2nd Round (34) – Creed Humphrey, IOL (Oklahoma):
Bad snaps and poor pass protection both reared their heads again in the loss to Buffalo, and the return of Ronnie Stanley isn’t going to fix the issues on the interior offensive line. Creed Humphrey is the best center in this draft, hails from Ravens draft hotspot Oklahoma, and along with a healthy Stanley, will make Lamar Jackson‘s life much easier in 2021.
With Yannick Ngakoue due for a new contract, Jackson, Mark Andrews, and Orlando Brown Jr. all eligible for contract extensions, and several attractive wide receiver targets set to hit the free-agent market, it’s hard to see where Baltimore will have the cap space to spend on a veteran center like Corey Linsley. But for as often as the interior cost the Ravens this season, they can’t afford to get cute and hope a center falls to them in the middle rounds or that they strike gold with an undrafted free agent. Humphrey is a force in the middle and should make a major impact in the passing game regardless of what happens at the receiver position.
3rd Round (89) – Seth Williams, WR (Auburn):
Before Dez Bryant was brought into the fold, Miles Boykin was the only player in the Ravens wide receiving group that measured above 6″0. If Lamar Jackson is going to take the next step as a passer, he needs to be surrounded by more big targets, and that’s what he gets here in 6″2, 211 lb Seth Williams out of Auburn. Baltimore could very well look to the trade or free agent market to find their X receiver, but one of the key distinctions between Jackson and top young quarterbacks like Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, and Baker Mayfield is his lack of receiving options. Even if the Ravens do sign someone like Allen Robinson or Kenny Golladay, grouping them with Williams, Boykin, and Mark Andrews should give Jackson the necessary big targets to grow in his passing accuracy.
3rd Round (92) – Ronnie Perkins, EDGE (Oklahoma):
Yannick Ngakoue, Matthew Judon, Tyus Bowser, and Pernell McPhee are all free agents this spring, and the Ravens seem certain to lose at least two players from that group. It seems a foregone conclusion that at least one will need to be replaced, and Perkins seems like the perfect candidate to be the next mid-round Ravens pass-rushing gem.
Watching the tape, Perkins simply plays like a Raven. He’s tenacious in his pursuit of the quarterback, makes a lot of hustle plays, and excels at getting off blocks. He would likely be a rotational pass rusher to begin his career and could take the standard Baltimore track into emerging as a go-to option somewhere in the middle of his rookie contract.