Baltimore Ravens: Two-round mock draft 3.0
By Joe Schiller
No. 52: Mike Gesicki TE, Penn State
Players also considered:
Dallas Goedert
See a common theme? The Ravens have a glaring need for pass-catchers, tight ends included. No, I’m not talking about a blocker that can set the edge, but rather a Rob Gronkowski-like pass-catcher that can stretch the field. The gap from pick No. 16 to No. 52 could see plenty of high-profile talent taken off the board. In a perfect world, the Ravens trade back in the first round an acquire more Day 2 picks, but for the purposes of simplicity, we’ll keep the two original picks.
Eric Ebron provided the best opportunity to acquire tight end help through free agency and signing a veteran like Marcedes Lewis is just nonsensical at this point. It’s best to build through the draft and Penn State’s Mike Gesicki gets selected in the second round by the Ravens.
It’s naive to put too much stock into the combine but Gesicki performed like a man among boys. At 6-5, 247 pounds he ran a 4.54 40-yard dash, leaped 41 inches on the vertical jump and put up 22 reps on the bench press. Along with former teammate Saquon Barkley, Penn State showed out at the combine. I’ll take whatever the strength coach is feeding them at State College.
Next: Michael Crabtree: 3 reasons why he fits with the Ravens
Gesicki posted a career-high nine touchdowns during the 2017 season and is the big-bodied target Joe Flacco needs. His size and athletic ability scream mismatches for just about any defender. Leave Maxx Williams and Nick Boyle to block, I’ll take Gesicki catching touchdowns all day long.