Ravens' best-case scenarios, sleepers and wild cards as NFL Draft nears (2024)

Certain tenets drive the Baltimore Ravens’ drafting process every year.

They stick to their board. They don’t chase need, but their early-round picks usually address their bigger roster questions. They covet draft picks and often are aggressive in trading back and collecting more.

General manager Eric DeCosta is also not afraid to throw a few curveballs.

When the three-day NFL Draft starts Thursday night, the Ravens will be sitting on nine picks, including No. 30 in the first round. They need offensive line and cornerback help. Wide receiver and edge rusher are again areas of concern. DeCosta has all but guaranteed that he’ll draft a running back. Depth would come in handy at inside linebacker and safety.

This isn’t an especially deep draft, and DeCosta has acknowledged that the Ravens’ board has fewer “draftable” players than usual. But the strengths of this draft class, particularly with the offensive linemen and wide receivers, match up well with areas Baltimore needs to address.

The Ravens don’t reveal much this time of year, so it’s often necessary to connect the dots, based on their needs, drafting history and the players available. Let’s do just that.

Best-case scenario in the first round

That the Ravens are on the clock at No. 30 and DeCosta has his choice between one of the better offensive tackles, one of the better cornerbacks and a trade-back scenario that nets Baltimore more picks. Of the offensive linemen, Notre Dame’s Joe Alt, Oregon State’s Taliese Fuaga, Washington’s Troy Fautanu and Penn State’s Olu Fashanu will almost certainly be gone before No. 30. If Alabama’s JC Latham, Georgia’s Amarius Mims or Oklahoma’s Tyler Guyton happened to fall, that would be a nice development for the Ravens.

As for the cornerbacks, Alabama’s Terrion Arnold and Toledo’s Quinyon Mitchell are expected to go in the first half of the first round, but one or two of Iowa’s Cooper DeJean, Clemson’s Nate Wiggins and Alabama’s Kool-Aid McKinstry should be available. A choice between — let’s say — Mims, DeJean and a trade-back offer that yields an extra Day 2 pick would be a great position for DeCosta to be in.

Worst-case scenario in the first round

That the Ravens are on the clock and no players they have a first-round grade on are available and DeCosta’s phone isn’t ringing with trade offers, forcing Baltimore to overdraft a player it views as second-round talent. We don’t know how the Ravens’ board stacks up and how many players they have first-round grades on, but it figures to be considerably less than 30. It’s plausible the Ravens will be out of first-round players by the time they’re on the clock. Their preference then would be to trade back, but DeCosta’s phone has to ring and Baltimore won’t want to move too far into the second round, either.

Most likely scenario in the first round

Guyton and/or Mims and Arizona offensive lineman Jordan Morgan will be available to fill the team’s plug-and-play tackle needs, and so will at least one of DeJean, Wiggins or McKinstry at cornerback. There will also be edge rush and wide receiver options. DeCosta will have trade-back opportunities, too, and he’ll weigh how much he loves the top remaining player on his board with how much the Ravens covet more prime draft capital.

A sleeper option who should be discussed more

Missouri’s Darius Robinson plays like a Raven. He’s big (6-foot-5, 285 pounds), strong and physical — and evaluators rave about his character. Robinson, who had 8 1/2 sacks and 14 tackles for loss last year, offers versatility with the ability to play on the edge and bump inside in certain packages. The Ravens watched him star at the Senior Bowl and brought him to Baltimore for a pre-draft visit. The Ravens have bigger needs than their defensive front, but adding versatile and disruptive players is always on the mind of the team’s decision-makers.

Wild-card option at No. 30

Duke’s Graham Barton. He was a second-team All-American left tackle for the Blue Devils, but he’s expected to play center in the NFL. The Ravens don’t need a center with Tyler Linderbaum on the roster. They do, however, need a right tackle and starting-caliber guards. Barton is more than capable of playing those positions.

Ravens’ quintessential best player available could be …

Illinois defensive tackle Johnny Newton. With Justin Madubuike, Michael Pierce, Broderick Washington, Travis Jones and Brent Urban returning, the Ravens could line up for a game today and feel good about their defensive line. However, they believe in building the team from the inside out, and they’re always looking to add impactful defensive linemen. With a combination of explosiveness and power, Newton is tough to handle inside. He knows how to use leverage and has a nice array of pass-rushing moves, evidenced by his 7 1/2 -sack 2023 season. Newton also blocked four kicks last year and didn’t miss a game in his final four seasons.

A player the Ravens could trade up for

It isn’t clear how the Ravens rank the offensive tackle prospects. But if one of the better ones, like Fuaga, Fashanu or Fautanu, is available in the low 20s, DeCosta may have to consider trading up. The Ravens reportedly brought Fautanu in for a pre-draft visit, an interesting move given the expectation that he gets drafted relatively early. They have several needs and only three picks over the first two days, so it seems unlikely they’d be willing to mortgage a ton of draft capital to move up. However, a trade to get into the low 20s that could cost them an extra third- and fourth-round pick might be an acceptable price for a stud offensive tackle.

Potential teams to watch if Ravens want to trade up

Miami is drafting at No. 21 and doesn’t have a third- or fourth-round pick. The Dolphins could be interested in moving back and collecting midround draft capital. Philadelphia Eagles general manager Howie Roseman, whose team is picking at No. 22, is always aggressive in moving around the board. The Dallas Cowboys, picking 24th, are a team to watch, too.

Potential teams to watch if Ravens trade back

It’s been widely speculated that the Washington Commanders, who have the fourth (No. 36) and eighth (No. 40) picks in the second round, are interested in trading back into the first and selecting an offensive tackle to pair with the quarterback they’ll take at No. 2. Washington has two seconds and three thirds, so it has plenty of ammunition to move forward.

Going back to No. 36 or No. 40 would keep the Ravens in the mix for a player they were considering at No. 30, and it would put them in good range for one of the better wide receivers, like Texas’ Adonai Mitchell and Xavier Worthy, Georgia’s Ladd McConkey, Florida State’s Keon Coleman and South Carolina’s Xavier Legette. It would also make sense if the Carolina Panthers, who possess the first (No. 33) and seventh (No. 39) selections of the second round, want to get into the first to select a receiver.

A position run that would do the Ravens a favor

The Ravens will be hoping six quarterbacks go in the first 29 picks. Four (Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, Drake Maye and J.J. McCarthy) are almost certain to. If Washington’s Michael Penix Jr. and Oregon’s Bo Nix also go in the first round, the Ravens will have to feel good about one of their top-20 players being there at No. 30.

A Day 2 player who feels like a typical Ravens pick

Miami safety Kamren Kinchens doesn’t have elite speed or athleticism, but he’s always around the ball. He had 11 interceptions and 22 pass breakups over his final two college seasons. An instinctive and rangy safety with good ball skills, touted leadership ability and strong special teams experience sounds like an ideal midround Ravens add.

The biggest Ravens concern heading into the draft

It has to be the status of the offensive line. The Ravens have a 30-year-old left tackle in Ronnie Stanley, who has missed a ton of time over the past four seasons, a stud center in Linderbaum and questions about the other three starting spots. Patrick Mekari has proven he can play good football at multiple spots. Ben Cleveland has been adequate when he’s started at guard. The Ravens still believe Daniel Faalele can develop into a starting tackle. They have high hopes for now-healthy guard Andrew Vorhees. Still, there’s a lot undecided in an area where the Ravens need to excel in front of quarterback Lamar Jackson.

One question that could shape what the Ravens do late Thursday and Friday

How much do the Ravens believe in Rashod Bateman and their current wide receiver corps? DeCosta and coach John Harbaugh have talked up Bateman, a 2021 first-round pick, all offseason. DeCosta has downplayed the need at wide receiver. In free agency, the Ravens acted like a team content with the trio of Zay Flowers, Bateman and Nelson Agholor, and allowing younger pass catchers to fill in behind them. But this is an especially strong receiver class. Despite using more draft capital on the position than any team since 2019, the Ravens again have a need.

There are four receivers considered first-round locks, and then the second round should spur a run at wide receiver that continues through Day 2. If the Ravens are mostly content with what they have at the position, they can show a little patience and get a guy they like late in the third round or early in the fourth. If not, they may have to earmark their second-round pick for a pass catcher.

An underrated need

It’s not clear whether the Ravens even have a No. 3 safety on their roster to play behind Marcus Williams and Kyle Hamilton. Ar’Darius Washington is the most logical candidate, but the Ravens have preferred using him in the slot. They love the option of playing three safeties, like they had last year with Geno Stone on the roster. It allowed them to move Hamilton around. The Ravens probably will sign a veteran safety after the draft, but they could use another starting-caliber option — and the younger, the better.

The safest bet for the Ravens

DeCosta answered this one at the pre-draft news conference when he said, “There is probably a pretty strong chance that we will draft a running back.” The Ravens have a top-two of Derrick Henry and Justice Hill. Keaton Mitchell, who burst on the scene last year, is rehabbing a major knee injury sustained in December. The Ravens need to prepare like he won’t be ready or back to form for the start of the season. If he is, that’s a bonus. The only other running back on their roster is 2023 undrafted free agent Owen Wright. Injuries seem to hit the running back room hard every year, and the Ravens need more depth there.

As the draft nears conclusion Saturday, the Ravens will be …

Busy. Baltimore only has 60 players on its roster. Even if they draft 10 players, the Ravens will still have as many as 20 spots available for undrafted free agents. They take the undrafted process seriously and work hard to sell college free agents on the opportunities they can provide. Their undrafted free-agent class will start to form soon after the draft ends, and you’ll hear a ton of names connected to the Ravens because of how much roster space they have.

(Top photo of Cooper DeJean: Charlie Neibergall / Associated Press)