Another week, another Baltimore Ravens mock draft. We’ve done quite a few of these on the site over the last month or so and they’re always one of the highlights of my week.
After all, what’s better than talking about the NFL Draft when your team is eliminated from playoff contention? This rings especially true for the Ravens this year.
With quite a few draft needs and plenty of different routes to explore, there is an abundance of ways the 2022 NFL Draft can play out. With help from The Draft Network’s Mock Machine, we ran through just one of the many possible scenarios.
Here are the results from this week’s mock draft.
Round 1, 14th Overall, Ravens: Tyler Linderbaum, C, Iowa
This pick depends largely on how Bradley Bozeman’s contract negotiations go. Right now, the two sides remain far apart on talks and, despite mutual interest, it’s far from a guarantee that he’s back in 2022.
If Bozeman walks, the Ravens could just land his long-term replacement in the draft. Iowa’s Tyler Linderbaum is one of the best center prospects the NFL has seen in a long time.
At 6-foot-3, 290 pounds, Linderbaum is an athletic freak with the tenacity and technical refinement to be a 10-year starter at the NFL level. He projects as an immediate starting center with All-Pro potential.
We saw Oklahoma’s Creed Humphrey emerge as one of the best centers in the NFL after just one season. Linderbaum might just do the same thing.
Round 2, 45th Overall, Ravens: Kaiir Elam, CB, Florida
The 2022 cornerback class is one of the best in recent memory, but with such a talented class, a couple of high-profile prospects could fall out of the first round. In this scenario, that happened with Florida’s Kaiir Elam.
Elam is a physically-gifted cornerback who stands at 6-foot-2, 193 pounds with the physicality, athleticism, and length to be a No. 1 cornerback in the NFL.
He is equally adept in both press-man coverage as he is zone coverage and has the instincts, ball skills, and athletic tools to be a day-one starter with All-Pro potential.
The Ravens learned this past season that you can never have too many cornerbacks, and with Anthony Averett set to be a free agent and the future of Marcus Peters uncertain, the position is a pretty big need for the team.
Round 3, 76th Overall, Ravens: Nik Bonitto, EDGE, Oklahoma
Another position that has suddenly become a major need is outside linebacker. Tyus Bowser’s Achilles injury could force the Ravens to rethink their offseason plans with the veteran linebacker likely to miss the start of the 2022 season.
Oklahoma’s Nik Bonitto is a prospect not too dissimilar to Bowser himself. Like Bowser, Bonitto is a super versatile player who can set the edge, rush the passer, and even play some off-ball linebacker.
He’s undersized at just 6-foot-2, 231 pounds, and could benefit from adding a little weight. Ultimately, his ceiling will be determined by how the team that drafts him utilizes him.
Bonitto is a valuable chess piece in any NFL defense and that versatility should serve him well if drafted by the Ravens.
Round 3, 98th Overall, Ravens: Rasheed Walker, OT, Penn State
Even after adding Tyler Linderbaum in the first round, it’s clear the Ravens still have more work to do on the offensive line. That’s why we doubled-up drafting Penn State’s Rasheed Walker here in the third.
Walker is an experienced offensive tackle prospect with 26 starts under his belt, 22 of them at left tackle. At 6-foot-6, 312 pounds, Walker has the athleticism, length, and fundamentals to project as either a developmental left tackle who could compete at right tackle from day one.
The Ravens brought back Patrick Mekari but it’s far from a given that he starts. The same goes for Ja’Wuan James who is more of a dart throw than anything else.
Walker would give the Ravens insurance behind Ronnie Stanley at left tackle and provide them with someone who could compete for the starting right tackle job out of the gate.
Round 4, 106th Overall, Ravens: Verone McKinley III, S, Oregon
This remains one of my favorite prospects in this class to mock to the Ravens. Oregon’s Verone McKinley III is one of the most overlooked safety prospects in this year’s draft.
The 2021 Consensus All-American has some of the best ball skills of any player in this class with 11 career interceptions over the last three years including six this past season.
He has impressive range and is a good athlete, something the Ravens could really use in their defensive backfield. Pairing McKinley with a returning Chuck Clark would give the team a very capable starting safety duo.
With DeShon Elliott’s future up in the air, McKinley could be an ideal replacement that the Ravens don’t have to spend considerable draft capital on.
Round 4, 115th Overall, Ravens: Troy Andersen, LB, Montana State
Troy Andersen might just be the most unique prospect in this class. Hailing from FCS-level Montana State, Anderson started his college career playing quarterback, running back, and linebacker and even started games at all three positions.
He switched over to linebacker full-time in 2018 and hasn’t looked back. At 6-foot-4, 235 pounds, Andersen has excellent size for the position that he blends with well-above-average athleticism and speed.
Montana State switched him to more of a typical middle linebacker in 2021 which proved to be the best move of his career as he emerged as a legitimate NFL Draft prospect.
The Ravens need help at the linebacker position alongside Patrick Queen and Andersen could come in and compete for a starting spot right away.
Round 4, 124th Overall, Ravens: Haskell Garrett, DL, Ohio State
Ideally, we would have addressed the interior defensive line before this spot. But in this scenario, we could only hope the Ravens added a player like Akiem Hicks in free agency and that Calais Campbell returned.
Even still, Ohio State’s Haskell Garrett is a player who could make a considerable impact early in his career. At 6-foot-2, 300 pounds, Garrett projects as more of a three-technique tackle/end in the NFL with the physical tools to be a difference-maker in the Ravens defense.
Garrett is a former highly-touted recruit who was named second-team All-American in 2020 and first-team All-Big Ten in 2021. He shined in the middle of a very talented Ohio State defense as a multi-year starter.
The Ravens need to get younger on the defensive line and Garrett helps them do just that.
Round 4, 136th Overall, Ravens: Charlie Kolar, TE, Iowa State
Mark Andrews broke out and established himself as likely the best tight end in football in 2021, but Nick Boyle’s injury history combined with Josh Oliver’s ineffectiveness makes the tight end position a prominent need for the Ravens this offseason.
Iowa State’s Charlie Kolar is one of a number of enticing prospects in a deep tight end class this year. At 6-foot-6, 255 pounds, Kolar has an NFL-ready frame with reliable hands and a high floor as a blocker.
Kolar can easily fill that TE2 role in the Ravens’ offense if Boyle isn’t healthy or serve as an ultra-reliable TE3.
Round 4, 138th Overall, Ravens: Justyn Ross, WR, Clemson
The Ravens don’t necessarily have a desperate need at wide receiver this offseason, but don’t be surprised if they add one at some point. And with a talent like Clemson’s Justyn Ross still available in the fourth round, we weren’t going to pass that opportunity up.
Ross is one of the most physically dominant receivers in this class. He stands at 6-foot-3, 205 pounds but plays even bigger with a hulking frame and a monster catch radius.
Ross could be everything the Ravens hoped Miles Boykin would be — a physically-imposing jump-ball receiver who doubles as an elite red-zone target.
Round 6, 195th Overall, Ravens: MarQuan McCall, NT, Kentucky
The Ravens could use another nose tackle with Brandon Williams set to be a free agent coming off the worst year of his career. Kentucky’s MarQuan McCall would certainly do the trick.
McCall is probably the largest human being that is draft-eligible this year. He stands at a monstrous 6-foot-3, 379 pounds which would make him one of, if not the largest player in the NFL.
He doesn’t offer much in the way of a pass-rush, but if you’re looking for a run-stuffing nose tackle who could eat space and take on double-teams, look no further than McCall.