The Baltimore Ravens’ 2022 draft class received a grade of B+ from NFL.com. Nick Shook’s grade for the Ravens was joint top of the AFC North as the Pittsburgh Steelers also netted a B+. Every year, the Ravens seem to draft well. 2022 was no different. After a strong rookie showing, the B+ grade was the least that Baltimore’s newcomers deserved.
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B+ Assigned to Baltimore Ravens 2022 Draft Class
The Good
Both of Baltimore’s first-round selections look to be home runs so far. Eric DeCosta prioritised a ‘best player available’ philosophy and it paid dividends. With the 14th overall pick, the Ravens selected Kyle Hamilton. As Shook notes, Hamilton started slow but finished strong. By the end of the season, he fit into Mike Macdonald’s system well, and made “a notable impact while filling a slot role in the nickel package”. Indeed, Hamilton provide to be Baltimore’s solution for their missing slot corner. His final 82.3 PFF grade was very impressive and reflected how his performances looked too. At the start of the year, Marcus Williams was the primary playmaker. By the end, Hamilton showed exactly why many considered him a top-10 prospect. The extra positive to this is that improvement seems inevitable. As he learns the system more, the team will naturally find more creative ways to deploy him.
Tyler Linderbaum was the other first-round pick. The 25th overall pick played all 17 games for the Ravens and was among one of the biggest Pro Bowl snubs. He was arguably the best center in the AFC apart from Creed Humphrey. He will be Baltimore’s starting center for the foreseeable future. Linderbaum and Hamilton were Baltimore’s rookies of the year.
The final home-run selection was Isaiah Likely, the tight end out of Coastal Carolina. Shook sums it up well, Likely put up “quality numbers for a non-starter” and shone when Mark Andrews was out. He offers a very different skillset to Andrews but is a “promising second option” moving forwards. Having impressed people in camp last year, Likely could be set for a breakout year if he can keep improving through the offseason.
ISAIAH LIKELY IS HERE 🗣
pic.twitter.com/UlYrjwBlyY— PFF (@PFF) October 28, 2022
The Decent
A lot of Baltimore’s rookies can be placed in this tier. David Ojabo had a topsy-turvy season. The fact that he even played was a miracle, after suffering a torn Achilles on his Pro Day. However, he managed one sack in his first year, which showed just why the Ravens invested a second-round pick in the high-end talent.
Putting Travis Jones here may be harsh. He was largely a rotational piece who filled the void of Michael Pierce alongside Broderick Washington. As Shook says, Jones’ route was: “typical of a third-round pick, filling a rotational role and showing occasional flashes of a brighter future”. The Ravens will be hoping for more flashes in 2023.
Daniel Faalele struggled in some of his playtime. But, as a project player, that was to be expected. His exposure and experience following his first year (where he started one game) should allow for more development for the next couple of years.
Jordan Stout won the starting punting job from Sam Koch during the offseason. It was an inconsistent season but, on the whole, it seems that Baltimore have found their long-term successor for Koch. His per-punt average of 45.9 was very good, but his practices and hype suggests that improvements are coming.
Damarion Williams was another player that balled out during camp. He showed a fire, physicality and passion that got the fans and coaches hyped. However, he failed to follow it up in the regular season. Despite having a deficiency at slot corner, Williams failed to step up to the plate. Despite this, the early promise suggests that he could be battling for a rotational spot next season.
Damarion Williams takes it the other way 😯 @FTK2662
📺: #BALvsAZ on FOX
📱: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/YdLdMGKZy4 pic.twitter.com/u4hOWSgYYw— NFL (@NFL) August 22, 2022
The Bad
It seems harsh to place any rookie from the Ravens draft class in ‘The Bad’ tier. In truth, the label simply means that these rookie years were below expectations, though things change quickly. With that disclaimer made, Jalyn Armour-Davis’ year could be categorised here. The former Alabama cornerback missed his deep-coverage assignment to allow the Miami Dolphins to come back in Week 2 and, since then, did not see regular playing time. He finished the year on IR. As a primarily developmental player, it appears that Armour-Davis was not supposed to see the field that much this year at all.
Charlie Kolar missed most of the season through surgery. He played two games and looked good in the final regular season fixture. While it was a disappointing year for Kolar due to injury, he can now reset and focus on preparing for the 2023 season.
Tyler Badie is probably the only real pick that can be considered a bad selection. The running back failed to see any playing time despite a decimated running back room. He finished the season with the Denver Broncos after being signed off the Ravens practice squad (Badie did not make the 53-man roster).
Anthony Brown might be classified here too, but it seems strange to say that any undrafted free agent had a ‘bad’ year. Brown likely did not come into this year expecting to play and, yet, he ended up starring in a crucial stretch for the Ravens. He was clearly not NFL ready, and it showed. However, he was the third-string developmental quarterback for a reason.
I asked Sammy Watkins if Anthony Brown’s two long back-shoulder throws were planned. He said no.
“He just threw me open. That’s next level.” pic.twitter.com/Itxu9PkMV6
— Ryan Mink (@ryanmink) January 12, 2023
The Verdict
A B+ for this class seems fair enough. There are a few highlights but the majority of the class sits in the average tier. The lowlights from the class either have room to grow or had little expectations coming into the season anyway. A B+ seems apt given the rookie year, but the upside of this rookie class seems untapped. There are a lot of potential starters and contributors here, who all showed their value at different times through the year, and so that B+ grade seems to be the floor for this class.
Main Photo: Charles LeClaire – USA Today Sports
