The Baltimore Ravens have an obligation to invest as much in their team as humanly possible in the next few years, as Lamar Jackson is in the middle of his prime and ready to take Baltimore as far as possible. While they flamed out in the postseason, Baltimore is once again ready to contend for a title.
The Ravens managed to sign Derrick Henry in free agency, but Eric DeCosta and John Harbaugh need to make a few more additions around him. The wide receiver room could use one more big name in the mix, and the offensive line lose three of their five starters from 2023's exceptional unit.
Baltimore has a perfect chance to add some more talent to the mix in the 2024 NFL Draft. If DeCosta ends up once again flexing his scouting muscles and landing a star, they could bring in a long-term contributor. Jackson might want them to take another lineman or get him another field stretcher.
While these three prospects might not necessarily be the best player available when Baltimore makes their pick at No. 30 overall, no one can deny the fact this entire trio would be able to step right in and either keep Jackson upright in the pocket or get open down the field for him.
3 2024 NFL Draft prospects who would make like easier for Ravens QB Lamar Jackson
3. Keon Coleman, WR, Florida State
If the Ravens trade out of the first round and pick up an early second-round pick, they could try to draft a player that has a complementary skillset to what speed demon Zay Flowers brings to the table. Coleman isn't going to win any 100-yard sprints, but he looks like a classic X-receiver.
Coleman recorded 50 catches for 698 yards and 11 touchdowns last season. He is one of the best in this class at making contested catches, as his giant frame and verticality make him a prototypical red zone threat. As a runner, Coleman shows more wiggle and horizontal speed than his iffy 40-yard dash time would suggest.
The Baltimore Ravens could get use out of Keon Coleman.
Coleman and Flowers are perfectly opposite in their skillsets, but they could end up working in harmony together in Todd Monken's offense. Monken helped Mike Evans and Chris Godwin come into form in Tampa Bay while also working with another big guy/little guy tandem at Georgia in George Pickens and Ladd McConkey.
Picking a slower receiver over more speedy targets might be a bit risky, but Coleman has shown more skill as a runner than most receivers his size to go along with a genuinely freakish catch radius. Imagine Coleman as a much more exciting and effective version of what Demarcus Robinson tried to be in 2022.
2. Graham Barton, IOL, Duke
The Ravens have been projected to take an offensive lineman quite frequently in this draft, with a pure offensive tackle that can either start at right tackle or succeed Ronnie Stanley as the left tackle in the future. Barton may end up beating out everyone else after some comically high testing numbers.
Barton's athletic testing (4.97 40-yard dash, 1.68 10-yard split, 4/31 short shuttle) was so impressive that his Relative Athletic Score ranked No. 3 overall out of 1,500 guard prospects in the last few decades. While he played tackle at Duke, Barton should be able to move between both of those positions.
Graham Barton could be a starter for the Baltimore Ravens
Despite all the hype surrounding Andrew Vorhees, Barton would be a better gamble than a 25-year-old with zero pro snaps and a serious ACL injury in his not-too-distant history. Barton could also shift over to tackle if the situation demands it, given his collegiate experience and relatively light feet as a pass blocker.
The Ravens have to keep adding to their offensive line, as there are just way too many question marks for a team that signed Derrick Henry with the intent of making another run at a Super Bowl. Barton may be a rookie, but his athleticism for the guard position is almost unprecedented, which could mitigate the risk.
1. Xavier Worthy, WR, Texas
While drafting Coleman would give the Ravens a stylistic difference in their receiving corps, Worthy would give Baltimore one of the fastest receiver corps in the league. Worthy is the fastest prospect in recent memory, as his two 40-yard dash runs at the NFL Combine produced the best 40-yard time and 10-yard split in recorded history.
Worthy is not a John Ross or Lam Jones (for the old folks out there) more at home running the 100-meter dash than a post route. His speed helps him become a deadly route runner on shorter and intermediate routes as well, and his solid hands helped him become one of Quinn Ewers' safety blankets last year.
Xavier Worthy would be a big boost for Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens.
Worthy is an extremely skinny prospect at around 170 pounds, and pairing him with a fellow svelte wideout in Flowers could cause problems in the run-blocking aspects of Monken's offense and against bigger, more physical cornerbacks at the line of scrimmage.
Worthy is ultimately a gamble, as the Ravens will take a chance on his speed overruling concerns about his size. Given the success Flowers and Marquise Brown have had with Jackson throwing them the ball, Baltimore might feel confident in their chances to make Worthy work in the pros.