The Baltimore Ravens usually enter the NFL draft with more draft picks than most teams. However, this year they only have five picks and they need to make the most of them. It is hard to know exactly who will be there when the Ravens draft 22nd in the 2023 NFL draft.
However, there is a good chance that one of these five players will be on the board, and if so, they may be heading to the Ravens.
5. Quentin Johnston is most mocked to Baltimore Ravens
When you read mock drafts these days, the name that your hear next to the Ravens more than any other is Quentin Johnston. This does make a lot of sense. First, he could be regarded as the top wideout in the draft, but this is not an elite wide receiver group. So, one of the top two guys could certainly still be on the board here.
Beyond that, there is the obvious need. The Ravens have not had real size like Johnston on the outside in a while. He is a contrast from Hollywood Brown style wise. While he is not the best route runner, he is actually great with the ball in his hands, and the quick passing game could show his best traits in action.
This is almost to the point where it is being mocked to the Ravens so much that it probably will not happen. Still, it is hard to move away from how many signs point to Quentin Johnston being right there for the Ravens in round one.
4. Would Baltimore Ravens draft Kelee Ringo?
This would be one of their riskier decisions, but it has to be considered. Last year at this time Ringo was one of the highest-rated non-draft-eligible players in college football. He had a fine season but started to see struggles in the last few games, especially against Marvin Harrison. So, that crumbled his stock.
Still, this is a third-year player who will barely be 21 when the season is underway. He also is an athlete who ran in the 4.3s. Ringo was one of the top secondary members of the back-to-back national championship defense so he definitely comes in with an understanding of complex NFL defenses, and also the culture needed to win.
He is still raw, and at times he relies on his athletic traits too much. You saw that when the athletic traits evened out, he was not as good. Still, the upside for him to be a lot better four years from now is much higher than almost anyone else at this point of the 2023 NFL draft. Do not be surprised if some see it as a reach, but the Baltimore Ravens take the top player on their board with Kelee Ringo from Georgia.
3. Is Deonte Banks a great fit for Baltimore Ravens
Most Baltimore Ravens will be rooting for Deonte Banks to be the pick. It helps that he played at Maryland, so he already has some local backing. Beyond that, on tape, he was better a player than RIngo. You could argue about upside, but Banks was running in the 4.3s as well, so Banks is just physically gifted.
The big difference is that he may be a bit more fluid in his hips for those comebacks and curls routes. Ringo was stiff and late to diagnose, while Banks was often in the back pocket of the receiver.
This also could be what leads to Banks being gone, and them having to debate about Ringo. That is the main thing stopping this pick from happening. The size, length, and physical upside are there, and he plays the game with a chip on his shoulder that makes him an AFC North stud.
If Deonte Banks is there at pick 22, he is going to be under heavy consideration.
2. Baltimore Ravens may draft Jordan Addison
It is not quite the same as playing for the Terps, but with Jordan Addison being from Frederick, Maryland, he can get the same hometown love if he does end up back in Maryland. The reality is that just like Banks it is about more than a homecoming, it is about how much of a fit that is.
The Baltimore Ravens need wide receiver help, I am not blowing anyone away by claiming that. Jordan Addison was the best wide receiver in college football in 2021. He transferred to USC and dealt with some injuries, and changes to the offense, so he did not improve on those numbers.
Still, he held things down and proved that while he may not have been a top-ten lock, he is a great option for the Baltimore Ravens at pick-22. Addison is a bit on the smaller size, but you would not know it the way he fights for the football and goes up to get it
He gets Devonta Smith comparisons because of his start-stop, and then his ability to hang in the air and track down balls, despite being taller and thinner. The Ravens would love a Devonta Smith-level prospect right now, even if he is technically best as a second option to A.J. Brown. Addison is not an elite one, but is a huge upgrade, and maybe the best wide receiver in the class.
1. Is Zay Flowers the next Baltimore Ravens wide receiver?
There is a real debate between Zay Flowers and Jordan Addison and which one would be the best fit. Addison is taller, but Flowers is thicker. Both of them produced, although Addison was better in 2021, Flowers was better in 2022. They also both would fill the same role as the Z wideout who moves in and out of the slot but can attack all three levels of the field.
If anything, there is a better chance that Zay Flowers is still on the board at pick 22. He does not have the Biletnikoff award behind him to bump up his stock. Still, he is continually wowing coaches, and scouts, and went from a surefire second-round pick to a fringe first-rounder.
As Flowers is rising to the top 20, Addison fell from the top 10 closer to the top 20. It makes them both right in the range, and it is fair to think Baltimore will draft one of the other. For tiebreaker purposes, we have Flowers one because his draft stock is currently lower.