The Baltimore Ravens entered Day 3 of the draft with six draft selections at their disposal, which they ultimately made full use of. The Ravens wrapped up their 2024 rookie class by adding six more prospects into the mix, not making a single trade over the whole weekend.
What are the ramifications of their draft picks from Saturday’s draft finale? Let’s break it down below to see who and what are winners or losers.
Winner: Lamar Jackson
The Ravens did not select a wide receiver with one of their first three picks, which many thought they may. Instead, they stayed patient and still ended up with a popularly-mocked player in North Carolina’s Devontez Walker.
Walker is far from a polished wideout prospect but possesses a valuable skill set — one that the Ravens need in their receiving core too. He’s a high-level deep threat with the ability to track passes well and make contested, jump-ball catches against coverage. That’s music to the ears of Lamar Jackson, who often struggled to connect with deep ball attempts to his receivers last year.
The 6-foot-2 senior will help diversify Jackson’s arsenal of pass-catchers. The addition of running back Rasheen Ali in the fifth round, too, is a nice boost for Jackson, as Ali has good receiving skills and speed out of the backfield.
Winner: Cornerback depth
The Ravens made a pure “best player available” pick in the second half of Round 4 by taking Iowa State’s T.J. Tampa. Tampa was viewed as a second-round quality prospect by many but slipped into the middle rounds. The Ravens stopped his slide and landed a potential draft steal in doing so.
After drafting Nate Wiggins with the No. 30 overall pick, the double-dipping at the position today gives the Ravens two new talented young cornerbacks to join the mix. The Ravens re-signed Arthur Mulet in free agency, too, so now are five-plus deep at the position with capable corners who will be vying for defensive snaps.
This is a positive development given Marlon Humphrey’s recent injury pattern, as well as the uncertain long-term future of Brandon Stephens given his contract status.
Winner: Ben Cleveland, Andrew Vorhees, Josh Jones, and Malaesala Aumavae-Laulu
All of these players are the current top offensive guards on the Ravens’ depth chart and are in-line to compete for the two starting spots this season. By not adding an offensive guard on Day 3, the Ravens are showing confidence in their in-house options to emerge and help field a strong five-man group up front.
That’s especially noteworthy given none of these players have truly proven themselves as reliable contributors to-date. Cleveland has been up-and-down in limited opportunities so far, Vorhees is coming off a redshirt rookie year, Jones just joined the team after an underwhelming early stint in Arizona, and “Sala” did not contribute as a rookie in 2023.
Nevertheless, the Ravens did not opt to draft any guard options in Rounds 4-7 despite more than one chance to do so. That’s a win for all four of these players, who will now face one less player to compete with then they otherwise would have. The Ravens did draft Nick Samac in Round 7 out of Michigan State but he projects as a pure center without guard versatility.
Loser: Jalyn Armour-Davis and Damarion Williams (again)
If the selection of Wiggins in the first round didn’t spell great things for these two young cornerbacks, then the addition of Tampa is even worse. Cornerback was no longer an on-paper need heading into Day 3 but the Ravens selected one in Tampa anyways, getting great value in Round 4 on a higher-rated prospect.
Tampa projects as an NFL-ready prospect as a talented outside cornerback with a good physical profile. If he translates well right away, he could immediately jump both Armour-Davis and Williams on the depth chart like Wiggins. That would further decrease the chances of both players to not only carve out a role but even make the ultimate final roster.
Loser: Safety depth
After losing Geno Stone in free agency, the Ravens have a need for an additional safety alongside starters Kyle Hamilton and Marcus Williams. The only other returning player on the depth chart returning is Ar’Darius Washington, whose more of slot/nickel hybrid than a true safety.
It was thought that the Ravens would draft a safety sometime on Day 3 and there were plenty of opportunities for them to do so in the first few rounds of the day. Instead, they passed up on some potential prospects and drafted other positions like running back and quarterback.
It was not until the seventh round, at pick No. 250, that the Ravens drafted safety Sanoussi Kane out of Purdue. However, they had chances to add one earlier in the day and instead waited to take a flier on a seventh-round prospect. This suggests they could be planning on signing a veteran free agent at the position who’s still available.
Either way, even after drafting Kane, their safety depth is an area of somewhat concern coming out of the draft.
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