With the Baltimore Ravens falling to the Buffalo Bills, the 2020-2021 season is in the books. With that in mind, it’s time to look ahead to the NFL Draft.
The season is now over for the Baltimore Ravens, so it’s officially time to start looking towards the offseason. We’ll have more analysis and speculation in the coming days and weeks, but for now, it’s time for the first mock draft of the offseason.
Most of the Ravens’ roster needs are no secret. They need an X receiver, they need interior offensive line help, they need to replace the edge rushers that will depart in free agency, and they need depth throughout the defensive side of the roster. The question is where Eric DeCosta will look to address each of these needs: free agency, trades, or the draft?
Because the Ravens were able to right the ship and reach the Divisional Round, they fell 12 draft spots in a matter of weeks, and are almost certainly out of the mix for big-time offensive weapons like DeVonta Smith and Kyle Pitts. And with just six picks to work with and several roster holes to fill, trading up for a big fish seems unlikely. But, there are still plenty of players out there that would make the Ravens better, and plenty of reason to be excited. So without further adieu, let’s get to it.
The Trades:
Pick 27 to New York Jets for Picks 34, 97: It’s hard to imagine Eric DeCosta walking into the 2021 Draft with six picks in his arsenal. Even though there should be players Baltimore wants at Pick 27, the sheer number of big deals the Ravens will have to shell out this offseason means they’ll need a big, successful draft class to provide affordable roster depth. Trading down into the early second round takes some fun out of Night 1 for fans, but provides a pick in the top 100 for only a six-spot drop. This is a no-brainer.
Pick 60 to Cleveland for Picks 89, 92, 152: The chance to give Baltimore four total picks in the Top 100 was too good to pass up. This is a team that’s in win-now mode, and needs to walk away from the draft will as many ready contributors as it can.
Pick 97 to Jacksonville for Picks 120, 128, 191: There’s a pattern here, but trading down is the Ravens way. Giving Eric DeCosta and company a 10-pick arsenal ensures the front office isn’t boxed into drafting for need throughout the draft and can swing at talent when it falls in their laps.
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.
4th Round (121) – Kenny Yeboah, TE (Ole Miss):
Nick Boyle should be back healthy next season, but this offense clearly missed running three-tight end sets. Specifically, it missed Hayden Hurst using his speed to get open on streak routes out of play action. Kenny Yeboah plays with a similar brand of speed and toughness, and just so happened to make his living running those same routes at Ole Miss. Using a relatively high pick to address the third tight end spot would normally be a poor allocation of resources, except that the position was a key part of the offense that turned Lamar Jackson into the second unanimous MVP in league history in 2019.
Even without three-tight end looks, the Ravens offense put together another historic season on the ground, and finally demonstrated the ability to come from behind in wins against the Browns and Titans. But with a dynamic duo like Jackson and J.K. Dobbins in the backfield, there is no harder look to guard against, as you simply can’t scheme for that much size and speed. Yeboah may not be Kyle Pitts or Pat Friermuth, but with Andrews already in the fold, he makes for a great consolation prize.
4th Round (123) – Alaric Jackson, OT (Iowa):
In addition to the woes at the center position, Baltimore never found a true replacement for Marshall Yanda in 2020. Tyre Phillips, Ben Powers, DJ Fluker, and Patrick Mekhari all provided mediocre production, and only Phillips and Powers look likely to even garner consideration for the role entering next season.
Perhaps Phillips will progress with a full offseason of work and a year of NFL experience under his belt, but the Ravens shouldn’t bank on it. Instead, they should look to Yanda’s alma mater to find their man. Iowa’s Alaric Jackson was a unanimous All-Big Ten First-Team selection this season at left tackle, but has the tools to thrive on the inside lining up between Creed Humphrey and Orlando Brown. With Brown’s contract up after the 2021 season, Jackson also stands as a candidate to slide out to right tackle if Baltimore can’t agree on a long-term deal with their incumbent.
5th Round (128) – Shi Smith, WR (South Carolina):
While he is just 5″10, Smith is a contested-catch machine and is also a lethal weapon in the screen game. It’s probably too generous to say he shows flashes of Steve Smith Sr., but that’s the style of receiver Smith is. This may be something of a luxury pick, but Eric DeCosta has stated a commitment to taking swings on receivers, and Smith’s skillset would only further build out the types of looks the Ravens can give opposing defenses.
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5th Round (152) – Charles Snowden, LB (Virginia):
Even with Ronnie Perkins now in tow, Baltimore will likely need to replace at least two edge rushers this offseason. Charles Snowden, a local product from Silver Spring, Maryland (St. Albans School), is a physical freak at 6’7, 240 pounds, and could make opposing quarterbacks’ jobs difficult knocking down passes next to 6″8 Calais Campbell. His combination of speed and wingspan also makes him well-equipped to chase down mobile quarterbacks like Baker Mayfield, Joe Burrow, Josh Allen, and Patrick Mahomes.
5th Round (155) – Marco Wilson, CB (Florida):
Despite having the greatest cornerback tandem in the NFL, the Ravens’ corner depth was exposed on multiple occasions this year, and Marco Wilson could be one of the biggest steals of the draft. Most famous for committing the costly penalty against LSU when he threw an opponent’s shoe, Wilson plays with an energy reminiscent of current Baltimore corner Marcus Peters. While his fiery personality and style of play can occasionally be costly, they also give him the kind of toughness needed to play nickel corner in the NFL.
6th Round (186) – Khyiris Tonga, IDL (BYU):
Damien Harris ran all over the Ravens when they were missing a few interior linemen in Week 9. Especially with Brandon Williams a possible cap casualty, Baltimore needs another run-stuffer in the mix, At 6″4, 322 pounds, there are few better in this draft than BYU’s Khyiris Tonga. What stands out most about Tonga is that he is more than pure mass. He has remarkable strength at the point of attack and is also surprisingly quick for someone his size. Tonga was also occasionally deployed as a fullback on goal-line sets in college, so he could add another wrinkle to Baltimore’s goal-line offense.
7th Round (193) -Dayo Odeyingbo, DE (Vanderbilt):
Vanderbilt’s Dayo Odeyingbo is considered a defensive end but can line up just about anywhere in the front seven. For as often as injuries hurt the Ravens in 2020, quality defensive depth should be a priority this offseason, and finding a versatile asset like Odeyingbo can check several boxes at once. Odeyingbo’s versatility also plays perfectly into Wink Martindale’s scheme that often deploys players out of their conventional positions.
With Derek Wolfe, Jihad Ward, and Justin Ellis all currently not under contract next year, the Ravens could also simply be looking for bodies to group with Calais Campbell along with the defensive interior next season. Odeyingo would almost certainly not start right away but could see the field more than the average depth piece because of his positional flexibility.