The Baltimore Ravens have the 16th pick in the NFL Draft. It’s the middle of the pack, but the top shelf may trickle down to Baltimore:
The one thing we know about the 2018 NFL Draft is that the quarterbacks will tell the story of the first round. The Cleveland Browns should be all-in on a quarterback. The New York Giants could easily take Eli Manning’s successor and the Jets traded up to have their crack at one. The Buffalo Bills want a quarterback more than you can imagine. There are four quarterbacks that are in play at the top of the draft: Josh Rosen, Josh Allen, Sam Darnold and Baker Mayfield. It wouldn’t shock me if Lamar Jackson makes it five quarterbacks that go in the first round.
The Ravens have the 16th pick, but not being desperate for a field general, makes the Ravens essentially have the 12th pick in the draft. Four quarterbacks will be taken before the Ravens are on the clock. It’s pretty much a given. My big board only has one quarterback in the top 10 (Josh Rosen being the top prospect in my eyes). That leaves top 10 players that won’t be part of the quarterback craze.
Too good to be true:
This is a year where top talent is going to squeeze out into the middle of the draft. The idea that the Ravens may want to trade back is accurate, but they may not need to. Getting extra picks is nice, getting an incredible player is even better. Saquan Barkley, Bradley Chubb, Quenton Nelson and Roquan Smith will get gobbled off the board no matter what. That leaves the Ravens with the bottom half of my top 10 prospects.
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The Ravens may not be the team linked to a player like Derwin James, but he is a prospect that could be in play. James is an elite safety and a game changer for any secondary. Eric Weddle isn’t getting younger, even if though he seems to get more awesome all the time. James would be the future star free safety. Trust me, if James is on the board it would take a special player for the Ravens to pass him up. Minkah Fitzpatrick is my seventh ranked player and he’s a guy who is in play as well.
Next: Ravens draft: Potential first round picks by position
You want a wide receiver? A top 10 player could be there. For me it’s Courtland Sutton. The Ravens have the 16th pick and what they do with it is limitless. Do you want the offensive tackle? Kolton Miller is my ninth ranked player and I think he would be there.
The moral of the story is that good players are obviously going to be there. When the Ravens signed Michael Crabtree they put just about any position on the table. Talent is going to be there.