Ravens receive an average grade in 2020 NFL Draft re-grade

The Baltimore Ravens‘ 2020 NFL Draft class experienced its fair share of ups and downs in its first season. There was some promise, but also quite a few rookie growing pains — as was to be expected.

While draft grades are always a little silly given how difficult it is to truly gauge the impact of a draft class until at least a few years out, they can prove useful for gauging the early impact of said class.

Pro Football Focus recently went back and re-graded the 2020 NFL Draft class comparing their grades after one full season to the initial grades given out.

Some teams changed dramatically, but the Ravens, their grade remained the exact same. PFF gave them a ‘B’ directly following the 2020 draft a year ago, and that grade remains unchanged a year later.

The Ravens received contributions from a few rookies

Baltimore had 10 picks in total to work with a year ago including five inside the top-100. However, PFF primarily focused on the team’s first two picks in their analysis of the grade.

They highlighted the success that running back J.K. Dobbins found in his rookie season, particularly late in the year, as well as the struggles that linebacker Patrick Queen endured throughout the season.

Dobbins was easily the most impactful (in a positive way) rookie in the class receiving more playing time as the year went on and finishing with an excellent 6.0 yards per carry.

He’ll return in 2021 alongside the likes of Gus Edwards and Justice Hill, but the hope is that Dobbins will receive an even larger share of playing time this season.

As for Queen, he started all 16 games for the Ravens, and while he had his moments, he was far too inconsistent in his rookie campaign.

The potential is clearly there with Queen, but his lapses both in coverage and run defense will need to be cleaned up for him to truly reach his potential.

2020 was a developmental year for the 21-year-old, but the Ravens are hoping he takes a big leap forward in 2021.

As for the rest of the rookie class, there were a few other players who received some playing time. Defensive tackle Justin Madubuike played well as a rotational lineman and could be in for a greater role in the future with an aging defensive line.

Devin Duvernay made the most of his touches and is firmly in the mix for the No. 4 wide receiver spot behind Marquise Brown, Sammy Watkins, and Rashod Bateman.

Linebacker Malik Harrison started six games in his rookie year and could push for more playing time in 2021. Tyre Phillips and Ben Bredeson provide quality offensive line depth with the former struggling when thrust into a starting role in his rookie season.

Meanwhile, players like Broderick Washington, James Proche, and Geno Stone will all be fighting for roster spots at their respective positions. Washington has the best chance to stick while Proche could get squeezed out in a suddenly deep wide receiver corps.

Ultimately, the success of the Ravens’ 2020 draft class will fall more on the shoulders of Queen and Dobbins. But it’s easy to see at least a couple of the other eight picks develop into quality starters down the line.

If that happens, it’s likely this grade will continue to rise over time with the benefit of hindsight. The jury is still very much out.