If the Baltimore Ravens had the chance to redo the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft, would they make any changes?
The 2022 season hasn’t even started yet — or preseason, for that matter — but NFL writers are eager to jump the gun and get a head start on grading first-round picks.
Baltimore came away with one of the best draft hauls this year, though the team could be criticized for prioritizing player value over team need.
After the draft, the Ravens still had gaping roster holes at wide receiver and the pass-rush, two positions that remain mostly unaddressed this far into the offseason.
So going back to the original question, would the team do anything differently?
Bleacher Report’s Gary Davenport re-drafted the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft and had the Ravens selecting Penn State wideout Jahan Dotson with the 14th pick:
"“It’s not hard to connect the dots as to why the Ravens might pursue Dotson. After trading Marquise Brown during the draft, Baltimore’s wideout corps is the thinnest in the AFC North and maybe the entire conference.There’d be a real chance that by the time Week 1 rolled around, Dotson would be Baltimore’s No. 1 receiver.”"
Dotson was originally picked by the Washington Commanders at pick No. 16, but a few moving pieces changed the Ravens’ mind this time around.
For one, top safety prospect Kyle Hamilton got taken off the board by the Minnesota Vikings at 12th overall, and other rookies the Ravens had their eyes on were also unavailable by the 14th pick (Jordan Davis, Charles Cross, Derek Stingley Jr.).
The Ravens spring for Jahan Dotson in 2022 NFL re-draft
Davenport notes that the Commanders have loved what they’ve seen from Dotson so far both on the field and in the film room and that Dotson would clearly fill the Ravens’ void at receiver.
Yet, this is probably one of the least Ravens-like picks that Davenport could have dreamed up.
Given that Baltimore had already drafted a first-round wide receiver, Rashod Bateman, in last year’s draft, expecting the Ravens to invest even more draft capital into the position seems foolhardy to say the least.
Yes, the Ravens could use extra receiver depth, but they had plenty of picks in the 2022 NFL Draft and could reasonably have snatched up a wideout talent in the later rounds — this year’s wide receiver draft class was deep enough, after all.
Besides, going into the first round of the draft, Baltimore had needs at virtually every other position, and even if Kyle Hamilton wasn’t available, the team would still march forward with their best-value drafting philosophy.
Jahan Dotson as the 14th pick doesn’t exactly fit that ethos as Dotson was ranked as a late first-round prospect by most draft boards.
We appreciate the idea of a 2022 re-draft, but we’ll stick to the original. Other teams may have lingering regrets, but not the Baltimore Ravens.