What might the Baltimore Ravens do in the 2021 NFL Draft with three new picks after trading Orlando Brown Jr. to the Kansas City Chiefs?
Following the Orlando Brown Jr. trade with the Kansas City Chiefs, the Baltimore Ravens find themselves needing a new right tackle, but also enter the 2021 NFL Draft with an additional first, third, and fourth-round pick. With that in mind, what might their draft haul look like at the end of next weekend?
There is never a year where the draft isn’t important, but with Lamar Jackson and Mark Andrews in line for new contracts, and key defensive pieces Calais Campbell, Brandon Williams, and DeShon Elliott (who could get a new deal of his own) on expiring contracts, this year’s draft may be as important as any in recent memory. Baltimore has current needs at receiver, edge rusher, and along the offensive line, and will also likely look to add a safety, future replacements for Campbell and Williams, and possibly a tight end.
This draft has ample opportunity to add impact players at each of those spots, but the Ravens will need more than three picks inside the top-100 if they hope add real talent across the board. With nine total picks, including two first-rounders, Eric DeCosta has plenty of room to move around the board and get more picks, and that’s exactly what I expect to happen when the draft opens next Thursday. While the odds of the exact four deals listed below all happening are unlikely, it should not surprise Ravens fans in the slightest if something like this unfolds.
After the deals are all done (though deals will likely take place as the draft unfolds, rather than before it starts), the Ravens are left with picks 47, 58, 70, 77, 84, 85, 97, 184, and 207. Nine total picks help the team towards making the “20 picks in the next two years” that DeCosta said he hopes to make at last Monday’s annual Liar’s Luncheon press conference, and having seven in the Top 100 leaves the organization in a solid spot to walk away with plenty of pieces that can help extend the current competitive window into the next several seasons.
Pick 47: Creed Humphrey, IOL, Oklahoma:
The talk of possibly moving Bradley Bozeman to center has seemingly led the mock drafters of the world away from the once-popular Humphrey-to-Baltimore connection, but stability on a unit in flux this offseason is a valuable thing. Humphrey is an absolute mauler that will fit in comfortably in a run-heavy Ravens offense and will allow Bozeman to stay at left guard, where he is one of the best pulling guards in the league.
Pick 58: Jevon Holland, S, Oregon:
Playing on the West Coast kept Holland from being considered amongst the true stars of college football, but his game is reminiscent of Tyrann Mathieu during his days at LSU. Holland is an electric playmaker, elite in coverage, and knows what to do with the football in his hands. Adding a player of Holland’s caliber will allow the Ravens to run more three-safety looks in 2021, which will be critically important as they take on elite passing teams like the Chiefs, Packers, and Chargers. Like Mathieu, Holland is also a dynamic returner on special teams and would provide an instant upgrade over the James Proche/Devin Duvernay tandem the Ravens looked to last season.
Pick 70: Amari Rodgers, WR, Clemson:
The Rodgers/Ravens connection has been a common one since the team hired Tee Martin, his father, as their wide receivers coach back in February. Rodgers won’t be selected by Baltimore off nepotism alone, but should absolutely be considered based on talent as the organization looks to put more pieces around Lamar Jackson. The Clemson product is a versatile receiver that is a threat at all three levels, and his ability to turn screens and slants into big gains will make Jackson’s life much easier throwing the football. Like Holland, Rodgers is also a high-caliber kick and punt returner, which will give Baltimore two legitimate options as they look to get more production from the return game next season.
Pick 77: Brevin Jordan, TE, Miami (FL):
The passing game took a major step back last year without a third dynamic pass-catching tight end, and Lamar Jackson clearly needs more big-bodied targets as long as 5″8″ Marquise Brown is going to be one of his primary options. Brevin Jordan addresses both of those needs, as an athletic tight end that can block and also be a legitimate receiving option in the passing game.
Most teams would be foolish to spend serious draft capital on a third tight end, but having the former Miami star in the mix would allow the Ravens to create serious matchup nightmares running three-tight end sets. Defenses simply won’t have the sufficient personnel to effectively cover Jordan, Mark Andrews, and a receiver, while also accounting for both Jackson and J.K. Dobbins in the running game. This was what allowed Jackson to lead the NFL in touchdown passes in his first full season in 2019, and will be pivotal to helping him return to that form next season.
Pick 84: Quincy Roche, EDGE, Miami (FL):
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Ask Ray Lewis and Ed Reed if having two Miami stars can lead to good things. The Ravens famously feast on turning mid-round pass rushers into productive NFL players, and Roche fits that profile perfectly. He logged 30.5 sacks as a four-year starter at Temple and Miami, including 13 as a junior in his final year at Temple. Roche is more polished than most collegiate prospects, and is also a strong run defender, as evidenced by the fact that he racked up 54 total tackles for a loss over his collegiate career.
With Baltimore expected to add a veteran edge rusher after the draft, they can afford not to take a Week 1 starter in the first round, and Roche should be able to excel playing behind Pernell McPhee, Tyus Bowser, and a veteran mentor like Justin Houston, Melvin Ingram, or Ryan Kerrigan.
Pick 85: Spencer Brown, OT, Northern Iowa:
Why not replace one 6″8″ former third-round pick with the last name Brown with another? Like Orlando Brown Jr., Spencer Brown is incredibly athletic, and while 311-lbs. is comparably lean for a lineman of his height, he has the kind of frame that will allow him to add weight at the NFL level. With the Ravens reportedly planning to sign Alejandro Villanueva after the draft, Brown won’t have to start right away if Ronnie Stanley is healthy for week one, and should be able to step into the starting right tackle spot in year two. In the meantime, he can be a valuable swing tackle and depth piece, as Baltimore’s lack of tackle depth was exposed in a major way last year after Stanley went down with a season-ending injury.
Pick 97: Alim McNeil, DT, NC State:
The 2021 defensive tackle class is not particularly deep, but that doesn’t mean it’s void of talent. NC State’s Alim McNeil is one of the top interior defenders available and is incredibly explosive for his size (6″2″ 320-lbs). He’s nothing shy of a game-wrecker, consistently forcing tailbacks to bounce outside. Even when McNeil isn’t the one making the tackle for a loss, he’s consistently picking up the “assist.”
Brandon Williams is still in the fold for 2021 but will be a free agent after the year, and the lack of depth behind Williams was exposed when Damien Harris ran all over the Baltimore defense in week nine last season. McNeil’s ability to provide interior pressure makes him a more viable three-down option, and the defensive trenches should be in good shape in 2022 and beyond with Roche, McNeil, and Justin Madubuike all in the fold.
Pick 184: Deommodore Lenoir, CB, Oregon:
Apart from a few holes that are expected to be filled by post-draft free agent signings, there simply aren’t that many spots on the roster, meaning the final two picks in this draft will likely be dart throws that could serve as high-end practice squad depth. The first target: Oregon’s Deommodore Lenoir.
The Ravens struggled to find consistent production out of their depth corners last season when Tavon Young was on the shelf, and Jimmy Smith has missed at least four games every year since 2016. Even if Lenoir migrates on and off the practice squad in his rookie season, he’ll provide quality depth behind a pair of talented but injury-prone players, both of whom could be gone in 2022. The Oregon product has great length, excels in press coverage, and has the upside to be a starting cornerback in the NFL.
Pick 207: Brennan Eagles, WR, Texas:
We’ve already given Lamar Jackson two weapons in this draft, but with Rodgers, a relatively modest 5″10″, Sammy Watkins and Miles Boykin are still the only two receivers in a six-man room that measure 6″0″ or above. Height isn’t everything for a receiver, but having primarily receivers in the physical AFC North is a tough proposition, and Watkins’ injury history (and the new 17-game schedule in 2021) means the Ravens will likely have Boykin as the long big target for at least a portion of this coming season. Eagles offers a tremendous catch radius, surprising speed for a 6″4″ 220-lbs. receiver and the natural size to be a better asset in the blocking game than wideouts like Hollywood Brown and Devin Duvernay. He’s a natural mismatch as a big slot option and adjusts on balls in the air well enough to correct for the occasional mistake from Jackson.
Even if Eagles is kept on the practice squad as a Watkins insurance policy, having him in camp will help push Boykin as he enters a key season, and a strong camp from Eagles could even make Boykin expendable.