Baltimore Ravens draft potential round 7 steal in USC OL Andrew Vorhees

The Baltimore Ravens only had five picks during the 2023 NFL draft, and when they could not trade down to acquire anymore, we assumed that the team was done making moves for the weekend. However, they jumped into the back end of round seven to draft Andrew Vorhees, a guard from USC.

Baltimore Ravens draft USC OL Andrew Vorhees

Before the NFL Combine, most viewed Andrew Vorhees as a day-two pick, or at worst someone who got drafted in that fourth-round range. However, Vorhees tore his ACL at the NFL Combine, and it put his stock into a complete tailspin.

An ACL tear in March means that the odds of him playing in 2023 are next to none. Beyond that, this was not a first-round player, he has his question marks as a prospect. Vorhees is also going to be 24 years old as a rookie, so he will not get on the field until he is 25, and that will be after a year off and still with questions about how he can handle the transition.

Needless to say this is not a lock of a draft pick, and there is a chance that little comes from it. You can understand why Vorhees fell to round seven. However, in round seven you can understand why the Baltimore Ravens would have interest.

Vorhees has 23 starts at left guard and 20 at right guard. He even has five on the left side, but he could fill in for either side. In the short term, the Ravens will be starting Ben Cleveland and Kevin Zeitler. However, Zeitler is 33 years old, and this is likely the last year he spends with the Ravens. At least, he would have to decide to return to Baltimore at a reduced cost.

On the other side, Cleveland is much younger but much more unproven. Both spots are filled for now, but the Ravens have questions about the future of the position. This is why betting on Vorhees makes sense.

While we have not seen the benefit of David Ojabo, this is already a similar, but less costly pick as Ojabo. If Vorhees can be healthy and ready to fill in for Zeitler next season, it is well worth a seventh-round pick.

The Baltimore Ravens likely called Vorhees, and got word that he either would get drafted or would not sign with the team as a UDFA. The Ravens ended any chance of missing out on Vorhees by trading into round seven for a low-risk, decent-reward bet.