Ravens Post-Draft Roster Power Rank

Does Patrick Queen crack the top-20 without having seen the field yet? 

Before I get into the power rank, I’m going to do a quick rank of the Ravens draft picks.

Grade A

Round 1 – Patrick Queen, MLB, LSU – Pick #28: Fills a need. Steal at 28 considering Seattle took Jordyn Brooks right before him. Tops the MLB depth chart for me day 1. I can’t remember a first round pick that was pretty much a consensus “great pick”. Usually a few people would go another direction and I don’t think I saw that.

Grade B

Round 4 – Ben Bredeson, G, Michigan – Pick #143: Can start right away. But yet to be know if this position will need to be addressed early in the 2021 draft. Seems like an okay pick, being able to find a starter, even serviceable at best in round four is a win. Vast Big Ten experience is a plus.

Round 3 – Devin Duvernay, WR, Texas – Pick #92: Elite hands in the third round? Sold. Runs a 4.39 40? Bonus. Expect to play his way into a bigger role in 2021 when Willie Snead’s contract is up.

Round 2 – J.K. Dobbins, RB, Ohio St. – Pick # 55: You need to stay young at the position. Big running back contracts don’t seem to pan out. Someone could be on the trade block, or Justice Hill is put on notice. Might be Mark Ingram’s last season here.

Round 3 – Malik Harrison, LB, Ohio St. – Pick #98: Not going to be a three down back but needed to address the position again to pair someone up with Queen since MLB is very shallow here.

Round 7 – Geno Stone, FS, Iowa – Pick #219: The Ravens stacked value picks throughout the draft and finished with Stone whom PFF gave a second-round grade to. Smaller at 5’10” but in round seven well worth the flier. Won’t be an in the box safety. Apparently plays a mean centerfield though.

Round 6 – James Proche, WR, SMU – Pick #201: Like Duvernay, elite hands, made some circus catches. Ravens pick up two slot receivers in this draft. Willie Snead likely heading out of town in 2021.

Grade C

Round 3 – Justin Madubuike, DT, Texas A&M – Pick #71: Seems like a tweener to me. Small to play in the trenches. Big to be an edge rusher. Like that he is technically sound which helps where he may lack in size. Position is deep, so doesn’t need to make an impact in 2020.

Grade D

Round 5 – Broderick Washingotn, DT, Texas Tech – Pick #170: ESPN, nor PFF had a draft profile on this guy. Guard Netane Muti went 11 picks later whose only red flag is injury concerns but was probably the best guard in the draft when healthy. With the depth on the defensive front, would have liked to have seen a different pick (Muti) here.

Round 3 – Tyre Phillips, OT, Mississippi. St. – Pick #106: Ravens love their SEC guys. This one’s combine was abysmal. I hope there was an explanation behind closed doors or else this guy has no explosion to be a force in the trenches.

Onto the power rankings. Discuss your post draft thoughts, and thoughts on this topic, on our message board.

This is an update to my last roster power rank on March 29, 2020. New information in bold.

Previous rank in (parentheses).

Dropped from rankings: Tavon Young (20), Anthony Levine (19)

20. Derek Wolfe (18) – Perhaps the Ravens second choice to Michael Brockers who failed a physical and didn’t sign. Wolfe is right in line with the departed Michael Pierce and new teammate Brandon Williams as far as PFF defensive grades go. (Pierce – 69.2, Williams 68.7, Wolfe, 69.2) But Wolfe brings an element of pass rush to the Ravens defensive front the Williams does not, notching seven sacks last year to Williams one, and a decent pass rush productivity rate. Wolfe is a veteran but will have a similarly sized Justin Madubuike behind him on the depth chart. On a one-year deal, Wolfe could be a place holder. Wolfe excels as a pass rusher where Madubuike projects to be the better run stopper.

19. Jimmy Smith (16) – His job looks safe. No corners drafted by Baltimore this year. He’s back for another year after questions about his being retained were certainly warranted. He played only nine games in 2019, but he posted a nice number, allowing only a 65.4 quarterback rating on passes in his direction. He’s another year older, injury bug always finds him at some point. But he’s a solid player when he’s out there.

18. Patrick Queen (Rookie – Unranked) – The first-round selection comes with a certain amount of expectation. When it comes at a position of need that expectation grows even more. He was one of the guys often mocked to come here. All the pundits gave the pick an “A” grade. Only thing left to do is go out and prove it…once we can actually go back out. Red flags are that he wasn’t yet a starter when the 2019 season started, and only has one full season under his belt. But he can’t even buy a drink yet either so he could be ready to breakout. He excels in pass coverage looking more like a big safety, and has the speed to chase down ball carries sideline to sideline.

17. Brandon Williams (UR) – With the addition of guys up front such as Calais Campbell and Derek Wolfe, combined with newly drafted Justin Madubuike and Broderick Washington; given the size of these guys, it seems like the Ravens personnel would be better suited for a 4-3 base defense. Base defenses are becoming obsolete, but if they put the Ravens in a 4-3, Williams doesn’t have to two gap anymore, and could be a force in the backfield. Something to keep an eye on early in the season. In seven seasons he has 6.5 sacks, which isn’t a knock on him. It’s just the fact that his job over the years is to take up space so the linebackers can get the glory. He may not have to be a space eater this time around.

16. Marquise Brown (15) – “Hollywood” made a splash in his debut with two long touchdown receptions showing off his wheels and tracking ability. The Ravens run the ball a ton which limits his opportunities. He was also handled with kid gloves at times having just returned from offseason foot surgery. A full year of preparing for an NFL season rather than rehabbing, means I’m exciting for what he could bring. More involvement is the running game perhaps? Tyreek Hill without the terrible baggage is possible. Recent draftees Devin Duvernay and James Proche shouldn’t be a challenge to Brown’s playing time as both are slot guys and Willie Snead is still in the picture.

15. Chuck Clark (14) – Became the “green dot” for defense early last year and the defensive struggles started to go away. You look at the veteran presence on the defense and the fact that Clark wears the communication system is a testament to his smarts and communication ability. With the release of Tony Jefferson, I don’t expect his role to change alongside Earl Thomas. Will be interesting to see if he continues to wear the dot, or if they will switch it back a middle linebacker. Would they give it to the rookie, Queen? I wouldn’t mess with a good thing at this point and let the rookie follow the lead in year one.

14. Patrick Ricard (13) – The guy always is a talking point on every broadcast when a new team of commentators feel the need to point out his two-way ability. It’s a unique feature this day and age. And credit Ricard for having to work twice as hard, attend twice the positional meetings. As a fullback, no pressures allowed in the passing game. One of the top graded pass blockers. 8 catches for 47 yards and a TD in 2019. As a defensive lineman he generated 10 QB pressures on 104 pass rush attempts and picked up a sack. He would probably give punting a try if they asked him to.

13. Orlando Brown (17) – Moves up a few spots on my ranking because the Ravens did nothing to address the tackle position, making him even more important. 4^th round pick Ben Bredeson is a guard, and 3^rd round pick Tyre Phillips played tackle at Mississippi State, but projects as a guard and was announced as such by the commish during the draft. Zeus Jr. and Bradley Bozeman tied for the most snaps played by a Ravens O-lineman at 1,105 in 2019. In just his second year Brown continues to develop as a solid pass blocker. Run blocking didn’t grade as well. But the effort is always there. His play of the year for 2019 was pulling Lamar Jackson over the goal line in a win against New England. Without Marshal Yanda on his left anymore, Brown is going to be someone that needs to progress even more.

12. Nick Boyle (11) – Boyle’s never been known for his receiving ability but logged 31 catches for 321 yards and his first two career touchdowns. In a crowded position group, it was Hayden Hurst whom the Ravens ultimately traded, letting you know what they think of Nick Boyle. He logged the most run blocking assignments by a tight end in the NFL, on the team that rushed for the most yards in the last 41 years. He’ll be lined up at tackle in unbalanced line sets as well. Surprisingly, the Ravens did not address tight end in the draft. But undrafted free agent Jacob Breeland out of Oregon is the early favorite to make the roster as a third TE.

11. “The Wolfpack” (10) – Yeah. It’s three players in one spot. Got a problem with that? Didn’t think so. The trio of Justin Tucker, Sam Koch, and Morgan Cox seems unbreakable. Never is there a bad snap by Cox or bad hold by Koch. Seriously. Never. Tucker is as a good as it gets, though his one missed field goal and two missed extra points in 2019 make it seem like a down year by his standards. He also attempted 59 PATs, most in the league, by 10. Koch, he’s lost a tad on his punting distance and hang time as he ages. Still put 25 of 40 punts inside the 20-last year. 40 punts in 17 games. An extremely low number thanks to our offense.

T-9. Gus Edwards and Mark Ingram (T-8) – Despite 70 less carries than Mark Ingram, Edwards had 20 rushes of more than 10 yards, to Ingram’s 21, and 5.3 YPC to Ingram’s 5.0. Edwards showed he could shoulder load when asked. As veterans rested in week 17, and Edwards toted the rock 21 times for 130 yards. Edward and Ingram rank very close in elusiveness, breakaway ability. Ingram a slight edge in pass blocking. Our backfield in a run heavy playbook is in great shape. J.K. Dobbins doesn’t figure to bump either guy from playing time. Although any of the Running Backs could be on the trade block, and Justice Hill would be the one put on notice for dressing on Sundays. Figure this might be Ingram’s second and last go around with Baltimore. Fluid situation here for sure.

8. Matt Judon (12) – A big jump for Matt Judon. Would have thought drafting an edge rusher along the way would have been in the cards. But with the force that is Calais Campbell for teams to worry about, and no one breathing down his neck on the depth chart, Don Martindale can turn Matt Judon loose. I did an extensive breakdown on Judon and his worth before free agency opened. He’s been franchised tagged and could be on his way to a breakout season as he had trended upwards better than Za’Darius Smith did, who recently had a breakout season in his first season in Green Bay.

T-6. Marlon Humphrey and Marcus Peters – The similarity in numbers from 2019 is pretty crazy.

Peters – 44 catches allowed on 77 targets (57.1%), 526 yards, 5 TDs 5 INTs, passer rating against of 72.8

Humphrey – 53 catches allowed on 88 targets (60.2%) 549 yards, 3 TDs 3 INTs, passer rating against of 75.4

Teams are going to throw the ball especially when they find themselves in a deep hole that this Ravens offense put the opposition in often last year. There might be some singular better corners out there right now, Richard Sherman comes to mind as a guy teams still don’t want to throw to. But this is the best duo in football for sure. It is “pick your poison” with these two on the outside, and another member of the secondary in the middle coming up on this list. You have to throw it somewhere, and Humphrey is great at limiting yards after catch, while Peters looks to take any ball thrown his way to house, leading the league in interceptions since entering the league.

5. Mark Andrews – As far as the total body of work a tight end does, PFF graded Andrews the second-best tight end in the NFL in 2019, behind George Kittle. Among TEs Andrews was top ten in receptions (64) top five in yards (852) and first in TDs (10). Twice as many as George Kittle and Travis Kelce. Also tops in yards per catch by tight ends at 13.3. Not bad for the second-year player drafted in the third round, who wasn’t even the first tight end the team drafted that year. “MANdrews”, as a buddy of mine coined last year, is entering his third year. The proactive nature of General Manager Eric DeCosta tells me he would be on the short list of young players you want to lock in before free agency gets too close. Would not be shocked, and would be happy, if between today and this time next year, we’re talking long term yet team friendly contract for a young, big tight end with wide receiver traits.

4. Earl Thomas – How do teams keep letting these talented veterans out of their building? It’s like they have a crystal ball that tells them once a guy turns 30-years-old they’re about to turn into a pumpkin. Earl Thomas is 30, about to be 31, which is also the number of the passer rating quarterbacks had when throwing in his direction. Best in the NFL among safeties. Thomas is guy that teams tell their quarterbacks, don’t go there. He was only targeted 14 times last year, allowing six catches for 110 yards, no touchdowns over his head, and picked off two passes. In comparison, Minkah Fitzpatrick was thought of as one of the moves of the year as the Steelers traded for him. He did get five INTs, but he also gave up three touchdowns, and a passer rating of 95.6 when quarterbacks looked his way. Advantage Thomas, and it isn’t really close.

3. Calais Campbell – The Ravens brass steals the show again, acquiring Calais Campbell in a lopsided trade as the Jacksonville Jaguars purged salary cap space. Campbell, a five-time All Pro, including last year. The 12-year veteran seems like a fine wine, as he has had elite defensive grades each of the last six years. The only thing creeping up on him is father time as he’ll kickoff 2020 turning age 34 in September. His 71 pressures ranked 9^th, and the only players with more pressures on less pass rush attempts than Campbell were Nick and Joey Bosa, and Von Miller. Not to mention Campbell’s 90.3 run defense grade from PFF. The Ravens got this for a fifth-round pick, while some team is going to be really sorry when they give Jadeveon Clowney way too much money to be a worse run defender, and worse pass rusher.

2. Ronnie Stanley – Extend this man! Please! Tackle wasn’t addressed in the draft. He’s earned it. Ravens fan know more than anyone how important the left tackle position is. We’ve watched a stalwart in Jonathan Ogden for many years. Then it seemed like the offense went the way the Tackle position went. Michael Oher had shoes too big to fill, ultimately tried right tackle. Bryant McKinnie was great when he wanted to be (which thankfully was playoff time 2012) If it was James Hurst, Joe Flacco was doomed from the opening kickoff. Ronnie Stanley brings the Ravens back to having that stalwart on the blind side. He was the best pass blocker in the NFL last year allowing six pressures total, and only one QB hit. A slew of edge rushers that faced Stanley last year, ended up with bupkis in their box score. Stanley plays under his fifth-year option this year, but hopefully an extension is coming up as he shows no signs of someone you want to let out of Baltimore.

1. Lamar Jackson – MVP. MVP. MVP. MVP. MVP. No surprise here. You come off a unanimous MVP season, where at the NFL Honors, they don’t even mention other contender’s names, they just give it to you. You top whatever teams power ranking you are on. The question is where Lamar Jackson goes from here when you can’t really ask him to do much more than he already has. I’m not going to say he needs to reach 40 TD passes after just throwing 36, or he has to get to a 70% completion rate when he just had 66.1%. If he just matches what he did last year he will be MVP again. He’s established himself as a hard worker, always looking to get better, humble in the company of greatness, but attacks every play like he’s the best player on the field (which he is). He’s a leader who has the respect of veteran teammates. I think we want to see 12+ wins again. (So hard to ask for 14). I think we want to see another division crown with Cincy looking at drafting a rookie quarterback, Cleveland doing Cleveland things, and Pittsburgh being generally mediocre. I think we want to see a playoff win. But first round byes ought to count for wins as well. Lamar Jackson is 100% the centerpiece of this team and any success they have. Some suggested Jalen Hurts out of Oklahoma could have been a fit here to backup Jackson, and also create some really creative offensive tactics. Wouldn’t be the case as Hurts went the Philly, which makes sense cause Carson Wentz is often, hurt. No pun intended.