With the NFL officially announcing the selection order on Friday, the Ravens are scheduled to have seven picks in the 2021 draft scheduled to begin in Cleveland on April 29.
Two of those choices are of the compensatory variety with the Ravens receiving a third-round pick for the Houston Texans hiring former Baltimore assistant David Culley as head coach and a sixth-round selection for the free-agent departure of nose tackle Michael Pierce last March. After making five selections in the first 100 picks of the 2020 draft, general manager Eric DeCosta owns just two in the top 100 next month.
Here’s where the Ravens are scheduled to pick:
Round 1: 27th overall
Round 2: 58th overall
Round 3: 104th overall (compensatory)
Round 4: 131st overall
Round 5: 171st overall
Round 5: 184th overall (compensatory)
Round 6: 210th overall
Just for fun, below is a look at past players selected by the Ravens in each of those slots (or as close as possible) over the years:
27th overall: CB Jimmy Smith, 2011
Skinny: Many fans will always lament the injuries that prevented Smith from reaching his ceiling to become a Pro Bowl cornerback, but 10 seasons and 118 career games — and counting — still make this a very successful draft pick.
58th overall: S Kim Herring, 1997; WR Torrey Smith, 2011
Skinny: Herring was a rock-solid starter for the 2000 championship team and the last Raven to wear No. 20 before the legendary Ed Reed while Smith was also a Super Bowl champion and a very rare successful draft pick at wide receiver.
104th overall: CB Tavon Young, 2016
Skinny: His successful rookie season made Young look like he could be one of the best draft picks in recent memory, but injuries have limited the slot corner to just 17 games over the last four seasons.
131st overall: FB Kyle Juszczyk (130th), 2013
Skinny: Blossoming into a Pro Bowl fullback in his final season with Baltimore, Juszczyk has found even more success in Kyle Shanahan’s offense in San Francisco and is a five-time Pro Bowl selection.
171st overall: TE Nick Boyle, 2015
Skinny: Two performance-enhancing drug suspensions over his first calendar year with the Ravens made it look like Boyle’s time with the organization would be short, but he’s become one of the best blocking tight ends in the NFL.
184th overall: RB Cedric Peerman (185th), 2009
Skinny: The Virginia product failed to make the roster out of training camp, but he eventually caught on with Cincinnati and became a special-teams captain who made the Pro Bowl in 2015.
210th overall: S Chad Williams (209th), 2002
Skinny: One of the most underrated draft picks in team history, the dime back registered eight interceptions, five forced fumbles, 24 pass breakups, and three defensive touchdowns over four seasons backing up Reed and Will Demps in the secondary.
