ExtremeRavens Posted May 5 Posted May 5 After drafting 11 players and signing several more undrafted rookies in the hours and days following the three-day proceedings, the Ravens’ roster is starting to take shape. They have made other moves as well, most notably exercising the fifth-year option on safety Kyle Hamilton while declining center Tyler Linderbaum’s, primarily for financial reasons for now. Meanwhile, the fate of kicker Justin Tucker continues to linger with the NFL’s investigation into the numerous sexual misconduct allegations against the 35-year-old still ongoing and Baltimore drafting a kicker for the first time in the organization’s history. There are other questions as well. As rookie minicamp wraps up in Owings Mills, followed by voluntary organized team activities later this month and then mandatory minicamp in mid-June, Ravens reporter Brian Wacker, columnist Mike Preston, reporter Sam Cohn and editor C.J. Doon discuss how the Ravens fared in the draft, which rookie will have the biggest impact in 2025, who could surprise and more. What grade do you give the Ravens for their draft and why? Wacker: B+. The first-round pick of Georgia safety Malaki Starks was a no-brainer. Many teams had him as the top safety in the class, and his addition means the Ravens will be able to utilize fellow safety Hamilton in myriad ways, which should help stabilize if not turn the secondary into one of the best in the NFL again, much the way it was two seasons ago. From a pure football standpoint, Marshall edge rusher Mike Green was also a steal late in the second round — he’ll impact the pass rush immediately. The biggest question about him, of course, are the two previous sexual assault allegations against him. Ravens brass says it’s comfortable with its due diligence on him, however, and if that plays out accordingly and there are no off-the-field issues, alleged or otherwise, in the future, then the decision to take him when some teams took him off their board entirely could have them looking even smarter. Preston: To be fair, it wouldn’t make sense to provide a grade because it takes three, four and sometimes five years for a draft class to succeed. But the Ravens have been one of the best drafting teams in the NFL since moving to Baltimore for the start of the 1996 season, and that sums it up the best. I like the first three picks and believe Starks will contribute right away, as will Green, though he will be used sparingly, mostly in pass-rushing situations. As for LSU offensive tackle Emery Jones Jr., a third-round pick, he won’t start immediately but can become a nice “stop gap” player at either guard or tackle. Cohn: On paper and on the field, A-. Starks has all the makings of being an immediate contributor and a sky-high football IQ to a primary position of need. Green was a gamble considering his two previous sexual assault allegations, both of which he denied. From a football standpoint, he could be the biggest steal of the draft, but it’s disingenuous to focus solely on football with Green right now. The Ravens grabbed the best kicker in the draft, in light of the Tucker investigation; they addressed interior offensive lineman concerns on days two and three; and those who spent all season grinding tape postulate that fourth-round linebacker Teddye Buchanan and sixth-round defensive lineman Aeneas Peebles might both bring more to the table than their draft capital suggests. That’s because Buchanan was a late bloomer and Peebles surprised some scouts with his performance at the Senior Bowl. Doon: B. It’s hard to assign an overall grade with the pick of Green, who was a top-15 talent but was available at the end of the second round because of off-the-field concerns. On paper, it’s tremendous value. But the Ravens have to be confident in their evaluation of his background and character to make that commitment. If Starks is as good as the Ravens think he is, assigning him the coveted “red star” during their scouting process and being blown away by his football acumen, he’s the perfect option to help solidify the secondary. After the top two picks, it gets a little more interesting. By Arif Hasan’s consensus rankings, which compile the evaluations of 112 draft analysts, the Ravens “reached” for OT Jones (91 overall pick vs. 98 ranking), LB Buchanan (129 vs. 177), OT Carson Vinson (141 vs. 205), CB Bilhal Kone (178 vs. 188), WR LaJohntay Wester (203 vs. 279) and CB Robert Longerbeam (212 vs. 228). Baltimore’s track record suggests that it can evaluate players better than almost any other organization, but it was surprising to see a team that usually waits for top talent to fall be a little more aggressive with its selections. Choosing to wait until the sixth round to draft an interior defensive lineman — one under 300 pounds at that — was also a bit of a head-scratcher. Which rookie will have the biggest impact in 2025? Wacker: Green has perhaps the most upside because sacks are a glamorous and tangible statistic. After leading college football with 17 sacks and a high pressure rate last season to go with a solid bag of moves, it’s possible that he becomes something of a tour de force. But I still expect Starks to have the biggest impact and would not be surprised if he is starting alongside Hamilton with Ar’Darius Washington as the third man in the rotation pretty quickly. Preston: It will be Starks. Besides quarterback, the unwritten rule in the NFL is that all first-round players have to play right away. Starks should allow the team to put Hamilton near the line of scrimmage again, and that’s where Hamilton becomes an impact player. He is an outstanding tackler, which makes him a threat against the running game and one of the team’s best pass rushers, especially when going against a running back one-on-one. Hamilton has really quick and strong hands. As for Starks, he can play on the back end, and the Ravens won’t be as concerned as a year ago when they had one of the worst pass defenses in the NFL. Combined with No. 3 safety Washington, the Ravens can give opposing teams multiple looks and can put either of the three safeties over a lost receiver. Cohn: Starks and Green are probably the most likely answers. The former gives Zach Orr space to get creative with his secondary and the latter brings an NFL-ready deep bag of pass rush tricks. To zag slightly, I’ll say kicker Tyler Loop. If he’s the Week 1 starter, he’ll be, by nature, in a constant position to impact this team — for better or worse. Special teams coach Randy Brown canvassed the country seeking Tucker’s potential replacement. He got back to Baltimore and said, “Hey, Eric [DeCosta]. There’s one guy that I really covet. And it’s Loop.” Doon: It has to be either Starks or Green. If there were two things the Ravens desperately needed, it was another reliable player in the secondary to wash the taste of Marcus Williams, Eddie Jackson and Brandon Stephens out of their mouths and a pass rusher that could reliably win one-on-one matchups. Consider those boxes checked. I also wouldn’t rule out Jones beating out Andrew Vorhees for the starting left guard spot in training camp, so he has to be mentioned as well. Colorado wide receiver LaJohntay Wester could be a surprise contributor for the Ravens as a Day 3 draft pick. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski) What Day 3 draft pick is worth keeping an eye on? Wacker: The easy answer is Loop if the Ravens decide to part ways with Tucker. Leaving that uncertainty aside, Wester, a sixth-round receiver out of Colorado, could be interesting. He’s small (5-foot-10, 163 pounds) but has nice change-of-direction ability to go with good speed. Importantly, he also has extensive punt return experience and looks natural in the role, something that was missing from the Ravens last season and has been a point of emphasis by coach John Harbaugh in the offseason. Preston: The assumption here is Wester, one of the team’s five sixth-round picks. For the past two years, the Ravens’ returners have had problems being indecisive about when to return punts. Wester could ease that concern. He probably won’t get much playing time as a receiver, but in 2023, he averaged 19.9 yards on 14 returns with Florida Atlantic and averaged 12 yards on nine returns with Colorado last year. He might end up the No. 1 returner, but at least the team has options. Cohn: Wester. Don’t expect him to see any significant reps at receiver, barring an injury. But the Ravens shuffled around their returners, which is always a position at the front of Harbaugh’s mind. Wester had a pair of punt returns for touchdowns at Colorado, he’s slippery with the ball in his hands and needs only a sliver of daylight to show off that 4.46-second 40-yard dash time. He has a chance to contend for a regular returner role in 2025. Doon: I’ll cheat a little bit and say both Kone and Longerbeam. The Ravens need to find a long-term answer to pair with cornerback Nate Wiggins on the outside, and the jury is still out on either T.J. Tampa or Jalyn Armour-Davis becoming that player. Chidobe Awuzie was a smart veteran signing, but he’s likely just a one-year rental. The 6-1, 190-pound Kone has good size and speed and a willingness to be physical in run support, while the 5-11, 175-pound Longerbeam has intriguing athletic traits after running a 4.39-second 40-yard dash and finishing tied among corners at the combine for the second-quickest 10-yard split. I think one of those two could sneak into the rotation by the end of the regular season. Don’t sleep on Dellinger getting in the mix in the guard battle, either. Were you surprised tight end Mark Andrews was not traded? Wacker: In short, no. The only way I saw him possibly getting dealt was if some tight end-desperate team who missed out on drafting Tyler Warren or Colston Loveland made an offer that included a second- or third-round pick. And if it was the latter, I’m still not sure that would have been enough. Andrews is an integral part of the offense and part of the heartbeat of the team, so to trade him away from a Super Bowl-caliber roster for a pick on a player who is more of an unknown doesn’t make any sense. Plus, why would a team get desperate when it’s possible he could be available in free agency next offseason? Preston: No. The Ravens dangled him around as trade bait, and there were no takers. As I’ve said before, Andrews was one of the hardest workers on and off the field in Baltimore’s brief history, and the Ravens weren’t going to get rid of the 29-year-old unless they got good compensation. Overall, he deserved better than to leave an organization where he has been an integral part since being drafted in the third round of 2018, but the NFL is all about business first and foremost. With young players like tight ends Isaiah Likely and Charlie Kolar competing with Andrews for more playing time, it made sense for the Ravens to put Andrews’ name out there as possible trade material. Tight end Mark Andrews is the Ravens' all-time touchdowns leader. (Kim Hairston/Staff) Cohn: Not necessarily. As my brilliant colleagues all mentioned, it would’ve taken a desperate team in the right conditions. Recency bias will have folks only remembering his fumble and nail-in-the-coffin goal line drop in Buffalo. Even if his numbers dipped slightly in 2024, he’s still the lifeblood of the locker room. Better to have a generally reliable future Ring of Honor tight end in a lesser role than a question mark. Doon: Mildly so. As Brian said, the cards had to fall a certain way for a team (looking at you, Los Angeles Chargers) to feel compelled enough to give up a decent draft pick. Even if the Ravens don’t feel confident in Andrews being a reliable part of their offense beyond this season, he’ll likely fetch a compensatory pick if he signs elsewhere next offseason. I just thought that Andrews was expendable given his general lack of production and brutal playoff mistakes last year. Not to mention, this is a front office that is very forward-thinking and loves extra picks. While Likely is an ascending player who could step into Andrews’ role, it’s hard to put a price tag on Lamar Jackson’s comfort and chemistry with his favorite tight end. What area does Baltimore still need to address and get better in? Wacker: General manager Eric DeCosta said it himself: A big-body, run-stuffing defensive tackle. The lone defensive lineman Baltimore drafted (Peebles) is undersized for the position, so the veteran free agent market will be the next best option. The same could be said of depth pieces on the offensive line. Third-round tackle Jones helps on the right side behind Roger Rosengarten or possibly at guard, but fifth-round pick Vinson is a project who likely wouldn’t be ready if left tackle Ronnie Stanley, who has a long injury history, were to be sidelined for any length of time. Baltimore was the healthiest team in the NFL by a long way last season, but if any of the starting offensive linemen were to go down, there would be an immediate step back. That’s why the Ravens signed former Los Angeles Rams tackle Joe Noteboom on Saturday. Preston: The most glaring need is finding one or two defensive linemen, especially a big-bodied run stopper. The Ravens will look into free agency to fill those voids. They also need to find a starting weakside linebacker, even though Trenton Simpson is in the mix. He lost the top job midway through last season. The Ravens could use a cornerback to start opposite Nate Wiggins, and that would give them a surplus of players on the back end. Baltimore made a smart move by adding Noteboom, 29, but bringing in another veteran guard would add depth. Cohn: DeCosta was asked about his defensive-heavy draft. In his response, DeCosta said they were still missing “that big, wide-body-type guy” along the defensive line. It’s something we can reasonably expect the Ravens to address this summer, hoping to backfill the since-retired Michael Pierce with “street free agents.” The Ravens filled in at just about every other corner of the defense. Defensive line would be the one void. I’d add in linebacker, considering the uncertainty beside Roquan Smith. Simpson had a down year and there’s a chance Buchanan puts up a fight, but it’s an uncertainty worth monitoring as training camp approaches. Doon: With Pierce retiring, the Ravens have a 355-pound hole in the middle of the defensive line. Peebles is an intriguing player after standing out at the Senior Bowl, but he wins with quickness more than raw strength and isn’t a true nose tackle. So I’d be pretty surprised if a veteran run-stuffer isn’t brought in between now and the end of training camp. Linebacker is another spot that could use some depth after the Ravens signed special teamer Jake Hummel and drafted Buchanan. And while DeAndre Hopkins might still have something left in the tank, the offense suffered in the postseason without a healthy Zay Flowers. Another injury there could leave Baltimore perilously thin at pass catcher. Have a news tip? Contact sports editor C.J. Doon at cdoon@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/CJDoon. View the full article Quote
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