Sizing up the Baltimore Ravens and the AFC North post 2020 NFL Draft

With the 2020 NFL draft in the rear view mirror, let’s size up the pecking order in the AFC North for the 2020 NFL season.

Last season the Baltimore Ravens cruised to their second straight AFC North crown behind an MVP season from franchise QB Lamar Jackson.

The Ravens compiled a 14-2 record including a franchise record 12 game winning streak that saw them score impressive victory after impressive victory. They ended up winning the AFC North by six games over the second place Pittsburgh Steelers. The Browns came in third finishing at 6-10 despite being declared paper champs in the pre-season and the Bengals rounded out the division with a league worst 2-14 campaign.

We are roughly over a week removed from the 2020 NFL draft which saw each team in the division add more pieces to the roster. The free agency frenzy has subsided as well and rosters have begun to take shape. The 2020 NFL schedule is slated to be released this coming week as we wait to see if the season will be able to start on time due to the Corona virus outbreak.

But let’s take a look at how the 2020 AFC North is going to shape up. Has anything that has occurred this off-season changed the pecking order within the division?

1) Baltimore Ravens

Key Additions: DE Calais Campbell (via trade from Jacksonville), DL Derek Wolfe (via free agency), LB Jake Ryan (via free agency) , OG D.J. Fluker (via free agency)

Key Departures: DT Michael Pierce (via free agency), OG Marhsal Yanda (retirement), CB Brandon Carr (team declined option), S Tony Jefferson (waived), OL James Hurst (waived), TE Hayden Hurst (traded to Atlanta), DL Chris Wormley (traded to Pittsburgh), LB Patrick Onwuasor (via free agency), LB Josh Bynes (via free agency)

Draft Haul: LB Patrick Queen, RB J.K. Dobbins, DT Justin Madubuike, WR Devin Duvernay, LB Malik Harrison, OT Tyre Phillips, OG Ben Bredeson, DT Broderick Washington, WR James Proche, S Geno Stone

Outlook: Offensively, tops on the lists of needs was wide receiver and the Ravens addressed this by drafting Duvernay and Proche, two sure handed receivers to bolster a passing game that struggled for contributions from the wide receivers at times

The two of them join Hollywood Brown, who many believe is poised for a second year breakout as well as steady veteran Willie Snead IV and second year wide receiver, Miles Boykin. While many (myself included) were screaming for a wide receiver earlier in the draft, this group coupled with the tight ends in Mark Andrews and Nick Boyle should give the Ravens enough punch in the passing game.

Adding Dobbins to the best running game in NFL history seems to be a match made in heaven. He joins a crowded backfield in Jackson, Mark Ingram, Gus Edwards, and Justice Hill. For a team built on running the football, it makes sense to continue to add players out of the backfield to ensure the group can be fresh throughout the grind of the season.

To fill the void left by Yanda, the Ravens have assembled plethora of options along the offensive line. Returnees Bradley Bozeman, Matt Skura, Patrick Mekari, and Ben Powers will see competition from newcomers Phillips, Bredeson, and Fluker for starting jobs along the interior offensive line. The Ravens boast one of the best tackle duos in the league in Ronnie Stanley and Orlando Brown Jr.

Defensively, the Ravens were looking to beef up the interior as Derrick Henry ran all over them in season ending loss to the Titans. Enter Calais Campbell who has had an exceptional career both as a run defender as well as an interior pass rush threat. They also added Derek Wolfe to add some interior pressure as well.

The free agency additions made it unlikely that the Ravens would add more interior presence in the draft but they flipped the script adding Madubuike and Washington to continue to bolster the front. The linebacker group from a year ago got a makeover in the potential day one starting duo of Queen and Harrison. They will join returnee L.J. Fort as expected contributors in the inside linebacker group. Matt Judon will team with Tyus Bowser and Jaylon Ferguson to provide some punch on the edge, though that likely figures to be the defense’s weakest link.

The secondary remains among the best in football with the returns of Marlon Humphrey, Marcus Peters, Jimmy Smith, Tavon Young (please stay healthy), Earl Thomas, and Chuck Clark.

The Ravens are a team with few glaring holes and should be considered the class of the division heading into the 2020 season.