Ravens News 4/24: Draft Eve

The case for the Ravens trading up (and down) in the 1st round

Jonas Shaffer, The Baltimore Banner

With nine picks in this year’s draft and a projected 11 in next year’s, the Ravens have the ammunition to move up. But how high, and at what cost? A review of trades over the past decade found that DeCosta’s draft pick values largely align with those in Jimmy Johnson’s long-cited trade value chart. If that calculus doesn’t change, here’s where the Ravens could move up in the first round with various two-pick trade packages.

No. 29 (Detroit Lions): Nos. 30 and 165 (fifth round) overall

No. 28 (Buffalo Bills): Nos. 30 and 130 (fourth round)

No. 27 (Arizona Cardinals): Nos. 30 and 113 (fourth round)

No. 24 (Dallas Cowboys): Nos. 30 and 93 (third round)

No. 18 (Cincinnati Bengals): Nos. 30 and 62 (second round)

In the few instances when the Ravens have traded up under DeCosta, they’ve targeted prospects with rare physical gifts. A handful of players expected to be taken in the low to mid-20s in this year’s draft fit that profile and would also fill a need on the Ravens’ roster: Georgia offensive tackle Amarius Mims, LSU wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr., Iowa cornerback Cooper DeJean and Penn State edge rusher Chop Robinson.

Dueling Ravens mock drafts: Two views on how to rebuild a Super Bowl contender

Brian Wacker & CJ Doon, The Baltimore Sun

No. 30 (Round 1): Oklahoma OT Tyler Guyton

No. 62 (Round 2): South Carolina WR Xavier Legette

Though the receiver class is deeper than the cornerback class, Legette (6-1, 221 pounds) is an NFL-sized target who can make contested catches and has tremendous speed, reaching 22.3 mph on one play last season. His route running isn’t as smooth, but his size and ball skills give Jackson a great target opposite Zay Flowers, especially with Rashod Bateman’s future murky if the Ravens decline his fifth-year option.

No. 93 (Round 3): Oregon CB Khyree Jackson

No. 113 (Round 4): Miami S Kamren Kinchens

No. 130 (Round 4): Washington State EDGE Brennan Jackson

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No. 30 (Round 1): Arizona OT/G Jordan Morgan

No. 62 (Round 2): Kentucky CB Andru Phillips

What the 5-11, 190-pound corner lacks in size and speed (4.48-second 40-yard dash) he more than makes up for with physicality and toughness. And he’s far from a middling athlete, posting a 42-inch vertical jump and an 11-foot, 3-inch broad jump that both rank in the 97th percentile at the position in the MockDraftable database.

No. 93 (Round 3): Southern California WR Brenden Rice

Sizing up the 2024 Ravens roster ahead of this week’s draft

Luke Jones, Baltimore Positive

CORNERBACKS (9) — Marlon Humphrey, Brandon Stephens, Arthur Maulet, Jalyn Armour-Davis, Damarion Williams, Trayvon Mullen, Ka’dar Hollman, Tre Swilling, Christian Matthew

Concern level: MODERATE/HIGH

Skinny: Though the starters look good on paper, the lack of depth at both cornerback and safety impacts the secondary’s overall concern level as new defensive coordinator Zach Orr will want to have as much positional flexibility as possible. The nickel spot has multiple options, but the outside depth behind Humphrey — who missed a career-high eight games last season — and Stephens is totally unproven. The Ravens have selected just one corner (Stephens) on Day 1 or Day 2 of the last six drafts, a streak that probably needs to end this week.

SAFETIES (3) — Kyle Hamilton, Marcus Williams, Ar’Darius Washington

Concern level: MODERATE

Skinny: Hamilton and Williams are one of the NFL’s best safety duos, but the 5-foot-8 Washington is the only other listed safety on the roster and he’s much more of a nickel back than a viable backup to the two starters. In other words, finding a replacement for Geno Stone is a clear need, especially if Orr wants to have the flexibility to move Hamilton all over the defense like Mike Macdonald did.

Ravens NFL Draft big board: Looking at potential targets on all three days

Jeff Zrebiec, The Athletic

Day 2

Max Melton, CB, Rutgers: His stock seemed to rise in the pre-draft process, and it’s easy to see why. He’s long (5-foot-11 and 187 pounds), fast (ran a 4.39 40-yard dash at the combine), has really good ball skills (eight interceptions, four fumble recoveries and 22 pass breakups), can play both inside and outside, and he’s really good on special teams.

Day 3

Khyree Jackson, CB, Oregon: The Alabama transfer made a lot of strides in his final college season, leading the Ducks with three interceptions and 10 pass breakups to go along with two sacks and five tackles for losses. A Prince George’s County, Md., native, Jackson has a lot of developing to do, but his size, skill set and swagger make him an intriguing prospect.

Tykee Smith, S, Georgia: Another smaller safety who plays bigger than his 5-foot-10, 202-pound size, Smith is an instinctual player who finds a way to make impactful plays. In his final collegiate season, he had four interceptions, 8 1/2 tackles for loss, two sacks and four pass breakups. The Ravens covet smart and physical defensive backs.

2024 NFL Draft: Highlighting the best ‘Plan B’ options for key positions

Josh Liskiewitz, PFF

VERSATILE SAFETY

Early: Cooper DeJean, Iowa

Later: Omar Brown, Nebraska

This will easily be my biggest value play of the group, as DeJean looks to be a first-round selection, while Brown is unlikely to be taken before Day 3.

DeJean could stay at cornerback if he’s drafted by a team that relies on zone coverage, but considering his tightness while changing directions, he may be better served by a position change to safety, where he can use his instincts, ball skills and straight-line speed to make plays from off the ball. Considering how many big plays he made on returns for Iowa, the new kickoff rules certainly help his stock.

Brown lined up all over the place in Nebraska’s secondary, with a lot of his reps coming in the slot. He was targeted 60 times in coverage last season but surrendered just 35 catches for 259 yards and no touchdowns. He also forced seven incompletions and missed just two tackles in run support. At 6-foot-1 and 200 pounds with a 4.52-second 40-yard dash, he has the requisite size and speed to potentially be one of the final-day gems of the class.

2024 NFL Draft: Four potential surprise first-rounders

Tom Pelissero, NFL.com

Kingsley Suamataia

BYU · OT · Sophomore (RS)

A five-star recruit who originally followed cousin Penei Sewell to Oregon, Suamataia transferred after one year to become a two-year starter for the Cougars. He started at right tackle in 2022 and left tackle in ‘23, allowing just two sacks in 701 total pass-block snaps, per PFF. Suamataia has NFL size (6-4 5/8, 326 pounds with 34 1/4-inch arms) and strength (31 bench reps at the combine, third among tackles), and he just turned 21 in January.