The Baltimore Ravens made an outrageous 11 selections in the 2025 NFL Draft—enough to start on either side of the ball. Eight of those came on Day 3. With that much ammo, Baltimore was able to swing for upside and target guys they believed in. That’s exactly what Eric DeCosta did with pick No. 141.
Baltimore used its fifth-round selection on Alabama A&M offensive tackle Carson Vinson, a 6-foot-7, 321-pound small-school prospect with elite length, good feet, and serious upside. The relatively surprising move drew obvious criticism. Pro Football Focus’ Mark Chichester listed Vinson as one of Day 3’s biggest reaches, noting:
“Vinson is likely to slide inside to guard at the next level after playing tackle at Alabama A&M. He posted an 81.7 pass-blocking grade last season while allowing just 10 total pressures.”
Could they have waited? Maybe. But when you’ve got eight Day 3 picks to work with, you draft with conviction—and you don’t apologize for getting your guy regardless of perception. Because that's just life for prospects coming from non-FBS schools.
Ravens bet on upside with Round 5 Carson Vinson pick
Baltimore didn’t draft Vinson because he’s ready to play tomorrow. They drafted him because the tools were there. He’s long, athletic, and aggressive—and he fits the Ravens’ blueprint for molding Day 3 linemen into real contributors.
Vinson stepped up at the Senior Bowl with some terrific reps against bigger-school competition. His size and movement skills are worth investing in, either at tackle or guard. He’ll likely get early looks at both spots in camp as a swing option behind Ronnie Stanley and Roger Rosengarten and could be a dark horse to take over the jumbo-package role left behind by Josh Jones.
There’s clear development needed (his technique can get sloppy, and he’ll need to improve his balance and leverage) but Baltimore has consistently coached that stuff up. Offensive line coach George Warhop is known for his hands-on approach with raw prospects, and Vinson will be one of his first true mold-from-scratch assignments in Baltimore.
With eight Day 3 picks, the Ravens had the freedom to draft on upside instead of waiting for the board to tell them what to do. Vinson has the size, athleticism, and edge that Baltimore trusts it can get the most out of.
It’s hard to call any pick a true reach when you’re deep into Day 3, especially for a team looking for traits it can coach up
Vinson may have been labeled a reach by Chichester and others, but inside the Ravens’ building, he’s exactly the kind of project they love to turn into a success story. Ravens fans might want to keep the receipts just in case Vinson makes something of himself.