5 Georgia Bulldogs the Ravens might draft to follow Todd Monken
By Jason Reed
After finishing 19th in the NFL in points scored and 16th in yards gained, the Baltimore Ravens decided it was best to part ways with offensive coordinator Greg Roman. To replace Roman, the Ravens hired former Georgia Bulldogs offensive coordinator, Todd Monken.
Monken spent three seasons as the OC of the Bulldogs — winning two National Championships in the process — and has previous NFL experience. Monken spent one season as both the Cleveland Browns and Tampa Bay Buccaneers OC in 2019 and 2018, respectively.
Monken might not be the only Georgia transplant on the Baltimore sideline next season. With his influence now on the offense, Baltimore may now look to draft certain Georgia prospects to fill their various needs in the 2023 NFL Draft.
Georgia Bulldogs the Ravens might draft to follow Todd Monken:
1. EDGE Nolan Smith
The most pressing need for Baltimore is wide receiver and for that reason, we could see the team go a different direction in the first round. Baltimore does not have a second-round pick to take a receiver and with a pretty thin receiver market this offseason, a first-round receiver is probably a must.
That being said, if Baltimore does manage to land an impact receiver in free agency (or perhaps someone like Keenan Allen, who might be cut or traded by the Chargers), then the focus would turn to an edge rusher in the first round.
The best-case scenario for Baltimore with the 22nd pick in the draft is probably Georgia’s Nolan Smith, who is an extremely easy prospect to get excited about. Smith would be a pass-rush difference-maker right away and has all the tools to develop into a legitimate every-down edge defender.
Smith might not be playing on Tonken’s side of the ball but Tonken knows just how talented he is as his offense had to against him every day in practice. If the team is deciding between Smith and another prospect, familiarity via Tonken could be the deciding factor.