It’s full-blown mock draft season and when it comes to the Ravens, there’s one clear direction.
Offensive tackle has been the default after the Ravens traded right tackle Morgan Moses and made it clear that left tackle Ronnie Stanley is going into a prove-it year.
A whopping eight offensive tackles are expected to be picked in the first round and all of them could be off the board by the time the Ravens are on the clock.
So what do the Ravens do if that happens? Let’s go down the rabbit hole, all in 50 words or less:
Let’s start with this. Georgia’s Amarius Mims and Oklahoma’s Tyler Guyton are the two offensive tackles to watch. Both huge and talented, they each come with red flags when it comes to experience. However, if either is on the board at No. 30, it feels like a slam-dunk pick.
Another couple offensive linemen in Baltimore’s range are Duke’s Graham Barton and Arizona’s Jordan Morgan, but media scouts believe Barton’s best position may be at center and Morgan’s may be at guard. Do the Ravens see it the same way? Would they place even more value on versatility?
The other question is how high the Ravens value the next tier of offensive tackles, players such as BYU’s Kingsley Suamataia, Houston’s Patrick Paul, and Washington’s Roger Rosengarten. Would any be worthy of No. 30? If the Ravens traded back and got one, would they be ready to start immediately?
If Mims or Guyton aren’t available when they’re on the clock at No. 30, my guess is they will be staring at some combination of cornerbacks Nate Wiggins, Cooper DeJean, and Kool-Aid McKinstry, edges Darius Robinson and Chop Robinson, and the Tier-2 wide receivers (Adonai Mitchell, Ladd McConkey, Keon Coleman, etc.).
Of those players, the one that screams Raven most might be Robinson, the big, physical defensive end/outside linebacker from Missouri. But if he were the first pick and a tackle were the second, that means cornerback and wide receiver wait till the third? That feels too late.
My guess is if one of those top tackles aren’t available, the Ravens will hope for an opportunity to trade back from No. 30. Sure, keeping the fifth-year option is valuable, but not more valuable than the addition of another possible third-round pick. Quarterback-hungry teams may eye pick No. 30.
It’s hard to rank the order of needs between cornerback, edge rusher, and wide receiver. They’re all similar. The Ravens have their 2024 starters set at all three but need more immediate depth and potential 2025 starting successors. If it’s me, I probably rank it at cornerback, wide receiver, edge.
If the Ravens don’t take an offensive tackle first, it makes grabbing one on Day 2 paramount. Baltimore drafted Orlando Brown Jr. in the third round in 2018 and he took over as the starting right tackle midway into his rookie season. That would be the aim, but it’s rare.
Baltimore’s track record with second-round picks has not been strong over the last decade-plus. Injuries are one major reason, as is a lack of selections. The Ravens need to change that this year. With so many critical needs, that player will need to be a starter sooner rather than later.