American Football

Ravens News 5/2: Best/Worst Picks and more

on

2023 NFL Draft - Portraits
Photo by Todd Rosenberg/Getty Images

2023 NFL Draft team-by-team rankings: Best and worst classes, from 1 to 32

Dane Brugler, The Athletic

“22. Baltimore Ravens

Favorite pick: Zay Flowers, WR, Boston College

No need to overthink this one. Flowers adds another dynamic option to the Ravens’ offense, which will force defenses to cover every inch of the field. With Todd Monken at play caller, QB Lamar Jackson locked in for the next five years and a reworked wide receiver depth chart, the narrative about the Ravens’ offense has taken an optimistic turn.

Day 3 pick who could surprise: Kyu Blu Kelly, CB, Stanford

Aside from Marlon Humphrey, the Ravens have several question marks at cornerback and didn’t address the position within the first four rounds. Kelly was a nice addition later in the draft, however. Although he might not have elite speed, his foot quickness helps him mirror routes and stay attached, and his long arms give him a chance to make plays on the football.”

2023 NFL Draft grades for all 32 teams: Eagles, Cowboys, Bengals, Lions get A’s, 4 tie for worst mark

Pete Prisco, CBS Sports

“Baltimore Ravens: C+

Best pick: It was their first one. I really like receiver Zay Flowers for their new offense. New coordinator Todd Monken and Lamar Jackson will come to love this kid. He has the tools to give them a true outside playmaking threat for the next five years or so.

Worst Pick: I didn’t like the pick of linebacker Trenton Simpson in the third round. He’s inconsistent. By drafting him, they are admitting they missed on 2019 first-round pick Patrick Queen since Simpson will be a replacement in 2024.

The Skinny: I liked the pick of Flowers, but the rest of the draft didn’t excite me. Fifth-round corner Kyu Blu Kelly has talent and fits the defense. But there’s not a ton to like about this draft. Then again, the draft was a sideshow this year to getting Lamar Jackson signed just before the draft began. That’s the best thing that happened this past week for the Ravens. That makes them competitive in the AFC North.“

Top 2023 NFL Draft picks who were held back by their college situations

William Moy, PFF

“WR ZAY FLOWERS, BOSTON COLLEGE

Drafted: Baltimore Ravens (No. 22)

Arguably the most electric receiver in the class, what would we think of Flowers had he been paired with better quarterback play during his college tenure? Despite the subpar signal-caller situation, Flowers ranked fourth among all receivers in this draft class with an average of 2.11 yards per route run since 2019, and his 119 combined first downs and touchdowns over that stretch ranked fourth most. Six wide receivers placed within the top 50 on PFF’s big board, and among them Flowers saw the lowest rate of catchable targets (66.4%).”

Ravens roster projection: With Lamar Jackson back and the draft over, who needs the most help?

Jonas Shaffer, The Baltimore Banner

“Outside linebacker

Starters: Tyus Bowser, Odafe Oweh

Backups: David Ojabo, Tavius Robinson

On the bubble: Daelin Hayes, Jeremiah Moon

Never rule out a reunion with free agent Justin Houston, who led the team with 9 1/2 sacks last season and has expressed interest in returning for a third year in Baltimore. Even at age 34, he’d round out a strong two-deep at the position. Bowser, Oweh and Ojabo should all be better in 2023 than they were in 2022, when injuries limited them in one way or another. DeCosta said the 6-6 Robinson could be used like Za’Darius Smith was in Baltimore, with coaches moving him wherever he’s most needed along the defensive front.

Cornerback

Starters: Marlon Humphrey, Brandon Stephens, Damarion “Pepe” Williams

Backups: Jalyn Armour-Davis, Kyu Blu Kelly, Kevon Seymour

On the bubble: Daryl Worley, Trayvon Mullen, Bopete Keyes

Jackson’s extension should give the Ravens the salary cap space they need to sign a cornerback. And, given their depth, they definitely need to sign a cornerback, maybe two. Stephens hasn’t found a home yet in the secondary, while Williams and Davis struggled as rookies. Kelly can contend for playing time, but he could be overmatched physically against the AFC North’s star wide receivers.”

Ravens Poised to Make Moves in Free Agency, Eyes on Cornerback

Clifton Brown, BaltimoreRavens.com

“ Arguably, the Ravens’ biggest immediate need entering the draft was cornerback and they didn’t take one until the fifth round with Kyu Blu Kelly from Stanford. Thus, Baltimore could look to sign a veteran cornerback free agent.

DeCosta pointed out that two corners the Ravens drafted in the fourth round last year, Jalyn Armour-Davis and Pepe Williams, are “good, young players” who they probably would have drafted in the same spot in this year’s draft. Both dealt with injuries as rookies, and this will be an important Year 2 for their development.

‘That being said, would we like to potentially add a veteran corner? Yes, I’m sure we would,’ DeCosta said. ‘It’s an important position. What we’ve seen is you can never have enough good corners to start the season and throughout the season. That’s a fast way to get beat, is to not have enough corners on the field.’

Two veteran cornerbacks who played with the Ravens last season remain free agents – Marcus Peters and Kyle Fuller. Peters has been the starter opposite Marlon Humphrey since 2019, while Fuller suffered a season-ending knee injury Week 1 last season.”

You must be logged in to post a comment Login