Now that the first wave of free agency has finally hit it’s time to look at how it affects the 2020 NFL Draft for the Baltimore Ravens:
*NOTE: I will be using The Draft Network’s predictive big board and mock draft generator for the other 31 NFL teams*
Ravens 2020 NFL Draft Picks: 1st (28), 2nd (55) (60), 3rd (92)(106), 4th (129,134), 5th (157) 7th (225)
Total 2020 NFL Draft Picks: 9
My Team Needs: LB, IOL, EDGE, WR, TE, CB, IDL, RB
First Round:
TRADE!
Baltimore sends:
-No. 28
-No. 106 (compensatory pick from C.J. Mosley)
Minnesota sends:
-No. 22
Class: Junior
Height: 6’1″
Weight: 192 lbs
Due to the first wave of free agency a lot has changed when it comes to the landscape of the 2020 NFL Draft. Positional needs have changed for teams ahead of Baltimore which has resulted in receivers falling down the board further than we had previously expected. In this scenario, Jerry Jeudy slid down the board a bit and if that happens on draft day I fully expect Eric DeCosta to take advantage of it. This is especially since they have the ammunition to do so.
Jerry Jeudy would give Baltimore a receiver they’ve never had before and that’s an opportunity you just can’t pass up, especially when it only costs you the last pick of the 3rd round. Jeudy would fill the X receiver role in Baltimore. This would also allow Marquise Brown to thrive as a full-time Z receiver. I’m not sure how you would stop an offense built around Lamar Jackson, Mark Ingram, Mark Andrews, Marquise Brown, and Jerry Jeudy so I wouldn’t want to be the other 31 teams trying to figure it out.
Second Round:
My Team Needs: LB, IOL, EDGE, WR, TE, CB, IDL, RB
Class: RS Junior
Height: 6’3″
Weight: 265 lbs
Curtis Weaver is a player I’ve been a fan of since the start of the draft process and was a popular pick for Baltimore early on but his draft stock has seen a small decline since. With the additions of Calais Campbell and Michael Brockers via free agency and the franchise tagging of Matt Judon, the Ravens have less work to do on the defensive line but this addition is still huge. Weaver is a player who plays with a high motor and knows how to win with his hands and technique. He’s not an edge rusher who’s going to impress you with his ability to bend like the Von Millers of the world, but he’s a “see ball get ball” type of player and that’s what Baltimore needs opposite Matthew Judon.
If the Ravens can have Weaver and Judon crashing down from the edge and the big boys getting pressure from the interior it’ll help out the already elite secondary behind them. The Ravens spend more money on their secondary than any other team in the NFL and rightfully so, but the corners can only cover receivers for so long. Adding Curtis Weaver to this newly beefed up defensive line will be huge.