ESPN’s Baltimore Ravens staff writer Jamison Hensley gives his take on the team’s biggest need going into the draft
By now, the main focus in the league is the NFL Draft. It is only three weeks away and the Baltimore Ravens are looking find game changing players. There is no doubt the Ravens have plenty of needs going into the draft, there is any question about that. Per ESPN’s Jamison Hensley, the biggest need for the Baltimore Ravens going into the draft is a push rusher. Hensley gives good insight on the need, noting that the Ravens struggled to get to the quarterback last season.
"Even though the Ravens have invested heavily in their defense, pass rush tops the team’s needs. Baltimore cut Elvis Dumervil earlier this month, and the team ranked 24th in the NFL last season with 31 sacks. The Ravens’ current pass-rushers are an aging Terrell Suggs and unproven prospects such as Matt Judon and Za’Darius Smith. Baltimore needs a big-time player to get after the quarterback because that is one of the reasons why the Ravens faded at the end of 2016. In their last four games, the Ravens totaled three sacks and lost three times."
I can agree with Hensley here. The Ravens have made some improvements to the defense in free agency, especially the secondary, but nothing has been added to the pass rush. With Dumervil gone, the most experienced pass rusher is Terrell Suggs, there is no guarantee he will stay healthy for 16 games. As we’ve seen in the past, he has struggled with injuries. The unproven prospects like Judon and Smith are intriguing, but the Ravens will still add more depth in the draft.
Looking At The NFL Draft
If the Ravens are going to address the pass rush, they have a good chance to do it early in the draft. Looking at pass rushers, there are around five that could go in the first round. Assuming the Ravens stay at #16, Myles Garrett and Soloman Thomas will realistically be gone. That leaves Derek Barnett, Taco Charleton, and Takkarist McKinley as potential options. I had Barnett going to the Ravens in my latest mock draft, but he could very well go in the top 10.
Next: NFL Draft: Comparing The Big Three Wide Receivers
If the first round does not bring the players Ozzie and company want, the second could be a realistic option. As one of our site experts wrote about, a great option in the second round could be Damarcus Walker out of Florida State. T.J. Watt is also in this discussion, but he could go late in the first round depending on what happens. Luckily for the Ravens, it is a very deep pass rusher class this year.