After an active Day 1 of the NFL Draft, the Baltimore Ravens took a backseat approach to the final two days of the draft. They dealt Marquise Brown (and Pick 100) to the Arizona Cardinals for the No. 23 pick. They slid back two spots with the Buffalo Bills, adding a fourth-round pick. All told, the Ravens made 11 picks including a ridiculous six in the fourth round. They also had multiple first-round picks and no picks in either Round 5 or Round 7.
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Best Pick: Travis Jones (Round 3, Pick 76)
After making a trio of excellent picks in the first two rounds, Eric DeCosta and the Ravens’ front office struck for one of the best picks in the draft in Jones. Jones was nearly universally regarded as a top-30 player in the class. He was often mocked toward the end of the first round, but the Ravens nabbed him halfway through the third round. Jones is one of the best run defenders in the class, so he should play plenty of snaps as a rookie. However, the scariest part about Jones is his pass-rush potential. At the very least, the Ravens drafted another Michael Pierce. They might have drafted the next Haloti Ngata, though.
Check out our scouting report on him here2022 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Travis Jones.
Grade: A+
For more on Jones, check out our scouting report on him.
Worst Pick: Damarion Williams (Round 4, Pick 141)
While this (dis)honor could have gone to Jordan Stout at Pick 130, Stout might be the best specialist in the class. On the other hand, Williams was a tremendous reach. The Ravens could have gotten either Tariq Woolen or Zyon McCollum as super-athletic cornerbacks at this spot. Both Woolen and McCollum had varying degrees of Day 2 interest, but they both slipped into the fifth round. Every other pick was defensible if not great. This pick is almost certainly a waste.
Grade: D-
Sleeper Pick: Tyler Badie (Round 6, Pick 196)
Badie fills a role in the Ravens’ offense – the pass-catching running back. While both J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards have had flashes, Badie excels in the pass-catching role. However, he is far from a one-trick pony as he can also run between the tackles and pass protect. He won’t be a workhorse as he was at Missouri, but Badie should be a rock-solid pro and a better player than the incumbent Justice Hill.
Grade: A
Summary
The Ravens are among the draft’s biggest winners. Many draft analysts gave the Ravens an A or even an A+.
Their top two picks (Kyle Hamilton and Tyler Linderbaum) are perhaps the only two blue-chip prospects at their respective positions in the draft. Neither plays a valuable position, but the Ravens had reasonable needs at both spots. Linderbaum will be the team’s Day 1 starting center, and Hamilton might relegate Chuck Clark to a reserve role. The Ravens will likely find a way to put both players on the field for the majority of snaps, however.
On Day 2, the Ravens continued with the hits, grabbing David Ojabo at No. 45 before nabbing the aforementioned Jones. Ojabo tore his Achilles at his Pro Day, but he was a top-15 pick before the injury. He could use 2022 as a redshirt season and begin his NFL career in 2023. The third day of the draft was not quite as dominant as the first two days, but the Ravens had several excellent value picks in Daniel Faalele and Jalyn Armour-Davis. They also drafted a pair of tight ends, indicating they are working toward more heavy sets similar to their 2019 season. The Ravens have a plan, and they executed their draft as well as anyone.
Grade: A
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