The Baltimore Ravens are one of those teams in the AFC mix every season but just can’t get over the Patrick Mahomes and Kansas City Chiefs hump. The Ravens won another AFC North Division title. They finished the season 12-5 and legitimately feel like they should win every game they play.
It’s a tough rap to say they are underachievers, but in many ways, they are. This past year they couldn’t even get to the AFC Championship game, losing in Buffalo against the Bills. Their QB Lamar Jackson is a perennial MVP candidate, and this past season, they added future Hall of Fame RB Derrick Henry. They averaged over 30 points per game while holding their opponents to just a smidge over 21 points. Jackson threw for over 4000 yards, and Henry nearly rushed for 2000 yards. And their no.1 WR, Zay Flowers, had over 1000 receiving yards.
It’s truly hard to find holes on this team, but if they do want to overtake the Chiefs…and, for that matter, the Bills, they will need to get faster on defense. Their top need in the draft is on the edge, and then in their secondary at safety and cornerback.
They will have 11 picks in this year’s draft to find one or two of the pieces they need. Of those 11 picks, only three are in the top 100, with the no. 27, 59, and 91st pick. They have two in the fourth round, a fifth-rounder, four sixth’s, and a seventh. And although not many of those sixth or seventh-round picks hit, they can be packaged to move up if they see someone appealing in the fourth or fifth round.
They should be targeting one man in the first round, and he is projected to be there for them with the 27th pick. And that man is Tennessee’s DE James Pearce. He is an explosive player with a nice frame, perfect to pressure opposing QBs.
He is 6’5 and 245 lbs, and although he could stand to gain 10-15 lbs, too much bulk would be counter-productive for his skill set. He is a QB hunter, similar to Brad Pitt’s Nazi Hunter character in Quentin Tarantino’s classic “Inglorious Bastard”. He has an amazing first step and a tremendous burst. He’s great in pursuit and is a fantastic athlete.
With their Edge rusher in hand, they can pursue their secondary needs with their no.59 and 91 picks. There are five solid players they can target with their 59th pick. Xavier Watts is a safety from Notre Dame, while the other four are all cornerbacks. Benjamin Morrison is also from Notre Dame, Trey Amos is from Ole Miss, Jahdae Baron is from Texas, and Azaeye’h Thomas is from FSU. Of this bunch, my preference would be either of the Notre Dame players.
These players are all projected to be taken in the 40s and 50s. At no.59, one of them will hopefully still be there for them. They won’t have to move up much if there is only one left. They have another option: if all five are gone, they could put a bullseye on East Carolina CB Shavon Revel. He is projected to go early in the third round, and the Ravens could do worse than trading down, snagging additional draft capital, and taking the 6’2, 195lb CB. He’s a speedy and athletic CB with active hands and a solid ability to press the WR he’s guarding. He suffered a torn ACL in September which is why he is projected in the third round.
Especially if they take Revel, they will need to double up and take an additional CB/S type while waiting for Revel to fully recover. With the 91st pick in the third round, they will again have a handful of CBs to choose from. Each of these four men is projected to be taken anywhere from the mid-80s to the low 100s…one of them will surely be available. If the Ravens do go back-to-back with secondary help, the four men are Louiville’s Quincy Riley, Nebraska’s Tommi Hill, Minnesota’s Justin Walley, and Davison Igniaosun from Ohio St.
One thing is for sure: this draft will be defensive-heavy for the Ravens…especially in the early rounds. I suppose every rule does have an exception. If there are some offensive weapons that slip and are available, they may just take the dip…but short of that, it will be defense, defense, defense.
