Round 2:
Donovan Peoples-Jones would be a bonafide Round 1 pick in any other year, but he falls to Round 2 in a year packed with Wide Receiver talent; luckily for the Ravens. We continue our offense-building with a raw, but talented piece. Peoples-Jones is a tall, sure-handed, physical receiver, but the great thing is that while he’s a “big-bodied” receiver, he’s actually pretty fast. His Combine 40 time is 4.48, but it’s the tape that shows a receiver that can pop the top off of a defense. Send Peoples-Jones and Marquise Brown running down the numbers while Willie Snead and Mark Andrews cross the middle off the play-action and I just don’t know how you defend the 2020 Ravens very well. He needs to work on more crisp route-running, but I believe he’s a great 2nd Round pick to bolster the offense after already picking up Cesar Ruiz for the Offensive Line.
This was another pick where there were other enticing picks hanging around, especially receivers like Michael Pittman, Jr. However, missing out on Epenesa earlier in the draft led me to this pick. Uche isn’t drowning in great tape (he didn’t start until his senior year), but his play speaks for itself. Uche produced 8.5 sacks and 35 tackles in just 9 games as a starter (11.5 tackles for a loss, along with two forced fumbles). He may be built more like a modern prototypical LB than an EDGE at 6’1” and 245lbs, so that may be a concern, but I would have no real worries on the physical front after a few months in the NFL weight room. I believe he’d be a bit of a project, mainly working on his angles, but the Ravens should be able to polish him up rather quickly and he can produce for them in the 2020 season.