The Baltimore Ravens have two draft picks in the first round thanks to the Orlando Brown trade. Who will Eric DeCosta target with these picks?
When you think of consistent NFL franchises year in and year out, the Baltimore Ravens are among the most stable in the league. They have had 3 head coaches and 2 general managers since 1996. Since 2014, they have drafted 4 Pro Bowlers, with one of them becoming a league MVP in Lamar Jackson.
For the 2021 draft, they will have to fill some gaps lost through free agency and trades. Key contributors for this team such as: Orlando Brown, Matt Judon, LJ Fort, and Matt Skura all left the Ravens creating holes at those positions. With two first round picks and some solid free agency pick ups, the Ravens are poised to fill those gaps nicely.
With this in mind, let’s take a look at how the Ravens have drafted over the past few years, what positions they need, and who they can target with these picks.
1st round picks since 2017:
2017
- Marlon Humphrey CB Alabama (16th overall)
2018
- Hayden Hurst TE South Carolina (25th overall)
- Lamar Jackson QB Louisville (32nd overall)
2019
- Marquise Brown WR Oklahoma (25th overall)
2020
- Patrick Queen LB LSU (28th overall)
Positional need rankings:
- RT
- Edge
- WR
- ILB
- C/G
Players who should or potentially be available to target based on these needs:
- Jayson Oweh Edge Penn State
- Joe Tryon Edge Washington
- Azeez Ojulari Edge Georgia
- Ronnie Perkins Edge Oklahoma
- Teven Jenkins OT Oklahoma State
- Liam Eichenberg OT Notre Dame
- Alex Leatherwood OT Alabama
- Kadarius Toney WR Florida
- Elijah Moore WR Ole Miss
- Terrace Marshall Jr. WR LSU
- Jamin Davis LB Kentucky
- Dillon Radunz OT North Dakota State
Trade up target?
On the heels of the Orlando Brown trade, the Ravens are at an interesting spot in this year’s draft. They hold both the 27th and 31st picks, which makes a potential trade up a lot easier. According to the Jimmy Johnson trade value chart, the Ravens could package both of those picks and move up to as high as number 11 overall.
As enticing as that sounds, I think the Ravens are better off standing pat with their first round picks. They could potentially look at a trade up to the early 20’s while holding on to the 2nd first round pick. But having two of the top 32 players on their draft board would help stabilize one of the most consistent organizations in the league.
