Three days. That’s it, just three more days.

The Ravens have done an outstanding job leading up to this draft with regards to acquiring draft capital. They currently hold 10 draft picks, including five in the 4th round. With their returning starters getting healthy, the team is in no rush to trade up or reach for a player for whom they otherwise would wait.

This really is the perfect scenario for Baltimore. The table is set for them to feast.

The biggest team needs are offensive tackle, edge defender, cornerback, and inside linebacker. Other positions like tight end, running back, and safety could be options, too, but aren’t a pressing priority. Here’s a look at my best attempt at a 7-round Ravens mock draft (no trades).

Player selected: Trent McDuffie, CB, Washington

Round, overall pick: 1/14

Alternate options: WR Drake London (USC), CB Andrew Booth (Clemson), EDGE George Karlaftis (Purdue)

Analysis: My 7th overall prospect, McDuffie fills a big need for the Ravens. He’s a smooth, skilled, versatile defensive back that enjoys coming up in run support. Between both starting cornerbacks returning from injury and Tavon Young moving on, there’s plenty of opportunity for a young cornerback to make early contributions to this team.

He was voted as Washington’s Defensive Player of the Year—a defense which ranked 1st in the nation in pass defense in 2021.

Player selected: Christian Watson, WR, North Dakota State

Round, overall pick: 2/45

Alternate options: IDL Perrion Winfrey (Oklahoma), IDL Travis Jones (UConn), RB Breece Hall (Iowa State)

Analysis: Watson could end up being the best receiver in this draft. He certainly has the tools to do so. He has the size of Drake London and the speed of Jameson Williams with an added benefit of experience returning kicks on special teams. The Ravens lost Miles Boykin recently, and though Boykin wasn’t an integral part of the offense, his size presented a threat to defenses. By drafting Watson, the Ravens not only replace the size of Boykin but they add an explosive element to an offense that is already dynamic. Lastly, Watson is coming from an offense that ran the ball very well, so blocking is nothing new to him. I see this as a homerun pick for Baltimore.

Player selected: Travis Jones, IDL, Connecticut

Round, overall pick: 3/76

Alternate options: IDL DeMarvin Leal (Texas A&M), LB Troy Andersen (Montana State), EDGE Nik Bonitto (Oklahoma)

Analysis: Jones has a lot of admirable traits to his game. He’s able to push the pocket and is constantly quick to defeat double teams. This pick is dependent on how the Ravens feel about their current defensive line room (as opposed to an evaluation of Jones’ talent). In other words, their starters are pretty well set (Michael Pierce, Calais Campbell, Justin Madubuike), so drafting Jones isn’t a need. Bottom line: if the Ravens do draft Jones, they’re better for it.

Player selected: Alec Lindstrom, IOL, Boston College

Round, overall pick: 4/100

Alternate options: EDGE Myjai Sanders (Cincinnati), LB Brandon Smith (Penn State), TE Jelani Woods (Virginia)

Analysis: Lindstrom would be a very good pick at this spot for multiple reasons. First, he’s a center, which is a position of need for the Ravens. They’ve stated Patrick Mekari will be the starter at that spot, but Baltimore has had a bit of a rotation going at that spot for a couple of years, so drafting a true center would surely be beneficial. Second, he’s got good football bloodlines. His dad is in the BC Hall of Fame and played pro ball for three years. His brother Chris was a 2019 1st round pick by the Falcons and has made 37 consecutive starts. Third, he’s a talented player that’s likely to be available in the middle rounds because of the position he plays. He’s decisive and tries to bury his opponent. He moves well vertically and laterally and would seem to thrive in Baltimore’s unique offense.

Player selected: Brandon Smith, LB, Penn State

Round, overall pick: 4/110

Alternate options: OT Luke Goedeke (Central Michigan), OT Rasheed Walker (Penn State), OT Zach Tom (Wake Forest)

Analysis: Smith is an explosive linebacker that played mostly in the box but also a fair amount in the slot for Penn State this past season. Even with the move of Patrick Queen to weakside linebacker last year, the team needs an effective pass defender at the linebacker position. Smith shows a lot of promise, as he seems to be equally as effective as a blitzer as he is in coverage. He’s calm in zone and aggressive in man, and most impressively, he’s able to redirect much sooner than most his size.

Player selected: Zach Tom, OT, Wake Forest

Round, overall pick: 4/119

Alternate options: TE Jelani Woods (Virginia), CB Coby Bryant (Cincinnati), TE Jake Ferguson (Wisconsin)

Analysis: Tom is an interesting prospect because there’s a potential for him to start the season at left tackle if Ronnie Stanley isn’t fully recovered. Tom played very well at that same position in 2021 for Wake Forest. He’s particularly good at stuffing multiple pass rush moves. He rarely seems fazed, and his pass sets are very consistent. Tom can give some ground against the bull rush and isn’t really a mauler in the run game, but overall, he’s an asset to his team. Another reasons the Ravens may consider drafting him is because he played over 1,000 snaps at center in the 2019 season.

Player selected: Jake Ferguson, TE, Wisconsin

Round, overall pick: 4/128

Alternate options: CB Coby Bryant (Cincinnati), RB Dameon Pierce (Florida), RB Hassan Haskins (Michigan)

Analysis: Tight end is one of those positions that isn’t a need for the Ravens. If they don’t draft or sign a tight end before the season begins, they should be okay. However, at this point in the draft, you’re transitioning from drafting starting-quality players to quality reserves. Ferguson played at Wisconsin which is a team that loves to run and pass via play action. They love to use multiple tight end packages and align their tight ends in multiple spots. Remind you of anyone?

Besides his blocking, Ferguson is a reliable receiver and is tough to bring down. Baltimore could do a lot worse than drafting Ferguson here.

Player selected: Hassan Haskins, RB, Michigan

Round, overall pick: 4/139

Alternate options: EDGE Amare Barno (Virginia Tech), S Sterling Weatherford (Miami OH), IOL Thayer Munford (Ohio State)

Analysis: Haskins is simply a player that gets results. He has ideal size (6’1”, 220 pounds) and play style for an AFC North running back. He used to producing huge numbers in a physical, bad-weather conference. As noted in his draft profile, “In his final two years at Michigan, Haskins produced more multi-touchdown games (9) than games where he didn’t score at all (6).” He plays like a Raven: fast, physical, decisive. He was the bell cow at Michigan but won’t asked to fill the same role in Baltimore, meaning he should be even more impactful. He averaged 5.4 yards per carry during his career at Michigan, where he rushed the ball nearly 500 times.

Player selected: Sterling Weatherford, S, Miami (OH)

Round, overall pick: 4/141

Alternate options: C Dohnovan West (Arizona State), CB Tariq Castro-Fields (Penn State), LB D’Marco Jackson (Appalachian State)

Analysis:

Like with Ferguson, the Ravens drafting Sterling Weatherford wouldn’t satisfy a need, as they’re solid at safety. But if they like him, it would be a worthwhile investment. Weatherford played all over the back end at Miami of Ohio, and at the very least could fill the huge hole left by special teams ace and key reserve safety Anthony Levine. His 6’4” frame would only help the team defend jump ball situations against the big receivers they’ll face.

Player selected: Jeffrey Gunter, EDGE, Coastal Carolina

Round, overall pick: 6/196

Alternate options: IOL Cade Mays (Tennessee), TE Cole Turner (Nevada), WR Tyquan Thornton (Baylor)

Analysis: A good value pick here. Gunter is a strong run defender and uses his speed well to displace offensive tackles. He still needs to improve to reach his peak, as he could stand to hone in on some counter rush moves. To me, he feels like a sub package defensive end that would allow Madubuike to shift inside to defensive tackle. Gunter is 260 pounds and recorded 17.0 sacks over the last three seasons. There is potential with him in a Mike Macdonald defense.

Draft summary

Offense (5): WR Christian Watson, IOL Alec Lindstrom, OT Zach Tom, TE Jake Ferguson,
RB Hassan Haskins

Defense (5): CB Trent McDuffie, IDL Travis Jones, LB Brandon Smith, S Sterling Weatherford, EDGE Jeffrey Gunter

Overall impression: Baltimore reinforced their foundation of physicality, versatility, blocking, and tackling. They didn’t fill every need, but they filled most of them. Besides McDuffie (and maybe Watson), no one really needs to start in 2022, which only increases their value as they would be able to make sure they’re at full strength mentally and physically before taking the field. If the real draft looks like this one, I think the Ravens Flock will be pleased.

Michael Fast
Michael Fast

Born in Baltimore, Mike had long been drawn to sports of all kinds. Growing up watching Cal Ripken play ever day gave him a great example for which to attack every endeavor he undertakes.

When the Ravens came to town, though, that’s when Mike found his passion. Since that time, he’s tried to gain every bit of knowledge he could. Now as a high school coach, Mike is able to take his film study and appreciation of the game to a new level.

To engage with Mike on social media, follow him on Twitter @MikeFastNFL.

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