Below is my review of tight end prospects who the Ravens could consider selecting in the 2022 draft. Players are listed in the round order in which I think the Ravens should consider them.
Previous position and other analyses can be found at these posts:
Offensive lineman prospects are located here.
Inside linebacker prospects are located here.
Defensive line prospects are located here.
Edge defender prospects are located here.
Defensive secondary prospects are located here.
And, for the Round One analysis, look here.
Tight End Prospects
The Ravens need a third tight end who can be a threat down the field and complement Mark Andrews. Given their other needs, it’s unrealistic to expect them to spend draft capital before the fourth round. Therefore, the focus below is on mid-tier tight end candidates who might be on the board at that point. This is a tight end class that is thin all the way around. Other than Trey McBride, I think there’s a reasonable chance the players listed here will be available from the third round down. So I’ve included those players here, even though I expect the Ravens won’t expend draft capital on the position until Round four.
Jelani Woods
Jelani Woods is 6’7, 259 lbs. from Virginia. Woods is a very tall tight end with very long arms (34+”) who should make an excellent red zone target and much more. He is a converted quarterback who was buried for three years at Oklahoma State. Woods is an excellent athlete, brings a huge frame, and has very good speed (ran a 4.61, second fastest at the Combine among tight-ends). He is fairly explosive out of the box.
Woods has the talent to press vertically, which he showed to great effect at Virginia as he displayed serious ability to separate down field. His feet are very quick, and he should be able to utilize that to great advantage in the NFL in getting releases, particularly combined with his size. Perhaps his one athletic drawback is his lack of great hip fluidity, which should compromise his ability to move laterally. Woods can bring a solid stutter step at the top of his routes. With his athletic gifts, Woods should be a natural threat in the seam and could do a lot of damage against zone coverages.
Woods has been a solid receiver in traffic, and he is physical enough to break tackles. He can use his body to great effect in a box-out mode. He brings a very wide catch radius. Given his long frame, he needs to fill out his body a bit more to become stronger at the point of attack, particularly in run blocking where he is already aggressive in controlling defenders. His hands have not been the best, as his drop rate in college was a bit to high (he dropped five on 71 targets last year). Woods’ route running needs refinement, and his go to move right now is a one-cut and go over the middle, but he reads coverages very well.
Woods keeps his feet moving on blocks, though he could play with better bend. In his first three years, Oklahoma State used Woods primarily as a blocking tight end where he showed great competitiveness and was able to lock people out. He has excellent upper body strength. He has been a better blocker on the move than in-line, which is no surprise given his long frame. With NFL coaching, his timing and hand placement when blocking should become more formidable. Note that Woods played almost exclusively in-line at Virginia, so there is a world of opportunity using him in the slot where he would get easier release points.
Woods’ is not the complete package at the moment; he must improve his route running and his hands. But with further refinement in his separation techniques Woods has exciting receiving upside. Woods is the type of tight end prospect who brings almost everything the Ravens look for and he is likely the first tight end on their board. There’s a lot to like here and the Ravens could likely get the upside out of Woods, which is quite high indeed. This is a player who I fear could go higher than the Ravens are willing to go, given their other needs. Round 3.
Isaiah Likely
Isaiah Likely is 6’4, 245 lbs. from Coastal Carolina. Likely lacks the prototypical tight end size and does not offer enough as an in-line blocker in the running game (though he is reasonably good in space), so that immediately limits his attractiveness to the Ravens. As a receiver he offers good downfield play with a solid second gear and is a vertical threat. His route running is fairly advanced, and he gets to the outside very well. He generally relies more on his play strength in order to gain separation.
Likely has enough speed to beat linebackers and the ability to threaten the entire field. Likely has good suddenness coming out of his breaks. He shows excellent hands with only one drop last year on 77 targets. He has good ability to grab the ball outside of his body, and he has the ability to get you YAC. Likely is somewhat of a tweener physically and definitely needs to add more body mass to hold up as an in-line tight end for the Ravens – if he can. But as a pure receiving tight end Likely offers a well rounded game and should make an immediate impact if given the opportunity. Round 4.
Greg Dulcich
Greg Dulcich is 6’4, 243 lbs. from UCLA. Dulcich is an excellent athlete and is explosive off of the line. He is another tight end who does not offer much (in fact, very little) by way of in-line run blocking, but he really knows how to get open and he has the speed to take it to the house. He offers less in blocking skills than Isaiah Likely. Dulcich is very good in the middle of the field on crossing routes and knows how to attack holes in zone coverage.
Dulcich has a good catch radius but at this point lacks the body control to consistently make catch adjustments. He has not been elite on contested catches. In all, Dulcich should at this point be seen only as a receiving tight end best lined up in the slot. He is a fairly natural receiver with the ability to threaten the entire field. Dulcich could stand to add more body musculature. For the Ravens, they traditionally expect some level of adequacy in run game blocking, which Dulcich will not provide. If the Ravens can overcome this deficiency and accept a pure receiver, Dulcich will fit that bill. Round 3-4.
Jeremy Ruckert
Jeremy Ruckert is 6’5, 252 lbs. from Ohio State – Ruckert was not tasked at Ohio State with being a volume target. Because of that, Ruckert has the potential to be a better pro than a college player. He has shown the ability to easily catch balls outside of his frame. Ruckert has a nice first step but is not a big burner. He is nuanced in his route running and brings excellent hands with a demonstrated ability to catch the ball in tight windows. There is upside in his pass receiving game, but Ruckert is not the down-field threat, and will not generate the separation, that Likely and Dulcich present. He will help in the underneath game and can run people over after the catch, but he’s not going to “bring it” with athleticism in the passing game. He has decent speed but is nothing special in that department.
Ruckert is best regarded in the run game, where he is not a mauler, but he is very willing, he’s already a strong blocker particularly when moving. There is upside in his blocking repertoire. He is arguably the best blocking tight end in this draft, and has the frame to be even more effective in-line. But the Ravens presumably aren’t looking for another in-line people pounder in the run game. If they are looking for a down-field threat, then Ruckert is not their man. Round 3-4.
Daniel Bellinger
David Bellinger is 6’4, 253 lbs. from San Diego State. Bellinger is a very solid blocker who maintains his balance and does a very good job sealing the edge, though he is not a mauler. He has very good hands and ball tracking skills and is good at attacking the seam. Because San Diego State was heavily run oriented, Bellinger was not tasked to do much in the receiving game over his career, and in his best season he logged only 31 catches and 357 receiving yards. He was not pushed to run vertical routes. But he has the straight-line speed to do it (ran a 4.63 forty).
Bellinger presents a good red-zone target who will high-point the ball and should do well with contested catches. He struggles though in setting up his moves, and he is not elusive after the catch. Bellinger is a solid athlete for the position. For the Ravens, Bellinger would not bring a second vertical threat to the position but offers the ability to be a dependable zone and under-man receiving threat while growing into a very strong NFL in-line blocker. Round 4.
Cade Otton
Cade Otton is 6’5, 247 lbs. from Washington. In many ways Otton is the opposite of Likely and Dulcich. He has been a run-blocker first, where he is physical and versatile enough to block in any scheme. As a receiver, he will not likely threaten downfield like those guys, but he is well suited underneath against both man and zone coverages. Otton does not bring speed or much burst to the equation and will not generate all that much after the catch, but he has good hands. In all, Otton is much more Nick Boyle than anything else. As a result, Otton doesn’t fit the immediate need the Ravens have at tight end and I would be surprised if he’s on their board given this need. Round 4.
Chig Okonkwo
Chig Okonkwo is 6’2, 238 lbs. from Maryland. Okonkwo ran the fastest forty for a tight end at the Combine (4.52). He is athletic, built like a rock and is explosive out of the blocks. Okonkwo does not have ideal size (a bit short). He certainly has all of the physical tools to become an imposing receiving tight end as he refines his route running. Okonkwo will threaten the field at all depths as well as the middle of the field. He has not shown the most consistent hands, however. Okonkwo should be a major YAC contributor and is a big play threat.
Okonkwo’s size might be an impediment preventing him from becoming a serious in-line blocker, but he has the body to generate more power than he has. But add in his short arms and he might well always have trouble locking on to and sustaining blocks. In that sense, he is better on the move. And his ability to pass protect will be suspect.
I see Okonkwo as one-dimensional from the Ravens perspective. But that one dimension as an all-fields receiving tight end offers the type of complement to Mark Andrews that the Ravens have been lacking at the tight end position since they moved on from Hayden Hurst. He could even offer them something that has been totally lacking – a screen game to the tight end. Okonkwo suffered from myocarditis in 2020 so the medicals have to be satisfactory. The Ravens should be interested in him. Round 4.
James Mitchell
James Mitchell is 6’4, 249 lbs. from Virginia Tech. The issues with Mitchell are twofold. First, he is coming off a torn ACL and missed the last 11 games of the 2021 season. Second, he may be best suited for an H-back role and not as an in-line tight end. Now for the good – Mitchell has great hands and ball skills. He has easy acceleration, moves like a wideout, and has a knack for attacking defenders at the leverage point. Mitchell has excellent body control and makes a good deal of plays after the catch. He brings excellent versatility and can be lined up in the slot. His route tree is still underdeveloped.
Mitchell’s skillset is probably best optimized in a spread offense (not a mainstay for the Ravens). He must add mass, power, and technique to be effective as an in-line blocker as he’s better suited at this point in a zone blocking scheme. As a receiving tight end, Mitchell has very good upside with the ability to threaten the entire field if he reaches his potential. He should become a player who piles up a good deal of YAC. For the Ravens, Mitchell should be seen as what he is – someone who brings a bunch to the receiving game but a net liability in run blocking. He would be an upgrade in my mind over Josh Oliver. Round 4-5.
Jake Ferguson
Jake Ferguson is 6’5, 250 lbs. from Wisconsin. Ferguson is not the mis-match tight end that everyone is looking for. But he brings very good ball skills with a demonstrated ability to make the tough catches in traffic. He proved to be a crisp route runner, but he is not dynamic. His short to medium range route tree is well developed. He is reliable and consistent and adjusts very well to the ball. Ferguson has handled a wide array of responsibilities with shifts, positioning in the backfield, hand in the dirt, etc. He is neither the swiftest nor the slowest (ran a 4.73 on his pro day), and offers enough speed to threaten the seam.
In the run game Ferguson lacks the power to be a superior in-line blocker and will have problems with defensive ends, at this point. Ferguson is a solid receiver. But given his sub-grade blocking skills (unless he can be coached up to push the edge) Ferguson is not the ideal candidate for the Ravens to the extent they are looking for a polished vertical threat. Is he a better player than Josh Oliver? His hands are certainly better. Round 5.
Cole Turner
Cole Turner is 6’6, 249 lbs. from Nevada. Turner is a very good jump ball target where he uses his height to good advantage. He has good hands and is good working in the seams. But Turner is an inconsistent finisher on the hard catches. He lacks the ability and burst to consistently separate. He has a lean body and has not proven to be a good blocker, lacking the necessary strength to move defenders. Turner is not a polished route runner. Pass. Round 6.
Austin Allen
Austin Allen is 6’8, 253 lbs. from Nebraska. The very long-framed Allen brings a wide catch radius and strong hands and should be an excellent red zone target. He is a bit of a plodder in his route running and is not likely to be able to consistently beat man coverage. I see him more of a jump ball, contested catch receiver. Whether Allen can develop into an adequate in-line blocker is questionable. He has a narrow blocking base and he’s had a difficult time sustaining through contact. His pad level doesn’t help. Allen is a marginal all-around prospect, and I don’t think he offers the Ravens much upside. Round 7.
Charlie Kolar, 6’6, 252 lbs, Iowa State – Pass.
