Ravens secure two first-round picks in ingenious trade proposal

The Baltimore Ravens likely won’t trade draft capital for any high-profile player at this point in the offseason, but they could still swap draft picks for…other draft picks.

In the wake of the New Orleans Saints-Philadelphia Eagles trade, the Ravens could make a sensational move of their own ahead of the 2022 NFL Draft.

NFL’s Chad Reuter proposed a Round 1 trade between the Ravens and the Kansas City Chiefs that would give the Ravens two first-round picks in 2022.

Baltimore has dealt fair trades with Kansas City before, notably last year when the Ravens sent Orlando Brown Jr. and a few draft picks in exchange for a sizeable haul including a 2021 first-rounder.

In this newly proposed trade, the Ravens would give their first-round pick (14th overall) and a fourth-rounder (110th overall) to the Chiefs in exchange for two first-rounders (29th and 30th overall).

Reuter explains why this could make a lot of sense:

"With further needs at edge rusher and cornerback, Kansas City could make this deal well in advance of the draft with the knowledge it will gain a true first-round talent at one of those spots, regardless of how the first 14 picks shake out.To even out the trade in terms of pick value, Baltimore gladly sends over one of its five fourth-round selections. It’s a win-win situation for these teams, with the Chiefs maintaining the same number of picks and the Ravens gaining value while still getting two excellent players."

Baltimore Ravens could wisely trade for Chiefs’ two first-round picks in 2022

While the Ravens would technically move back, they would acquire two late first-rounders who could fill two major positions of need. Their No. 14 pick could have gotten them a bonafide star like Jordan Davis, but the No. 29 and No. 30 picks could still secure two starting-caliber prospects, say Clemson cornerback Andrew Booth Jr. and Iowa center Tyler Linderbaum.

It’s not hard to do the math — that’s two talented first-rounders instead of one.

Baltimore has only owned a top-14 pick twice in the past 16 years, and the team may want to capitalize on its unusually good position by taking the best possible player at No. 14. But the reality is that the Ravens have numerous needs going into the draft, especially after batting 0 for 2 in their pursuit of Za’Darius Smith and Bobby Wagner this free agency.

The pass-rush, cornerback, and offensive and defensive lines arguably require the most reinforcements, and Baltimore has a glorious chance to nab two quality prospects at those positions while remaining as flexible as possible.

Why wouldn’t they take it?

The 2022 draft has set itself up to be one of the more unpredictable draft years in recent history with no clear indication of who will get taken off the board first, but the Ravens can sway their own destiny with a sneaky smart trade like this one.