Here’s where I try to stitch all of the prior draft blogs together from the Ravens perspective and create my Ravens Big Board. This year, I’ve broken the Big Board into two blogs. This Part one of the Big Board construction focuses only on round one of the draft. Part two contains the entire Big Board for the Ravens, by round and player, with my favorite selections for the Ravens given their needs.
Individual prospect analyses can be found as follows:
Offense:
Left tackle is here.
Running Backs are found here.
Wide Receivers are here.
Interior Offensive Linemen are here.
Defense:
Cornerbacks are found here.
Defensive Linemen are here.
Edge Linebackers are located here.
Safeties are located here.
A Brief Background
First, a few minor background comments. On the offensive side of things, I did not review tight ends or centers at all, as I just can’t see the Ravens spending any of their precious draft capital this year on these areas of strength.
At the quarterback slot, I looked at Richardson and Levis as potential first round selections in case the Lamar Jackson circus shakes out that way. As readers know, Richardson is my easy favorite, and I believe the Ravens feel the same way. They had two meetings with Richardson, one at the Combine and a second private meeting. They’ve done their homework on Richardson. I saw no reported evidence that they met with Levis.
As of now, time has not permitted an analysis of mid and late round quarterback prospects. I’ll see if I can sneak it in.
On the defensive side, I convinced myself that the Ravens aren’t moving Patrick Queen. I guess we will see on draft days one and two whether that’s right. But because of that assumption, I don’t see the Ravens spending draft capital at the inside linebacker position. Undrafted free agents, sure. But not 2023 limited draft capital. If I’m wrong, I’ve let you down, so I apologize in advance.
Ravens Draft Priorities at the Top of the Board
This year the very top need, in the end, is obvious. I address that below. But that doesn’t mean the Ravens will go in that direction with their first selection. The Ravens have done work on a lot of players who could be pick 22 considerations – at least ten such players by my count. And it’s relatively clear from the list of players who I know they have met with (and there may be others who I couldn’t track down), that the Ravens have a very heavy focus on both cornerbacks and wide receivers.
Edge Linebackers
But we also can’t ignore the fact, in my view, that edge linebacker is the deepest position at the top of this year’s draft. Yet, I could only identify five edge linebackers that the Ravens met with:
Nolan Smith, Georgia
Myles Murphy, Clemson
Keion White, Georgia Tech
Byron Young, Tennessee
Yaya Diaby, Louisville
Of this group, only Smith, Murphy, and White are potential first round selections.
Prospects Likely on the Ravens Round One Board
Who else have the Ravens met with who I believe they would consider worthy of the number 22 pick? Here’s my complete list of who I think is on their first round board at pick 22 (other more highly regarded players are undoubtedly also on the list):
Jordan Addison, wide receiver
Zay Flowers, wide receiver
Emmanuel Forbes, cornerback
Quentin Johnston, wide receiver
Myles Murphy, defensive end/edge
Joey Porter, cornerback
Anthony Richardson, quarterback
Nolan Smith, edge
Jaxon Smith-Njigba, wide receiver
Deonte Banks, cornerback
Keion White, defensive end/edge
My personal list of who I think are first round worthy at pick 22 is different. I’ll get to that below.
Who The Ravens Met With, and What That Reveals
Teams are allowed various types of meetings with players. There’s a “top 30” visit list, where the team can bring the prospect into its home facility for meetings. Then teams can have player meetings at the NFL Combine, on a player’s pro day, and at private workouts.
Cornerbacks
Here are the cornerback and wide receiver visits and meetings I could identify for the Ravens.
Cornerbacks, Top 30 visit:
Emmanuel Forbes
Anthony Johnson
Cam Smith
Tyrique Stevenson
Cory Trice
Corey Mayfield
Cornerbacks, Other Meetings
Julius Brents
Joey Porter, Jr.
Deonte Banks
Steven Jones
Jeremy Lucien
Kelee Ringo
Thus, the Ravens met with all of the top cornerback prospects other than Christian Gonzalez and Devon Witherspoon (each of whom will never be available at pick 22 under any scenario).
Wide Receiver
Then there’s the wide receiver visit list.
Wide receiver, Top 30 visit:
Jordan Addison
David Durden (Western Carolina)
Zay Flowers
Quentin Johnston
Jonathan Mingo
Jaxon Smith-Njigba
Wide Receiver, Other Meetings
E.J. Jenkins (Georgia Tech)
Ed Lee (Rhode Island)
Rashee Rice
Jadon Haselwood (Arkansas)
Elijah Harper (Adams State)
Thus, the Ravens met with each of the alleged first round wide receiver prospects (other than Jalin Hyatt, who I don’t think is a first round talent).
The challenge for the Ravens at the wide receiver position is this. If they don’t opt to address the need in the first round, and unless they somehow acquire a pick in the second round, likely none of the top receiver prospects will be available to them towards the bottom of the third round. Flowers, Johnston, Smith-Njigba, and Addison will almost certainly be gone, and so might Mingo and Tank Dell. Now if Lamar Jackson signs a multi-year deal, the Ravens could solve the wide receiver issue by trading for DeAndre Hopkins. But I’m not going down that road in this blog. Look here for that consideration.
Cornerback versus Wide Receiver
The Ravens recognize the obvious. They see their top two needs as being cornerback and wide receiver. Here’s where getting your draft board order correct is so important. How you stack that is critical to avoid picking a guy from one position who just isn’t as good at what he does versus another player at another position who is better at what he does.
Rating the Top Cornerbacks Versus the Top Wide Receivers – Which Need is Greater?
When I stack a draft board between two positions of need, it’s all a matter of weighting. What do I mean? Let’s say that between these positions of need I believe my need at cornerback is slightly higher. Let’s look more precisely at the Ravens needs as between cornerback and wide receiver.
I argue that at cornerback the Ravens actually need a true number one who (i) is capable of playing press coverage against the top receivers, (ii) can carry receivers all the way down the field, (iii) can be left on an island, (iv) will compete in run support, and (v) is quick read and reactive in zone coverages. In a perfect world, Marlon Humphrey is you’re number two man on the outside.
At wide receiver, a true number one (i) offers a full route tree, (ii) can play on the outside, (iii) has excellent hands, (iv) has the ability to generate yards after the catch, (v) demonstrates a willingness to go over the middle, and, (vi) can take it to the house (notice I’m leaving blocking off the list). Do the Ravens view Rashod Bateman as that man? Now the Ravens might not be convinced of the answer here, if only because Bateman has played so little. If you believe he’s that guy, then your wide receiver need in 2023 is not as great as cornerback.
We can’t quite end the cornerback versus wide receiver debate there. We have to consider how the Ravens intend to use Odell Beckham and, if at all, Devin Duvernay. For these purposes, Nelson Agholor is an afterthought.
For one, perhaps the Ravens view Odell as their true number one receiver. Then the conversation ends. But if they don’t, and if the Ravens see Odell primarily on the outside, then the question is, would they draft a first round prospect who is primarily a slot receiver? If they do, will they run many more three receiver sets to warrant selecting a slot receiver so early in the draft? If the Ravens select a wide receiver early, that should tell us a great deal about how Todd Monken intends to change the offense.
The Greatest Need is Cornerback
For me, I think the odds of the Ravens prioritizing drafting a true number one receiver in this draft are lower than a number one cornerback. The Ravens have some talent in the roster barn who could be a number one receiver this year. They don’t have that at the cornerback position.
As a result, I weight the need at cornerback higher than the need at wide receiver.
Stacking the Round One Big Board, First Cut
I maintain that only the following six players could actually be worthy of selection at pick 22:
Deonte Banks, cornerback
Zay Flowers, wide receiver
Anthony Richardson, quarterback
Nolan Smith, edge
Lukas Van Ness, edge
Myles Murphy, edge
This assumes that each of Christian Gonzalez, Devon Witherspoon, Tyree Wilson, and Jalen Carter are long gone. And to be clear, there’s no way I’m drafting any running back at pick 22. I’m not putting Emmanuel Forbes on this list either. The guy is just absolutely rail thin (there’s nothing beneath the hips) and he will not be able to defend the run or take on NFL blocks.
Notice who’s not on my list. For one, Joey Porter, Jr. who I think is over-rated and arguably more limited than others believe. Ravens fans, it has nothing to do with his father! Then there’s the group of wide receivers other than Flowers who so many draft gurus maintain are first round worthy. I just don’t see it that way. That doesn’t mean they won’t get selected in the first, if only because this year’s round one worthy crop is thin. But the talent levels of the receivers I excluded from my list just don’t warrant a selection at pick 22.
Moreover, Smith-Njigba and Addison are best suited for the slot, in my view. We could argue about Flowers, with the easy answer being that he would best thrive in the slot as well. Only Quentin Johnston is a clear outside guy, and he has too much boom or bust about him to warrant the pick.
I have only one wide receiver (Flowers) and one cornerback (Banks) on my Big Board for round one. To me, the cornerback need is greater. I also rate Banks as a better player than Flowers.
This leaves my first round order preference, with the Ravens need incorporated, as follows (setting aside Anthony Richardson for the moment):
- Deonte Banks
- Zay Flowers
- Lukas Van Ness
- Nolan Smith
- Myles Murphy
Stacking the Round One Big Board, Second Cut
There is one other consideration in stacking this group of five. Let’s accept that cornerback is the number one need. Arguably, edge is no more than a number three need. But if you believe that Van Ness is a significantly better prospect at edge than Banks is at corner, should you elevate Van Ness?
My answer is no, even though I really like Van Ness. Given the Ravens need, it’s Banks over Van Ness. But let’s consider what Eric DeCosta did in last year’s draft. Then, he chose to draft a player (Kyle Hamilton) with his initial first round choice at a position where the Ravens had no need. Clearly, DeCosta rated Hamilton much higher than anyone else on his board at that time and Hamilton fell to him. DeCosta’s behavior should guide us a bit further. If for some reason Van Ness fell to pick 22 (maybe a 5-10% chance), and if DeCosta has him a lot higher than Banks or Flowers, I would expect DeCosta to grab him, cornerback need be damned.
Stacking the Round One Big Board, Anthony Richardson Scenario
Then there’s the Anthony Richardson situation. As I’ve written I much prefer him over Will Levis, especially for the Ravens. Now there are various Lamar scenarios for draft day, which I’ll skip here. The only issue I’ll raise for now is, what happens if Richardson slides down the board near or at pick 22? Should the Ravens grab him, cornerback/wide receiver needs notwithstanding?
Now the quick default answer might be “no.” But this is not as easy a question as may appear on first blush. Because if Richardson falls, that means the Colts passed on him. And unless the Colts passed on him because C. J. Stroud fell to them, then that means the Colts didn’t draft a quarterback at pick number four. At that point, the Ravens could not be certain that the Colts weren’t intending to sign Lamar – to a term sheet the Ravens could not match – after the draft.
How do you game this out? Must the Ravens, in that scenario, grab Richardson, other needs be damned? Because if they do, and the Colts don’t go for Jackson, the Ravens are in a heck of a mess. And if they don’t, and the Colts then offer Lamar, the Ravens are in a heck of a mess. But if the Colts don’t draft a quarterback and Richardson is well gone by pick 22, it’s really not an issue. The Ravens would be out of Super Bowl contention in 2023 if the Colts and Jackson subsequently reach a deal. In that scenario, at least the Ravens would have selected (hopefully) one of the other top five players.
Stacking the Round One Board If Banks is Gone
This last scenario is where trade back wishes come into play. If Banks is gone but Flowers is still there, I suspect the Ravens will take Flowers. But here’s my order of priority if Banks is gone:
- Lukas Van Ness (easy call for me)
- Nolan Smith (tougher call, to be sure)
- Zay Flowers
- Myles Murphy
If Banks and everyone other than Murphy is gone, the Ravens should work the phones as hard as they can to trade back.
Other Top 30 Visits and Meetings
Before I end this Big Board Part One blog, here’s a list of other players the Ravens met with (there may be others), many of whose names will figure prominently on the complete Big Board Part Two blog:
Inside Linebacker:
Amari Burney, Florida (top 30)
Ventrell Miller, Florida
Defensive Line:
Gervon Dexter, Florida
Felix Anudike-Uzomah, Kansas State
Joshua Pryor, Bowie State
Adetomiwa Adebawore (the Ravens asked him to do outside linebacker drills)
Offensive Tackle:
Jaelyn Duncan, Maryland (top 30)
Darnell Wright, Tennessee
Running Back:
DeWayne McBride, UAB (top 30)
Owen Wright, Monmouth
Israel Abanikandi, Pittsburgh
Ronnie Brown, Shepherd
Interior Offensive Line:
Chandler Zavala, N.C. State (top 30)
O’Cyrus Torrence
Joey Fisher, Shepard
Braeden Daniels, Utah
Quarterback:
Sean Clifford, Penn State
