The Baltimore Ravens are preparing for the NFL Draft without a second round selection and the second round could bring great value at the wide receiver position:
There is one strong reason the Ravens may be compelled to trade out of the 22nd overall pick. First round receivers have gotten a bad rap because in recent years it hasn’t worked out that well, as the Ravens found out with Breshad Perriman. Every draft class is different though and the 2019 NFL Draft class is loaded with wide receiving talent.
I’ve already broken down the receiver position in a previous post. I have four wide receivers with a first round grade: Kelvin Harmon, N’Keal Harry, A.J. Brown and Deebo Samuel. That’s just my evaluation though. The only opinions that matter are the ones that construct the big boards for each team. In a defensive heavy draft where there is first round caution when it comes to receivers, four receivers may not even be taken in the first round.
Not only is the receiver position trending down in the first round, but this class isn’t getting a ton of draft hype. The consensus seems to be that there are good receivers, but nobody to get carried away for. This is going to push quality at the position down to the second and third rounds.
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Trading back could make the Ravens miss out on N’Keal Harry or A.J. Brown but it could give them a chance to get a receiver like J.J. Arcega-Whiteside later. If they take care of a need like pass rush and pair it with a pick like Arcega-Whiteside, it would be hard to disapprove of that.
Wide receiver is one of the easiest positions to miss on. The Ravens have found out the hard way, but its a common problem in the NFL. One reason for that is teams tend to under think the position and look for flash. The Ravens fell in love with Perriman but should have done more homework on him. Perriman had suspect hands and wasn’t a good route runner coming out of UCF. The Ravens can’t make the same mistake.
Instead of rushing to take a freak athlete of a wide receiver, trading back could act as a good pause button, a deep breath to make a better decision later on. The Ravens don’t need to take a chance on a speedy player like D.K. Metcalf, who has a troublesome injury history, a lack of production. DeCosta should let other teams rush in at the position.
If we’ve learned anything from players like Perriman, John Ross and Kevin White, it’s that the NFL isn’t great at picking out receivers. Quality targets often come in the second and third rounds. Torrey Smith was the best receiver the Ravens have drafted and he came in round two. The Denver Broncos just got Courtland Sutton in the second round of the 2018 draft while the Chicago Bears found Anthony Miller in the same round.
They may not get their first choice at wide receiver if they trade back, but that could be a good thing. Trading back is always a good idea because more picks mean more chances to help the team. Baltimore should get a sure thing in the first round and that means sticking to their comfort zone. Pass rushers, linebackers and offensive linemen are all positions the Ravens know how to draft and are all needs.