The Baltimore Ravens could add extra offensive firepower this April with an exciting tight end prospect who’s making his name known across the league.
Of all the positions the Ravens need to address, tight end appears to be adequate, as Baltimore can brag about having the ever-reliable Mark Andrews.
But behind Andrews, who’s next? Nick Boyle has struggled to stay healthy, Josh Oliver has made zero impact on the team so far, and Baltimore doesn’t have any young, developmental players at the position.
As good as Andrews is, the team can’t reasonably expect him to play at an elite level for 100 percent of snaps. Enter Jelani Woods.
Bleacher Report’s Alex Ballentine listed the best fits for the 2022 NFL Draft’s latest risers, focusing on prospects who have elevated their stock in the Senior Bowl and East-West Shrine Bowl.
For the Ravens, Jelani Woods could be a much-needed upgrade:
"“After Woods impressed with his athleticism and soft hands in Vegas, Joe Marino of The Draft Network compared the nearly 6’7″ tight end to Dawson Knox and Blake Bell, who both transitioned to tight end from quarterback like Woods did…It isn’t out of the realm of possibility for him to have a Darren Waller-like career arc.”"
The Ravens could upgrade the tight end position with Virginia’s Jelani Woods
To be abundantly clear, Mark Andrews will remain TE1 for 2022 and likely many seasons after that.
But as Ballentine notes, Woods would thrive most in an offense with a mentor “who can help him hone his craft,” and we can think of no better mentor than Andrews (Ballentine also lists the Bills and Raiders as good fits, but we’d take Andrews over Knox or Waller any day).
Having risen from obscurity, Woods now stands as a Day 3 pick with the potential to grow into a very productive pass-catcher.
The Draft Network talked a little about how Woods put himself on the map with a “huge body and wide catch radius” that allowed him to dominate in one-on-ones in Shrine Bowl practices.
Woods also made improvements in his route-running abilities, “showing off some nice moves at the top of his routes — most often a good stutter-step — and creating separation doing so, something that wasn’t his strong suit in college.”
Woods spent three years as more of a blocking tight end at Oklahoma State, but transferred to Virginia this past season. At Virginia, he saw the ball a lot more and recorded 598 receiving yards and eight touchdowns while still making an impact as a blocker in the run game.
The Ravens may have just found the heir to Mark Andrews’ throne in Woods if they’re willing to spend a Day 3 pick on him. At the very least, Jelani Woods can be intriguing developmental depth.