The Baltimore Ravens are one of the hottest teams in the NFL right now. Lamar Jackson is the reigning MVP and he has a strong roster around him. While the Ravens playoff defeat against the Tennessee Titans was a disappointing end to an otherwise promising season, Baltimore is in a great spot to compete for a championship in 2020. Finding quality prospects in the draft will only improve the odds of the 2020 Ravens hoisting the Lombardi Trophy at season’s end and I’ll see if I can give them such a draft with the Mock Draft Simulator from TheDraftNetwork.com
Despite having one of the most dynamic offenses in football a year ago, the Ravens could still stand to fortify that side of the ball. WR Marquise “Hollywood” Brown was dynamic in his rookie season despite playing through injury. The receiving corps outside of Brown could still be improved however, with the starting X receiver position still pretty wide open. The retirement of dominant RG Marshal Yanda also opens up a hole in the starting lineup, although no rookie will be able to properly fill Yanda’s shoes. The Ravens do have some in-house options at guard though with second-year man Ben Powers and Patrick Mekari, who stepped in admirably when starting center Matt Skura went down with injury mid-way through last season.
Baltimore went hard to improve the defensive line once the new league year started, trading for DE Calais Campbell and signing DE Derek Wolfe after a deal with Michael Brockers fell through. Franchise-tagging EDGE Matt Judon was also a good move that should make the Ravens’ defensive front quite formidable. The second level behind that front is where the biggest defensive liability lies after the team saw linebackers Josh Bynes and Patrick Onwuasor depart in free agency. L.J. Fort is the only man left from the linebacker rotation last year and he is really more of a subpackage coverage specialist. Adding a linebacker is, in my opinion, the number one need for Baltimore, so I wasted no time giving them one:
Round 1, Pick 28: Kenneth Murray, LB, Oklahoma
Kenneth Murray is one of the top three linebackers available in this draft and he should make an immediate impact as a starter in the NFL. His athleticism really pops on tape, showing sideline to sideline range in the run game and his downhill trigger to fly up and tackle runners is extremely impressive. Coverage responsibilities are going to be a work in progress for Murray since he was not asked to do too much in college. Murray mostly covered shallow zones, played man on backs leaking out of the backfield and spied on mobile quarterbacks. Turning and running with receivers or tight ends is going to be a somewhat new experience for him. He is pretty effective on the blitz as well, showing a prowess for shooting gaps and getting to quarterbacks on stunts like this one against Texas:
Murray should be an early starter and his athleticism should allow him to get better in coverage with time. His presence should make an already excellent defense even more dominant.
Round 2, Pick 55: Michael Pittman Jr., WR, USC
Pittman Jr. is now the second player, along with Antoine Winfield Jr., that I have profiled whose father I remember playing in the NFL. Am I getting old? Pittman Jr. is a big-bodied receiver who is an excellent route runner for his size. He just finds ways to get open deep despite not having the greatest long speed. He is tenacious as a run blocker, really getting physical with defenders who get in his way. While Pittman Jr. can struggle to separate at times, his length, catch radius and toughness help him to make combative catches down the field like this one:
Pittman Jr. can compete immediately for the starting X receiver position with Miles Boykin, where his size and route running skill would make him a nice complement to the speed of Marquise Brown.
Round 2, Pick 60: Jonah Jackson, OG, Ohio State
Jackson has the pass protection prowess to step right into the starting spot vacated by Marshal Yanda. He might just be the best pass protecting guard in this draft. He does not have the best anchor and will give ground a bit, but he is extremely technical with his hands and recovers well if pushed back off the line. Jackson moves really well for a big man, which helps him when getting to the second level in the run game. I love how he keeps the fight going through the whistle, hand fighting with defenders until the play is fully over like he does here against Clemson, where is lined up at left guard:
Round 3, Pick 92: Logan Wilson, LB, Wyoming
Wilson is a rising linebacker talent who could compete for a starting job in the NFL. Lack of athleticism might limit Wilson to a two-down role in the league but the Ravens do have a good coverage linebacker in L.J. Fort who could replace Wilson on long and late downs.
Round 3, Pick 106: Nick Coe, DL, Auburn
Coe was mostly used as an EDGE player in college, but I really like his fit as a 5-tech defensive end in a 3-4 scheme like the Ravens employ. Calais Campbell and Derek Wolfe are both on the wrong side of 30 and Baltimore would be smart to add some younger players at the position.
Round 4, Pick 129: Anfernee Jennings, EDGE, Alabama
I know former GM Ozzie Newsome is no longer with the team but I have never seen an Alabama linebacker that the Ravens did not like. Jennings is a good scheme fit for Baltimore and with Matt Judon not having a long-term deal in place, Jennings is a player worth developing to perhaps replace Judon as soon as 2021.
Round 4, Pick 134: Lynn Bowden, WR, Kentucky
The Ravens have a heck of a roster in place so I began to run out of steam towards the end of this draft as far as needs go. Bowden is just a fun player to plug into an already dynamic offense just because of his versatility. Bowden has been a running back, wide receiver, return specialist and even quarterback at Kentucky. His NFL home will likely be receiver but putting him in a creative offense like the one run by Greg Roman in Baltimore should allow him to display his versatility in fun ways.
Round 5, Pick 157: Josiah Deguara, TE, Cincinnati
The Ravens traded away former first-round pick TE Hayden Hurst to the Falcons, and while the tight end position is still pretty well set at the top of the depth chart with Mark Andrews and Nick Boyle, adding depth may not be a bad idea. Deguara is a versatile blocker that would make for a nice fit in the Ravens offense.
Round 7, Pick 225: Raequan Williams, DL, Michigan State
Another pick to add young depth to the defensive line. Williams will probably never be a starter but he could make for a nice depth piece along the defensive interior.
The New England Patriots’ time as the dominant force in the AFC seems to be coming to an end and the age of the Chiefs and the Ravens seems to be arriving. Kansas City is busy celebrating their first championship of the Patrick Mahomes era, with the Ravens and Lamar Jackson perhaps not too far behind. Will this draft be enough to put them over the top? They certainly have enough premium picks to make it happen. Time will tell if 2020 will be the Baltimore Ravens year, but this will be a fun team to watch for a long time for sure.
Written by: Daniel Hower
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