There are a few players that the Baltimore Ravens cannot take a pass on in the 2020 NFL Draft. If one of these players is on the board, they should be the pick at 28:
1. Javon Kinlaw:
The Baltimore Ravens need to get better on the defensive line. More specifically they need a player who can provide pass rush from the defensive line. There is no way that Derrick Brown drops to the back end of the first round. Javon Kinlaw dropping to the 28th overall pick is a little less far fetched. Kinlaw is a defensive lineman from South Carolina who has the athleticism of an edge rusher and a 324 pound body. He’s basically a hybrid whose tape tells the tale of an elite and disruptive defensive lineman. He has the size, length and the explosiveness that you can’t coach. He’s an instant impact player. He’s Aaron Donald with a better frame.
Drafting Kinlaw would make the Ravens better all over the front seven. Putting Kinlaw at the five technique could be highly beneficial to the Ravens outside linebackers. If Kinlaw can continue his knife into the backfield ways at the pro level, he’s going to force double teams. The Ravens would have a player that offensive coordinators had to account for at all times. Like adding a receiver to the mix would help Marquise Brown, adding Kinlaw would help a player like Matt Judon.
Getting an edge rusher isn’t the only way to help the pass rush. Kinlaw is a player who shouldn’t make it outside the top 10 picks. In Daniel Jeremiah’s last mock draft for NFL.com, Kinlaw made it to the 16th pick. If Kinlaw gets to pick 20, Eric DeCosta may want to consider trading up. A defensive line with Brandon Williams and Javon Kinlaw as it’s stars would be having the best of both worlds; a dominant run stopper and a dominant pocket pusher.
2. K’Lavon Chaisson:
K’Lavon Chaisson is an elite player on the edge from the NCAA champion LSU Tigers. With a 6’3″ 254 pound frame, Chaisson looks the part. The Ravens need an edge rusher more than they need anything else. Chaisson has a very high ceiling. He’s from the SEC, so he’s as battle tested as a pass rusher can be coming into the NFL.
This is what Lance Zierlein wrote in his NFL.com Draft profile on Chaisson:
"“Chaisson’s stock has gained momentum with his surging performance matching the elite athletic qualities. It adds up to an increasingly confident projection as an impact pass-rusher with Pro-Bowl potential.”"
Chaisson flies off the edge. The biggest thing with Chaisson is that he’s just incredibly explosive. He’s fun to watch because he flies off the edge and he has bit of a bounce to his step. Chaisson isn’t the most polished edge prospect however he may have the most upside of anyone outside of Chase Young. The fact that things started to click for him in 2019 means that he’s shown a lot of growth before becoming a player who could go early in the first round.
Chaisson doesn’t just look the part though, he’s coming off a very solid 2019 season in terms of production. He had 6.5 sacks and 13.5 tackles for a loss with a forced fumble. Chaisson is a freak athlete on the edge that would fit right in the Ravens defense. Considering the Ravens are probably going to keep Matt Judon with a franchise tag, going out and getting a big time pass rusher in free agency isn’t incredibly likely. If Chaisson falls, which is a big if, the Ravens have to run to the podium and get him.
3. Henry Ruggs III:
If Henry Ruggs wasn’t a top 15 pick before the NFL Scouting Combine, than he probably is now. He had a 4.27 second 40 yard dash and an incredible 42 inch vertical jump. His ability to burn by defenders, coupled by his ability to go up and get the football makes him one of the top receivers in the draft class. He’s from the same College Football power that gave the NFL Julio Jones, Amari Cooper and Calvin Ridley and he may be the best of all of them. Ruggs is a player that honestly shouldn’t make it out of the top 10. While a lot of the receivers are comparable in this draft class, Ruggs is clearly one of the top three at the position.
He has back to back seasons with over 700 receiving yards where he averaged over 16 yards per reception. He did this in a receiving group that had fellow first round pick to be Jerry Jeudy and an overload of talent. If you thought the Ravens liked Marquise Brown last year, just imagine a world in which Ruggs falls to them. The Ravens would have two speedsters at the wide receiver position who have a chance to become complete superstars. Of the three players in this don’t think about it, just draft bracket Ruggs is the least likely to fall.
The bottom line here is that this is just a thought experiment. These are the players that the Ravens couldn’t pass on because these are the players that shouldn’t be there at 28. These are the prospects that could only fall in a dream scenario. Knowing what the absolute ideal picks are informs the Ravens as to what they are looking for in other prospects. If you can’t have the perfect world draft selection, at least you can find the closest alternatives.