Ravens Draft: Potential first round picks by position

The offensive line and the secondary

Mike McGlinchey T, Notre Dame

You might know Mike McGlinchey as “the Notre Dame offensive lineman that isn’t Quenton Nelson,” but he McGlinchey isn’t going to be a first-rounder for no reason. He is very athletic for a player that stands at 6-foot-8, 312 pounds, and would be a great compliment to Ronnie Stanley on the offensive line. This wouldn’t be the “sexiest” pick, as they say, but it would be a solid one nonetheless. McGlinchey has been mocked to the Ravens in a few mock drafts, and I could definitely see the board falling in such a way that the Ravens pull the trigger on him here.

Derwin James S, Florida State

Eric Weddle and Tony Jefferson are firmly in place as the starters at safety for the Ravens. They are the unquestioned leaders in the locker room and that’s not changing in 2018. But Weddle is 33, and he won’t be a top-tier safety forever. If Derwin James falls to the Ravens at #16, I think he’d be well worth the pick. He’s extremely versatile. James can cover on the back-end, as well as come up and play in the box. He can blitz the QB, and lay the wood to whoever has the ball. He has the skill set of both Weddle and Jefferson combined into a single player. I don’t think it would take until contracts are up for Weddle and Jefferson for James to see the field. Can we call that a hot take?

Mike Hughes CB, Central Florida

The Ravens have plenty of depth at corner heading into 2018. Jimmy Smith is expected to be ready for the season. The team retained Brandon Carr, and the promising Tavon Young will return from a torn ACL. This isn’t a position of need, but if the top-tier receivers are off the board, Hughes would be a great pick here. He’s a shorter corner, at 5-foot-10, but is very physical, and very fast. He reminds me a lot of Patrick Peterson, and if the team lands Peterson 2.0 to pair with Smith, teams wouldn’t even be able to think about passing on the Ravens.