ExtremeRavens
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When Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta was asked earlier this month if he’d made a decision about wide receiver Rashod Bateman’s fifth-year contract option, he said he had about a month to make that decision before the May 2 deadline. He didn’t wait that long.
On Wednesday, the team announced a contract extension with Bateman, keeping the 2021 first-round draft pick in Baltimore through 2026. Terms of the deal were not announced.
The move comes just eight days before the Ravens had to decide whether to pick up or decline his option. Declining it would have made Bateman, 24, a free agent after the 2024 season.
In three injury-filled seasons with the Ravens, Bateman has 93 catches for 1,167 yards and four touchdowns, though 2023 marked the first season in which he was healthy for an entire campaign.
“Congratulations to ‘Bate’ and his family,” DeCosta said in a statement. “This is a good day for the Ravens.”
This story will be updated.
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The Ravens are looking for offensive linemen in the NFL draft, but their philosophy should change. Instead of looking for the dominant, physical maulers up front, they should seek versatile performers who can balance run and pass blocking.
In recent seasons, the Ravens have been one of the best — if not the best — in the NFL at running the ball, but they can’t get to the Super Bowl because of their inability to protect quarterback Lamar Jackson.
It hasn’t mattered who has lined up under center, the results have been the same. In the gut-wrenching wild-card playoff loss to the Cincinnati Bengals two seasons ago, backup Tyler Huntley was sacked twice and hit five times.
In the 17-10 AFC championship game loss to the eventual Super Bowl champion Chiefs, Jackson was sacked four times in a game that was reminiscent of the 23-17 wild-card-round loss to the Los Angeles Chargers after his breakthrough 2018 rookie season.
The Ravens should stress more versatility with their offensive linemen and draft players who can do more than maul people in the running game. There are several holes to fill, including both guard spots and right tackle. This draft presents them with several opportunities to find a starter, or more than one.
“It’s a very deep pool of players,” Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta said of the offensive linemen class in this draft, which begins Thursday night in Detroit. “We see a lot of different opportunities in different rounds to get players at tackle, guard and center, and we’re excited about that.”
It’s still possible that the Ravens might want to trade down from their No. 30 overall spot in the first round to acquire more picks in later rounds or for next year’s draft, which is already considered to be one of the strongest in a while. They might also want to select a receiver or a cornerback, but filling out the offensive line is the more pressing need.
One of the main reasons the Ravens have struggled in the postseason is because they either can’t keep pace with opposing quarterbacks or have panicked out of fear.
In the playoffs, the Ravens have to face quarterbacks such as the Kansas City Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes or the Buffalo Bills’ Josh Allen. The Houston Texans’ C.J. Stroud isn’t going away and the Chargers’ Justin Herbert, with new coach Jim Harbaugh, should be formidable.
Those quarterbacks excel in the passing game, and a 10-point lead might seem insurmountable against some of those top signal-callers. That’s what happened to the Ravens in the AFC title game — Baltimore panicked and its top two running backs, Gus Edwards and Justice Hill, had only six rushing attempts.
Ravens training camp
Kevin RichardsonRavens offensive line coach Joe D’Alessandris gives instructions to guard Malaesala Aumavae-Laulu, right, during training camp last year. (Kevin Richardson/Staff)The Ravens’ struggles haven’t just been in the postseason, either. For most of the 2023 regular season, right tackle Morgan Moses had problems with speed rushers. Left tackle Ronnie Stanley was constantly overpowered.
The Ravens traded Moses in March to the New York Jets in exchange for draft picks, and Stanley’s monstrous contract was renegotiated to make it more salary cap friendly. The Ravens also lost their two starting guards in free agency in John Simpson to the Jets and right guard Kevin Zeitler to the Lions.
So, rebuilding on the offensive line and protecting their star quarterback is the priority. The Ravens might have some capable replacements in 6-foot-8, 380-pound right tackle Daniel Faalele and 6-6, 370-pound right guard Ben Cleveland, but neither bend well at the knees and have struggled in pass protection in limited action.
Perhaps if both have strong offseasons in the weight room, that will change. Stanley, in his ninth season, has struggled since his 2020 ankle injury and his best years are probably behind him.
That leaves the Ravens with Pro Bowl center Tyler Linderbaum, swing lineman Patrick Mekari and possibly Andrew Vorhees, who missed all of his rookie season while recovering from an injury, as their starting left guard. Merkari can play any position on the line, but his body probably can’t hold up for an entire season as a starter. He’s more valuable in his current role.
Center Tyler Linderbaum, left, and swing tackle Patrick Mekari will be playing next to new guards in 2024. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff) Vorhees, who had a stellar career at Southern California before the Ravens selected him in the seventh round, might be a sleeper. He was projected to be a fourth-round pick before tearing his ACL at the scouting combine.
“Andrew was a guy that I’ve seen on tape, and I thought that he was a good player and that he would have a chance long term to be a player for us and be a starter for us potentially,” DeCosta said. “He’s a physical, tough guy that loves football. He’s done a fantastic job with rehab. The strength coaches and the trainers and the doctors are all very excited about him. So, we’ll see what he does.”
It will be interesting to see what the Ravens do in the first round. According to some draft experts, there could be as many as 10 offensive tackles taken in the first round. The Ravens might end up with Alabama’s JC Latham, Oklahoma’s Tyler Guyton or Georgia’s Amarius Mims.
All could help immediately, and all of them are huge. The Ravens certainly have some inside connections with executive vice president of player personnel Ozzie Newsome being an Alabama alumnus and offensive coordinator Todd Moknen having spent three years in the same capacity at Georgia.
After a tackle, the Ravens might target a guard, such as Kansas State’s Cooper Beebe or Connecticut’s Christian Haynes, in the second round. Regardless, though, the Ravens need to get out of that old-school mindset when it comes to evaluating offensive linemen.
They had the prototype for years in Hall of Fame left tackle Jonathan Ogden, who was far from one-dimensional. They also had another possible Hall of Famer in right guard Marshal Yanda who, like Ogden, was mean, nasty and preferred run blocking over being in a pass set.
But they could do both. The Ravens need more linemen like them.
NFL draft
Round 1: Thursday, 8 p.m.
Rounds 2-3: Friday, 7 p.m.
Rounds 4-7: Saturday, noon
TV: ABC, ESPN, NFL Network
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For Eric DeCosta, the stakes are clear entering the 2024 NFL draft.
“There’s going to be some spots that need to be filled,” the Ravens general manager said during the team’s annual predraft luncheon earlier this month. “The burden is on me to find those players.”
With nine picks, the Ravens must restock a roster that was raided in free agency after an NFL-best 13-4 regular season and the franchise’s first trip to the AFC championship game in a decade. Baltimore is expected to target players at offensive line, cornerback, running back and wide receiver, among other positions, but how those picks are spent — and where they are ultimately made — remains a mystery.
Before the first round starts Thursday, Baltimore Sun reporters Brian Wacker and Childs Walker and columnist Mike Preston answer questions about positions of need, potential trades, late-round targets and DeCosta’s draft history.
Which positions — offensive line, wide receiver, cornerback and edge rusher — should the Ravens target early, and which prospect is the best fit?
Wacker: All options being equal, they should target the offensive line. It’s their biggest need with three starting positions to fill and they have a chance to land a top prospect they can plug in for years to come. Washington’s Troy Fautanu, who can play tackle or guard, would be ideal, but he’s unlikely to be available by the time Baltimore picks at No. 30. The next best option is Oklahoma’s Tyler Guyton. He has the size (6 feet 8, 322 pounds), length, footwork and tools to be a highly productive pass protector who Baltimore can start at right tackle this year before sliding him over to the left side whenever the Ravens move on from Ronnie Stanley. Guyton had just 14 career starts in college, but the tape and results speak for themselves with the Sooners star allowing just two sacks over three seasons, including two in which he allowed none.
Walker: The Ravens won’t lock in on one position, and that approach has led to a very good track record in the first round. That said, an offensive lineman makes a lot of sense given their need for multiple starters, their draft position and the depth of quality tackle prospects. Arizona’s Jordan Morgan, a potential Day 1 starter at right tackle or guard, has become the player most linked to the Ravens in mock drafts, and it’s hard to argue with his versatility. But they would be tempted by the greater upside of Georgia’s Amarius Mims or Guyton if either tackle prospect slides to No. 30.
Preston: It all depends on how the draft is going and whether there are runs on certain positions in the first round. The Ravens need offensive linemen, but the consensus is that this draft is filled with quality linemen, so there might not be a sense of urgency, at least in the first round.
If there is a receiver or edge rusher who the Ravens have rated highly and is available when they pick in the first round, they should go with their draft board because they can’t go wrong with a top player at either position.
It’s easier to make that decision when a team has a pick in the top four, but much harder near the tail end of the first round. With that said, I’ve always been an advocate of building strong interior lines on both sides of the ball.
The Ravens could target Oklahoma offensive lineman Tyler Guyton with the No. 30 overall pick in the NFL draft. (Alonzo Adams/AP) Given the state of the roster, should the Ravens trade up in the first round for a premium player or trade down to amass more picks?
Wacker: Picks, picks and more picks. That’s the Ravens way and that should be the objective this year if their top player isn’t on the board when they’re on the clock, especially given the depth of the offensive line and wide receiver classes. They could slide out of the first round for a quarterback-needy team, acquire an extra pick and still get a starting-caliber cornerback, offensive lineman and wide receiver. It’s not a deep draft, but there is value in the early-to-middle rounds.
Walker: A trade up would be a major upset and a sign that some prospect the Ravens love is plummeting, whereas a trade down seems very much in play given that there will likely still be excellent offensive line prospects available around pick No. 40.
The Ravens never want to reach for a player when they can squeeze more total value out of a draft, and DeCosta has made it clear the next two years will present a major opportunity to rebuild the team’s roster depth. That said, the Ravens have plenty of picks in a draft that’s not deep overall. They need to come away with a starting offensive lineman, so if a candidate they fancy is sitting there at the end of the first round, they should not get too cute.
Preston: If the Ravens are using this draft with the primary purpose of building the offensive line, then it might be in their best interest to trade down and acquire more picks, and certainly more talented offensive linemen. Passing on an offensive tackle such as Guyton in the first round, though, would be a tough decision.
I don’t see the Ravens trading up. The history of this organization has always been to acquire more picks, so I think they will either stay put or trade down.
South Carolina wide receiver Xavier Legette could be a player the Ravens target in the second or third round. (Artie Walker Jr./AP) Which Day 2 or Day 3 prospect are you most interested in as a potential Ravens target?
Wacker: There will still be plenty of tantalizing wide receiver options in what is a deep class if the Ravens don’t go that direction in the first round. Michigan’s Roman Wilson is small (5-11, 185 pounds) but a dynamic, explosive and efficient slot weapon perfect for today’s NFL. South Carolina’s Xavier Legette is big (6-1, 221 pounds) with enough speed to be a deep threat and a good complement to the smaller Zay Flowers. Central Florida’s Javon Baker, who reportedly had a predraft visit with the Ravens, is also on the bigger side (6-1, 202 pounds) with a wide catch radius and was one of the best in the country in yards per route run (5.07) last season. Another player to keep an eye on later in the draft will be Marshall running back Rasheen Ali, an instinctive runner with good burst who can also line up out wide.
Walker: We’ve talked so much about offensive linemen, but this draft is also rich in wide receivers, and the Ravens need another one of those with Rashod Bateman potentially approaching the last year of his rookie deal. Legette is a big, fast (4.39 seconds in the 40-yard dash) outside target who would complement Flowers after developing for a year as the team’s No. 3 or No. 4 option. He would also be an immediate candidate to help on special teams, either as a returner or in coverage, and we know how much the Ravens value that quality in rookies.
Preston: Oregon cornerback Khyree Jackson, Georgia cornerback Kamari Lassiter or safeties Beau Brade of Maryland or Trey Taylor of Air Force. Southern California running back MarShawn Lloyd is also worth a look.
After saying goodbye to Tyler Huntley, the Ravens have Josh Johnson and Malik Cunningham as Lamar Jackson’s backups. Should they invest a middle or late-round pick on a quarterback?
Wacker: Only if they fill all their other needs and/or if the players they want are off the board at that point. Then, if someone like Florida State’s Jordan Travis falls to them, it would be good to snap him up.
Walker: Never rule out a late-round quarterback, but it’s not a priority given their need to add young depth in the secondary, on the edges of their defense and at running back. Remember, Huntley was an undrafted free agent. It seems more likely the Ravens will go that route to add another arm for training camp.
Preston: I would. It’s always good to have four arms in training camp, primarily to keep the starter fresh. But the Ravens brought in Todd Monken as the offensive coordinator last season, so allow him to make a selection. If he can find a quarterback to work with in those rounds, that’s a major positive for the future.
DeCosta is about to oversee his sixth draft as Ravens general manager. How would you grade his performance thus far?
Wacker: A former colleague once described DeCosta as a .275 hitter with occasional pop, though that was also taking into account the totality of his work and before last year’s draft and free agent signings. I’d go a bit higher and give him a B, given the immediate impact Flowers had last season, a highly successful 2022 class that included All-Pro safety Kyle Hamilton, Pro Bowl center Tyler Linderbaum and fourth-round tight end Isaiah Likely. There have been several misses, too, particularly in the middle and late rounds, but no one has a high success rate in those rounds. And trading a second- and fifth-round draft pick for All-Pro inside linebacker Roquan Smith turned out to be a steal for Baltimore.
Walker: DeCosta has yet to miss badly on a first-round pick, though the Ravens need a breakout year from Bateman for him to go down as a successful choice. Hamilton and Linderbaum both made the Pro Bowl in their second seasons, so the 2022 draft is DeCosta’s magnum opus. The jury remains out on his 2023 class, with players such as Trenton Simpson and Andrew Vorhees in line for major opportunities this season. DeCosta has missed on plenty of later-round picks, as most general managers do, but he usually pulls at least one major value from the middle rounds, whether we’re talking Justin Madubuike in 2020, Brandon Stephens in 2021 or Likely in 2022. Let’s go B+ overall.
Preston: B. DeCosta got off to a slow start, which was to be expected because the pressure is greater being in the GM’s chair as opposed to being the top assistant. He has drafted some top players at their positions in Linderbaum, Hamilton and Madubuike while snagging some good mid- to late-round picks such as safety Geno Stone, punter Jordan Stout and Likely.
The Ravens have as much depth as any team in the NFL. They’ve proved it over the past four or five years.
NFL draft
Round 1: Thursday, 8 p.m.
Rounds 2-3: Friday, 7 p.m.
Rounds 4-7: Saturday, noon
TV: ABC, ESPN, NFL Network
Ravens 2024 draft picks
No. 30 (first round)
No. 62 (second)
No. 93 (third)
No. 113 (fourth, from Denver via N.Y. Jets)
No. 130 (fourth)
No. 165 (fifth)
No. 218 (sixth, from N.Y. Jets)
No. 228 (seventh, from N.Y. Jets)
No. 250 (seventh)
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The NFL draft kicks off Thursday in Detroit. After a dearth of picks in last year’s draft, the Ravens have a healthy nine selections this year, beginning with No. 30 overall.
Given more than a dozen departures from last year’s team and the financial breakdown of the current roster, this will be an important draft for Baltimore if it’s going to match or surpass the success of last season when it reached the AFC championship game.
How could it unfold? While Ravens officials always have contingency plans, there’s no way to take into account every option. Still, their needs — offensive line, receiver, cornerback and edge rusher being the most obvious — have been well-documented.
Using Pro Football Focus’ simulator and taking into consideration Baltimore’s needs along with other scouting and draft projection information, Baltimore Sun reporter Brian Wacker and editor C.J. Doon played the role of general manager and picked their own rookie class. Here’s whom they took.
Brian Wacker’s picks
No. 30 (Round 1): Oklahoma OT Tyler Guyton
It would not be a surprise to see the Ravens trade out of this spot, either back into Round 2 or possibly up with the thought that the overall draft class is not as deep as they like. It is, however, a deep tackle class and staying put will give the Ravens someone they can plug in as a starter on the right side of the line this season and eventually move to the left side. If the 6-foot-8, 322-pound Guyton is still available here, they get a large and athletic player who immediately checks that box. He didn’t allow a sack in more than 350 pass-blocking snaps at right tackle last season for the Sooners and would give quarterback Lamar Jackson the protection he needs for years to come.
Also considered: Arizona OT/G Jordan Morgan, Florida State WR Keon Coleman, Clemson CB Nate Wiggins
South Carolina wide receiver Xavier Legette runs away from Mississippi State safety Shawn Preston Jr. on Sept. 23. (Artie Walker Jr./AP) No. 62 (Round 2): South Carolina WR Xavier Legette
Baltimore could go in several directions here. If the Ravens take a wide receiver or cornerback in the first round, expect them to go offensive line in the second. If they go offensive line in the first round, it seems like they will go with a cornerback or wide receiver in Round 2.
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.
Also considered: Georgia CB Kamari Lassiter, Kansas State G Cooper Bebe, Western Kentucky WR Malachi Corley
No. 93 (Round 3): Oregon CB Khyree Jackson
As mentioned, I could certainly see the Ravens taking a cornerback before a wide receiver. But Jackson’s size (6-3, 195 pounds) and physical nature make him an intriguing option, and here he falls into their lap in Round 3.
The Ravens are in good shape with Marlon Humphrey and Brandon Stephens on the outside, but they’ve made it clear they never have enough corners and Stephens will be a free agent after this season. Jackson is a reliable tackler who graded well against the run and is a Maryland native, having starred at Henry A. Wise High School in Upper Marlboro.
Also considered: Washington WR Jalen McMillan, Boston College G Christian Mahogany, Illinois OT/G Isaiah Adams
No. 113 (Round 4): Miami S Kamren Kinchens
Kinchens had a less-than-stellar scouting combine, turning in a 40-yard dash time of 4.65 seconds, which has caused him to possibly slide on some boards. But he brings athleticism, experience and good ball skills. He played in a dozen games as a freshman before taking over as the full-time starter in 2022 and 2023 and had 12 career interceptions, five of which came last season. With Geno Stone having bolted for the Bengals in free agency, Kinchens gives the Ravens a solid third safety option.
Also considered: Washington State EDGE Brennan Jackson, Wake Forest S Malik Mustapha, Georgia S Tykee Smith
No. 130 (Round 4): Washington State EDGE Brennan Jackson
With Baltimore having lost outside linebacker Jadeveon Clowney in free agency and questions surrounding young pass rushers Odafe Oweh, David Ojabo and others, Jackson is the kind of player who fits the Ravens mold.
The 6-4, 264-pound sixth-year senior lacks refined pass-rush moves but plays fast and with high energy. He was always around the football for the Cougars and unsurprisingly led the team with 12 1/2 tackles for loss and 8 1/2 sacks last season while also forcing a fumble and recovering four. He consistently got to the quarterback with 26, 31 and 23 hurries over the past three seasons.
Also considered: Colorado State EDGE Mohamed Kamara, Notre Dame RB Audric Estimé, Temple LB Jordan Magee
Temple linebacker Jordan Magee runs a drill during the NFL scouting combine on Feb. 29 in Indianapolis. (Darron Cummings/AP) No. 165 (Round 5): Temple LB Jordan Magee
With Trenton Simpson stepping in to take over for the departed Patrick Queen, the Ravens could use some depth behind last year’s third-round pick.
Magee, who is from Dover, Delaware, led the Owls with 80 tackles, including 14 for loss, tied for the team lead with 3 1/2 sacks, recorded four pass breakups and forced a fumble. He’s also fast, with his 4.55-second 40-yard dash time ranking fifth among linebackers at the scouting combine.
Also considered: Clemson RB Will Shipley, Monmouth RB Jaden Shirden, Notre Dame LB Marist Liufau
No. 218 (Round 6): Marshall RB Rasheen Ali
Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta said during the team’s predraft news conference earlier this month that there’s a “pretty strong chance” that Baltimore would draft a running back. With Derrick Henry and Justice Hill their only healthy backs on the roster as Keaton Mitchell continues to recover from a torn ACL suffered in mid-December, there’s also a need.
Ali had a predraft visit with the Ravens and there’s a lot to like about the elusive 5-11, 206-pound back, who had 1,135 yards and 15 touchdowns on 212 carries last season. He also had 28 catches for 213 yards and another score. In other words, in some ways, he’s this year’s version of Mitchell until Mitchell is healthy enough to return.
Also considered: Michigan TE AJ Barner, Illinois TE Tip Reiman, Colorado State TE Dallin Hooker
No. 228 (Round 7): Northern Iowa DT Khristian Boyd
DeCosta enjoys finding talent at small schools and Boyd also met with the Ravens on a predraft visit. The 6-4, 317-pound 24-year-old is a project to be sure, but if he sticks he would add depth behind Justin Madubuike, Broderick Washington and Travis Jones.
Boyd’s stock has also been rising since the Shrine Bowl, and his 38 reps on bench press during his pro day would’ve ranked second at the scouting combine.
Also considered: Mississippi DT Jaden Crumedy, Air Force S Trey Taylor, Tennessee CB Kamal Hadden
No. 250 (Round 7): Canadian Football League CB Qwan’Tez Stiggers
Sticking with the mantra that the Ravens can never have enough cornerbacks, they snag perhaps the most intriguing prospect of the draft. Stiggers essentially went from high school to semipro football to the CFL, overcoming tragedy along the way when his father was killed in a car accident.
The 5-11, 204-pound corner was the CFL’s Most Outstanding Rookie last year with the Toronto Argonauts after 53 tackles and five interceptions and ran a 4.45 in the 40-yard dash during his pro day last month. He also recently visited with the Ravens.
Also considered: Maryland OT Delmar Glaze, Florida Atlantic DT Evan Anderson, Iowa DT Logan Lee
C.J. Doon’s picks
No. 30 (Round 1): Arizona OT/G Jordan Morgan
The Ravens have no shortage of options in the first round, but I keep coming back to the offensive line. Sure, it’s a deep class at the position, but how long are you willing to wait to find a potential starter?
The 6-5, 311-pound Morgan checks all the boxes for me. He’s experienced (37 career starts at left tackle), athletic (seventh in athleticism score among tackles at the scouting combine) and resilient, playing through a high-ankle sprain in 2021 and coming back from a torn ACL suffered late in the 2022 season. Arizona offensive coordinator Brennan Carroll called him a “fantastic role model.”
His NFL future might be at guard — a position the Ravens also need to fill — but I’m willing to bet on the 22-year-old’s athletic traits and intangibles to develop into a starting-caliber tackle.
Also considered: Florida State WR Keon Coleman, Alabama CB Kool-Aid McKinstry, Oregon C/G Jackson Powers-Johnson
No. 62 (Round 2): Kentucky CB Andru Phillips
The run on receivers and cornerbacks in the second round took some of my favorite prospects off the board, but I’m not going to call Phillips a consolation prize.
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.
With two years of starting experience playing both inside and outside, the strength and mentality to defend the run and the tools to grow into a lockdown press defender, the 22-year-old Phillips brings an intriguing package to a cornerback room that needs to bolster its depth behind Humphrey and Stephens.
Also considered: Alabama EDGE Chris Braswell, Connecticut G Christian Haynes, Central Florida WR Javon Baker
USC wide receiver Brenden Rice runs for a touchdown past San Jose State linebacker Matthew Tago on Aug. 26. (Keith Birmingham/Pasadena Star-News) No. 93 (Round 3): Southern California WR Brenden Rice
Yes, he’s from that Rice family. Brenden is the youngest son of Hall of Fame wide receiver Jerry Rice, but those bloodlines are not the only reason to be excited about his potential.
The 6-2, 208-pound Colorado transfer was a two-year starter at outside receiver for the Trojans and became one of star quarterback Caleb Williams’ favorite targets, catching a team-leading 12 touchdown passes this past season.
While Rice isn’t an outstanding separator downfield, his size, feel for the game, long arms (33 inches, 79th percentile among wideouts per MockDraftable) and strong hands offer starting potential for a team that needs a true outside receiver — especially if Bateman doesn’t return next year.
Also considered: Washington EDGE Bralen Trice, Kansas State G Cooper Beebe, Texas Tech S Dadrion Taylor-Demerson
No. 113 (Round 4): Notre Dame RB Audric Estimé
The fourth round feels like the sweet spot for the Ravens to find their running back of the future.
With Henry, Hill and Mitchell leading the way, there isn’t a clear path for a rookie to get many touches this year or next. But Estimé has a tantalizing package of size, athleticism and experience that could push him onto the field.
At 5-11 and 221 pounds (and only 20 years old), Estimé might be the hammer the Ravens need to keep Henry fresh and wear down opposing defenses late in the game. He averaged an incredible 6.39 yards on 210 carries last season, using his imposing physique (reportedly 7% body fat), agility and balance to churn through defenders. A whopping 892 of his 1,341 yards came after contact, according to PFF, and he forced 64 missed tackles.
While his lack of long speed (4.71-second 40-yard dash) might limit him to being a short-yardage grinder like Gus Edwards, that’s still a valuable role for an offense that runs the ball as much as the Ravens do.
Also considered: Texas DT T’Vondre Sweat, Penn State C/G Hunter Nourzad, Pittsburgh OT Matt Goncalves
No. 130 (Round 4): Wake Forest S Malik Mustapha
After saying goodbye to breakout star Stone, the Ravens are left with no depth behind starting safeties Kyle Hamilton and Marcus Williams. And given how important Stone was when Williams was injured last season, finding a third safety is a must.
While undersized at 5-10 and 209 pounds, Mustapha is well-built, reportedly adding 25 pounds of muscle during his time in college. What sets him apart is his ability to fly downhill in run support and cover ground quickly. The Richmond transfer models his game after Arizona Cardinals star Budda Baker and lined up all over the field, including in a hybrid “Panther” position on third downs that ranged from covering the slot to blitzing off the edge.
Mustapha might be best served taking on a special teams role as a rookie, but he has the athleticism, versatility and mentality to grow into a dependable part of the secondary.
Also considered: Temple LB Jordan Magee, LSU DT Mekhi Wingo, Colorado State EDGE Mohamed Kamara
Michigan defensive end Braiden McGregor rushes the passer against Rutgers on Sept. 23. (Paul Sancya/AP) No. 165 (Round 5): Michigan EDGE Braiden McGregor
The Ravens still have high hopes for Oweh and Ojabo, but the return of veteran Kyle Van Noy suggests they’re not satisfied with their group of edge defenders.
The 6-5, 257-pound McGregor’s production and athletic profile are not very inspiring, but there’s a strong case to be made that his best football is ahead of him. The top recruit in Michigan’s 2020 class improved over the past three seasons and saved his best for last, recording 3 1/2 sacks over his final five games.
With just 697 career defensive snaps, the former hockey, basketball and lacrosse player is still raw in terms of technique and might already be maxed out as an athlete, but his first-step quickness and relentless attitude could help him earn playing time. The Athletic’s Dane Brugler said he often wrote “fast” and “violent” in his notes while watching McGregor’s tape, and those traits would be a welcome addition to the Ravens’ group of pass rushers.
Also considered: Michigan G Zak Zinter, Tennessee CB Kamal Hadden, Oregon State WR Anthony Gould
No. 218 (Round 6): Northern Iowa DT Khristian Boyd
The Ravens reportedly brought in Boyd for a top-30 visit, so there’s a chance we might see this match in the real draft.
The 6-2, 329-pound Football Championship Subdivision star stood out during the East-West Shrine Bowl, showing off a strong bull rush that proved difficult for offensive linemen to stop. After posting 10 1/2 sacks and 22 1/2 tackles for loss in six college seasons, the surprising combine snub finished with a school-record 38 bench-press reps at his pro day.
Boyd is already 24 years old and didn’t face top competition during his college career, but he can be a reliable run defender with the potential to grow into a better pass rusher.
Also considered: Mississippi State DT Jaden Crumedy, Utah OT Sataoa Laumea, Tennessee QB Joe Milton III
No. 228 (Round 7): Arizona TE Tanner McLachlan
Another tight end for the Ravens? Hear me out.
Mark Andrews is a star, Isaiah Likely is quickly becoming one and Charlie Kolar has the potential to be a productive player, but none of them are going to earn much praise for their blocking. There’s no guarantee McLachlan will ever become an outstanding blocker, either, but his effort and competitiveness suggest there’s a chance.
The 6-5, 244-pound McLachlan is also no slouch when it comes to catching the ball. The Southern Utah transfer’s 79 career receptions in two seasons at Arizona broke Rob Gronkowski’s school record for a tight end, and he did plenty of damage after the catch, too, including some hurdles.
He’d face a steep climb to not only make the roster but earn playing time behind the Ravens’ top tight ends, but McLachlan could carve out a role for himself because of what NFL.com scout Lance Zierlein described as a “whatever it takes” mentality.
Also considered: NC State C Dylan McMahon, Maryland CB Tarheeb Still, Pittsburgh WR Bub Means
No. 250 (Round 7): Wyoming OT Frank Crum
We’re in dart-throw territory at the end of the draft, but that doesn’t mean you can’t find a quality player.
The 6-8, 313-pound Crum, a third-generation Wyoming player, was a full-time starter for four seasons with the Cowboys and has experience at both tackle spots. He earned the nickname “Frank the Tank” for his prowess as a run blocker, and that showed up at the combine when he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.94 seconds, third-best among offensive linemen. He also posted a vertical jump of 31 1/2 inches (85th percentile, per MockDraftable) and a 9-foot, 6-inch broad jump (93rd percentile), showing off his explosiveness.
Ultimately, Crum has work to do to hold up as a pass protector at the next level, but his athletic profile is worth betting on as the Ravens seek a long-term solution at tackle.
Also considered: Penn State CB Daequan Hardy, Charlotte EDGE Eyabi Okie-Anoma, Mississippi State LB Nathaniel Watson
NFL draft
Round 1: Thursday, 8 p.m.
Rounds 2-3: Friday, 7 p.m.
Rounds 4-7: Saturday, noon
TV: ABC, ESPN, NFL Network
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When the NFL draft descends upon Detroit on Thursday, it will mark the 89th time the league’s franchises have gathered to select newly eligible players. It will also mark both a turning point and an important juncture for the Ravens.
“This whole draft landscape has changed,” general manager Eric DeCosta said earlier this month.
He was referring to the impact name, image and likeness deals, along with the extra year of eligibility granted by the NCAA in 2020 in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, are having on this year’s class. And, at least in the case of NIL, likely future ones, too.
“There are less players in the draft this year,” he said. “There are less probably ‘draftable’ players this year on our board, less juniors, less underclassmen.”
Indeed.
Because of the perfect storm of the pandemic and newfound financial gains for players who might previously have been inclined to enter the draft early, this year’s class includes just 58 players who still had college eligibility remaining. That’s the fewest since 2011. Only five years ago, there were a record 135 players who entered the draft early.
How all of it impacts the Ravens remains to be seen, but with nine picks this year and a projected 11 in 2025, the upcoming drafts will be particularly important for Baltimore for a couple of reasons.
For one, they lost more than a dozen players, including many significant contributors, in free agency or other roster moves from last season’s 13-4 team that reached the AFC championship game. They brought back some key contributors and added new players, including four-time Pro Bowl running back Derrick Henry, but replicating the kind of success they had with their free agent signings last offseason is anything but a guarantee.
For another, the Ravens’ handful of core stars are only going to get more expensive over the next three years and beyond. For example, quarterback and two-time NFL Most Valuable Player Lamar Jackson ($32.4 million), inside linebacker Roquan Smith ($13.5 million) and defensive tackle Justin Madubuike ($11 million) already account for more than 20% of the team’s salary cap this year after signing lucrative extensions. Meanwhile, veteran cornerback Marlon Humphrey ($22.9 million) has the second-biggest cap hit on the roster behind Jackson, and All-Pro safety Kyle Hamilton and Pro Bowl center Tyler Linderbaum will become eligible for extensions beginning next year. That means a handful of players will chew up an increasingly larger percentage of cap space, thus leaving less money for all the Ravens’ other needs.
Enter this year’s draft, which isn’t particularly deep, and next year’s, which should be much more so, especially at running back. That’s a position Baltimore might address with Henry only signed for two years and already 30 years old.
“[This is what happens] when you have a quarterback no longer on a rookie deal plus a lot of other really, really good players on your roster who have already been paid or are soon to be paid,” ESPN draft analyst and former NFL scout Field Yates told The Baltimore Sun. “But this is all part of a larger, more complicated web that they have always done an excellent job of managing. The draft is going to end up being a friend in a lot of ways.”
Yates added that he also doesn’t sense panic from Baltimore amid its current landscape.
DeCosta isn’t worried, either, and is confident about how he’ll be able to replenish all those missing parts.
“We’ve always been a team that’s built through the draft primarily,” said DeCosta, who will oversee his sixth draft for Baltimore this year. “We feel that’s the best way to build your team long-term from a cost standpoint — obviously cheaper players, but also young players that you know a lot about who can develop and become good players.
“We see this year’s draft and we see next year’s draft as real opportunities for us to begin to build that depth up again.”
Baltimore Ravens training camp, Aug. 3
Karl Merton Ferron/Baltimore SunRavens general manager Eric DeCosta, from left, and coach John Harbaugh talk with owner Steve Bisciotti during training camp. DeCosta jokingly described trading for draft picks in future years as “The Bisciotti Reign of Terror.” (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff)The good news is that this year’s class is deep in some areas, and they align with the holes the Ravens need to fill, particularly on the offensive line, wide receiver and to some extent cornerback.
Baltimore has both starting guard spots open after John Simpson and Kevin Zeitler left in free agency. Right tackle Morgan Moses, meanwhile, was traded to the New York Jets. There is also a need at cornerback, with question marks beyond Humphrey and Brandon Stephens, who is set to become a free agent after this season.
With three picks among the top 100, including No. 30 in the first round and No. 62 in the second, finding a starting caliber offensive lineman, a cornerback and wide receiver who can contribute immediately will likely be a priority.
“Cornerback and offensive tackle are not exactly spots in free agency where a lot of great players hit the open market, so the Ravens might feel their best way to attack those two positions is in the draft,” Yates said. “The offensive tackle class I do think there are possibilities of players that last late into the late portion of the second round, but both of those [positions] are areas where 30 is the only place where I feel confident they could address one of those two issues.”
Fellow ESPN draft analyst and Baltimore native and resident Mel Kiper Jr. agrees, which is why he projects Alabama cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry to the Ravens in the first round and Kansas State guard Cooper Beebe to them with the 62nd overall pick in Round 2.
“Cornerback is their biggest need and the offensive line would be right there,” Kiper told The Sun. “Kool-Aid ran 4.47 [seconds in the 40-yard dash] with that Jones [foot] fracture [when] everyone thought he would be a 4.55 guy. He was better than that, even with the injury. He’s been a starter since Day 1. He was better than [teammate] Terrion Arnold most of his career … Kool-Aid at the end of the first round, that’s a heck of a pick there in terms of where they were, where they are now in terms of value.
“Cooper Beebe can play left tackle, right tackle, but he’s got shorter arms than I prefer; that’s why I moved him down into the late second. He’s more of a guard I believe in the NFL. … That gives them the versatile piece that they could use as a starter at guard or kick to right tackle.”
Given DeCosta’s penchant for viewing draft picks as lottery tickets, there’s also the possibility the Ravens could instead trade back out of the first round to acquire more picks.
“There’s a way you could work it where you could move out of the first round and all of a sudden you could get an additional several picks and still get a good corner,” Kiper said.
Added Yates: “There is always the possibility for a team wanting to secure the fifth-year option for a quarterback pick at the end of the first round. Any of those teams picking in the last five or six spots are worth watching.”
Of course, it depends on the perceived value of those picks in DeCosta’s eyes when it comes to acquiring them, particularly when he’s already said he does not view this as a deep class.
“It’s great to have additional picks,” he said. “You certainly have to have players that you covet and that you want to draft.
“You could have 15 picks, and sometimes you’re there at the end of the draft and you’re looking at the [board and you have no idea who you want to pick. You just don’t see anybody that you really covet. I always think about it as, ‘What picks do you need to get the players that you want to take?’ You can have some great picks, but if the board doesn’t fall the right way, and you’re looking at a bunch of players that aren’t any better than the players you have on your roster, those picks don’t really help you very much.
“I like the idea of having more picks, but I want to have more picks in a specific range in the draft.”
Which could mean the Ravens might not end up using nine picks after all if, for example, they decide to move some of their late-round picks in exchange for picks next year.
“We’ve done it a couple of times, but that’s always an interesting thing,” DeCosta said. “I think [owner] Steve [Bisciotti] would love us to do that. He’s excited about that. His idea would be — not to give anything away — but he has what he calls ‘The Bisciotti Reign of Terror,’ and that would basically be that you trade a seventh-round pick in any given year for a sixth-round pick next year, and then take that sixth-round pick and trade it for a five, and then trade that five for a four. And so in seven or eight years, you’d have a first-round pick. We’ve always talked about that, but we never get to that point.”
Asked how often it has worked, DeCosta laughed and said, “That’s why it’s called ‘The Bisciotti Reign of Terror.’ It’s unique.”
A lot like this year’s draft.
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With less than a week before the 2024 NFL draft begins Thursday night in Detroit, Ravens beat writer Brian Wacker predicts all 32 picks in the first round.
1. Chicago Bears (from Carolina): Caleb Williams, QB, Southern California
After Chicago traded Justin Fields to the Pittsburgh Steelers, the 2022 Heisman Trophy winner is the next man up in the Bears’ seemingly never-ending search for a franchise quarterback.
2. Washington Commanders: Jayden Daniels, QB, LSU
With comparisons to Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson for his dual-threat ability, the 2023 Heisman Trophy winner gives Washington its franchise quarterback.
3. New England Patriots: Drake Maye, QB, North Carolina
Patriots coach Jerod Mayo said there’s “no ceiling” for the 2022 ACC Player of the Year. With Daniels off the board, New England sticks with Maye.
4. Arizona Cardinals: Marvin Harrison Jr., WR, Ohio State
The consensus best receiver, and perhaps best overall prospect, Harrison won’t get by the receiver-needy Cardinals.
5. Los Angeles Chargers: Malik Nabers, WR, LSU
Coach John Harbaugh and general manager Joe Hortiz give quarterback Justin Herbert a much-needed target who has drawn comparisons to the Bengals’ Ja’Marr Chase.
6. New York Giants: Rome Odunze, WR, Washington
Another team that desperately needs a wide receiver and an injection of life on offense after running back Saquon Barkley bolted for division rival Philadelphia, the Giants snag Odunze, who has drawn comparisons to Davante Adams and Larry Fitzgerald.
7. Tennessee Titans: Joe Alt, OT, Notre Dame
With second-year quarterback Will Levis and the addition of receiver Calvin Ridley, the Titans’ biggest focus will be improving what was one of the worst offensive lines in the NFL last season. The best tackle prospect in the draft helps them do so immediately.
8. Atlanta Falcons: Dallas Turner, EDGE, Alabama
To help a defense that was 26th in pass-rush win rate (37.6%) and last in quarterback pressure percentage (.249), the Falcons get the best pass rusher in a class light on them.
9. Chicago Bears: Taliese Fuaga, OT, Oregon State
What better way to protect your No. 1 pick and franchise quarterback than by taking a tackle who didn’t give up a sack in college and grades as a highly effective run blocker?
10. New York Jets: Brock Bowers, TE, Georgia
After the Jets added right tackle Morgan Moses and guard John Simpson from the Ravens to help protect Aaron Rodgers, they give the veteran quarterback an elite pass-catching tight end who is also a capable blocker.
11. Minnesota Vikings: J.J. McCarthy, QB, Michigan
Kirk Cousins left for the Falcons in free agency, so the Vikings get his replacement in the national championship-winning quarterback. Don’t be surprised if Minnesota trades up to ensure it, either.
12. Denver Broncos: Bo Nix, QB, Oregon
With Russell Wilson in Pittsburgh and without another pick until the third round, Denver can’t afford to wait and takes last season’s FBS leader in completion percentage (.774).
13. Las Vegas Raiders: Troy Fautanu, OT/G, Washington
A native of nearby Henderson, Nevada, Fautanu gives Raiders coach Antonio Pierce a plug-and-play tackle who helped block for the nation’s second-best passing offense (343.7 yards per game) last season. Fautanu was also part of a unit that won the Joe Moore Award recognizing the country’s top offensive line.
14. New Orleans Saints: Olu Fashanu, OT, Penn State
A first-team All-American and the Big Ten Conference’s Offensive Lineman of the Year, Fashanu gives the Saints the starting-caliber tackle they need.
15. Indianapolis Colts: Terrion Arnold, CB, Alabama
With the Colts ranking 23rd in yards per pass attempt allowed last season, the need is obvious. Arnold allowed a completion rate of 52% and recorded five interceptions with 13 pass breakups last season.
16. Seattle Seahawks: Byron Murphy II, DT, Texas
New coach Mike Macdonald saw the success he had in Baltimore with Justin Madubuike and gets another disruptive force in the middle of the defense in Murphy, who had career highs in tackles (29), tackles for loss (8 1/2), sacks (5) and quarterback hurries (7) last season.
17. Jacksonville Jaguars: Quinyon Mitchell, CB, Toledo
The Jaguars had one of the league’s worst pass defenses last season, ranking 26th in passing yards allowed per game and 19th in completion percentage allowed. Mitchell fits the bill as an athletic lockdown corner who stood out at the Senior Bowl.
18. Cincinnati Bengals: JC Latham, OT, Alabama
Latham’s size (6-foot-6, 342 pounds) and strength is a good investment in keeping quarterback Joe Burrow upright. Over the past two seasons as the Crimson Tide’s starting right tackle, he allowed only two sacks and four quarterback hits.
19. Los Angeles Rams: Laiatu Latu, EDGE, UCLA
Latu, who led the FBS last season in tackles for loss (21 1/2) and tied for fourth in sacks (13), provides an immediate boost to a Rams defense that ranked in the bottom quarter of the league in sacks and bottom third in quarterback pressures.
20. Pittsburgh Steelers: Brian Thomas Jr., WR, LSU
New Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson gets immediate help with Thomas, who had 1,177 receiving yards and 17 touchdowns last season. The LSU star is fast, hitting 22.91 mph on a go route at the scouting combine to lead all receivers.
21. Miami Dolphins: Jared Verse, EDGE, Florida State
After losing Christian Wilkins and Andrew Van Ginkel in free agency and with Bradley Chubb and Jaelan Phillips working their way back from injury, Miami needs help up front. Verse is a versatile an experienced edge rusher who would be a good fit with new defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver.
22. Philadelphia Eagles: Cooper DeJean, CB/S, Iowa
The Eagles are one of a handful of teams DeJean reportedly met with on a top-30 visit, and his versatility to play corner or safety makes him a tantalizing option. An explosive athlete who can play all over the field, DeJean had seven interceptions, 13 passes defended, five sacks and three touchdowns in three seasons in Iowa.
23. Minnesota Vikings (from Houston via Cleveland): Jer’Zhan Newton, DT, Illinois
After addressing their offense, the Vikings turn to defense and the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year. Newton recorded a team-high 7 1/2 sacks last season and led all of FBS with four blocked kicks.
24. Dallas Cowboys: Amarius Mims, OT, Georgia
While Mims has limited experience and played right tackle at Georgia, he has the athleticism and skill to protect the blindside of quarterback Dan Prescott after the departure of Tyron Smith in free agency. Dallas could also plug Mims in at right tackle if it felt more comfortable with 2022 first-round pick Tyler Smith sliding over to the left side.
25. Green Bay Packers: Graham Barton, G/C, Duke
With some turnover up front, the Packers get a versatile player in Barton, who can play anywhere along the offensive line but is projected to line up on the interior given his relatively short arms. That includes center, which would allow the Packers to keep Zach Tom at tackle.
26. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Chop Robinson, EDGE, Penn State
Given a deep offensive line class, the Buccaneers target a pass rusher early instead. Robinson’s stats aren’t great — 11 1/2 sacks the past two seasons, including four in 2023 — but the Maryland transfer does have first-step quickness, athleticism and a strong motor.
27. Arizona Cardinals (from Houston): Darius Robinson, EDGE/DT, Missouri
After recording the third-fewest sacks (33) in the league last season, the Cardinals land a versatile pass rusher who has played on the interior as well as the outside. Robinson had 8 1/2 sacks last season.
28. Buffalo Bills: Adonai Mitchell, WR, Texas
With Stefon Diggs traded to the Houston Texans, Buffalo gets its “X” receiver replacement in Mitchell, a 6-2, 205-pound speedster with a big catch radius who can beat press coverage and make an immediate impact.
29. Detroit Lions: Kool-Aid McKinstry, CB, Alabama
McKinstry is represented by the same firm as Lions defensive end Aidan Hutchinson, had a top-30 visit with Detroit and is a versatile, intelligent corner who can help shore up a secondary that is on the rise after adding Carlton Davis III.
30. Ravens: Tyler Guyton, OT, Oklahoma
It would not be a surprise to see the Ravens trade out of this spot — either back into Round 2 or possibly up the board to snag an even higher ranked tackle. But if they stay put and select Guyton, they get a large and athletic player who can immediately fill the need at right tackle and eventually move to the left side. Guyton didn’t allow a sack in more than 350 pass-blocking snaps at right tackle last season for the Sooners.
31. San Francisco 49ers: Jordan Morgan, OT/G, Arizona
The offensive line is the biggest area of need for the 49ers and Morgan checks a lot of boxes given his versatility to play guard or tackle. He’s also fast for his size, which speaks to his ability to pull and get to the second level on running plays, and graded as solid pass blocker.
32. Kansas City Chiefs: Ladd McConkey, WR, Georgia
An elite route runner who is savvy at getting open, quick out of his breaks and capable of picking up yards after the catch, the sure-handed McConkey would be a welcome addition to quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ offense.
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Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers will not face discipline from the NFL after a police investigation into an alleged domestic incident earlier this year, the league announced Thursday.
“Following a review, the NFL concluded there was insufficient evidence to support a finding that Zay Flowers engaged in any activity that violated the NFL’s personal conduct policy,” the NFL said in a statement. “There will be no action taken by the league and Flowers remains eligible to participate in all team activities.”
The news comes after The Baltimore Sun reported in February that Baltimore County Police suspended the investigation that was connected to Flowers without any criminal charges.
In January, a woman told police in Acton, Massachusetts, about a “violent domestic incident” in Owings Mills on Jan. 16, in which the “suspect’s brother also drew a firearm.” She declined to name the suspect, other than to say he is an “NFL player.” The woman told police in Massachusetts that she was “physically assaulted” and left with “multiple bruises,” according to the Baltimore County report, and in that interview said she was “living with her boyfriend in a townhouse outside Baltimore, Maryland, when the incident became physical and violent.”
She did not take Acton Police up on an offer of a protective order.
At the NFL scouting combine in February, Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta said the team was continuing to assess the situation with Flowers, who led the team in catches and receiving yards as a rookie last season. Ravens team president Sashi Brown said at last month’s NFL owners meetings that there has been no change to the team’s “zero-tolerance” policy on domestic violence.
The Ravens began the voluntary portion of their offseason program earlier this week, with players allowed to begin working out at the facility on Monday. Flowers, who has yet to speak with the media since news of the investigation was first reported, was among those in attendance.
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The Ravens and M&T Bank will each donate $10 million to help a national college access nonprofit, College Track, open an education center in Baltimore that seeks to assist under-served youth as they graduate high school and college.
The combined $20 million gift is part of a $40 million donation to the Ravens College Access Program over the next decade: $10 million from M&T Bank and $30 million from The Stephen and Renee Bisciotti Foundation and the Ravens, which will be split between three education programs, College Bound, Bridges Baltimore and College Track.
College Track, which first started in California, has 12 locations, including one in Prince George’s County — established with the Kevin Durant Charity Foundation — and in Southeast Washington. Ravens president Sashi Brown, who’d first heard of College Track just before the coronavirus pandemic, visited both of those Washington-area locations.
One of the things that drew the Ravens specifically to College Track, Brown said, is “that they actually create a physical space where students actually go and the programming is housed there.”
Shirley Collado, president and CEO of College Track, said the Baltimore center will eventually support 300 to 350 Baltimore City public high school students. College Track makes a “10-year promise,” according to a news release, and will continue to assist students as they graduate college. Ninety percent of College Track’s students are first-generation college students and 84% come from underserved communities, according to the release.
The center is tentatively expected to open in May 2025, but it is not yet publicly known where in Baltimore it will be located.
“We target students that are constantly overlooked and underestimated,” said Collado, the former president of Ithaca College. “We want students that are often left behind but have fire in their belly and can do the work if they have the right resources and support.”
The Ravens’ venue has been named M&T Bank Stadium since 2003 and, following an extension of that naming rights agreement last year, will keep that name until at least 2037. Augie Chiasera, the bank’s regional president for Greater Baltimore, said their donation is a continuation of their partnership with the Ravens.
“We have shared values, we care deeply about the city, and that’s particularly true when it comes to educating our youngest citizens,” he said.
The Ravens have a lease to play at state-owned M&T Bank Stadium, which is currently undergoing significant state-funded renovations, until at least 2037. The Maryland Stadium Authority is spending $430 million in bonds, to be paid off with public money generated by the state lottery, over the next three years to bolster the stadium with new suites and clubs, as well as expanded concourses and bathrooms.
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Beau Brade is past the nervous stage of the NFL draft, which begins next week in Detroit. He just wants to get started on his pro career.
As far as he is concerned, it’s time for a new scheme, playbook, home and opportunity.
“It’s all part of a cool process,” said Brade, a Clarksville native and former University of Maryland safety. “It’s been a long process and I’ve been waiting for some time, so I’m just ready to get that full-time job and start playing.
“I’m not nervous anymore. I’m just interested to see where I could end up across the country.”
The consensus on Brade, a former standout at River Hill, is that he will be picked anywhere from the third to the fifth round. That depends on whether there are any “runs” on safeties, which is not as deep of a position as offensive line or wide receiver and is not considered as valuable across the league.
But the two things that stick out about Brade are his work ethic and aggression. He wants to hit. He likes collisions. In the Terps’ 2023 season, the 6-foot, 203-pound safety recorded a team-high 75 tackles, including 48 solo. He also broke up seven passes, forced a fumble and had one interception.
With the draft nearly one week away, Brade has visited the Washington Commanders and the Ravens, who need someone to replace Geno Stone after he signed with the Cincinnati Bengals.
Like current Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton, Brade can play near the line of scrimmage or off the ball. And like most college players from Maryland, Brade learned the game while studying Ray Lewis, the Ravens’ Hall of Fame middle linebacker.
“I grew up a Ray fan,” Brade said. “He was that guy I tried to be so I tried to hit people hard like Ray Lewis, and I had that work ethic too.”
Maryland safety Beau Brade participated in the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama, in January. (Butch Dill/AP) Brade is a Christian and there are no pretenses about his faith. He talks about it openly, and the challenges and temptations he faces in college life these days.
On the field, though, the aggression surfaces. Those who have watched him play consistently this season emphasize his ability to dissect plays and slip into gaps to make tackles. He plays with force, which allowed the Terps’ cornerbacks to be more aggressive knowing that Brade was there on the back end.
But his strength also appears to be his weakness. He doesn’t always take the proper pursuit angles and is vulnerable to giving up big plays off play-action fakes.
Brade also ran the 40-yard dash in 4.68 seconds, which is serviceable but not ideal for playing in the deep third of the field. His versatility is his primary asset.
“I feel like part of my upside is that I’ve had three different defensive coordinators my whole time in Maryland,” Brade said. ”Initially, it was really tough. After my junior year, I started to see the bright side and learn from different coaches that are experts in their crafts.
“I feel like in the long run it made me better, but at the time it was hard to really create a relationship with someone that’s there for less than 12 months.”
Doug Kapustin / Baltimore Sun Media GroupRiver Hill senior safety Beau Brade was named Howard County football Defensive Player of the Year in 2019. (Doug Kapustin/Freelance)According to Brade, 17 colleges recruited him out of high school, including several from the Atlantic Coast Conference such as North Carolina, Syracuse and Wake Forest, as well as Big Ten power Michigan. But he chose Maryland because of the school’s business department and because it was close to home.
The Terps originally offered him a spot as a running back before allowing him to play safety. At the time of his graduation, his 450 career tackles at River Hill ranked second in Howard County history.
But it’s the shot at the NFL that has him buzzing, not nervous.
“I believe my faith and my work ethic, which were instilled in me by my parents [Ron and Angela], are my biggest assets,” Brade said. “That’s what has gotten me to this point in my life and really pushes me. I just want a shot with a team that is aggressive and has a shot at winning the Super Bowl.
“The Ravens have been a winning organization for a long time and they have a lot of grit about them. I grew up a big Ravens fan but I’d be happy with anywhere right now. I just want to get to work.”
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Former Ravens running back J.K. Dobbins is headed west.
Dobbins is planning to sign a one-year deal with the Los Angeles Chargers, his agency LAA Sports confirmed to The Baltimore Sun on Wednesday evening. The move reunites the 2020 second-round draft pick out of Ohio State with his former offensive coordinator in Baltimore, Greg Roman, who was hired by the Chargers for the same role in February.
The 25-year-old running back is just the latest former Raven to migrate to Los Angeles.
Running back Gus Edwards, fullback Ben Mason, tight end Hayden Hurst and center Bradley Bozeman all joined the Chargers after previously playing in Baltimore. Former Ravens director of player personnel Joe Hortiz bolted for Los Angeles earlier this year as well, taking over as the team’s general manager, while Ravens coach John Harbaugh’s younger brother Jim was named the Chargers’ coach in January.
Though his Ravens career ended unceremoniously, Dobbins was one of the NFL’s most efficient running backs when healthy, rushing for 1,347 yards and 12 touchdowns on 234 carries across three seasons. But over the past three years, he has been sidelined for 42 of 51 games because of injuries, including 16 games last year after he suffered a torn Achilles tendon in Week 1. Dobbins missed all of 2021 after tearing the ACL, LCL and meniscus in his left knee, along with his hamstring, in the preseason finale, and he missed half of 2022 after another knee surgery.
Last year, after he sat out of team drills for three weeks at the start of training camp and expressed his displeasure over the lack of a contract extension, Dobbins hit the practice field in mid-August and said that he felt 100% healthy for the first time in three years. He also said he wanted to finish his career in Baltimore.
“I do think that healthy, I can be one of the top backs in the league,” Dobbins said at the time. “I just gotta prove it and I am gonna prove it. One day, one day it will happen.”
But after catching a short pass early in the third quarter of the season opener against the Houston Texans at M&T Bank Stadium, he suffered a torn Achilles as he was tackled short of the end zone.
Dobbins missed the remainder of the season, and the Ravens moved on this offseason by signing four-time Pro Bowl selection and two-time NFL rushing leader Derrick Henry.
Still, when Dobbins has been on the field, he has been effective. His career average of 5.8 yards per carry is the highest among running backs with at least 200 carries since 2020.
Now, he’ll join his former backfield mate Edwards, as well as third-year back Isaiah Spiller and reserves Elijah Dotson and Jaret Patterson, as he tries to rekindle his career yet again. The Ravens are set to play the Chargers in SoFi Stadium next season.
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New Ravens running back Derrick Henry strolled out of the team’s weight room at the Owings Mills facility alongside Zay Flowers, the sleeves of his workout T-shirt struggling to contain his biceps and his 6-foot-2, 247-pound frame dwarfing the second-year receiver — as well as the sun trying to poke through a nearby window.
Monday marked the start of Baltimore’s offseason workout program and Henry, when not running over and past would-be tacklers, lives to work out, so it was hardly a surprise that he was in attendance for the voluntary sessions after signing with the Ravens last month.
“I’m the new guy,” Henry said Wednesday in a soft tone that belies his size. “I wanna make sure I show up, show my teammates, show the organization that I’m committed. I wanna come and put the work in, be around my teammates and develop that relationship with them and just put the work in and work as hard as I can when I’m in the building.”
The nine-week offseason program consists of three phases — the first spans two weeks and covers strength and conditioning along with meetings; the second includes on-field workouts; and the third includes organized team activities.
All of them are voluntary, until a three-day mandatory minicamp in mid-June. But for Henry, along with quarterback Lamar Jackson, inside linebacker Roquan Smith, center Tyler Linderbuam and others, it provides a good opportunity to begin the process of a new season and put last year’s mistake-filled AFC championship game further in the rearview mirror.
“It was definitely very tough, after all you go through throughout the year physically, emotionally,” Smith said. “To come up short, it sucks.
“Obviously last season is last season. … I think everyone is very excited about what all we have coming forward, the potential that we have with this team, with added pieces, and I’m sure throughout the draft and throughout the rest of the offseason we’re gonna add more pieces.”
Henry, literally and figuratively, is the biggest one.
A four-time Pro Bowl selection and NFL leader in rushing yards and touchdowns in 2019 and 2020, he is easily the best backfield mate Jackson, the reigning and two-time NFL Most Valuable Player, has had in what will be his seventh season in Baltimore. Only once in Jackson’s tenure has he had a 1,000-yard rusher (Mark Ingram II), which was in 2019, when he won his first NFL MVP award. Henry, 30, is one of only eight running backs to surpass 2,000 rushing yards in a season, recording 2,027 and 17 touchdowns in 2020 when he was named the league’s Offensive Player of the Year.
And while it remains to be seen how exactly the Ravens will deploy the bruising and speedy back in an offense that transitioned from a heavy ground-and-pound scheme under former offensive coordinator Greg Roman to a more spread-out attack under Todd Monken, Henry’s ability should make Baltimore much more potent. If nothing else, his presence should at least take some pressure off Jackson, who led the team in rushing again last season while throwing for a career-high 3,678 yards.
“Shoot, the guy’s very built and strong and fast,” Linderbaum said of Henry. “He’ll be a good addition for us.”
Smith was even more bullish, calling the running back’s addition “huge,” and that he’ll help the team stick to what they do best.
“Having a guy like that, anytime you need a play with him and Lamar back there, I think it’s gonna be crucial,” Smith said. “It’s gonna open up a lot for everyone. … It’s gonna be scary.”
It’s also a change for Henry.
After eight years with the Tennessee Titans and missing the playoffs each of the past two seasons with a combined 13-21 record, he’s excited about the opportunity to play alongside Jackson and for a team that had the NFL’s best record during the regular season last year.
“Lamar’s a cool guy,” Henry said. “You can tell he’s a great leader by how everybody flocks to him. He has great energy as well.
“His body of work speaks for itself.”
As does Henry’s. Among his myriad accolades, about the only thing he hasn’t done is win — or even get to — a Super Bowl. Neither, of course, has Jackson.
“I love playing this game,” Henry said when asked about his motivation at this point of his career. “I really want to hold that trophy up at the end of the year. It starts right now with putting the work in.”
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Former Ravens running back Willis McGahee sometimes struggles to find the words.
“You don’t know how long you’re gonna be here or you don’t know when you can receive the proper healthcare that you need,” he told The Baltimore Sun in a Zoom interview last week. “It’s tough. I think about my kids more than anything. I wanna be here for my kids.”
In his darkest hours, McGahee, a two-time Pro Bowl selection whose career spanned 10 years, 151 games, 8,882 rushing yards, and more than a dozen surgeries across 10 seasons with four teams, said he contemplated taking his own life “a few times” given the physical and emotional burden the sport left on him.
But the 42-year-old is spurred on, he said, by his 10 children, one of whom, Willis McGahee IV, will play outside linebacker at Nebraska this fall. His spirits have also been lifted more in recent days, thanks to a court decision that could potentially allow him and other former players to receive the disability benefits that McGahee believes have long been owed by the NFL for injuries suffered during their careers.
A class-action lawsuit filed by 10 former players, including McGahee in February 2023 against the league’s disability board, which is based in Baltimore, is moving forward after the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland ruled two weeks ago that it can proceed to discovery and trial, though not against Commissioner Roger Goodell or trustees individually because they were not accused of wrongdoing.
The lawsuit alleges that doctors in the plan are financially incentivized to deny disability claims. It also says that data shows a “disturbing pattern of erroneous and arbitrary benefits denials, bad faith contract misinterpretations and other unscrupulous tactics,” that include flagrant violations of federal law, according to lawyers Chris Seeger and Sam Katz. Other plaintiffs include Eric Smith, Jason Alford, Daniel Loper, Michael McKenzie, Jamize Olawale, Alex Parsons, Charles Sims, Joey Thomas and Lance Zeno.
The NFL disability plan, which came out of a 2011 collective bargaining agreement between the players and the union, has been touted as a way to help debilitated former players with claims that can lead to payments between $65,000 and $265,000. However, the plaintiffs’ lawyers say few players receive the top amount and many are denied disability benefits altogether.
For example, Katz cited a statistical example in which the board’s 14 highest-paid neuropsychologists all had a 100% denial rate in evaluations for permanent disability, while physicians in the program who had around a 25% success rate were paid significantly less.
The complaint also alleges that the board relied only on physicians’ conclusions and did not review all related material for claims, even though it consistently told players they’re required by law to review all of the evidence in the record.
“Willis has so many different impairments — physical, neurological, neurocognitive, psychological,” Katz told The Sun. “We based the claim not only off those things individually but the cumulative impact of all of his impairments together. … Despite multiple courts telling [the disability board] they have to do it, they’ve continued this unlawful practice of compartmentalizing and only considering impairments in silo with no one coming together and saying … Willis can’t work from all those things combined.”
One of the denials for McGahee, who lives in Miami, took place in Atlanta in 2016. Of the more than 37 exams done by that same neurologist on players, all were denied benefits, according to the complaint. And in McGahee’s most recent claim, in late 2022, he was denied again.
“My injuries, physical and mental, have gotten worse because of the disability board refusing to provide the proper benefits that I need,” McGahee told The Sun.
The NFL had no additional comment from the statement it issued last February when contacted by The Sun because of the ongoing litigation, though it has said it expected annual payouts for the disability plan to reach $330 million last year. The league has until May 24 to respond to the latest ruling.
The news of the judge’s decision brought a momentary smile to the face of McGahee, who suffered more than 40 injuries over a decade in the NFL that included four years with the Ravens from 2007 to 2010, during which he was knocked unconscious twice, including against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2009 AFC championship game. McGahee also said that other players have reached out to him in recent years, including one former Raven who “didn’t know where to turn” after multiple benefit denials left the player in a dark place.
What McGahee hopes to come out of the lawsuit, he said, is that the players show the NFL disability board that “we’re not pushovers, not going to take no for an answer.” They also hope to have doctors who their data alleges are not neutral removed from the program.
In the meantime, McGahee said he will continue to fight for what he believes is just, for himself and other players in the league past and present.
“I have my ups and downs. That’s everyday life,” he said. “But that we’re standing up to them shows that we have a lot of character amongst each other. We’re not gonna give up.”
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When Air Force safety Trey Taylor wanted some inside information on the Ravens, he went to a relative: Pro Football Hall of Fame safety Ed Reed.
They are cousins by marriage, but Taylor always called Reed “unc,” and Reed calls Taylor his nephew. Reed’s diagnosis of the Ravens organization was as thorough as his film study when he played in Baltimore from 2002 through 2012.
“It’s called 1 Winning Drive, the street they are on,” said Taylor, who went to The Castle for a predraft visit with the Ravens on March 19. “I loved the place, I loved the people there. It seemed like everybody was happy to be there, and they all had winning attitudes.
“It was definitely a positive experience. I’m looking forward to comparing the experience I had with them to the other places I will visit.”
Taylor is also expected to visit the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Denver Broncos and Las Vegas Raiders before the NFL draft, which is April 25-27 in Detroit.
But Taylor fits the profile of a Ravens “hybrid” safety. At 6 feet and 206 pounds, he can play near the line of scrimmage and in the deep third of the field. He had 71 tackles last season and earned first-team All-Mountain West honors. He also recorded six career interceptions.
It’s one of the things he said he discussed with Ravens coach John Harbaugh and first-year defensive coordinator Zach Orr during his visit.
“That’s what they were saying, they would be excited about me playing underneath, but they like how I can also convert to being somebody that plays deep,” Taylor said.
The Ravens need safety help, too. They lost Geno Stone to the Cincinnati Bengals in free agency, and while they return starters Kyle Hamilton and Marcus Williams, Williams missed seven games last season with various injuries and played much of the year with one arm because he declined to have surgery for a torn pectoral muscle.
There is a lot to like about Taylor. He started for three years at Air Force and finished with 205 career tackles. Various draft reports have said he has good intuition reading plays. He also received the 2023 Jim Thorpe Award, which is given annually to the best defensive back in college.
Air Force’s Trey Taylor, the 2023 Jim Thorpe Award winner as the nation’s top defensive back, is the cousin of former Ravens safety and Pro Football Hall of Famer Ed Reed. (Air Force Athletics/Handout) Taylor, who played at Lone Star High School in Frisco, Texas, was recruited by 30 schools, including every Ivy League school but Princeton.
But Taylor chose the Air Force Academy.
“I really wanted to have a positive lifestyle for my family whenever I was getting out,” he said. “I didn’t think that football or going to the NFL at that time in my life was even a possibility. At the Air Force Academy, everybody was really like-minded, everybody had some aspirations in life. They wanted to do big things, wanted to be around big corporations, and I really appreciated that.”
Playing at a service academy, though, has some disadvantages. Army, Navy and Air Force don’t play a traditional, modern style of football. Defenders face run-oriented offenses in practice every day.
There is also the five-year obligation to stay in the military after graduation, though Taylor said he can play in the NFL first as long as he is under contract before having to serve that obligation.
Afterward, according to Taylor, he can pay $250,000 or serve out the five-year commitment. Those things might have played a part in Taylor not being invited to the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis in February.
Air Force safety Trey Taylor said he “dominated” practices at the Shrine Bowl while competing against some of the country’s top NFL draft prospects. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez) Taylor has also been criticized by draft analysts for being too aggressive on the field and not waiting until he can dissect a play. Maybe that’s why he is projected to be a late-round pick.
But at his pro day in Colorado Springs, Taylor ran the 40-yard dash in 4.53 seconds. He bench-pressed 225 pounds 22 times and recorded a 10-foot, 3-inch broad jump.
He has heard his stock is rising.
“I got to the Shrine Bowl and played against some of the best competition in the country and honestly dominated those practices,” Taylor said, “so hopefully [scouts] can bring that back to the [general managers] and really be able to say he’s actually really effective no matter who or what opponent he is playing against.
“I’m pretty confident in what I’ve been hearing from my agency and how I’ve been climbing up the draft board. I’m happy with the progress. The reality is I can slip into the fourth round or possibly sign as an undrafted free agent. It all depends how the board shakes out.”
Regardless, Taylor is easy to like. He is well-rounded and likes to fish, cook and paint. He loves snowboarding, skiing and seeing different parts of the world. Because of his service background, the Ravens know “he is going to play like a Raven” and he can spend possibly a year polishing his skill set playing behind Hamilton and Williams.
Taylor has watched Hamilton play for years going back to the 2022 first-round pick’s days at Notre Dame. Taylor likes the leverage Hamilton plays with, especially filling gaps and taking on blockers. Before Air Force games, he used to watch Washington safety Sean Taylor deliver vicious hits because it amped him up.
And then, of course, there’s “unc,” Ed Reed.
“I literally can call him up right now and be like, ‘Hey, let’s talk ball, or let’s talk investments, or let’s talk life after football,’ and we can have a two-hour conversation,” Taylor said. “It’s crazy. He’s really like having somebody in my corner.
“He has a ton of love for the organization and you can see it in the way that he talks about the team.”
Now, we’ll see if the Ravens have that mutual feeling about Taylor on draft weekend.
NFL draft
Round 1: Thursday, April 25, 8 p.m.
Rounds 2-3: Friday, April 26, 7 p.m.
Rounds 4-7: Saturday, April 27, noon
TV: ABC, ESPN, NFL Network
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The Ravens might have their new kick returner.
Baltimore is signing Deonte Harty to a one-year deal, his agent confirmed to The Baltimore Sun on Wednesday. His addition fills the void left by Devin Duvernay, who signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars in free agency.
Harty, 26, is a Baltimore native who starred at Archbishop Curley before playing at Division II Assumption. He spent last season with the Buffalo Bills, where he primarily served as the team’s punt returner, though he also has experience returning kickoffs.
Last season, he averaged 12.4 yards on 26 punt returns, including a 96-yard touchdown against the Miami Dolphins in Week 17 that helped Buffalo secure the AFC East title. Harty returned only one kickoff for 7 yards last season, but he was an All-Pro as an undrafted rookie with the New Orleans Saints in 2019 when he averaged 26.8 yards per kickoff return.
For his career, Harty, who was also a Baltimore Sun first-team All-Metro selection in 2014, has averaged 10.4 yards per punt return and 25.2 yards per kick return. He also has 79 career catches for 943 yards, the bulk of those coming in 2021 with the Saints. Two years ago, he legally changed his last name from Harris to Harty in honor of his stepdad.
The Ravens’ move comes as the NFL undergoes a drastic change to its kickoff format this year.
The new rule, which will be in place for one season before it is reviewed and voted on again, is designed to increase the number of returns per game while limiting the number of injuries from high speed collisions. A steady decline led to a record-low 23.7% return rate in 2023.
“I love the fact that kickoff returns are going to be back in the game,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said Tuesday. “I’m kind of on record saying I wish they would have looked at a couple other things before taking the line of scrimmage out of the kickoff [and] kickoff return play, because the onside kicks and all that are still pretty cool, and they had already taken the wedges out and the double teams out. If you create some space for the kickoff return team to operate, maybe that would have slowed the kickoff team down; that was a theory.
“But they went all in with this new rule, and I’d rather have this than what we had in the past, where they were going all in for fair catches. We were never in favor of that.”
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Former Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs was arrested in Arizona on Tuesday night.
Suggs, 41, was charged with one count of assault and one count of offense against public order, according to the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office. He has since been released, according to police.
More details about the allegations against Suggs were not made immediately available, though a Scottsdale police spokesperson confirmed to The Baltimore Sun that the arrest stems from an incident that happened on March 10. KTVK/KPHO in Arizona reported that the charges relate to an alleged road rage incident in Scottsdale that involved weapons.
Drafted 10th overall out of Arizona State by Baltimore in 2003, Suggs spent all but one of his 17 years in the NFL with the Ravens, who inducted him into their Ring of Honor in October.
Suggs won two Super Bowl titles in his career, including one with Baltimore in the 2012 season. He was also named the NFL’s Rookie of the Year in 2003 and Defensive Player of the Year in 2011, as well as an All-Pro and a seven-time Pro Bowl selection.
This is also not the first time that Suggs has been accused of assault.
In 2003, he was charged with a felony aggravated assault after a man was allegedly struck with a piece of rebar during an argument at a basketball tournament. Suggs was later acquitted of the charges.
In 2009, Suggs’ future wife, Candace Williams, accused him of domestic violence and filed a request for a protective order claiming he had hit her and spilled bleach on her and their then-1-year-old son. She later requested that the order be rescinded after they reconciled.
Then, in late 2012, she accused him of punching her in the neck and dragging her behind his car as he drove away with their two children. Suggs was ordered to turn over seven guns, including an AK-47 assault rifle, because of the temporary protective order granted by the Baltimore County Circuit Court.
Less than a month later, the couple married, and she again asked for the protective order to be lifted. After two years of marriage, she filed for divorce in 2015.
Suggs, who spent his final season in the league in 2019 with the Arizona Cardinals and then the Kansas City Chiefs, finished his career with 139 sacks, 895 tackles, 15 fumble recoveries and seven interceptions.
This story will be updated.
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With nine picks and holes to fill on both sides of the ball, the Ravens see the 2024 draft as essential to rebuilding the roster depth that made them a top contender last season. General manager Eric DeCosta and coach John Harbaugh shared a bit of their vision — while proudly obscuring specific plans — at the team’s annual predraft luncheon Tuesday.
Here are three takeaways from what they said.
The draft will be more essential to building the 2024 Ravens than it was for last year’s team.
DeCosta made just six picks last April, fewest for the franchise since 2009, and only one of those players, wide receiver Zay Flowers, played a prominent role as the Ravens went all the way to the AFC championship game. This was largely by design as DeCosta tabbed players such as linebacker Trenton Simpson and offensive lineman Andrew Vorhees with an eye on what they might contribute in 2024 rather than 2023.
The script has flipped this year. More talent left the organization than entered it over the last two months. The Ravens kept several of their own key free agents, most recently outside linebacker Kyle Van Noy, and added an offensive hammer in running back Derrick Henry. But they said farewell to three starters on their offensive line, a Pro Bowl inside linebacker, their best edge rusher and a pair of essential reserves from their secondary. They anticipated this exodus, sure, but it left them with much work to do just to get back to par.
Both Harbaugh and DeCosta made a point of saying the Ravens have no plan to take even a half-step back this season. Come September, they aim to field a team at least as good as the one that won 13 games and clinched the AFC’s No. 1 seed with a week to spare. To do so, they’ll return to a bedrock principle established by DeCosta’s predecessor and mentor, Ozzie Newsome: build through the draft first.
“There’s a real opportunity for us to build that depth up again,” DeCosta said, referring to the flood of picks the team is expected to make over the next two drafts.
This isn’t just about back filling behind the team’s highly compensated stars and young Pro Bowl starters, however. The Ravens need multiple players from this class to compete for snaps right away, especially on the offensive line but also potentially at wide receiver, edge rusher and cornerback. Even if they don’t need immediate starters at all those spots, they need players who might shove their way to the front of the line heading into 2025, when players such as left tackle Ronnie Stanley, cornerback Brandon Stephens, wide receiver Rashod Bateman and outside linebacker Odafe Oweh aren’t guaranteed to be around.
“We’ll have some opportunities for sure. There’s going to be some spots that need to be filled,” DeCosta said. “The burden is on me to find those players.”
Is this a make-or-break draft? Not quite, but the Ravens’ talent pipeline needs feeding.
Georgia offensive tackle Amarius Mims could be an option for the Ravens in the first round. (AP Photo/John Bazemore) This is a great year to need offensive linemen.
Harbaugh reiterated that the draft isn’t the only means by which the Ravens plan to fill the gaps left by departed starters Morgan Moses, Kevin Zeitler and John Simpson. They expect tackle Daniel Faalele, guard Ben Cleveland and the powerful Vorhees (coming off a de facto medical redshirt year) to compete for snaps this summer.
But it’s hard to imagine DeCosta would have been comfortable waving goodbye to stalwart veterans Moses and Zeitler if he was not confident he could snag at least one immediate starter from this draft. We’ve heard it from evaluator after evaluator: there could be 10 starting tackles drafted from the top of the first round to the middle of the second, with potential standouts at guard and center also available on all three days of the draft.
DeCosta noted that the Ravens spent all of Monday on offensive line prospects, because there were just so many draftable players to review. Do you fancy an athletically gifted talent who didn’t play much such as Georgia’s Amarius Mims? Or a more refined plug-in at right tackle such as BYU’s Kingsley Suamataia?
There’s an answer to fit every strategy, including a possible trade out of the first round.
And the key point to keep in mind is the Ravens’ work won’t stop with the first offensive lineman they draft. DeCosta will almost certainly draft at least two and perhaps three, recognizing that center Tyler Linderbaum is his only current starter certain to be on the team in 2025. This is the year for the Ravens to set up their offensive line for the next half-decade.
“Offensive line is just stacked across the board, in most rounds,” DeCosta said.
It’s a perfect meeting of need and opportunity.
The calls for a playmaker aren’t quite as urgent, but expect another wide receiver and another running back.
It was unusual to go through a predraft news conference without DeCosta having to answer for the team’s spotty track record evaluating wide receivers. That’s partly because Flowers, the team’s third first-round receiver in five years, performed well as a rookie, and partly because of the more obvious holes along the offensive line.
But with Bateman, the team’s 2021 first-round pick, still looking for a breakout season and potentially headed to free agency after this year, the Ravens do need another young pass catcher. Harbaugh and quarterback Lamar Jackson have discussed which type of receiver — fans still lust after a big, fast X receiver on the outside — might be the the best fit.
Again, the good news for the Ravens is that this draft class comes packed with options of all sizes, speeds and styles. DeCosta put the wide receiver group right next to the offensive linemen when asked which positions will yield the most fruit on the draft’s second and third days.
The running backs are far less hyped, and the Ravens already made their big move there when they signed Henry. In fact, DeCosta suggested that teams rushed to scoop up starters in free agency in part because there’s not a premium ball carrier projected to go in the first round of the draft.
That said, he expects interest in running backs to intensify in the middle three rounds and all but guaranteed the Ravens will draft a player to supplement Henry, Justice Hill and rehabilitating Keaton Mitchell. No, they won’t be looking for a runner to take carries away from Henry, but they could use another versatile threat to rotate in on third down and to take advantage of the NFL’s new kickoff rules, designed to increase returns.
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The information NFL general managers and coaches divulge between now and the draft in two weeks is often about as forthright as that of a Cold War-era double agent. There’s deception everywhere.
In other words, if Ravens fans were hoping to glean a trove of revelatory nuggets from the team’s annual predraft news conference Tuesday in Owings Mills, they might be disappointed to learn that Baltimore is planning to target players along the offensive line, at cornerback, running back, possibly at wide receiver as well as other positions, or could even trade out of the first round.
Put another way, the Ravens have to address several areas of need after an exodus of more than a dozen players in free agency who were either starters or significant contributors to a team that went an NFL-best 13-4 last season and reached the organization’s first AFC championship game in more than a decade.
Yet, there were insights offered by general manager Eric DeCosta and coach John Harbaugh that were somewhat revealing in the 35-minute session inside the team’s auditorium. One of the more telling — at least based on a two-minute commentary by Harbaugh — is that the Ravens don’t quite view all those departures as the window being slammed shut, but rather nothing more than a blip on the radar when it comes to reaching the ultimate goal of winning the Super Bowl.
“Listening to questions about the team and parts and math, I think it’s really interesting and good to look at the parts,” Harbaugh said, transitioning from a question about backup quarterback-wide receiver Malik Cunningham into his thoughts about something else entirely. “You say we lost this many guys, we had this many guys, we’re not gonna be as good of a team, or how are we gonna fill these pieces, and that’s kind of a math equation. In the end, it’s not just about the parts, it’s about the sum of the parts. Can the sum be greater than the parts? And it’s how you put the parts together, how you piece them together. So the process is, it’s about getting the best players you can.
“It’s about how you build the whole machine. … It’s not just a math equation at the end of the year. These same questions were being asked last year, they were being asked the year before, and the year before that, and the year before that, and the year before that, all the way back. Every year it’s the same questions. It’s kind of a rollover thing.
“The goal is to be all-in every single year as best as you can be.”
Baltimore certainly was among the best in the NFL last year, thanks in part to not just the play of quarterback and NFL Most Valuable Player Lamar Jackson but to the moves it made in the months and weeks leading up to and even during the season.
There was the signing of Jackson to a long-term contract, aided by the addition at his request of wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., and the drafting of fellow receiver Zay Flowers, who went on to lead the team in catches and yards. There were the free agent additions of outside linebackers Jadeveon Clowney and Kyle Van Noy along with cornerbacks Ronald Darby and Arthur Maulet, among others. There was the signing of undrafted and ultimately sensational running back Keaton Mitchell.
Now DeCosta is tasked with doing it again. But this time, he’s faced with perhaps an even greater challenge than a year ago.
“We’re going to have a heck of a team this year,” Ravens coach Harbaugh, left, seated next to general manager Eric DeCosta. said on Tuesday. “You wait, you watch.” (Kevin Richardson/Staff) Three starting spots on the offensive line need to be filled after guards Kevin Zeitler and John Simpson left in free agency and right tackle Morgan Moses was traded. The defense, which led the league in sacks, takeaways and points allowed per game last season, is without Pro Bowl inside linebacker Patrick Queen, who signed with the AFC North rival Pittsburgh Steelers, Clowney (Carolina Panthers), safety Geno Stone (Cincinnati Bengals) and Darby (Jacksonville Jaguars). There are questions about the depth at running back, wide receiver and cornerback. Baltimore also lost defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald, now the coach of the Seattle Seahawks, and replaced him with its former inside linebackers coach, 31-year-old Zach Orr, an energetic and bright mind who is untested as a play-caller.
The holes on the roster are indeed significant. But there is belief that some of them can be filled from within, be it on the offensive line, edge rusher or at other positions with young but mostly unproven talent. Some of them already have been addressed, with the signing of four-time Pro Bowl running back Derrick Henry and the re-signing of Van Noy among other roster moves.
There is also, of course, this month’s draft. From that standpoint, the Ravens are in good shape with nine picks, including the 30th overall selection.
What direction they go that late in the first round on April 25 is anyone’s guess, but DeCosta said he and his staff spent all day Monday, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., dissecting offensive line prospects.
“It’s a very deep pool of players,” he said. “We see a lot of different opportunities in different rounds to get players at tackle, guard and center.”
They’re also not opposed to taking a wide receiver in the first round, something they’ve done in three of the past five drafts.
“If there’s a player that’s there that we think is too good to pass up on, we’re going to take him,” DeCosta said when asked about adding to that with another first-round receiver.
With the position thin beyond its top three of Rashod Bateman, Flowers and veteran Nelson Agholor, who signed a one-year extension in February, it’s almost certain Baltimore will look to bolster the group, in the first round or otherwise. There is also the question of whether the team picks up the fifth-year option for Bateman (and outside linebacker Odafe Oweh). DeCosta was noncommittal, saying he would address that after the draft. But a May 2 deadline looms, and declining the option would make both players eligible for free agency next offseason. A deep receiver class helps no matter the decision.
The running back class, meanwhile, isn’t as top heavy, but there is depth, particularly in the middle rounds. With only Henry, Justice Hill and Mitchell, who likely won’t be available until late in the year as he continues to recover from a torn ACL suffered in mid-December, it’s a position DeCosta was even more definitive about.
“There’s probably a pretty strong chance we’ll draft a running back at some point,” he said. “We do think there’s a chance for us to get a good, young player who can help us in different ways, as a running back, in the passing game and on special teams.”
The same is likely true at cornerback, an area the Ravens feel they never have enough players at.
“We would love to add a talented corner at some point in the draft,” DeCosta said. “That’s a position you typically never have enough, due to injuries and different things. … Our depth has always been tested in the secondary. This year’s was no exception.”
There’s always the possibility Baltimore could make a move or two between now and the draft, though it’s unlikely anything major would develop.
“You never know,” DeCosta said. “I don’t know that we’ll do a lot in the next couple weeks, other than polish the board up and get ready for the process.
“We’re still building. A big part of that is going to be through the draft. But there’s a lot of different opportunities along the way to add players. … The destination is September, not May.”
To that point, players will begin reporting to Owings Mills for the start of the voluntary offseason program beginning Monday. There is a draft to prepare for. There will be more free agent additions at some point.
Can the Ravens match the success they had last season despite all of the questions they’re facing this offseason?
“We’re going to have a heck of a team this year,” Harbaugh said. “You wait, you watch.”
NFL draft
Round 1: Thursday, April 25, 8 p.m.
Rounds 2-3: Friday, April 26, 7 p.m.
Rounds 4-7: Saturday, April 27, noon
TV: ABC, ESPN, NFL Network
Ravens 2024 draft picks
No. 30 (first round)
No. 62 (second)
No. 93 (third)
No. 113 (fourth, from Denver via N.Y. Jets)
No. 130 (fourth)
No. 165 (fifth)
No. 218 (sixth, from N.Y. Jets)
No. 228 (seventh, from N.Y. Jets)
No. 250 (seventh)
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The NFL draft is a little more than two weeks away and the Ravens, like every team around the NFL, have been busy.
Specifically, organizations are allowed to host up to 30 players for in-person visits at their facility ahead of the draft, which will take place April 25-27 in Detroit. These meetings last longer and are more formal than those at the scouting combine or at college all-star games. And they can be telling — Baltimore hosted Zay Flowers on a visit last year before drafting him 22nd overall — or perhaps simply subterfuge.
Often, though, they do provide at least some insight into what teams are thinking when it comes to players or positions they are targeting, something general manager Eric DeCosta is expected to address during the team’s annual predraft news conference Tuesday in Owings Mills. With the Ravens owning nine picks in this year’s draft, it could also be a fruitful haul.
Here is a look at the players who have been confirmed to have or reportedly visited with Baltimore thus far:
Troy Fautanu, Washington, offensive tackle
NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah ranks the quick-footed 6-foot-4, 317-pound Joe Moore Award winner given to the nation’s top offensive lineman as the 12th best player on his board, so it’s possible that Fautanu would still be around when the Ravens draft at No. 30. He is an enticing prospect and has starting experience at tackle and guard, positions Baltimore has openings for after losing both starting guards in free agency and trading right tackle Morgan Moses.
Chop Robinson, Penn State, edge rusher
A Maryland native who starred at Quince Orchard High School in Gaithersburg, the 6-3, 254-pound edge rusher is fast (4.48 seconds in the 40-yard dash) and twitchy but had relatively modest outputs for the Nittany Lions. In three seasons, including one at Maryland in 2021, Robinson had 60 career tackles, including 20 for loss, and 11 1/2 sacks. His best season with Penn State was in 2022 when he had 10 tackles for loss, 5 1/2 sacks, two passes defended, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.
Xavier Worthy, Texas, wide receiver
The Ravens need to bolster their wide receiver corps with the group thin behind Rashod Bateman, Zay Flowers and Nelson Agholor, and Worthy is a burner, having tied John Ross’ 40-yard dash record with a time of 4.21 seconds at the scouting combine. Though slight at 165 pounds, Worthy had career-highs in catches (75) and receiving yards (1,014) last season and could be an option for Baltimore with the 62nd pick. Worthy also becomes intriguing if the Ravens decline to pick up the fifth-year option on Bateman, a decision they must make by May 2.
Malachi Corley, Kentucky, wide receiver
At 5-11 and 215 pounds, Corley has drawn comparison to the San Francisco 49ers’ do-everything star Deebo Samuel from NFL.com draft analyst Lance Zierlein. At Western Kentucky, he played mostly in the slot and in motion, had good explosiveness and yards-after-the-catch skills, though his route-running isn’t viewed as top tier. Still, he put up impressive numbers with 259 catches for 3,303 yards and 29 touchdowns over 49 career games and could be an interesting fit in the Ravens’ redesigned offense, especially with new kickoff rules and kick returner-wide receiver Devin Duvernay having departed in free agency. He currently projects as a mid-to-late second-round pick.
Qwan’Tez Stiggers, Canadian Football League, cornerback
Stiggers’ story is the stuff of heartbreak and Hollywood: His father died after a car accident and Stiggers walked away from Division II Lane College in 2020 before ever playing, started driving for DoorDash and washing trucks, eventually landed with the semipro, seven-on-seven Fan Controlled Football League the following year, then with the Toronto Argonauts, where he had 53 tackles and five interceptions in 16 games en route to being named the CFL’s Most Outstanding Rookie Award. Twenty-nine NFL teams sent representatives to his pro day last month and the 5-11, 204-pound corner didn’t disappoint with a 4.45 in the 40-yard dash, 36.5-inch vertical and broad jump of 10 feet, 8 inches.
Marshall running back Rasheen Ali was the Football Bowl Subdivision leader in touchdowns with 25 as a redshirt freshman in 2021. (Paul W. Gillespie/Staff) Rasheen Ali, Marshall, running back
The Ravens have their lead back after signing Derrick Henry, but they could use some depth at the position with only Justice Hill and Keaton Mitchell — who’s coming off a torn ACL and likely won’t be ready to play until late in the year — behind him. Enter the 5-11, 206-pound Ali, who could be this year’s version of Mitchell as an undrafted free agent who is a shifty runner. Ali was the Football Bowl Subdivision leader in touchdowns with 25 as a redshirt freshman in 2021, rushing for 1,401 yards on 250 carries, but took time away from the Thundering Heard the following season before bouncing back with 1,135 yards and 15 touchdowns on 212 carries last year.
Theo Johnson, Penn State, tight end
The one position the Ravens mostly don’t need to worry about is tight end, with Mark Andrews, Isaiah Likely and Charlie Kolar their top three tight ends (though they could use an in-line blocker). But they will have to start thinking about Andrews’ future soon as he enters his age 29 season this year. At 6-6 and 259 pounds, Johnson looks the part. In four years at Penn State, he had 77 catches, including 32 last season, for 938 yards and 12 touchdowns in 44 games. ESPN draft analyst Matt Miller also believes Johnson’s stock is on the rise as a Day 2 pick and possibly the third tight end drafted. “There’s such an appetite for that wide tight end, that big, nasty, in-line tight end who does a great job in the middle of the field,” Miller said. “No, you’re not flexing them out and asking them to play wide receiver, but they’re super-reliable players.”
Travis Glover, Georgia State, offensive tackle
A five-year starter with 4,164 career snaps, experience at both tackle positions and five sacks and 24 pressures the past two years, the 6-6, 317-pound Glover could be an intriguing late-round option for the Ravens. He ranked 29th among all tackles in Pro Football Focus’ pass-blocking grades, had his best season as a run blocker last year, per PFF, and a strong showing at the Hula Bowl landed him a late invite to the Senior Bowl.
Khristian Boyd, Northern Iowa, defensive tackle
The Ravens enjoy finding talent from small schools and Boyd would be another example. Projected to be a late-round pick, the 6-4, 317-pound 24-year-old is a project but could be something of a sleeper, giving depth behind Justin Madubuike, Broderick Washington and Travis Jones. His 38 reps on bench press during his pro day would’ve ranked second at the scouting combine, and his stock has been on the rise since a strong performance at the Shrine Bowl.
Illinois Maryland Football
Nick Wass/APMaryland’s Delmar Glaze’s physical attributes make him a potentially interesting Day 3 option as a swing tackle. (Nick Wass/AP)Delmar Glaze, Maryland, offensive tackle
With three starting spots needed to be filled on the offensive line, the Ravens will likely draft multiple linemen as part of their rebuild up front. Maryland isn’t known for producing top-tier linemen, but Glaze’s physical attributes make him a potentially interesting Day 3 option as a swing tackle, given he has a nearly 7-foot wingspan and is 6-4 and 327 pounds.
Trey Taylor, Air Force, safety
The cousin of former Ravens safety and Pro Football Hall of Famer Ed Reed, Taylor won last season’s Jim Thorpe Award, given to college football’s top defensive back. A first-team All-Mountain West selection, Taylor had 71 tackles, three interceptions, including one that he returned for a touchdown, and four passes defensed last season. A 6-foot, 210-pound three-year starter for the Falcons, he had six career interceptions, projects as a sixth- or seventh-round pick and could give Baltimore some needed depth after the free agent departure of Geno Stone.
NFL draft
Round 1: Thursday, April 25, 8 p.m.
Rounds 2-3: Friday, April 26, 7 p.m.
Rounds 4-7: Saturday, April 27, noon
TV: ABC, ESPN, NFL Network
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The beauty of the NFL draft is in the uncertainty.
Less than three weeks before the first round begins April 25 in Detroit, there’s no consensus on how the first round will play out. The Chicago Bears drafting Southern California quarterback Caleb Williams with the first overall pick is just about the only selection set in stone.
But for as hard as the team and player pairings are to predict in mock drafts, there’s a much clearer picture of who the first-round caliber prospects are at this point of the calendar.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at which players at positions of need could be available for the Ravens when they’re on the clock at No. 30 overall:
Offensive line
Amarius Mims, Georgia: There might not be a prospect with a wider range on the first night of the draft. At 6 feet, 8 inches tall and a lean (yes, lean) 340 pounds, Mims looks the part of an elite tackle, but he only made eight starts in his three-year career at Georgia. Questions about his lack of experience and durability could push him down the board to the Ravens, who might be thrilled to take a chance on the 21-year-old’s incredible potential.
Tyler Guyton, Oklahoma: Guyton is the most popular pick for the Ravens in recent mock drafts, and it’s easy to see why. At 6-8 and 322 pounds, the former H-back has the size and athleticism to be a cornerstone tackle on the left or right side. But he’s still raw, which means he might not be ready to play right away for a team in need of a starting right tackle.
Jordan Morgan, Arizona: Along with Guyton, Morgan has been a popular pairing for the Ravens. Baltimore might be interested too, having reportedly met with the lineman ahead of his pro day. The 6-5, 311-pound Morgan has the size and skill set to play tackle, but some analysts project him to be more successful at guard. Either way, he’ll need to get stronger to hold up at the next level.
BYU right tackle Kingsley Suamataia waits for the snap during the Senior Bowl on Feb. 3 in Mobile, Alabama. (AP Photo/Butch Dill) Kingsley Suamataia, BYU: Ranked No. 39 overall on the media consensus big board, Suamataia might be a reach late in the first round, but he has the profile of a prospect worth betting on. A former five-star recruit, the 6-5, 322-pound Suamataia is an explosive athlete with long arms and an aggressive mentality. Although he could need some time to develop and refine his technique, the Ravens’ patience could pay off in a high-end starter.
Jackson Powers-Johnson, Oregon: The Ravens have their franchise center in Pro Bowl selection Tyler Linderbaum, but what if they want a potential Pro Bowl-caliber guard, too? The 6-3, 328-pound Powers-Johnson is considered by far the best interior offensive lineman in the draft after dominating the Senior Bowl and could step in immediately at one of the Ravens’ two vacant guard spots. Positional value suggests drafting interior linemen early is a poor use of resources, but there’s no doubt “JPJ” would bolster a group at the core of the Ravens’ identity.
Wide receiver
Adonai Mitchell, Texas: A player who has drawn comparisons with George Pickens and Tee Higgins would certainly bring a different flavor to the Ravens’ receiver room. But for as enticing as Mitchell’s size, speed and catch radius are, the 6-2, 205-pound Georgia transfer also comes with plenty of question marks, notably inconsistent effort and some wasted movement in his route running.
Georgia wide receiver Ladd McConkey catches a touchdown pass against TCU during the College Football Playoff national championship game at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, on Jan. 9, 2023. (Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG) Ladd McConkey, Georgia: Behind star tight end Brock Bowers, McConkey was the second-leading receiver (762 yards, seven touchdowns) for offensive coordinator Todd Monken when the Bulldogs won a second straight national title in 2022. Might Monken want to bring his former pupil to Baltimore? The 6-foot, 186-pound McConkey can win both on the outside and from the slot, though he could struggle to beat press coverage because of his lack of size and strength.
Xavier Worthy, Texas: Worthy turned heads with an NFL scouting combine-record time of 4.21 seconds in the 40-yard dash, but speed alone does not make a good wide receiver. He is only 5-11 and 165 pounds (first percentile among players drafted since 1999), so physical coverage can neutralize his elusiveness and prevent him from making contested catches. Any offense would like to add an elite vertical threat, but the first round might be too rich for Worthy.
Keon Coleman, Florida State: A former basketball player at Michigan State, the 6-3, 213-pound Coleman brings an “above the rim” mentality to the receiver position with his ability to win jump balls and make contested catches. Although he ran the 40-yard dash in a disappointing 4.61 seconds and can struggle to separate from defenders, his combination of size, strength and reliable hands is enticing for a Ravens team in need of a big outside target.
Edge rusher
Penn State defensive end Chop Robinson rushes the passer against Rutgers on Nov. 18, 2023, in State College, Pennsylvania. (AP Photo/Barry Reeger) Chop Robinson, Penn State: The Gaithersburg native and Maryland transfer has been one of the draft’s rising stars after posting strong athletic testing numbers at the combine, including a blazing 4.48-second 40-yard dash at 254 pounds. What might drop him to the Ravens’ range is a lack of production at Penn State (9 1/2 combined sacks in the past two seasons), less-than-ideal size and subpar technique outside of an elite first step off the line of scrimmage.
Darius Robinson, Missouri: If the Ravens are looking for someone to fill Jadeveon Clowney’s big shoes as an edge setter and a pass rusher, this could be the choice. The 6-5, 285-pound Robinson has the size, strength and length (34 1/2-inch arms) to line up all over the defensive front and offers plenty of potential after leading the Tigers in tackles for loss (14) and sacks (8 1/2) as a fifth-year senior. He needs to refine his game, but giving pass-rush guru Chuck Smith a tool kit like Robinson’s to work with could produce a star.
Cornerback
Cooper DeJean, Iowa: Some evaluators are split on whether DeJean is best at cornerback or safety after he started at both spots in college, but he has the tools to be an impact player in either role. An explosive athlete, the 6-foot, 203-pound DeJean is also a standout punt returner, but there are questions about his ability to play press and man-to-man coverage after excelling as a zone defender at Iowa.
Alabama defensive back Kool-Aid McKinstry celebrates during the Rose Bowl against Michigan on Jan. 1 in Pasadena, California. (AP Photo/Kyusung Gong) Kool-Aid McKinstry, Alabama: Top players often fall into the Ravens’ lap during the draft, and McKinstry could be next in line. While more explosive athletes have jumped him in the rankings, his body of work as a three-year starter for coach Nick Saban’s excellent and demanding defense speaks for itself. Though McKinstry only recorded two interceptions in college, his awareness, length and poise fit the profile of a longtime NFL starter.
Kamari Lassiter, Georgia: It’s unlikely the Ravens reach for a prospect but they could be tempted by the former Bulldogs standout. The 5-11, 186-pound Lassiter is aggressive, versatile and savvy, and he’s drawn rave reviews for his leadership and competitiveness inside one of the nation’s top programs. His size, speed and athleticism might be lacking for the position, but his intangibles could catch the Ravens’ attention.
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Leadership comes in many forms, some loud and others quiet.
Thursday, the Ravens hosted the ninth L.I.F.T Conference (Leading and Inspiring Females to Thrive) at its Owings Mills practice facility. An estimated 180 female high school student-athletes attended the leadership seminar.
Freshmen, sophomores and juniors applied with many receiving referrals from coaches and athletic directors. The criteria to be selected included student-athletes who serve as an “untitled leader” and “unsung hero” for their respective programs, according to the Ravens.
“I heard about it from my older sister,” Mt. Hebron junior Lily Hofmann said. “She said it was a really good opportunity about leadership. She really likes the Ravens and I enjoy the Ravens a lot. We’re both very passionate about that. So, it’s just a good opportunity for women empowerment. I’m having a really good time here.”
Ravens coach John Harbaugh and 2006 University of Maryland women’s basketball national champion and WNBA All-Star Marissa Coleman were featured speakers, while five Ravens female staff members in varying roles led a panel discussion.
“There’s so many fantastic young people today that you get a chance to meet, Harbaugh said. “But the opportunity as a leader is to help somebody else feel good about themselves. Say something good to somebody during the course of the day. To look them in the eye and tell them they’re capable, worthwhile and they’re valuable is something they’ll remember for the rest of their life. That makes a difference. That’s a really powerful thing and I think these girls understand that.”
Ravens director of nutrition Sarah Synder led a conversation surrounding nutrition while assistant strength and conditioning coach Kaelyn Buskey guided the girls in a workout in the team house. Jalyn Powell, a program manager at Strive, which provides specialized leadership training, also led the girls in interactive leadership exercises.
Powell began the packed day with a 45-minute leadership workshop, focused on helping the girls realize their leadership strengths and weaknesses. The collaborative exercise encouraged audience participation and interaction with one another.
“I would say the emphasis on confidence and empowerment,” Mt. Hebron junior Quinn Carberry said was her biggest takeaway. “How it plays a critical role in expanding your leadership skills and honestly just being more confident with yourself has been super important today.”
Harbaugh entered next to an excited applause. He detailed the importance of positivity in leadership and uplifting those around you. Positivity is the first distinctive leadership lesson Harbaugh learned from his parents who constantly empowered him and his brother, Los Angeles Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh.
Laying out his leadership philosophy, Harbaugh fielded a range of questions from how he handles a loss to Justin Tucker’s practice habits.
“Anybody can be a leader. A leader is how you make somebody feel,” he said. “Maya Angelou said, ‘You remember how somebody made you feel in the end.’ If you can make somebody feel good about themselves, empower somebody, make them stronger, then they’ll remember that for the rest of their life.”
The five-person panel was particularly illuminating to the student-athletes. Each panelist shared their respective journeys to the Ravens, offering valuable advice on networking and work-life balance. Their perspectives opened up the eyes of many in the audience.
“There have been so many different segments,” Mt. Hebron junior Phoebe Hogle said. “Coach Harbaugh came out and he gave his speech. He gave a lot of interesting, almost more philosophical-type prompts to really get us into thinking more than just the game play. It’s a whole system and everyone has their parts. All of these women shared the great leadership roles that they are in inside of the system. How it all works together is really beautiful.”
Hours of sitting quickly turned to energetic physical activity. Buskey worked with fellow coaches Megan Rosburg and Marianna Salas to create a workout that replicated what the Ravens players will do in the offseason.
Rotating between multiple stations, the coaches explained the purpose of each exercise. For 40 minutes, the girls worked out like Ravens.
“It’s a really big passion of mine to expose girls at a young age to career opportunities in sports and how they exist outside of simply playing,” Buskey said. “Analytics, strength and conditioning, athletic training, sports nutrition, public relations and marketing just to name a few. We have so many career opportunities and I think that’s the awesome added benefit of this leadership conference.”
The conference helps introduce those opportunities to girls at a younger age.
“We’re trying to almost play catch up a little bit because this is not something that is not marketed toward girls at the elementary, middle school age,” Buskey said. “So, something as simple as this eight-hour experience that they’re here I think exposes them to that. I think they’re now open to the idea of pursuing a career in sports, especially in football.”
Snyder then led a 40-minute presentation on nutrition. She shared her day-to-day responsibilities with the team and gave helpful tips for pre and postgame meals, depending on the sport.
Eighteen years to the day after winning a collegiate national championship, Coleman described Thursday as a “full circle moment.” She shared wisdom that she wished she had as a high school athlete.
“I think it’s just to feel empowered,” Coleman said of her message. “To see that there are people that want to see them be successful and the different ways that you can lead and be into sports. I think the more conversations and experiences like this the better. Then you realize you’re not the only one experiencing some things. Young girls, it’s even harder on them because they’re dealing with so many outside forces, too.”
Coleman’s message capped off an educational day filled with smiles, laughs and thought, lifting up the next generation of leaders and female student-athletes.
“It really opened my eyes that women are allowed to do this,” City freshman Michaela Breit said. “I want to be involved in sports, especially football or basketball when I’m older. But I don’t think I’ll necessarily play, so especially when it comes to the NFL, I want to be involved in that somehow. Seeing all these women today that are involved somehow was definitely inspiring.”
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In desperate need of a pass rusher after an exodus of free agents, the Ravens are bringing back one of their best from last season.
Outside linebacker Kyle Van Noy is returning to Baltimore, the team announced Thursday. The deal is for two years and is reportedly worth $9 million with up to $1 million in additional incentives, according to NFL Network.
Van Noy, 33, is coming off a career year in which he had nine sacks in 14 games after joining the team as a free agent in late September following injuries to outside linebackers Odafe Oweh and David Ojabo.
Coach John Harbaugh said during last week’s league meetings in Orlando, Florida, that he was “optimistic” that Baltimore would be able to sign Van Noy or outside linebacker Jadeveon Clowney, who had 9 1/2 sacks last season. Not long after, Clowney agreed to a two-year deal worth a reported $20 million with the Carolina Panthers.
Van Noy’s return should help bolster what is an otherwise young and somewhat unproven outside linebacker group that includes Oweh, Ojabo, Tavius Robinson and Malik Hamm.
Last season, he was third on the team in sacks, behind defensive tackle Justin Madubuike and Clowney, and a significant contributor to a defense that led the NFL in sacks, takeaways and points allowed per game. Van Noy had 48 total pressures and a 14.7% pass rush win rate, per Pro Football Focus, which ranked 29th in the league among qualifying edge rushers, along with 30 tackles, including nine for loss, four passes defended and two forced fumbles, including a strip-sack.
Van Noy’s signing comes after a dozen players from last year’s 13-4 team that reached the AFC championship game signed elsewhere in free agency. In addition to losing Clowney, inside linebacker Patrick Queen signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers, safety Geno Stone with the Cincinnati Bengals and cornerback Ronald Darby with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
A second-round pick by the Detroit Lions in 2014, Van Noy won two Super Bowls with the New England Patriots but has played for four teams the past four seasons, including the Miami Dolphins, Los Angeles Chargers and now Baltimore.
Still, he has remained a more than capable pass rusher with at least five sacks each of the past five seasons.
He also fit in well in the Ravens’ locker room.
“I pride myself on having a high IQ,” Van Noy said last season. “You can ask anybody, and I think they’d tell you I’m a smart football player. I take pride in that. I take pride in being a professional. I tried to learn the defense in a week, so I feel like I got a good grasp on it. I know what everyone’s doing and where I fit in.”
In 142 games, Van Noy has 500 tackles, 42 1/2 sacks, 72 quarterback hits, 12 forced fumbles, nine fumble recoveries and three interceptions.
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ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — The Buffalo Bills are trading their top receiving threat, Stefon Diggs, to the Houston Texans in a deal that was agreed to on Wednesday, a person with knowledge of the discussions told The Associated Press.
The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the trade has not been announced. It was first reported by ESPN.
As part of the deal, the Bills acquired the Texans’ second-round pick in the 2025 draft, which Houston acquired in a trade with Minnesota, the person said. Houston also acquired Buffalo’s sixth-round pick in this year’s draft, and a fifth-rounder in 2025, the person said.
Diggs’ departure from Buffalo leaves quarterback Josh Allen without his favorite target, and breaks up a tandem that has re-written the team’s passing records since the receiver’s arrival in a trade with Minnesota in March 2020. Together they transformed a Bills offense into becoming one of the NFL’s most potent, while helping Buffalo win four straight AFC East titles.
For the Texans, Diggs gives the offense another playmaker to team with Nico Collins and Tank Dell. Collins led Houston with 80 receptions for 1,297 yards and eight touchdowns last season. The Texans went worst to first in the AFC South under first-year coach DeMeco Ryans and AP Offensive Rookie of the Year C.J. Stroud.
Houston has also traded for running back Joe Mixon, along with a host of improvements on defense.
After the deal, the Texans were 15-1 to win the Super Bowl next season on FanDuel Sportsbook.
The 30-year-old Diggs has nine years of NFL experience and topped 1,000 yards in each of his past six seasons. In his first season in Buffalo, he became the Bills’ first player to lead the league in both yards receiving (1,535) and catches (127).
Diggs’ production began slipping in the second half of last season, which coincided with Buffalo firing offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey and promoting Joe Brady, who placed a renewed emphasis on the running attack. Diggs finished the season with 107 catches and 1,183 yards — both lows during his tenure with the Bills — and eight touchdowns.
He finished his time in Buffalo with 445 catches for 5,372 yards and 37 touchdowns to rank fourth on the team list. Diggs holds the top four spots on the franchise list for single-season receptions and the top-two spots for yards receiving.
Overall, he has 1,178 catches for 9,995 yards and 67 touchdowns since being selected by the Vikings in the fifth round of the 2015 draft out of Maryland.
Diggs, however, also carried over his mercurial personality that led the Vikings to trade him to Buffalo. Though voted a Bills team captain in each of the past two seasons, Diggs caused occasional stirs with several sideline outbursts and the frustration he showed after the Bills’ 2022 season ended with a 27-10 loss to Cincinnati in a divisional round playoff.
Diggs left the locker room before coach Sean McDermott had a chance to address the team, and had to be coaxed back by teammate Duke Williams. Diggs then spent the offseason posting cryptic messages on his social media accounts while declining to take part in the Bills’ voluntary offseason programs.
Confusion then arose when Diggs wasn’t present for the Bills’ first mandatory practice and McDermott said he was “concerned” about the player’s absence.
A day later, McDermott corrected himself by saying Diggs was excused from practice, but was present at the facility to discuss lingering issues that stemmed from the previous season.
The dustups led to Diggs having to several times reiterate his loyalty to the Bills, including him saying he wanted to finish his career in Buffalo.
“I take my job seriously. You can see how I play. You can see how I play. You can see how I practice,” Diggs said in November. “They’ve never questioned me as a player, and as a man of what I bring to the table. So me being fully invested has never really been in question.”
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It’s officially draft month.
The first round of the 2024 NFL draft begins April 25 in Detroit, which means there are only a few weeks left for prospects to make their final impressions and teams to solidify their big boards as they fill their remaining roster holes.
Here are The Baltimore Sun’s latest projections for the first two rounds, with a few mock trades sprinkled in:
1. Chicago Bears (from Carolina): Caleb Williams, QB, Southern California
After Chicago traded quarterback Justin Fields to Pittsburgh, there’s no mystery here. Williams has the potential to lead a talented roster to playoff contention as a rookie.
2. Washington Commanders: Jayden Daniels, QB, LSU
There’s plenty of mystery here, with no consensus on the second-best quarterback. The Commanders decide Daniels is the best fit for offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury and hope the 210-pound Heisman Trophy winner can stay healthy.
3. New England Patriots: Drake Maye, QB, North Carolina
It would be bold for top executive Eliot Wolf and coach Jerod Mayo to pass on a quarterback here, even though the Patriots have plenty of other needs and a capable stop-gap in Jacoby Brissett. The question is whether Maye has done enough to solidify his spot ahead of a fast-rising J.J. McCarthy.
4. Arizona Cardinals: Marvin Harrison Jr., WR, Ohio State
The Cardinals will likely get plenty of calls to trade down, but it will be hard to pass on a blue-chip talent like Harrison at a position of need. The son of the Hall of Fame receiver can be the focus of the passing game from day one.
5. TRADE: Minnesota Vikings (from L.A. Chargers): J.J. McCarthy, QB, Michigan
After losing Kirk Cousins to Atlanta, it’s unlikely the Vikings leave the first round without a quarterback. Minnesota trades picks Nos. 11 and 23 to the Chargers to move up and select McCarthy, who will battle Sam Darnold for the starting job with an eye toward the future.
6. New York Giants: Malik Nabers, WR, LSU
With the top four quarterbacks off the board, the Giants “settle” for Nabers, who has the talent and explosiveness to follow Odell Beckham Jr., Justin Jefferson and Ja’Marr Chase as former LSU stars turned elite NFL receivers.
7. Tennessee Titans: Joe Alt, OT, Notre Dame
With the signing of wide receiver Calvin Ridley, the Titans turn their attention toward rebuilding one of the league’s worst offensive lines. Alt, a former tight end, has the traits to be a cornerstone at left tackle.
8. Atlanta Falcons: Dallas Turner, EDGE, Alabama
Pairing Washington receiver Rome Odunze with Drake London is tempting, but the Falcons desperately need to end their long search for an impact pass rusher. Turner would be a great fit for new coach Raheem Morris’ defense.
9. Chicago Bears: Rome Odunze, WR, Washington
This is a dream scenario for the Bears, who get one of the “big three” receivers to pair with Williams, DJ Moore and Keenan Allen and form one of the league’s most exciting offenses.
10. New York Jets: Brock Bowers, TE, Georgia
Even with the addition of former Chargers receiver Mike Williams, the Jets need another pass-catcher for Aaron Rodgers. Bowers has Pro Bowl potential after a highly productive college career.
Oregon State offensive tackle Taliese Fuaga makes sense for the Chargers and new coach Jim Harbaugh. (AP Photo/Young Kwak, File) 11. TRADE: Los Angeles Chargers (from Minnesota): Taliese Fuaga, OT, Oregon State
With coach Jim Harbaugh and coordinator Greg Roman in charge of the offense, expect an emphasis on blocking over receiving. Fuaga is a mauler in the running game who can start immediately at right tackle.
12. TRADE: Los Angeles Rams (from Denver): Jared Verse, EDGE, Florida State
With 11 total picks, the Rams have the assets to move up a few spots. Denver, which doesn’t have a second-round selection, is happy to trade down. Verse would pair well with nose tackle Kobie Turner and linebacker Byron Young to bolster the pass rush after Aaron Donald’s retirement.
13. Las Vegas Raiders: Quinyon Mitchell, CB, Toledo
The Raiders have holes to fill on the right side of their offensive line, but lockdown defenders are much harder to find. Coach Antonio Pierce can turn his defense into a true strength with the feisty, athletic Senior Bowl star.
14. New Orleans Saints: JC Latham, OT/G, Alabama
With Ryan Ramczyk’s outlook murky because of a knee injury, the Saints have question marks at both tackle spots. Latham might be the best tackle prospect in this draft because of his size and strength.
15. Indianapolis Colts: Terrion Arnold, CB, Alabama
The return of slot corner Kenny Moore II helps, but the Colts need another defender on the outside to fix a leaky secondary. Arnold has the traits to be the team’s top cover man from the get-go.
16. Seattle Seahawks: Troy Fautanu, OT/G, Washington
You’ll see this pairing a lot considering the Seahawks have a glaring need at guard and Fautanu played for offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb at Washington. The former Huskies star could even take over at right tackle if Abraham Lucas continues to struggle.
17. Jacksonville Jaguars: Nate Wiggins, CB, Clemson
What Wiggins lacks in size (173 pounds at the combine), he more than makes up for with speed (4.28-second 40-yard dash) and athleticism. The Jaguars still need a long-term solution at cornerback after bringing in Ronald Darby and Darnell Savage this offseason.
Texas defensive lineman Byron Murphy II would be a good fit for the Bengals. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez) 18. Cincinnati Bengals: Byron Murphy II, DT, Texas
After losing defensive tackle DJ Reader to the Lions, the Bengals draft his replacement in Murphy, an explosive gap-shooter who can wreak havoc in the middle of the front seven.
19. TRADE: Denver Broncos (from L.A. Rams): Laiatu Latu, EDGE, UCLA
After trading down, the Broncos land a player they might have selected earlier anyway. Latu, who led the nation with 21 1/2 tackles for loss last season, adds some juice to a budding group of young pass rushers in Denver.
20. Pittsburgh Steelers: Graham Barton, OT/C, Duke
The Steelers need a center and potentially a left tackle. Graham can play both, though he projects inside because of his shorter-than-average arms. He should help anchor an offensive line that paved the way for one of the league’s best rushing attacks down the stretch last season.
21. Miami Dolphins: Jer’Zhan Newton, DT, Illinois
Newton would have big shoes to fill replacing Christian Wilkins in Miami, but he’s disruptive and offers the pass-rushing potential the Dolphins lack in the interior.
22. Philadelphia Eagles: Amarius Mims, OT, Georgia
The Eagles taking a rare athlete with limited experience and molding him to eventually take over for Lane Johnson at right tackle just makes sense considering which positions and athletic profiles they value early in the draft.
23. TRADE: Los Angeles Chargers (from Minnesota): Kool-Aid McKinstry, CB, Alabama
The Chargers’ depth behind top cornerback Asante Samuel Jr. is uninspiring. McKinstry is a versatile, smart defender who would be a great fit for former Michigan defensive coordinator Jesse Minter.
24. Dallas Cowboys: Olumuyiwa Fashanu, OT, Penn State
The Cowboys stop a mini-slide for Fashanu, who needs more refinement and is not as physically imposing as some of the other top tackles in this class. Still, he has the potential to be a star and would fill a big position of need for Dallas after the departure of longtime starting left tackle Tyron Smith.
25. Green Bay Packers: Cooper DeJean, CB/S, Iowa
After signing former Giants standout Xavier McKinney, the Packers shore up their safety pairing with DeJean, an explosive athlete who could also line up at outside corner.
Penn State defensive end Chop Robinson, a Gaithersburg native and Maryland transfer, could be a first-round pick. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings) 26. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Chop Robinson, EDGE, Penn State
The Buccaneers have talent at pass rusher but they don’t have anyone as explosive as Robinson, a Gaithersburg native and Maryland transfer. His first step is special, and he could be a game-changing presence as a rotational piece for coach Todd Bowles.
27. Arizona Cardinals (from Houston): Darius Robinson, EDGE, Missouri
Relying on defensive linemen Justin Jones and Bilal Nichols is a scary proposition for an NFL defense. Robinson is a versatile player with the strength to rush from the interior or set the edge against the run.
28. Buffalo Bills: Brian Thomas Jr., WR, LSU
This is probably the furthest Thomas could fall after running a 4.33-second 40-yard dash and scoring 17 touchdowns last season, but the Bills won’t complain. The former LSU star would give Josh Allen a more explosive and reliable deep threat than Gabe Davis, who signed with Jacksonville.
29. Detroit Lions: Ennis Rakestraw Jr., CB, Missouri
The Lions needed cornerback help even before Cameron Sutton was released. Rakestraw is smart, tough and plays with an edge, which makes him a perfect fit for Detroit.
Oklahoma tackle Tyler Guyton is a rare athlete who could help solidify the Ravens’ offensive line. (AP Photo/Alonzo Adams) 30. Ravens: Tyler Guyton, OT, Oklahoma
There’s always potential for the Ravens to trade down and accumulate more picks, but having a top prospect fall into their laps makes this an easy decision. Guyton is a rare athlete with room to grow who could start at right tackle as a rookie before eventually taking over for Ronnie Stanley on the left side.
31. San Francisco 49ers: Jordan Morgan, OT/G, Arizona
There’s been a lot of speculation about the 49ers moving on from one or both of Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk, which might make drafting a wide receiver a higher priority. But to keep winning this season, the 49ers solidify their offensive line with the smooth-moving Morgan.
32. Kansas City Chiefs: Ladd McConkey, WR, Georgia
McConkey doesn’t have the enticing height-weight-speed combination of some other receivers in this class, but he’s quick and knows how to get open. He could be the reliable target quarterback Patrick Mahomes has been looking for to complement tight end Travis Kelce.
Round 2
33. Carolina Panthers: Adonai Mitchell, WR, Texas
The Panthers added some much-needed talent at receiver by trading for the Steelers’ Diontae Johnson, but they shouldn’t stop there. Mitchell looks the part of a No. 1 target with his size, speed and leaping ability.
34. New England Patriots: Kingsley Suamataia, OT, BYU
35. Arizona Cardinals: Kamari Lassiter, CB, Georgia
36. Washington Commanders: Chris Braswell, EDGE, Alabama
37. Los Angeles Chargers: Kris Jenkins, DT, Michigan
38. Tennessee Titans: Braden Fiske, DT, Florida State
39. Carolina Panthers (from N.Y. Giants): Jackson Powers-Johnson, C, Oregon
40. Washington Commanders (from Chicago): T.J. Tampa, CB, Iowa State
41. Green Bay Packers (from N.Y. Jets): Kiran Amegadjie, OT, Yale
42. Houston Texans (from Minnesota): Xavier Worthy, WR, Texas
Giving star quarterback C.J. Stroud a wide receiver who ran the 40-yard dash in an NFL scouting combine-record 4.21 seconds would make Houston an even more popular pick to win the Super Bowl next season.
43. Atlanta Falcons: Mike Sainristil, CB, Michigan
44. Las Vegas Raiders: Michael Penix Jr., QB, Washington
The Raiders have some fallback options at quarterback in Gardner Minshew and Aidan O’Connell, but they should be thinking more aggressively. Although Penix comes with plenty of concerns over his injury history and lack of mobility, his arm strength and character are worth betting on.
45. New Orleans Saints (from Denver): Austin Booker, EDGE, Kansas
46. Indianapolis Colts: Troy Franklin, WR, Oregon
47. New York Giants (from Seattle): Tyler Nubin, S, Minnesota
48. Jacksonville Jaguars: Keon Coleman, WR, Florida State
49. Cincinnati Bengals: Roman Wilson, WR, Michigan
50. Philadelphia Eagles (from New Orleans): Ricky Pearsall, WR, Florida
51. Pittsburgh Steelers: Malachi Corley, WR, Western Michigan
52. TRADE: Denver Broncos (from L.A. Rams): Bo Nix, QB, Oregon
It’s hard to believe the Broncos will head into a new season with Jarrett Stidham as their top quarterback. Nix is already 24 and doesn’t have the profile of a high-end NFL starter, but his experience and mobility give him a chance to exceed expectations.
53. Philadelphia Eagles: Max Melton, CB, Rutgers
54. Cleveland Browns: T’Vondre Sweat, DT, Texas
Playing in a division that prides itself on running the football, the Browns could use another big body on the defensive line. The 6-4, 366-pound Sweat won’t be an every-down player, but offenses are going to have to double-team him when he’s on the field.
55. Miami Dolphins: Christian Haynes, G, UConn
56. Dallas Cowboys: Jaylen Wright, RB, Tennessee
57. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Zach Frazier, C/G, West Virginia
58. Green Bay Packers: Junior Colson, LB, Michigan
59. Houston Texans: Ruke Orhorhoro, DT, Clemson
60. Buffalo Bills: Javon Bullard, S, Georgia
61. Detroit Lions: Marshawn Kneeland, EDGE, Western Michigan
South Carolina wide receiver Xavier Legette is an intriguing prospect for the Ravens. (AP Photo/Artie Walker Jr., File) 62. Ravens: Xavier Legette, WR, South Carolina
The Ravens said goodbye to Odell Beckham Jr. and Rashod Bateman is entering the final year of his rookie deal, which means receiver is once again a draft priority. The 6-1, 221-pound Legette is not a smooth route runner, but he’s fast, competitive and makes tough catches (only two drops in 2023). He could also return kicks, a bonus after the departure of Devin Duvernay.
63. San Francisco 49ers: Ja’Lynn Polk, WR, Washington
64. Kansas City Chiefs: Patrick Paul, OT, Houston
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“We still have Joe, so that’s a big plus.”
Ravens coach John Harbaugh was talking about Joe D’Alessandris, now in his 45th year of coaching and eighth as Baltimore’s offensive line coach. He’s correct about it being an enormous positive, too, given the 69-year-old’s masterful teaching abilities behind the scenes of some of the game’s best fronts over the years. And he’ll be particularly important next season when the group will feature at least three new starters after guards Kevin Zeitler and John Simpson departed in free agency and right tackle Morgan Moses was traded.
With a rebuilt offensive line and an exodus of a large crop of free agents, the Ravens have a lot of holes to fill to have a chance to get back to the AFC championship game.
Some of them have already been plugged, most notably at running back with the addition of four-time Pro Bowl selection Derrick Henry. Meanwhile, the return of Arthur Maulet and signing of Ka’Dar Holman provide depth at cornerback. And newly signed tackle Josh Jones should compete for Moses’ old job if not one of the guard spots given the former third-round pick’s versatility and experience at both positions.
Yet, there are still plenty of needs. Some of them will be filled in the draft April 25-27 in Detroit.
The good news for general manager Eric DeCosta is the Ravens have nine draft picks. And with the free agents they lost this year, including outside linebacker Jadeveon Clowney, they are in line to receive four compensatory picks (fourth-, fifth- and two sixth-rounders) next year in addition to their usual seven. That’s 20 total picks this year and next, something that will help tremendously when it comes to restocking the roster with inexpensive talent as the backloaded contracts of quarterback Lamar Jackson and inside linebacker Roquan Smith, among others, only get more pricey with each passing year.
With the draft only three weeks away, here is a look at the Ravens’ biggest needs and areas they will likely target:
Offensive line
Harbaugh is unsurprisingly bullish when it comes to this unit.
“We have guys in-house. We have free agents that we’ve signed,” he said during the annual league meeting in Orlando, Florida, last week. “Then we have the draft. So, I’m confident we’ll have a very good offensive line.”
Among those in-house options? Daniel Faalele will likely get a crack at the starting right tackle job and Patrick Mekari, whom Baltimore prefers to use in a swing role across multiple positions, could be an option as well. But there’s also a chance the Ravens find their starting right tackle at pick No. 30 in this year’s draft. As for the two guard spots, Jones, Andrew Vorhees, Ben Cleveland and Sala Aumavae-Laulu are all candidates. There are also some veteran free agents still available. And it’s possible again they find a starter in the first round or later.
Alabama cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry, tackling Michigan wide receiver Semaj Morgan on Jan. 1, could be a player the Ravens target in the draft. (Ryan Sun/AP) Cornerback
The Ravens are in solid shape with Marlon Humphrey and Brandon Stephens returning on the outside and Maulet fitting in nicely in a slot role. But Humphrey is also coming off an injury-plagued season and Baltimore’s other corners all have varying question marks.
Which perhaps explains why some draftniks have the Ravens targeting Missouri’s Ennis Rakestraw, Alabama’s Kool-Aid McKinstry or Iowa’s Cooper DeJean with the 30th pick.
Whether Baltimore goes offensive line or corner in the first round, both are considered deep positions in this year’s draft, so they should have options. But as was the case last year, cornerback will be a position of importance and need again.
Colts Ravens Football
Terrance Williams/APRavens outside linebacker David Ojabo has missed most of his first two seasons in Baltimore. (Terrance Williams/AP)Edge rusher
Harbaugh said he believes David Ojabo, who suffered a torn ACL in Week 3 last season, is going to break out this year alongside his “partner in crime” Odafe Oweh, who was solid but inconsistent again last season.
“They are ready to roll, man,” Harbaugh said. “Every time I talk to them [and] every time I see them, they are brimming with enthusiasm. They are working hard, and [David] is healthy. They are both healthy.”
How effective they can be after the departures of Clowney and inside linebacker Patrick Queen — outside linebacker Kyle Van Noy is still a free agent — remains to be seen. Van Noy could be back, but even so it would be wise for the Ravens to find a young pass rusher in the draft given Ojabo’s injury history. He has essentially missed his first two seasons, and Oweh has been inconsistent his first three years.
Perhaps the high school best friends will finally deliver on their promise this season, but finding another young option is never a bad idea.
Wide receiver
Jackson provided his input on wide receiver and fellow South Floridian Zay Flowers ahead of last year’s draft and things worked out swimmingly on the field with the former Boston College star leading the team in catches and yards. So, Jackson is doing so again this year.
“He is looking at guys now. Yes, he and I agree on a few guys,” Harbaugh said of Jackson. “We haven’t disagreed on anybody yet. We’re sharing our vision together.”
More specifically, the two-time NFL Most Valuable Player is again focusing on wide receivers, especially after losing Odell Beckham Jr. in free agency.
Baltimore will have Flowers, Rashod Bateman and Nelson Agholor again, but beyond those three things get thin fast with Tylan Wallace, who plays mostly on special teams, and Sean Ryan, an undrafted rookie out of Rutgers last year, the only other wide receivers on the roster. Like offensive linemen and cornerbacks, the draft is considered to be deep with wide receivers, so adding to that group via the draft seems a likely scenario.
Ravens draft picks
Round 1: No. 30
Round 2: No. 62
Round 3: No. 93
Round 4: No. 113 (from New York Jets)
Round 4: No. 130
Round 5: No. 165
Round 6: No. 218 (from Jets)
Round 7: No. 228 (from Jets)
Round 7: No. 250
Ravens Insider: Instant analysis of the Ravens’ contract extension for WR Rashod Bateman
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Here’s what The Baltimore Sun sports staff had to say immediately after wide receiver Rashod Bateman signed an extension with the Ravens through the 2026 season on Wednesday before Thursday night’s NFL draft.
Brian Wacker, reporter: Giving Bateman an extension is a calculated but risky move. In three years in Baltimore, he’s had just one fully healthy season, which came last year when he had 32 catches for 367 yards and only one touchdown. That’s middling production at best, though not all of it should be pinned on Bateman, who was open often but rarely in rhythm with Lamar Jackson, a disconnect that was at times seemingly on the quarterback. There’s no denying Bateman’s talent — he’s a fluid and fast route runner with excellent hands who can take the top off defenses. But foot injuries are unpredictable and who knows whether Jackson and Bateman can ever be consistently in sync. That said, the Ravens need Bateman and need him engaged. Beyond him, Zay Flowers and Nelson Agholor, the receiving corps gets thin quickly. They could draft a receiver, but finding an immediate contributor is anything but a guarantee. Declining his option would have signaled they were ready to move on from him and picking it up would have been even more expensive. With Baltimore showing Bateman it believes in him by extending him now, perhaps he’ll be poised to break out.
Childs Walker, reporter: The Ravens like their draft week surprises, and this was another one, given that some fans had convinced themselves Bateman would be traded. A skeptic might look at Bateman’s production through three seasons and say there’s no way he merits an extension. An optimist would counter that he has flashed plenty of talent for getting open downfield and that the interruptions to his career have been beyond his control. The bottom line is it’s a reasonable bet on a pass catcher with so much upside. On a human level, it’s cool to see the Ravens show faith in a guy who has done his best to stand tall through maddening injuries and personal anguish. Bateman is in line to start and be Jackson’s top deep target this season. This is his time.
Mike Preston, columnist: General manager Eric DeCosta must have seen something in Bateman’s performance a year ago that warranted an extension. Unfortunately, I haven’t seen that. Bateman has always been a player with great potential, but never lived up to the reputation. This was a surprising move.
C.J. Doon, editor: I was wondering whether the Ravens would trade Bateman during the draft, let alone pick up his fifth-year option before the May 2 deadline, so this is pretty surprising to me. That said, it makes a ton of sense. Bateman’s stats haven’t been what many expected since he was drafted in the first round in 2021, but his underlying numbers and performance on film suggest better days are ahead. In ESPN’s receiver tracking analytics, which use player-tracking data from NFL Next Gen Stats to evaluate every route a pass catcher runs, Bateman posted an “open score” of 62 (on a 0-99 scale) last season that ranked 37th in the league. He might never become the true No. 1 outside receiver the Ravens and their fans have always craved, but he’s only 24 years old. The Ravens are betting he’ll ascend, and that’s probably a smart bet. And given the exploding wide receiver market (Amon-Ra St. Brown just got $120 million over four years with $77 million guaranteed from the Detroit Lions), signing a young player to a reasonable deal is prudent team building.
Tim Schwartz, editor: Well, this one is a surprise. I think the terms of the deal are important here. The scuttlebutt was that the Ravens might be looking to trade their 2021 first-round pick for some draft capital this weekend or for 2025, but clearly they view Bateman as someone who fits Todd Monken’s scheme and has likely run into some bad luck since arriving in Baltimore. At the least, this gives quarterback Lamar Jackson some much-needed continuity after so much transition at the position. While Bateman has not been stellar with the Ravens, he likely has not reached his ceiling, and perhaps the peace of mind of this contract pushes him to the next level. It’s likely this deal gives the Ravens some cap room in 2025, too, considering his fifth-year option would have been fairly expensive. This feels like it could be a boom or bust move for Baltimore.
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