The Baltimore Ravens’ John Harbaugh era is officially over. After firing their former longtime head coach two days after their season ended, Harbaugh has already moved on. He officially signed a lucrative deal with the New York Giants on January 17.
While Harbaugh gets his career restarted with a new franchise, the Ravens continue their search for his replacement. Two weeks in, they have completed their first round of interviews and are beginning to call some candidates back for the second round.
The latest Harbaugh report, though, will have Ravens fans looking in the past.
Baltimore has long been praised as one of the best drafting franchises in the NFL. However, they have their fair share of misses, especially when it comes to the wide receiver position. They changed that in the 2023 NFL Draft when they drafted two-time Pro Bowl wideout Zay Flowers, but it sounds like they could’ve come out of that draft with even more talent at that spot.
According to reports, Los Angeles Rams All-Pro wide receiver Puka Nacua was one of Harbaugh’s favorite targets of that draft. Ultimately, he didn’t get his way, as the Rams selected Nacua in the fifth round, 177th overall.
From The Insiders on @nflnetwork: John Harbaugh sometimes got players he wanted with the #Ravens and sometimes didn’t (he pushed hard for Puka Nacua in the Draft process). Despite securing final say with the #Giants, that could still be how it works in his new gig. pic.twitter.com/jyWRDRFzqH
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) January 21, 2026
The Ravens selected former Stanford cornerback Kyu Blu Kelly just 20 picks earlier. He failed to make the team out of preseason and was ultimately claimed off waivers by the Seattle Seahawks that August.
Ravens missed out on Puka Nacua in the 2023 NFL Draft
This isn’t entirely new news. Ahead of Baltimore’s Week 14 matchup against Los Angeles in 2023, Harbaugh noted that he wasn’t surprised to see Nacua’s rookie breakout. He highlighted how he was very high on the BYU product throughout the draft process.
You can read more about it in this piece written by Joshua Reed for Baltimore Beatdown in 2023.
While Nacua would’ve been the perfect player to start alongside Flowers, and he undoubtedly is the exact type of receiver quarterback Lamar Jackson has been missing throughout his NFL career, it’s fair to wonder if he would’ve actually reached his current status with the Ravens.
Historically, the team has struggled to develop wide receivers, and a potential fifth-round pick would’ve faced a serious uphill climb. Nacua likely would’ve primarily been a special teams piece early on. While it took no time at all to impress with the Rams, the run-heavy Baltimore offense wouldn’t have offered ample opportunity for him to prove himself as he’s seen in Los Angeles.
Regardless, Ravens fans can’t help but wonder what an offense with Jackson, Derrick Henry, Nacua, and Flowers could’ve looked like.