We’re on to round two and round three now. But first a brief reflection on the round one outcome. I’m thrilled the Ravens drafted Maliki Starks. He was the best back end safety in the draft, hands down. The ripple effect on the defense for next year is significant. His presence allows the full-time re-assignment of Kyle Hamilton as the swiss army knife that has made him a great player. Back to the line of scrimmage for Hamilton, or wherever else Zach Orr assigns him on any given play. Starks can play single-high safety if you want to go in that direction. He and Ar’Darius Washington together can handle the split coverages if Orr wants that on three safety looks. Or whatever.
The re-emergence of defensive scheme flexibility cannot be understated. I love the move. Now, there’s a lot more work to do on draft days two and three.
The Chiefs and the Eagles
The selections by both of these teams further illustrate how wonderfully these teams are run. Jihaad Campbell’s slide to the bottom of the first round was shocking. The Eagles were right to trade up one slot to get him. Josh Simmons to the Chiefs was a coup for Kansas City. I claimed that a healthy Simmons was the best pure left tackle prospect in the draft, certainly as a pass protector. As readers know, if the Ravens had taken him in certain scenarios that was fine by me. Simmons is just what Kansas City needs. Kudos to both teams.
Mike Green
Green’s fall out of the first round was not totally surprising. As an edge rushing prospect he was first round worthy. But as stated in the Big Board post, Green to the Ravens in round one wasn’t going to happen. If Green’s character issues were satisfied he’d be gone before getting to the Ravens. And if he got to the Ravens, then his character flaws were too severe. Of course, the Ravens had already made their decision on Green, and I suspect they had taken him off their board entirely.
Could Green fall all the way to the Ravens pick 59 slot? Who knows, but if he’s still on the Ravens board and makes it there, should they take him? Here’s what we now know. There were two sexual assault allegations against him. One allegedly occurred in high school, but nothing ever happened; no charges were made against Green and he claims he was never questioned about it.
The second event allegedly happened during his freshman year at Virginia. Again, no charges were ever made and he claims he was never questioned about it. He was dismissed from the Virginia program.
For me, two similar allegations are a huge red flag. The kid might be totally innocent, there’s no way to know. But the risk is certainly elevated that he could be gone from a team at any time from these or possibly other similar allegations.
If I’m drafting at pick 59 and Green is there, I just can’t take him. The Ravens are too close to a Super Bowl to take this type of risk when other high quality players are available. Now if he made it to the fourth round would I reconsider?
The Bengals and the Steelers
The Bengals taking Shemar Stewart was the only thing that got to me last night. I’m betting on Stewart becoming a monster. And so are the Bengals. Let’s check back in two years and see what Stewart’s become. No, wait – we’ll see for ourselves twice this year and twice next.
The Steelers were right to pass on Shedeur Sanders. Seeing him as a potential franchise quarterback requires binoculars. Derrick Harmon is a very good prospect with excellent upside. The flaws I noted in his game are all coachable, and the Steelers are a great spot for him. He’s another guy we likely won’t be happy to see in the coming years.
All of this makes it almost a certainty that Aaron Rodgers will be QB1 for Pittsburgh come September. Maybe the Steelers can get away with that, and maybe they can’t. But somewhere along the way they have to come up with a franchise quarterback. That’s so hard to do if you’re not bad enough to draft within the top eight or so picks.
Round Two for the Ravens
Is tonight the night that Mark Andrews winds up somewhere else? Odafe Oweh? I think Oweh’s chances of staying in Baltimore for 2025 went up after the Ravens didn’t go edge last night. I’m happy with that.
All of my possible first round Ravens selections went off the board last night, save Will Johnson, who we now know allegedly has knee problems (the extent of which we don’t know). Revisiting my round two board, Derrick Harmon is now gone. There’s no longer any reason to include safety Xavier Watts.
Shavon Revel Jr. is still my favorite choice for pick 59 if he lasts there. He’s a big corner, and would be a very good complement to Nate Wiggins. Assuming Johnson’s knee is just too risky for the Ravens, I’d be willing to go up some spots to get Revel.
But I also love defensive tackle Darius Alexander, who I don’t think has much of a chance to make it anywhere near pick 59. He’s another player I’d be willing to trade up to get.
Players like Revel, Alexander, and whoever the Ravens actually love, are additional reasons that Mark Andrews could be on the move. I don’t think Andrews would bring an additional second rounder for the Ravens. But his trade should certainly give the Ravens ample firepower to move up and get whoever they like in round two.
For rounds two and three overall, the focus should be on the defense: edge linebacker and cornerback as primary needs, then defensive tackle. And there’s still a need for a swing offensive tackle.
Impact of Remaining Veteran Free Agents on Round Two and Round Three
Let’s not forget that the Ravens don’t have to fill all of their needs just in the draft. At edge linebacker, Matt Judon and Za’Darius Smith are still available free agents. The offensive line spots look very thin in free agency. At cornerback Mike Hilton is available at the slot. Asante Samuel Jr., who suffered injuries all through last season but was once a promising outside corner, is still there. Neck and back concerns are supposedly responsible for Samuel’s still being on the market. I wouldn’t be focusing on him. That leaves only Rasul Douglas as a name-worthy consideration.
Given that only Judon and Smith seem plausible at this point, perhaps this points rounds two and three (where you are looking for starters) in the direction of cornerback and defensive tackle. Or, might a trade of Mark Andrews bring back a player?
