OTL: Early April Mock Draft Roundup

The month of April could honestly be renamed Draft Season and it would be an accurate depiction of what consumes us in its 30 days. The Ravens have the 27th pick and what they might do with it is a near month-long point of conversation. Today, we’ll take a look at three mock drafts to give you a range of possibilities. That’s the service of mock drafts, they provide a prospect radar for the average fan, tailored to their specific team.

We start with the Ravens getting better on the defensive side of things. Pro Football Focus has the Ravens looking for pass rush help in John Kosko’s latest mock draft. Here’s Kosko’s take on his Ravens pick of Shemar Stewart from Texas A&M.

The Ravens have thrown a lot of early-round draft picks at the edge position, but nothing has fully materialized. So, the fans opt for NFL Scouting Combine phenom Shemar Stewart. If there is a top team to go to for developing a pass-rush skill set, the Ravens are on the shortlist. Stewart lacked production in college and is coming off a 67.2 PFF pass-rush grade in 2024 but could thrive in Baltimore.

The Ravens have been down this road before. Odafe Oweh for example was picked with the 31st overall draft in 2021. The Ravens have spent more draft capital in the middle rounds of the draft though. Za’Darius Smith was a fourth round pick while Matt Judon was selected in round five. Jaylon Ferguson (May he rest in peace) was drafted in the third round. Tavius Robinson has come on strong but he worked his way up as a fourth-round pick. Outside of the Oweh pick, taking Tyus Bowser in the second round may be the Ravens’ biggest shot at finding an outside linebacker to rush the passer in recent memory. This is a result of consistently picking in the back half of the draft but the Ravens have to start taking more shots, earlier in the draft to get their next Terrell Suggs.

Chad Reiter of NFL.com did a mock draft that gives the Ravens a familiar name. This is his long-story-short explanation of the Ravens taking Malaki Starks.

History repeats itself. The Ravens select Starks despite his mediocre pre-draft athleticism tests, just like they did with Kyle Hamilton three years ago.

If any team in the NFL is going to get some benefit of the doubt with the safety position it’s going to be the Ravens. Ed Reed was undersized, remember that? Sure, the Matt Elam pick is out there, but this is a position that history has otherwise awarded the Ravens’ confidence. Anyone who worried about Kyle Hamilton’s measurables was at the very least misguided. The idea of drafting another versatile safety and making the best safety tag team in the NFL is an exciting proposition. Hamilton is the queen on the chessboard but the Ravens couldn’t function without him playing as the deep safety. Starks could be a wonderful solution to that problem. Two safeties with range, ball skills, and the ability to punish receivers is solid get for Eric DeCosta.

In the latest CBS Sports mock draft Tom Fornelli has the Ravens boosting the future of the offensive line. Here’s his quick take on the Ravens taking Donovan Jackson, a tackle from Ohio State. 

Jackson did much better than I anticipated when he moved to tackle during the season, but his brightest future is at guard, which is a spot the Ravens can use an upgrade.

The Ravens have invested in Ronnie Stanley but that doesn’t rule offensive tackle out in the first round. Stanley has injury concerns that will never completely go away. On top of that the tackle position is a premium position. Donovan Jackson looks the part of a protector for Lamar Jackson. If the Ohio State product is there at pick 27, there is a good possibility he’s the best player available. A sensible pick for the future is on the Ravens’ draft playbook. Don’t rule this one out. I don’t think it’s what they ultimately want, rather a good option if the draft falls in a certain way.

In other local sporting news, Alex Ovechkin just scored his historic 895th goal in the NHL. While the Capitals are a Washington Sports thing, a lot of Ravens fans are Caps fans. The Ravens lit up M&T Bank Stadium to pay tribute to the record-setting goal. Passing “The Great One” Wayne Gretzky in the record books warrants this kind of a nod and then some.

I’ll say it. Jackson in a Ravens throwback uniform looks a bit odd. While I respect the history of the franchise, I’d argue the uniforms underwent a major upgrade after the late 90’s. What I’d argue for, is more of the purple helmet with the screaming Raven logo. That should be their main look in my book.

On Locked on Ravens, guest Sam Njoku speaks out against the idea of the Ravens trading back. I admire this stance. The Ravens are often lauded for their ability to be patient and get extra value in the draft. Njoku hits the main point here. The Ravens are realistically a piece or two away from winning a Super Bowl. The Ravens keep knocking on the door and this means it’s time to aggressively work to get over the hump. I couldn’t agree with a take more than this one.

We started this conversation talking about taking a pass rusher at 27. We’ve gone over the cost of waiting for an elite pass rusher. If the Ravens see a final piece to the puzzle they should trade up to get it. Premium positions usually require you to pay some sort of premium. If the Ravens add a star that premium would be worth it.

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