2019 NFL Draft: Predicting the Ravens top 1st round targets
With the 2018 NFL season officially closed, mock drafts attempting to predict how the 2019 Draft will unfold are starting to heat up. Let’s take a look at who the Ravens could potentially target in round one:
Strong Possibility:
Marquise “Hollywood” Brown WR, Oklahoma (5’10 169 lbs): Hollywood Brown is one of the most intriguing receiving prospects in this years draft class. Well respected NFL draft analyst and co-host of the Move The Sticks podcast Daniel Jeremiah has compared Brown to Tampa Bay speedster DeSean Jackson. The biggest difference between Jackson and Brown is that coming into the 2008 Draft, Jackson had major off the field concerns that knocked him out of the first round whereas there isn’t the same concern for Brown. The misconception that Brown is just a deep threat is just that, a misconception. Hollywood can run any route on the route tree and isn’t afraid to go over the middle which would bode well for Lamar Jackson. Brown would be a steal in round one if the Ravens were to pick him at 22. Pro Comparison: DeSean Jackson
D.K. Metcalf WR, Ole Miss (6’4 230 lbs): Metcalf has by far been the most frequent player projected to the Ravens at pick 22. In the Ravens Mock Draft Monitor 2.0 written by Ravens staff writer Ryan Mink, you can see how popular and unsurprising this pick would be. Metcalf would bring something to the receiver position that Baltimore has never seen before. Metcalf has a great catch radius, speed, route running, and most importantly hands, where “strength through the hands is present to sustain grip through contact.” according to Kyle Crabbs of The Draft Network. The only real concern with Metcalf was a neck injury that ended his season early last season, but was cleared for full contact football activities on January 25th after a 12 week recovery. This injury may have landed the Ravens the receiver they’ve been looking for since coming into the league in 1996. My Pro comparison: Josh Gordon
Josh Jacobs RB, Alabama (5’10 215 lbs): Over the last couple of years the running back position hasn’t been valued as first round pick worthy because of the success mid-round backs like Kareem Hunt, a third round pick in 2017, have had. Recently though the tide has shifted because of Ezekiel Elliott and Saquon Barkley bursting onto the scene and transforming their respective teams during their rookie seasons as first round picks. The Ravens haven’t drafted a running back high since Ray Rice in the second round of the 2008 NFL Draft, so I wouldn’t be opposed to the Ravens using the 22nd overall pick on one 11 years later. Josh Jacobs would make the running game a two-headed monster no one wants to see with Lamar Jackson at the helm. My Pro Comparison: Alvin Kamara