4 player superlatives for Ravens’ 2022 NFL Draft picks
By Kristen Wong
3. Ravens’ Most Likely To Bust: David Ojabo
This was painful to write — we love second-rounder David Ojabo and hope these words don’t manifest into reality, but Ojabo could turn into no more than a depth piece for the Ravens.
Once considered a sure first-round pick, Ojabo’s Achilles injury caused him to topple down the board. Other teams didn’t take a gamble on Ojabo for a reason while the Ravens did, and that gamble simply may not pay off.
Ravens coaches have since expressed their optimism that the pass-rusher could play as early as this season, but for every glass half full there’s a glass half empty.
In the worst possible scenario, Ojabo recovers in time to play part of the 2022 season but swiftly gets re-injured (as often happens in the NFL) and will need to undergo more surgery and end up missing more time early in his career. Who knows, he may not play out a full season until Year 3 or Year 4, and by that time he may have lost his edge and may mentally struggle to consistently perform at a high level.
The young and talented outside linebacker is singlehandedly carrying the weight of the team’s hopes to elevate the pass-rushing unit for the future, but the road to recovery can be quite a bumpy one and Ojabo may spend more time sitting on the bench than he does playing on the field as a Raven.
No team can deny his upside, but not every team can justify drafting an injured player early, either.