The latest seven-round Baltimore Ravens mock draft sees Minnesota wide receiver Rashod Bateman in round one. Who else did they take?
In this edition of our Baltimore Ravens 2021 NFL Draft mock series, we see the team beef up the offensive line and get Lamar Jackson a new target.
The Ravens will sign a veteran receiver in free agency, but they need to provide Lamar Jackson with a serious influx of talent if they have their sights set on a Super Bowl. Adding Rashod Bateman to a group that will feature Marquise Brown, Mark Andrews, and a newly-signed quality veteran target greatly opens up a passing game that was grossly predictable in 2020.
The current receivers on the Baltimore depth chart are fairly one-dimensional, and Bateman adds the kind of route tree and skillset versatility that will help the Ravens have a more dynamic offense through the air. At 6″1, 209 pounds, the Minnesota product gives Jackson the bigger receiver he desperately needs, and one that still offers the kind of speed and separation ability to fit the “track team” that Eric DeCosta said he was trying to build last offseason.
Regardless of whether Orlando Brown Jr. is kept or traded, the offensive line must be addressed this offseason. As was the case at wide receiver, the Ravens are almost certain to bolster the line through free agency, but with multiple needs at right guard and center (and possibly right tackle), Baltimore will need to walk away from the draft with at least one plug-and-play lineman to help keep Lamar Jackson upright.
Davis is the kind of mauler that will fit in perfectly in the Ravens’ run-heavy scheme and is strong enough in pass protection that he should be an upgrade in that respect as well. DeCosta and company have shown an affinity for Ohio State players in recent years (J.K. Dobbins and Malik Harrison are both OSU products), and Davis looks like a prime candidate to be the next in the Buckeye-to-Baltimore pipeline.
With so many veterans available, the Ravens are in a good position to find at least one starting edge rusher on the free-agent market for a relatively modest price, and will likely walk away from early offseason shopping with multiple new pieces to accompany Jaylon Ferguson and the newly re-signed Pernell McPhee. Baltimore will still need to find a pass rusher in the draft, but they can afford to wait until the middle rounds to find a rotational rusher that can contribute right away in a part-time role.
Few fit this description better than Pittsburgh’s Patrick Jones II, who had 17.5 sacks over his final two years in college but is very one-dimensional as a true defensive end. Because the Ravens blitz more than any team in the NFL, Jones’s narrow skill set will be more immediately useful to Baltimore than most clubs, making him something of a bargain this late. He could stand to add just a little bit of weight, and will need to be coached up if he wants to become a starter in defense that requires versatility from its players, but will immediately give the Ravens pass rush a nice boost.
Brandon Williams and Calais Campbell are both in the last years of their respective deals, and the defense looked lost trying to stop the run when Williams missed time in 2020. LSU’s Tyler Shelvin would provide immediate quality depth in the interior offensive line while also offering a potential replacement for Williams when his deal is up after the season.
At 6″3, 362 pounds, Shelvin is an absolute mammoth on the interior. He can’t generate the kind of pressure that has become more common among high-end interior defensive linemen but is strong enough as a run defender to justify being more one-dimensional. But while interior pass-rushing may not be his strong suit, Shelvin is fantastic at absorbing double teams, which can free up lanes to the backfield for other defenders in the Ravens’ blitz-heavy scheme.
While the Ravens should walk away from the first few waves of free agency with at least one new starting lineman, it will more likely be a guard or tackle than a center, as the market simply has more options at the prior two positions. While Creed Humphrey would make a lot of sense as a new starting center much earlier in this draft, he likely won’t fit the “best player available” mantra at pick 27, and will more than likely be off the board by the time the Ravens pick in the second round. If Baltimore ends up trading out of pick 27, Humphrey becomes a much more likely option, but until then, the Ravens are looking for a center later in the draft. Kentucky’s Drake Jackson is the perfect fit.
Jackson doesn’t offer the kind of versatility that the Ravens crave from linemen, but he is good at what he does and can provide great value as a Day 1 starter in the fifth round of the draft. That should make Baltimore more willing to ease off their demands for versatility and rely on the plethora of depth linemen already on the roster to handle those duties.
When healthy, Tavon Young is one of the better slot corners in the NFL in his young career. Unfortunately for Young and the Ravens, he has missed all but two games over the last two seasons, meaning Baltimore will need to add a backup slot option as an insurance policy this offseason.
Wisconsin’s Rachad Wildgoose Jr. is something of a wild card, having played just two games in 2020, but showed versatility and a nose for the ball in his brief career with the Badgers. While he posted just one interception in his time at Wisconsin, Wildgoose deflected at least six passes in both of his two full seasons, and also showed the ability to hold his own in coverage against bigger receivers. He’ll need to be coached up before he’s ready to be relied on as a starting slot corner in the NFL, but has the kind of talent that is worth taking a swing on at this point in the draft.
The Ravens’ lack of depth at tackle was exposed when Ronnie Stanley went down in 2020, and even if Orlando Brown Jr. is still in the fold for 2021, Baltimore would be wise to find a developmental tackle that can step into action in a pinch. Wisconsin’s Cole Van Lanen provides the kind of raw talent and upside that make him a strong candidate to be the next late-round find for Baltimore on the offensive line. Whether Van Lanen takes over for Brown in 2022 or serves as a quality backup/swing tackle, there’s certainly a role for him on the Ravens.