How will Lamar Jackson influence the Ravens’ draft?
Jamsion Hensley, ESPN
At the NFL’s annual meetings last week, Harbaugh indicated that Jackson has been sharing his thoughts on college prospects at wide receiver and tight end.
“He is looking at guys now,” Harbaugh said. “He and I agree on a few guys. We haven’t disagreed on anybody yet. We’re sharing our vision together.”
This would mark the second straight year that Jackson has weighed in on draft prospects. After the 2022 season, Jackson gave Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta a list of every receiver in the draft from South Florida, including a full breakdown of each one.
Baltimore ended up taking wide receiver Zay Flowers, who grew up in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, with the No. 22 pick last year.
“He has strong opinions on all these guys, too,” DeCosta said last year. “He’s very loyal to the players from that part of the country and so he has a lot of opinions on Zay. He was very, very excited that we got him.”
The Ravens, who have the No. 30 pick, have a need at wide receiver again. Baltimore cut Odell Beckham Jr. and lost Devin Duvernay in free agency. Nelson Agholor returns on a one-year extension and Rashod Bateman is entering the last year of his rookie contract, though the team can pick up his fifth-year option.
Ranking the Ravens’ 10 biggest offseason losses — and who can replace them in 2024
Jonas Shaffer, The Baltimore Banner
2. OLB Jadeveon Clowney
Clowney was the best pass rusher on the NFL’s best defense last season, finishing with a career-high-tying 9.5 sacks and career-high 71 quarterback pressures, according to Pro Football Focus, 13th most in the NFL. The Ravens generated a significantly higher pressure rate with Clowney on the field (43.3%) than without him (36.4%), according to the NFL’s Next Gen Stats, despite blitzing far less often. He signed a two-year, $20 million deal with the Carolina Panthers.
7. WR Odell Beckham Jr.
Replacement: Bateman, like Beckham, suffered from a lack of on-target throws last year. But the 2021 first-round pick got open — a lot — and showed he could withstand the rigors of a long season, playing in a career-high 16 games. The Ravens also re-signed Nelson Agholor to a one-year deal, but they’ll need to draft an instant-impact wide receiver to bolster the depth of a room that could be paper thin next year.
8. CB Ronald Darby
Darby, signed 10 months after tearing his ACL and just days after a foot injury sidelined cornerback Marlon Humphrey in training camp, was an unsung hero last season. He started seven games; played 40% of the defensive snaps; allowed a passer rating of 72.2 when targeted in coverage, according to PFF; and ranked among the NFL’s best cornerbacks in limiting separation when targeted (2.3 yards from the target per attempt), according to NGS. He signed a two-year, $8.5 million deal last month with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Baltimore Ravens NFL Draft 2024 guide: Picks, predictions and key needs
Jeff Zrebiec, The Athletic
Ravens’ key position needs
Offensive lineman: The cupboard is not bare as the Ravens could potentially have either Daniel Faalele or Patrick Mekari step in at right tackle, and they have several starting guard candidates, including Josh Jones, Andrew Vorhees, Ben Cleveland and Malaesala Aumavae-Laulu. However, it feels significant, particularly for an organization that constantly talks about the importance of building a big and physical offensive line, that Baltimore currently has three vacancies up front.
Wide receiver: Ravens decision-makers have talked about the continued development of Zay Flowers and Rashod Bateman and the return of veteran Nelson Agholor. Yet, the depth chart is quite thin after them. Given the strength of this year’s receiver class, it’s hard to believe the Ravens would miss an opportunity to add to this group.
Safety: The Ravens love their starting duo of Marcus Williams and Kyle Hamilton, but they don’t have an obvious No. 3 safety on the roster. That must be addressed, as Williams has struggled to remain healthy over the past two years.
Ranking the NFL’s most productive 2023 rookie draft classes from 1 to 32
Timo Riske, PFF
TIER 3: ONE IMPACT PLAYER AND SOME POTENTIAL
8. Baltimore Ravens
Total rookie snaps: 1,538
Notable rookies:
• WR Zay Flowers (75.2 receiving grade, 1.63 yards per route run)
• RB Keaton Mitchell (92.5 rushing grade, 0.31 missed tackles forced per attempt)
Look for Ravens to take advantage of new kickoff rules
Todd Karpovich, BaltimoreSports.com
The Ravens have a number of fast players on the roster in Tylan Wallace, Justice Hill, and Keaton Mitchell, who can take advantage of these new rules. Even newly signed Derrick Henry or wide receiver Zay Flowers could be in the mix to return kicks because there is less chance for injuries.
“The returner value will be less about top-end speed and burst, and more about vision and reacting,” Eric Galko, the director of operations for the Shrine Bowl who helped develop the NFL’s new kickoff rules, wrote on X. “In short, more “running back attacking the hole”-types will be more valuable than vs. ‘receivers navigating in the open field’ types.
“We at the XFL saw the teams with the most success had decisive, one-cut players rather than their fastest guys back there. Don’t be surprised if we see more RBs [or those with RB backgrounds] get more opportunities as returners, and for those returners to be a bit based on which “kick scheme” the team runs [man vs. zone].”
