American Football

Best remaining prospects who Ravens could target on Day 2 of 2024 NFL Draft

April 27, 2024

BYU v TCU — Photo by Sam Hodde/Getty Images

There are a lot of top talents left over after a wild first day.

The Baltimore Ravens stuck with the best player available mantra and took Clemson’s Nate Wiggins in Round 1 of the 2024 NFL Draft. Many talented prospects were projected to go in the top 32 picks but fell to Day 2 where general manager Eric DeCosta can pounce.

Here is a list of the top available prospects the Ravens could target at positions of need or who might just be too much a value to pass up Day 2 in Rounds 2 and 3.

Offensive tackle

Kingsley Suamataia, BYU — The former five-star recruit is the best remaining prospect at the position who fits the Ravens’ immediate and long-term needs. He has experience starting entire seasons at both left and right tackle and could compete to replace the vacant right tackle position before eventually succeeding Ronnie Stanley.

Roger Rosengarten, Washington — After generating some late first-round buzz, the former Pac-12 stalwart will be ripe for the picking early on Day 2. Even though he started his final two seasons in college on the right side, he was still technically a blindside protector because his quarterback—No. 8 overall pick Michael Penix Jr.—was left-handed. Playing on the left side at the next level is totally in the cards, which would make him an ideal immediate and long-term fit for the Ravens.

Patrick Paul, Houston — The former Big 12 standout was a three-year starter in college who played exclusively on the left side and has all the physical tools and athleticism to develop into a quality blindside protector at the next level. He generated his own late first-round buzz earlier this week and while his prediction of coming off the board on Thursday night didn’t come true, he likely won’t have to wait long to hear his name called on Friday.

Blake Fisher, Notre Dame — The former member of the Fighting Irish might very well wind up being the best available tackle left on the board if the Ravens decide to stick and pick at No. 62. Even though he played on the right side exclusively in his final two years in college before declaring for the draft as a redshirt-sophomore, Fisher was the first freshman in program history to open the season as the starting left tackle before suffering an injury in the opener and paving the way for his former teammate Joe Alt to seize the spot and develop into an eventual top-five pick.

Offensive guard

COLLEGE FOOTBALL: NOV 18 Oregon at Arizona State

Jackson Powers-Johnson, Oregon — The former Duck is the top remaining interior offensive lineman according to numerous pundits who is capable and has experience playing both guard spots as well as center. He would provide stiff competition for both of the Ravens’ vacancies at the position battles at guard as well as be high quality backup for 2023 Pro Bowler Tyler Linderbaum at center.

Cooper Beebe, Kansas State — The former Big 12 standout has starting experience playing both tackle spots in college but he proved the best position for him is at left guard. After starting 27 games at the spot in his final two college seasons he earned First and Second-team Associated Press All-American honors as well as back-to-back Big 12 Offensive Lineman of the Year and First-Team All-Conference honors as well. Cooper would be a fierce competitor in the battle to replace John Simpson on the left side next to Linderbaum.

Christian Haynes, UCONN — The former Huskie was a four-year starter in college after redshirting as a freshman and earned back-to-back Third-team Associated Press All-American honors to close out his college career. The Bowie, Maryland native would fit right in with the Ravens and give Ben Cleveland a run for his money in the battle to replace 2023 Pro Bowler Kevin Zeitler.

Dominick Puni, Kansas — While the majority of his starting experience and loftiest accolades came while playing left tackle, he best projects at guard in the pros where he started 13 games on the left interior in 2022, earning All-Big-12 honorable mention honors before receiving First-Team honors in 2023 for his work on the blindside.

Wide receiver

COLLEGE FOOTBALL: OCT 28 Florida State at Wake Forest

Keon Coleman, Florida State — The former ACC standout is one of the best prospects at the position left on the board and could prove to be a steal wherever he lands. Many pundits accurately predicted would fall to the second round after recording a slower-than-expected 4.61 in the 40-yard dash at the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine. However, his elevated play speed and play-making ability pop on his tape and his contested catch ability is among the best in this year’s class. In 2023, he recorded 50 catches for 658 receiving yards and a career-high 11 touchdowns.

Adonai Mitchell, Texas — The former Longhorn is arguably the best prospect at the position who might very well wind up being the first player taken in the second round given the Buffalo Bills’ glaring need for a wideout and his immense talent. Nevertheless, if he manages to fall to the Ravens, he’d not only be able to reunite with Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken whom he won two national titles playing for at Georgia, but he’d be bringing an exciting skill set to the table as dangerous outside presence who take the top off of opposing defenses as well as play above the rim in jump ball situations. In 2023, he recorded career highs with 55 receptions, 845 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns.

Ladd McConkey, Georgia — The former SEC stud has been type-casted by some pundits as a slot-only receiver but he is dynamic enough to be an explosive playmaker no matter where he lines up. He was viewed as a fringe first-round pick and will certainly prove to be a tremendous value pick wherever he lands. If it is with the Ravens, McConkey would also be reuniting with Monken whom he won a pair of titles playing for and enjoyed his most productive season with in 2022. In 2023, he recorded 30 receptions for 478 receiving yards and two touchdowns with a career-high average of 15.9 yards per catch.

Ja’Lynn Polk, Washington — The former Huskie is one of the most well-rounded receivers in this entire draft class but does his best work on the boundary where the Ravens’ biggest need is currently as they already have several slot options. Polk is a contested catch specialist who high points the ball well and uses strong hands and excellent extension to go up for and reel in passes away from his body. In 2023, he recorded career highs with 69 catches, 1,159 yards and nine touchdowns, with an average of 16.8 yards per catch.

Outside linebacker

COLLEGE FOOTBALL: FEB 03 Reese’s Senior Bowl

Marshawn Kneeland, Western Michigan — The former Bronco was viewed as a sneaky fringe first-rounder who is a versatile pass rusher capable of collapsing the pocket from inside as well as on the edge. In 2023, he recorded a career-high 57 total tackles including 7.5 for a loss, tied his career-high in sacks with 4.5 and forced two fumbles.

Chris Braswell, Alabama — The former SEC standout is one of the best situational pass rushers left on the board who can bring a lot of juice off the edge and possesses an array of pass rush moves. In 2023, he recorded career highs with 8.5 sacks, 42 total tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss, three forced fumbles and returned his first career interception for a touchdown.

Adisa Isaac, Penn State — The former Big Ten standout may not be as twitched up or explosive off the ball as his former teammate Chop Robinson who was taken in the first round, but he was the more productive and consistently disruptive of the two in college. He plays with a relentless motor that doesn’t stop and has great pre-snap awareness when it comes to recognizing formations and anticipating where the play could be headed. In 2023, he recorded career highs with a team-leading 7.5 sacks and 16 tackles for loss and also logged 37 total tackles, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.

Austin Booker, Kansas — The former Jayhawk was one of the Ravens’ top 30 pre-draft visits and could offer a lot of upside as a situational pass rusher as a rookie with the potential to become an every-down defender once he fills out his slender frame. He was a late bloomer whose college production almost exclusively came this past year after he transferred and recorded eight sacks, 12 tackles for loss, 56 total tackles, two forced fumbles and a batted pass.

Safety

COLLEGE FOOTBALL: NOV 11 Rutgers at Iowa

Cooper DeJean, Iowa — The former Big Ten star fell to Day 2 in one of the biggest surprises of the first round. He is one of the most versatile and athletic prospects in this entire draft regardless of position. He can play outside corner, nickel but with the Ravens, he’d be an ideal replacement for Geno Stone as the third safety who allows All-Pro Kyle Hamilton to play his hybrid role more often. In 2023, DeJean recorded 41 total tackles including two for a loss, two interceptions and five pass breakups.

Tyler Nubin, Minnesota — The former Golden Gopher is the most natural free safety in this entire draft with great range and ball skills. He’d be a great Stone replacement as well and would be a nice backup to seven-year veteran Marcus Williams who has struggled with injuries in his first two years with the team. In 2023, Nubin recorded 53 total tackles including one for a loss, career highs with five interceptions and four pass breakups, a sack, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.

Linebacker

NCAA Football: South Carolina at Texas A&M

Edgerrin Cooper, Texas A&M — The former SEC star is viewed as the top off-ball linebacker in this year’s class but some pundits believe he could play some on the edge too. He would potentially be a great fit for the Ravens as another potential SAM outside linebacker who could also push 2023 third-rounder Trenton Simpson for the starting spot next to two-time First-Team All-Pro Roquan Smith following the defection of Patrick Queen in free agency to the Pittsburgh Steelers. In 2023, Cooper received First-Team All-American honors after recording a career-high 84 total tackles including 17 for a loss, eight sacks, two pass breakups, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery.

Junior Colson, Michigan — The former Big Ten stud is also in contention for the top off-ball linebacker designation in the eyes of many pundits and helped lead the team to a national championship this past year as the centerpiece of the defense. In 2023, he recorded 95 total tackles including two for a loss and broke up two passes.

Defensive tackle

COLLEGE FOOTBALL: NOV 11 Indiana at Illinois

Jer’Zhan Newton, Illinois — The former Big Ten monster falling out of the first round was also one of the biggest surprises on Day 1 and he likely won’t last long once Day 2 gets underway. If he were to somehow fall to the Ravens who don’t have a glaring need at the position after bringing back their entire 2023 depth chart, he’d be hard to pass up nonetheless. In 2023, he recorded 52 total tackles including 8.5 for a loss, a career-high 7.5 sacks, two batted passes, a fumble recovery and a forced fumble.

Braden Fiske, Florida — The former ACC and MAC stalwart was viewed as a fringe first-rounder after he dominated the pre-draft process with strong showings at both the 2024 Reese’s Senior Bowl and the NFL Scouting Combine. In 2023, he recorded 43 total tackles including nine tackles for loss and 17 solo and tied his career high with six sacks.

Maason Smith, LSU — The former Tiger was one of the Ravens’ final top 30 pre-draft visits and is a former five-star recruit. He appeared destined to be a first-round pick after his standout freshman season in 2021 but a knee injury cost him all of 2022 and his 2023 campaign wasn’t nearly as dominant as his first. Last season he recorded 28 total tackles including 4.5 for a loss, 2.5 sacks and two pass batted passes.

Running back

2023 ACC Championship - Louisville v Florida State

Trey Benson, Florida State — The former ACC and Pac-12 standout is arguably the most explosive prospect at the position in this year’s crop. His blend of size, speed, power and contact balance make him a threat to rip off a big run or take it the distance on any given play. In 2023, he recorded 906 rushing yards and a career-high 14 touchdowns on 156 carries with an average of 5.8 yards per carry and added a career-high 227 receiving yards and another score to his scrimmage total on just 20 receptions.

Jaylen Wright, Tennessee — The former SEC dynamo is also one of the most dangerous home-run threats at the position in this year’s class who can take it the distance whenever he gets the ball in his hands. In 2023, Wright recorded career highs in rushing yards (1,013) and (7.4) yards per carry, scored four touchdowns and also caught 22 passes for 141 receiving yards.

Blake Corum, Michigan — The former Big Ten star could very well get picked by his former college head coach Jim Harbaugh who young brother of Ravens head coach John Harbaugh as the Los Angeles Chargers picked before them in both the second and third rounds. However, in the late third, Corum would be a nice addition to the Ravens backfield. His hard-nosed running style screams ‘Play like a Raven’ which would also be a good reason to assume why the former Ravens executive and new Chargers general manager, Joe Hortiz, might scoop him up before they’re on the clock at No. 93. In 2023, Corum recorded 1,245 rushing yards and a career-high 27 rushing touchdowns on 258 carries and another 117 receiving yard and a score as the bell cow for the reigning national champions.