With the opening waves of free agency complete and the NFL officially awarding the maximum four compensatory picks to the Ravens last week, much attention has already shifted toward next month’s draft.
Baltimore received a fourth-round choice, a fifth-round selection, and two sixths, which will serve as extra swings to fill out the depth chart or draft capital to potentially move up for the right prospect over the first few rounds. To no surprise, general manager Eric DeCosta was citing the importance of the draft during the NFL scouting combine, especially with the Ravens not having a ton of salary cap space and prioritizing re-signing longtime left tackle Ronnie Stanley — which they ultimately did.
“We’re not a team that’s going to make a lot of splashes generally speaking,” DeCosta said in Indianapolis late last month. “We’re probably going to have 11 draft picks this year. My goal would be to hit on a large percentage of those draft picks to find good, young, inexpensive talent to put guys in for the future. The reality of it is when you’re paying guys like Lamar Jackson and the Marlon Humphreys and the Nnamdi Madubuikes and the Roquan Smiths and guys like that and the guys someday like probably Tyler Linderbaum and guys like Kyle Hamilton, you have to draft well every single year, so that you always have an open window.”
The Ravens certainly want to add depth and competition at a few more positions, but beyond the unresolved Justin Tucker situation and the clear need for at least one starting-caliber defensive back, most teams would envy what Baltimore’s projected starting lineup looks like right now.
Here’s where the Ravens are scheduled to pick in next month’s draft:
First round: 27th overall
Second round: 59th overall
Third round: 91st overall
Fourth round: 129th overall
Fourth round: 136th overall (compensatory)
Fifth round: 176th overall (compensatory)
Sixth round: 183rd overall
Sixth round: 203rd overall
Sixth round: 210th overall (compensatory)
Sixth round: 212th overall (compensatory)
Seventh round: 243rd overall
And just for a fun — or not so much — trip down memory lane, below is a look at past players selected by Baltimore in each of these scheduled slots (or very close to it):
27th overall: CB Jimmy Smith (2011), WR Rashod Bateman (2021)
Skinny: Not every draft pick is a Hall of Fame home run or a bust. Much like after Bateman’s first two injury-plagued seasons, some were quick to call Smith a bust after he missed nine games and started only five over his first two years. But then he shined on the final goal-line stand of Super Bowl XLVII and went on to have a solid 11-year career despite injuries always keeping him from reaching his ceiling.
59th overall: S Kim Herring (58th, 1997), WR Torrey Smith (58th, 2011), OL Kelechi Osemele (60th, 2012)
Skinny: While Baltimore has certainly had its share of second-round misses over the years, you aren’t going to do consistently better than drafting three starters on Super Bowl championship teams at this late stage of the second round. Herring, Smith, and Osemele ultimately received big second contracts elsewhere, but these were important contributors for teams that accomplished special things.
91st overall: DT Carl Davis (90th, 2015), OL Casey Rabach (92nd, 2001), WR Devin Duvernay (92nd, 2020)
Skinny: Davis overcame injuries and underwhelming play in Baltimore to survive a decade in the NFL as an end-of-the-roster player, and Rabach was a last bloomer for the Ravens before becoming a full-time starter for six seasons in Washington. Duvernay was a two-time Pro Bowl return specialist, but he never developed into a consistent receiver despite a very productive collegiate career at Texas.
129th overall: G Edwin Mulitalo (1997), OLB John Simon (2013)
Skinny: While Mulitalo goes down as one of the very best fourth-round picks in team history, Simon was a rare fourth-rounder not to make it to a second season with Baltimore. To his credit, the Ohio State product still managed a nine-year NFL career as a role player after not fitting with the Ravens.
136th overall: CB Tray Walker (2015)
Skinny: In the offseason following a rookie year in which he played very little, the Texas Southern product and Miami native tragically died in a dirt bike accident at the age of 23.
176th overall: G Robert Myers (2015)
Skinny: Expectations are tempered for any pick this late in the draft, but the Tennessee State product was a rare fifth-round pick not to make the 53-man roster as a rookie and never appeared in an NFL game despite bouncing around NFL practice squads for a couple years.
183rd overall: S Gerome Sapp (182nd, 2003), WR Keenan Reynolds (182nd, 2016), FB Ben Mason (184th, 2021)
Skinny: Sapp had two stints with Baltimore and finished with 111 tackles over a five-year NFL career, but Reynolds — a sentimental favorite after an outstanding career at Navy as a quarterback — and Mason combined to appear in one game for Baltimore despite fanfare for both when they were drafted.
203rd overall: P Sam Koch (2006), C Ryan Jensen (2013)
Skinny: Short of drafting Tom Brady 199th overall, you can’t hope for much better 200 picks into the draft than finding a 16-year punter and a Division II offensive line prospect who eventually developed into an above-average starting center and fetched a lucrative contract from Tampa Bay.
210th overall: S Chad Williams (209th, 2002), CB Maurice Canady (209th, 2016)
Skinny: While the oft-injured Canady was an periodic contributor at the nickel and one of the culprits responsible for surrendering an infamous touchdown in team history, Williams was a good dime back and reserve safety who had three interception returns for touchdowns over four years with Baltimore.
212th overall: OT Greg Senat (2018)
Skinny: One of the final picks made by longtime general manager Ozzie Newsome, the Wagner product bounced around practice squads for a few years before eventually appearing in 10 games with Dallas in 2020, his only NFL action.
243rd overall: WR Derek Abney (244th, 2004)
Skinny: After a decorated college career at Kentucky, the undersized Abney was one of many later-round picks for which Ravens fans had unrealistic hopes as the organization really struggled to draft talent at the wide receiver position over the years.
