Baltimore Ravens 2020 NFL Draft class off to stellar start

The Baltimore Ravens 2020 NFL Draft class will be heavily relied on in 2020 and early indications are that it’s a pretty good looking class.

Headed into 2020, the Baltimore Ravens boasted one of the NFL’s top rosters. 11 Pro Bowlers, six All-Pros, and the reigning MVP were all slated to star for these Baltimore Ravens. As if this roster couldn’t get any better, it did following the 2020 NFL Draft. In it, Baltimore added a brand new linebacker in Patrick Queen in round one to captain the middle of the defense. The team also took a luxury pick in running back J.K. Dobbins on day two, followed by others such as Tyre Phillips, Malik Harrison, and Devin Duvernay. The Ravens even got good value on day three of the draft in late-round fliers on productive players like James Proche and Geno Stone. All in all, it appeared that Baltimore had itself one of the better drafts among the league.

Now, that’s easy to say coming from a fan who covers the Baltimore Ravens. However, I can promise you that there’s no bias when I tell you that the product that these guys put on the field in week one was very encouraging and backed the claim.

Things were already off to a promising start when all 10 of the Ravens 2020 NFL Draft picks made the final 53-man roster; something that was far from guaranteed in an offseason unlike any other. It also seemed evident that guys had big roles locked up. Naturally, Queen was set to start at inside linebacker from day one given his draft status, but he seized the role for himself with his play, not just his status. Dobbins also looked like the best receiving back on the team and primed for a nice workload. Even Phillips looked like he could be an early starter at guard. Meanwhile, Duvernay and Proche both seemingly had roles to play in the special teams return play.

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With all the hype built up this offseason surrounding the class, there were some high expectations to live up to early on. It didn’t help that there wasn’t a preseason to show these guys off before the regular season kicked off. Fans were left clamoring in suspense; waiting to see the product with their own eyes.

Finally, the Baltimore Ravens kicked off week one at home with an in-division match up with the Cleveland Browns. Baltimore had revenge on its mind after an embarrassing 40-25 home-loss in 2019 to Cleveland. The team planned to right the wrong of getting gashed and embarrassed in front of its own fans.

The Ravens went on to not only win but embarrass the Browns in a 38-6 blowout. Lamar Jackson was superb once again, completing 80% of his passes and tossing three touchdowns, two of which went to Pro Bowl tight end Mark Andrews. The defense also forced two turnovers including an interception by Marlon Humphrey.

Baltimore looked fantastic for all 60 minutes of the game with very few things to complain about. The best part about the win, however, was how well its rookie class played.

For starters, Queen led the team with eight tackles, including his first career sack. Queen also forced a crucial fumble that gave the Ravens terrific field position to score another touchdown. Better yet, the recipient of that touchdown was Dobbins. Dobbins actually scored two touchdowns on the day.

On top of those two’s performance was Phillips getting the start at right guard. Phillips showed off the nastiness the team envisioned when it drafted him. He looks like he could become a regular starter. Harrison was also a factor for the defense, recording four tackles and deflecting a pass. The cherry on top was Duvernay’s 38-yard kick return and Proche’s 17-yard punt return. The Ravens haven’t had an electric return man in quite some time and the two rookies flashed some major upside as return men.

Yeah, it truly doesn’t get much better than that for your rookie class’s debut.

If week one is a sign of things to come then it’s clear that the Baltimore Ravens smacked a big, fat home run with this class. Getting production from its top picks in a variety of different ways is huge and it’s clear the team has big plans for all these young men. It’ll be critical that the group continues to show off its strut and remain consistent throughout the remainder of the season. Still, you gotta be happy with what you saw in week one.