It’s finally time to kick-off my annual positional reports for the upcoming NFL draft. Readers may recall that this analysis, and the ones to follow, is solely from the Ravens’ perspective. This is not a “mock draft” for the entire league. Rather, I focus only on the Ravens’ needs, prospects who might fill those needs, who the Ravens should draft and where in the draft order, and a variety of other Raven-centric thoughts.
I hope to post a series of position-focused blog posts. This year, I will not review quarterback, center, or tight end prospects. There is no plausible scenario where the Ravens would invest draft capital in the three positions that are cemented on the roster. Could they seek out a blocking tight end? Yes, but I expect that will happen from among the undrafted.
My currently intended order for positional postings is as follows:
- Offensive tackle
- Guard
- Edge linebacker
- Cornerback
- Wide receiver
- Running back
- Safety
- Defensive line
- Inside linebacker
I’m not sure time will allow me to get to the bottom of this list, but we’ll see. Now, it’s time to jump in on the offensive tackles.
Offensive Tackle
Offensive tackle is obviously a huge positional need for the Ravens. Right tackle is really the focus this year, with the departure of Morgan Moses and no obvious replacement on the team. At this juncture I don’t see Daniel Faalele as a competent starter in the NFL. It’s hard to imagine him holding up in pass protection against the elite rushers in the AFC north. Faalele just can’t consistently kickout and set that base to protect against outside speed. And it’s hard to imagine a team with Super Bowl aspirations starting off with Faalele as their mainstay. Perhaps the Ravens disagree, but we’ll know for sure on draft day.
This year’s class is first-round deep at the tackle position. Quality runs roughly eight to nine players deep overall. It’s relatively safe to say that, if the Ravens wind up drafting no higher than 30th in the first round, the consensus elite tackles (both of whom are left tackles) – Joe Alt and Olumuyiwa Fashanu – won’t be on the board. They are both likely top ten picks, and I won’t spend review time on them.
Beyond those two, there are arguably four more tackles who could slot into the first round, so let’s take a hard look at those and other prospects.
J.C. Latham
Latham is 21 years old, 6’6 342 lbs. from Alabama. He is a pure right tackle, with 27 starts over the last two years. Latham is a massive man with very long arms and huge, powerful hands. He’s a dominant, powerful, bulldozer player in the run game, and there’s a case that he’s the best right tackle run blocker in the draft. When he gets those paws on you in the run game, you’re in trouble. But he could stand to improve his ability to sustain blocks, as his technique sometimes causes him to lose his power base.
Latham is not a completely clean prospect at this point in his development. There are some pass blocking issues. He’s had occasional trouble with bull rushers and needs more work on his hand placement. Arguably his biggest flaw is getting caught lunging. This makes him susceptible to speed off the edge on occasion, and exposes him to good counter moves. But he has quick feet and the ability to get good depth setting up. His powerful hands allow him to control rushers; including speed rushers once he latches on. He brings a top-level punch. There’s plenty to like about his pass protection game, though there’s a bit more work to be done.
Latham has lacked the live-game top level mental discipline you look for, with too many false starts. And holding penalties have been too prominent.
Overall, I see Latham as a top tier right tackle talent who is still young enough to improve his game. With better balance against NFL counters, he has the potential to be dominant. He’s an excellent prospect for what the Ravens need – a powerful run blocker with the upside of providing a pass protection wall. Round 1. Ravens: Yes.
Amarius Mims
Mims is 21.5 years old, 6’7 and 340 pounds from Georgia. As fans of the draft know, Mims is a very inexperienced player, with only eight total starts (and not even 1000 snaps) to his name over three seasons. Six of those starts came last year when he missed six other games due to a high left ankle sprain. Like Latham, Mims is a very big man with tremendously long arms and gigantic hands, a fantastic combination. He showed off his elite athleticism by running a 5.07 forty while broad jumping 9’3”; these are simply amazing abilities for a man as monstrous as Mims.
Let’s start with the obvious. With only eight starts, the one thing Mims is not is a finished product. But his physical ability is impressive. Mims is very powerful, and is a natural mover with excellent quickness and foot speed. He plays in space far better than one would expect. It’s hard to appreciate how easily he moves for such a giant man; this is a very unique trait.
Mims has a wide base to his sets, which makes it very difficult for edge rushers to get around him. He is naturally loose in his upper body. Bull rushers with a big punch are left standing in their shoes as Mims is able to absorb the blow without surrendering ground. His long arms make it very difficult for rushers to get to his chest. Mims’ pass blocking skills unsurprisingly need technical refinement. He shows some susceptibility at this early stage to inside counter moves. But his excellent lateral agility allows him to easily mirror, and I expect him to complete the package here.
Mims is more developed as a pass blocker than as a road grader, if only because of his natural gifts. Arguably, a bit opposite of J.C. Latham. He needs to improve his leverage as a run blocker, as he sometimes plays too high and can lose blocks to well-leveraged defenders. Technique work should improve him. His hands need work too, as when he fails to latch on, he can find himself lunging and ineffective. But he brings a lot of mobility, which should be very effective in zone blocking schemes. There is a lot of power to his game. And he was penalty-free in college.
Mims is a freakish-player who is likely barely scratching the surface for what he can become; which is a Pro-Bowl caliber right tackle. And the potential is there for him to wind up on the left side.
Mims clearly needs time to fully develop, especially in the run game. For that reason alone, one could argue that he is not the best fit in this class for a Super-Bowl contending Ravens team that needs a day-one, ready-to-go, starting right tackle. On the other hand, Mims should more than hold his own initially as a pass protector, and the Ravens could rightly feel they can coach him up quickly. And Mims has proven to be a hard worker, if evidenced only by the fact that he shed a lot of fat and added a lot of muscle while at Georgia. He is known to be mature and willing. His upside is tremendous. Round 1. Ravens: Yes.
Taliese Fuaga
Fuaga is 22 years old, 6’5 and 324 pounds from Oregon State. Let’s start with the end first on Fuaga, and work our way backwards. Fuaga is an outstanding run blocker, but I have questions about his pass protection ability at right tackle. As a result, some see him as a player who should naturally shift to guard (he played nary a down at guard in his career), where he could be dominant.
Fuaga brings great power to the point of attack. He will absolutely try to maul you in the run game, and is another player who, if he latches onto you with his powerful grip, is very difficult to shed. Fuaga gets to the second level. He is scheme flexible in the run game, highly effective in both man/gap and in zone concepts.
One of my pass protection concerns on the edge is Fuaga’s very short arms. At just 33.125”, Fuaga will be at a big disadvantage trying to protect the corner. Combined with a lateral range that is no better than average and some evidence of getting off balance because of less than ideal setting, I’m concerned that Fuaga is a bit physically limited as an edge protector. Given these risks, I believe the safer bet for Fuaga is the move to the interior, where these limitations are less meaningful.
I see Fuaga as a bit overrated as a right tackle prospect in the NFL. I don’t grade him as a round one prospect at that position, which puts me out of consensus. But as a guard prospect he grades out right at the top of the board, where he might be round one worthy at the bottom of the round. I don’t see the Ravens spending a first round selection on a guard (though I write this before I have graded out that position) unless that’s all that’s left on their board. And don’t see the value for Fuaga at pick 30 as a right tackle. Round 1-2. Ravens: Pass in round one as a tackle.
Tyler Guyton
Guyton is almost 22 years old, 6’7 and 322 pounds from Oklahoma. Guyton, like Mims, is inexperienced, having started only 14 games at the tackle position (all but one at right tackle). Also like Mims, he’s an intriguing athlete with lots of upside but with a lot of work to do. He has good arm length and hand size and exhibited outstanding physical traits in his testing (his vertical jump and 3-cone tests were terrific). Athletically, he is terrific.
At this point, Guyton wins more often with natural talent than with refined skill. That talent is there to be molded, but it takes time to do the molding. This was evident at the Senior Bowl, where he had some terrific, but also mediocre, moments. His movement skills were on full display there, and he demonstrated that his length can allow him to blunt out quick rushers. Guyton needs improvement to the top of the arc in pass protection, exposing him to slides to the inside.
Guyton has very good feet and is nimble with excellent lateral range. He brings good balance in defending against rushers. In pass protection his punch can land too far outside. His pad level is too frequently high, causing him to lean and exposing him to counters and rips. But Guyton brings good knee bend, which helps me believe he can get that pad level down more consistently. He establishes a very good anchor. Guyton has enough natural fluidity to prevent rushers from getting around the edge. He certainly has the ability to blunt bull rushers, but lacks consistency in that regard.
As a run blocker, Guyton doesn’t always make the most of his natural power. He doesn’t consistently drive and maul as much as I’d like, as he can play too high and thereby compromise his power. The nasty, violent mentality is not part of his game to this point. He is a natural in the open field with the foot speed and quickness to get to the second level. Although he has a good punch and latches on well in the run game, his use of leverage is inconsistent and is an area where he clearly needs work. He also needs work with his punch accuracy and potency.
There are reports that Guyton has some maturity issues, which lead to concerns about his work ethic and willingness to attend to all of the technical details necessary to improve his game.
For the Ravens, on balance I see Guyton as more of a risk than Amarius Mims. Both are outstanding athletes (though Mims is in the freakish category). But Mims’ re-crafting of his body versus “maturity” issues for Guyton slide more towards believing that Mims’ odds of reaching his potential are higher than Guyton’s. Is Guyton worth a first round pick, where most people place him? Yes, towards the area where the Ravens are slotted. Should the Ravens take him? He’s not a lock player, in my view, and it all depends on who else is there. But I’d prefer to see Mims slide down the board. Round 1. Ravens: Maybe.
Patrick Paul
Paul is 22.5 years old, 6’7 and 331 pounds from Houston. He is another of the huge offensive tackles in this draft. He was purely a left tackle in college, where he started 44 games. Paul is not the elite prospect that others are in this draft, lacking the feet and agility that others bring to the table. Nor is he the mauling run blocker that you’d like to see at his size.
Paul brings tremendously long arms to the table (at the 100th percentile). Though he showed real improvement last year in his fundamentals – particularly with his balance – he’s still not all the way there. But the fact that he put in the work to improve as much as he did is a good indicator that Paul will find a way to max himself out at the next level. The question is: how high is that max?
Paul doesn’t always use those long arms to full advantage, as they remain too far outside of his body too often. As a result, his ability to punch to his targets is inconsistent. But his hand usage has improved, aiding his ability to re-establish leverage. Paul is still working on getting his pad level down, which is a must correct as, failing that, he will find himself constantly trying to recover against adept NFL defenders.
As a run blocker, he is just average on the move, indicating that his effectiveness on zone blocking assignments is average at best. He is more of a lumberer on the move, and you don’t find him getting to the second level too often. He is compromised as a puller; nothing like Morgan Moses. Paul is more effective in man/gap assignments.
In all, I can’t project Paul to an elite level as an NFL tackle. He’s just not fluid enough, and his athletic shortcomings as such a giant man just have me leaving his name uncalled for the Ravens. Round 3-4. Ravens: Pass.
Kinglsey Suamataia
Suamataia is 21.25 years old, 6’4 and 326 pounds from BYU. Kingsley is another young, athletic tackle prospect who needs work to develop as a complete pass protector. He played both left tackle and right tackle at BYU. Athletically, he has good arm length and wingspan, with excellent hand size, strength, and speed. Suamataia reportedly ran at 21.5 miles per hour, which is almost the definition of freakish for someone his size. Kingsley is a tough kid who brings excellent power to the point of attack.
Pass protection is the part of his game that needs the most work. His hands are under-developed (though his punch is strong), his placement technique is inconsistent, and he is slow to recognize. As a result, defenders can get into his chest. Kingsley can thus be exposed to counters, as he can find himself lunging and grabbing, which is a surefire way to losing the play. Kingsley lacks the level of agility you’d like to see to allow him to move laterally in handling edge rushers. He is too frequently upright in his pass protection sets, which becomes problematic, though he has shown an ability to bend. Yet, he anticipates counters and spins well, maintaining a good center of gravity allowing him to reestablish his base.
Kingsley’s run blocking abilities are far more developed to this point. He is explosive and will lead the way on blocks. He brings very good power to the point of attack, though he does not consistently control it. Kingsley needs to maintain his blocks better. He has very good drive, gets to the second level, and excels as a puller. He can get outside on screens, something that was severely lacking last year for the Ravens. Kingsley has more of the mauler mentality than some of the others in this class; he will put you down.
In all, Kingsley has shown both the peaks and valleys to his game. At his best he’s very good, but he clearly has a lot of development ahead of him, particularly in pass protection. He is not a first round prospect, in my view. But he has plenty of talent in need of technique improvement and focus. Round 2. Ravens: Yes.
Roger Rosengarten
Rosengarten is almost 22, 6’5 and 308 pounds from Washington. Rosengarten is a more limited athlete than the top tackles in this draft. As a pass protector, he’s not particularly gifted as a bender and not as fluid as you’d like to see for a starting tackle on the edge. Nor does he bring the mass below the hips to allow him to consistently anchor against power rushers. He finds himself off-balance too often, which is fatal. But he has good, quick feet and agility, allowing him to mirror effectively.
Rosengarten has functional, but not elite, strength. As a run blocker he can be physical, but he is not nasty. He lacks the mauling power you’d like to see to consistently move people back at the point of attack. Rosengarten does, however, bring some good traits to the run game, as he gets outside and to the second level with comparative ease because of his quickness. He’s well suited for zone blocking schemes and should be a good puller in the NFL.
I tend to shy away from offensive tackles who lack the ability to consistently bend. They struggle against top end pass rushers too often, and Rosengarten brings the risk of being just that player.
I don’t see Rosengarten as the answer to the Ravens’ right tackle question. He strikes me as a guard-tackle tweener who might not excel at either. Round 3-4. Ravens: Pass.
Brandon Coleman
Coleman is 23.5 years old (one of the older prospects at the position), 6’4 and 313 pounds out of TCU and brings a good long wingspan. He is another tackle prospect who grades out better as a run blocker than as a pass protector to this point. Coleman played both left tackle and left guard over his career and I could easily see him lined up inside, as he mostly was at the Senior Bowl practices.
Coleman brings a wide body, and in pass protection this showed up a bit too often as a negative, as he can get caught leaning and lunging. Because he can play a bit too high, he gets pushed back into the pocket, which was on display during the practices. But his footwork is solid allowing him to get depth in his sets. He has shown the ability to mirror pass rushers at a reasonably good level. But it’s hard to see him consistently winning on an island no the edge.
Coleman is fairly adept as a run blocker in zone schemes. He brings a reasonably good initial burst out of the blocks and showed the ability to seal off the backside. His hands are powerful and allow him to control defenders once he’s engaged. But his ability to sustain blocks is not elite and I wouldn’t call him a mauler. Coleman flashes talent in a variety of ways, but overall lacks consistency.
I don’t see Coleman as the long term answer to the Ravens question at right tackle; at least not initially as some coaching up is needed in his pass protection techniques. I slot him as a high third rounder who, if the Ravens have not already filled the hole by then, would be reasonably good value. Round 3. Ravens: Yes, but not above this slot.
Kiran Amegadjie
Kiran is 22.25 years old, 6’5 and 323 pounds from Yale. He has 24 career starts, ten at right guard and 14 at left tackle, so positional flexibility is obvious. He missed the last six games of the 2023 season due to a left quad injury, preventing him from working out at the Combine. But Amegadjie is an excellent athlete with a very long wingspan and great size. He’s an intriguing prospect in need of further development.
Amegadjie is very quick on his feet and has a natural ability to mirror pass rushers. He is still working on perfecting his initial hand placement and techniques, and getting into his blocks with the proper footwork. He needs to improve his initial punch, and maximize that God-given length. His hands are sometimes too low and in need of adjustment. But with these technical improvements one can envision him becoming a high level pass protector given his demonstrated ability to keep rushers at arm’s length. And he has natural lateral agility that should allow him to mirror effectively. Amegadjie is a better bender than many of his peers in this class. He struggles at times when he allows his base to get too wide.
On the other hand, Amegadjie has demonstrated solid development as a run blocker, with very good initial explosiveness into his drives. He brings a lot of power at the point of attack, and is the road grader that some of the other prospects are not, bringing power, good leverage and mean physicality. His hands are strong and he latches on and turns defenders. He is well equipped to play any scheme. With his excellent feet he is good in space and on the move in the run game.
I also really like Amegadjie’s ability to recover when he’s beaten. This is a big man who easily flips his hips to push rushers pass the quarterback. He can be a bit too over-aggressive, which can be schooled.
Amegadjie has all of the tools you need to ultimately become a high end left tackle. But there’s a big jump in class, obviously, from the Ivy league to the NFL, and he has a lot of work to do. We were unfortunately not able to see him at the Senior Bowl against higher level competition, which is a shame. I am most concerned about his high pad level, which is why I would’ve liked to have seen reps against better competition. But he’s a prospect with a very high ceiling.
Although Amegadjie’s ultimate future is as a left tackle, from the Ravens perspective I could see them playing him at right tackle in his first year. Among the top-end tackle prospects (and he is sometimes overlooked because he played against weaker competition at Yale) he would not be the instantly ready NFL starter on the right side who the Ravens are likely seeking. For that reason alone they might not be willing to turn in his number. But if they believe he can hold his own in year one, he could be the answer on the left side in year two.
Amegadjie is probably a second rounder in this draft, given his high ceiling. Round, 2 or early 3. Ravens: Yes because the talent is there and he has a very high ceiling.
Blake Fisher
Fisher is barely 21 years old, 6’5 and 310 pounds from Notre Dame. He is an average athlete who currently relies on power to win, but whose power, particularly in his lower base, is not elite. As a young 21 year old, Fisher’s mechanics are inconsistent. He can play too upright, loses leverage too easily, finds himself off balance and therefore can get taken down. He doesn’t sustain blocks as well as he needs to. Although he brings light and quick feet with good lateral quickness, his sometimes poor hand work compromises his natural advantages.
As a run blocker he is not a natural mauler. His comparatively weaker lower mass leads to less leg drive than you’d like to see. Therefore, he doesn’t displace defenders at a top level. But when he is able to latch on with his powerful hands, he is much more dominant. He’s decent in space. Fisher frequently gets to the second level though he is not yet dominant because he is not always in the proper position.
In pass protection Fisher can get beat up the arc as he can struggle with getting his hips open against edge rushers. Although he has a reasonably good anchor, his below average hand work hurts him against bull rushers. His footwork needs refinement, and the timing of his punches is inconsistent. Fisher was frequently the last man moving at the snap, a trait that will cost him dearly in the NFL if he fails improve.
On balance, Fisher may have good upside given his youth and need for technical refinement. But I think there is a boom or bust aspect to his game given the flaws, and don’t rate him nearly as high as others. He’ll likely be drafted higher than I grade him. For the Ravens, I don’t see him as a good fit given his current flaws. He definitely needs to be coached up. Round 4. Ravens: Pass.
Christian Jones
Jones is almost 24 years old, 6’5 and 305 pounds from Texas. As one of the older tackles in the draft he has a lot of experience. Jones has notched 48 college starts, 35 at right tackle. Jones has trouble bending in pass protection, which is always a red flag for a tackle in my view. He’s just too stiff and as a result plays too high. Players who don’t bend well can find themselves off-balance too often, and can struggle with redirecting. Jones therefore more often than not relies on his power against edge rushers.
Jones anchors well in pass protection. Combined with his good length, he wins with a strong set base and the power to blunt out attacks. But when his hands get too wide rushers can get into his pads. And when he’s too upright his base can collapse.
As a run blocker Jones latches on well and is a determined finisher. He has a surprisingly good initial step and drives defenders backwards when he can latch on and sustain his bocks. But the problem here is that high pad level, which impairs his ability to maintain his blocks and compromises his natural power. And he’s not particularly gifted in space.
Jones was inconsistent at the Senior Bowl practices. He was beaten badly once on a bull rush, and the stiffness from his lack of bend was evident on another occasion when he was beaten on an inside swim move. The hype around Jones increased a bit after the Senior Bowl; but to me the questions remained.
I don’t see Jones as an immediate starter in the NFL. For that matter, I’m not sure he’s an eventual starter. Because I see him as more of a depth piece, I don’t think the Ravens can or should invest draft capital in Jones. Round 4-5. Ravens: Pass.
Javon Foster
Foster is 24 years old, 6’5 and 313 pounds from Missouri. He really struggled holding the edge in the Senior Bowl game after being largely unimpressive in the practices. I’m always leery of players who don’t show well at the Senior Bowl, and I’m squarely in that camp with Foster. He largely player left tackle in college (39 starts).
Foster’s flaws will prevent him, in my view, from being a meaningful starter in the NFL. He’s not fluid, particularly in his lower body. Foster is not a great bender. He’s off balance too much as he tries to compensate for poor timing with his hands. His footwork is choppy, which creates all kinds of problems in both run blocking and in pass protect. And he lunges too much. There just wasn’t much to get me excited about Foster at this point. For him to be successful requires a lot of work from here. And he’s already 24. Round 5. Ravens: Pass.
Caedan Wallace
Wallace is 24 years old, 6‘4 and 314 pounds from Penn State. Wallace played exclusively at right tackle in college. He can play too high with the unsurprising result that he can have a wobbly anchor. He tends to overreact against speed rushers, moving to the top of the arc too quickly and exposing himself to counters. Wallace does this because he lacks top end agility. This is a tackle position flaw that tends to steer players towards guard. He has a reasonably good punch. And he seemed to understand how to use his hands to disrupt rushers.
Wallace’s lateral movement is good enough to slide back inside against counter moves; but it is not elite.
Wallace gets off the line well in run sets. He can bring some attitude to his game, and will play through the whistle, a trait I love. But he sometimes has difficulty sustaining his power beyond the point of attack when he gets too high; when he played low, he was a much more effective pile driver. He has the footwork to get to the next level, but not consistently so.
Wallace improved nicely in 2023. I don’t see him as having elite upside, but he has the potential to be a functional starting right tackle. If you pick him at the correct level in the draft, he could be solid value. Round 4. Ravens: Yes, if they miss out on a starting tackle earlier in the draft.
Walter Rouse
Rouse is 23 years old, 6’5 and 314 pounds from Oklahoma. Rouse played exclusively at left tackle, with 52 starts. He is an average athlete who lacks necessary lateral range. I don’t see him as the type of player who can successfully pull with consistency. Rouse lacks the traits needed to play left tackle in the NFL. The question is whether he can play on the outside on the right side, and I have my doubts. He’s just not very fluid and has difficulty keeping defenders at bay in pass protection. He fails to win leverage and his hands just don’t get to the strike zone often enough; when they do, he wins. His below-grade footwork is just a non-starter for me as a tackle. Round 6. Ravens: Pass.
Nathan Thomas
Thomas is 22.5 years old, 6’5 and 332 pounds from Louisiana. He played exclusively at left tackle, logging 25 starts. Thomas is another tackle prospect who I believe is best suited to move to the inside in the NFL. He is a powerful blocker in the run game, quickly getting defenders back on their heels. He brings very good footwork to the run game. Thomas possesses decent quickness, but not enough to play on the outside; he will likely have difficulty staying in front of edge rushers who possess good counters. Round 5. Ravens: Pass.
Ethan Driskell
Driskell is a gigantic 6’8 and 313 pounds from Marshall. Generally speaking, it is difficult for players as tall as Driskell to bend sufficiently; imbalance can become an issue. In Driskell’s case, he is devoid of the quickness that you need to handle NFL edge rushers. Driskell obviously brings a long wingspan, but it is not nearly enough to compensate for his below grade foot and hand quickness. His flaws were evident in the Senior Bowl practices. His inability to solidly anchor was on display when he was beaten under the pads. Now once Driskell latches on he does a fairly good job. But that’s not enough. He’s just not a bender and that leaves him exposed. Round 6. Ravens: Pass.
Frank Crum
Crum is 6’8 and 313 pounds from Wyoming. Crum has 49 starts under his belt (36 at right tackle; 13 at left tackle last season). He is another prospect in this year’s class who is simply too tall for his own good. He lacks the foot and lateral quickness necessary to establish a base against edge rushers at the next level. Mirroring against speed on the edge will be difficult given his skillset. Crum is a never-quit type of player who gives it his all on every play. His hand placement is fairly good in the run game and he’s able to drive people off the ball when he has proper leverage. Indeed, Crum does his best work in the run game. It’s hard to envision Crum as a starting tackle in the NFL. Nor does he possess the skillset to settle in as a backup swing tackle. Round 6-7. Ravens: Pass.
