It's clear that the Baltimore Ravens need to upgrade their tight end position. However, many fans (including myself) were concerned that Mark Andrews' recent $39 million extension could get in the way of this position being upgraded in the draft. During his pre-draft press conference, though, Eric DeCosta said there's a strong chance that the Ravens draft multiple tight ends.
"I think the tight end we've got a couple of guys right now on the roster, but I think there's a strong chance that we'll add a couple more throughout for sure," DeCosta said.
This should be music to Ravens fans' ears, and it certainly opens the door for Baltimore to draft Oregon's Kenyon Sadiq with the No. 14 pick.
Even if they don't draft Sadiq, it feels likely that the Ravens will spend some of their 11 draft picks on a tight end. Drafting Sadiq or another premium tight end could save the Ravens from Andrews' declining production and give them a long-term solution at tight end.
The Baltimore Ravens can't be too dependent on Mark Andrews
Andrews has been a legendary Raven. I want to make that very clear. Nevertheless, he is coming off a career-worst season, recording just 422 yards. Andrews will be 31 years old before the start of the season, and he can't be the Ravens' lone tight end option.
His contract is what it is at this point. There's no denying that a three-year, $39 million contract is bad value for an aging tight end. It should have never happened, but you can't change the past.
In all fairness, Andrews can still provide some value as a blocker and red-zone threat. Still, the Ravens clearly need another tight end, particularly one capable of making explosive plays. This couldn't be clearer after losing Isaiah Likely in free agency. The loss of Charlie Kolar further makes this need glaring.
Currently, Durham Smythe is the Ravens' No. 2 tight end. He recorded just 25 yards last season. Needless to say, that's not going to cut it. Andrews played in just 62 percent of Baltimore's snaps last season. Thus, it's clear that the Ravens need another tight end who can truly split snaps with Andrews. If the Ravens are overly dependent on Andrews, it could set their offense back in a massive way.
Whether it's landing a hyped-up prospect like Sadiq or using the later rounds to address tight end, it's clear this position must be improved. Vanderbilt's Eli Stowers and Stanford's Sam Roush are two candidates outside of Sadiq that stand out to me for the Ravens later in the draft, but with a class this deep, the possibilities are endless.
The bigger picture is that the Ravens need a dependable pass catcher next to Zay Flowers. Right now, their No. 2 pass catcher is Andrews, which is highly problematic given his declining down-to-down production and age.
If drafting a tight end is the best path to upgrading this need, then DeCosta can't pass up on this opportunity due to his mistake of extending Andrews. Thankfully, DeCosta seems ready for this blunder not to get in the way.
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