looking to add more than just one pass rusher before the start of the 2022 season. The Ravens have picked multiple edge defenders in three of the past six drafts and could very well do the same this year. It is not a bad year to do so either as some analysts have roughly 20 different edge defenders with top-100 grades.
Myjai Sanders saw a large dip in his production last season but was previously one of the best pass rushers in the AAC. This was largely due to Sanders being lined up far tighter in his formation in 2021 than in 2020. Sanders stands 6’5″ and while his fluctuating weight has been cited as a potential problem (he weighed 228 lbs at the combine and 247 at Cincinnati’s pro day), it is hard to find pass rushers with the dimensions and quickness that he possesses.
Round 4 (119th-overall) – Cam Jurgens (Nebraska) – Center
The Ravens are entering dangerous territory going into 2022. After losing 2021 starting center Bradley Bozeman to the Carolina Panthers, Patrick Mekari and Trystan Colon-Castillo remain the only two centers on the Ravens roster at this point in the off-season. Mekari previously started for the Ravens in parts of 2019 and 2020 but ran into snapping trouble and saw far more success at right tackle in 2021. Colon-Castillo has only started three games for the Ravens in his two years with the team.
Cam Jurgens could be one of the more underrated center prospects in the draft. He initially committed to Nebraska to play tight end but instead made the switch to center prior to the start of the 2019 season. Jurgens went on to start three full seasons for the cornhuskers but is still a raw prospect. His background as a tight end gives him a ton of athletic versatility as a center and if the Ravens elect to skip on Linderbaum, taking Jurgens or another center in the middle rounds will be inevitable.
Round 4 (128th-overall) – John Ridgeway (Arkansas) – Defensive Tackle
With Calais Campbell, Michael Pierce, and Derek Wolfe back for 2022, defensive tackle is far less of a concern for the Ravens than it was at the conclusion of the 2021 season. However, each of those three players will be over the age of 30 at the end of next season. Therefore, DeCosta will likely be looking to add more bodies to the interior defensive line in any way he can.
John Ridgeway is a rugged run stopper and comes with the skillset the Ravens typically looked for in their nose tackles. He has tremendous play strength, strong hands, can push the pocket, and eat double team blocks in the run game. Ridgeway is very close to an NFL-ready player at this point in his development. He would offer strong run-stopping depth on a team that finished as the number-one overall run defense in 2021.
Round 4 (139th-overall) – Cole Turner (Nevada) – Tight End
The Ravens three-headed monster at tight end in 2019 was a spectacle to watch. It is hard to imagine Harbaugh using the same rotation of tight ends. Mark Andrews has arguably developed into the best overall tight end in the NFL. The Ravens head coach is likely going to want Andrews on the field as much as possible and will likely not prioritize finding a third-string option behind blocking-ace Nick Boyle.
Cole Turner is more of a jumbo-wide receiver than a tight end. Then again, so was Andrews before he got to Baltimore. He has great size at 6’6″ 249 lbs, is an excellent hands catcher, and is flexible enough to adjust to balls in the air by extending his catch radius. Turner may never be a great blocker due to his lanky base. He could offer quality depth as a mismatch weapon in 12-personnel, though.
Round 4 (141st-overall) – Sterling Weatherford (Miami OH) – Safety
It is important to mention that it is unlikely the Ravens will use each of their five fourth-round picks. DeCosta and Ozzie Newsome are fans of using their draft capital to manipulate the draft board as they please. They will likely use some of their extra capital to move up and down earlier in the draft.
Safety is not going to be a concern for the Ravens after the signing of Marcus Williams in free agency. But, as previously stated, Harbaugh likely does not want to see his secondary rely on players picked up off of the streets in 2022. Sterling Weatherford is a great athlete. He could be best built to contribute on special teams and as a sub-package linebacker at the next level. He could be a potential replacement for the now-retired Anthony Levine.
Round 6 (196th-overall) – Chase Lucas (Arizona) – Cornerback
When it comes to the sixth-round of the draft, the Ravens are more than likely just going to be taking fliers on players with boom-or-bust potential. Adding another cornerback makes a lot of sense considering the Ravens scarcity at the position behind Humphrey and Peters. Chase Lucas was a four-star athlete coming out of high school. But he failed to develop into an elite-level player at the college level after being named a freshman All-American in 2017. He is also 25 years old. Despite this, I could see the Ravens taking a stab at a player with mature athleticism. Lucas might need some coaching up but he has all tools and versatility to stick with an NFL team.
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