Baltimore Ravens can’t miss a beat with this draft class

With the championship window still open, what can the Baltimore Ravens do in the draft to keep things moving forward?

State Of The Team

The Baltimore Ravens are trying to defend the AFC North crown. Many would categorize the Ravens as a rebuilding team. The Ravens lost key free agents in C.J. Mosley, Terrell Suggs and Za’Darius Smith.

For the first time in Ravens’ history, Ozzie Newsome is not the general manager; Eric DeCosta has finally worked his way up to being the decision maker. The Ravens are building an offense around a young quarterback in Lamar Jackson. It’s a completely different situation in Baltimore, but it’s an exciting one.

Baltimore needs to add a few pieces to the puzzle, and if they do so they can avoid a rebuilding season and compete for another division title.

Total Draft Picks

The Ravens have eight picks in the 2019 NFL Draft:

Round 1: 22nd overall pick
Round 3: 85th overall pick
Round 3: 102nd overall pick (comp pick)
Round 4: 113th overall pick (from Denver)
Round 4: 123rd overall pick
Round 5: 160th overall pick
Round 6: 191st overall pick (from Tennessee)

Top 3 Draft Needs

Wide Receiver: The Ravens need wide receivers just about every season, it’s a symptom of their inability to find and develop young talent at the position. The Ravens best receiver is Willie Snead and other than that there isn’t much on the roster. Chris Moore isn’t going anywhere, but Lamar Jackson needs players to throw the ball to.

Interior Offensive Line Help: The Ravens need to get better on the inside of their offensive line. They have two high caliber offensive tackles in Ronnie Stanley and Orlando Brown Jr. What they could really improve upon is the center and guard positions. As it stands right now Matt Skura and Bradley Bozeman will go into training camp in competition for the starting center job. James Hurst and Alex Lewis will battle it out for left guard. Meanwhile, Marshal Yanda is an aging star at right guard.

Pass Rushers: The Ravens knew that Za’Darius Smith was going to be leaving but Terrell Suggs going to the Arizona Cardinals wasn’t part of the plan. Matt Judon is suddenly the top man on the edge for the Ravens and there isn’t much-proven talent there in this position group. It is helpful to keep in mind that Judon will be a free agent next year and he is better than Smith is now. The future at this position is a mystery that must be solved.

Top 3 Draft Targets

Kelvin Harmon

WR, N.C. State

Harmon is a perfect fit for the Baltimore Ravens. Harmon is coming off back to back seasons with over 1,000 receiving yards. He’s got an ideal 6’2” frame and he looks like and he’s as proven as a receiver as you’ll find coming into the NFL Draft. The Ravens have had some busts at the wide receiver position but Harmon looks like the real deal.

Garrett Bradbury

C, N.C. State

If the Ravens can’t get Harmon, one of his top teammates could be exactly what they need. Bradbury is a great athlete who would be a great run blocker for Greg Roman’s offense. When you watch Bradbury the one thing that sticks out is how easy he makes his job look. He is a center that has the size and strength but also the quick chopping feet that makes him perfect for the Ravens offense.

Clelin Ferrell

DT, Clemson

The motto in Baltimore is “Play like a Raven” well this is a player that does that. He’s a hard hitting edge rusher with a thick frame. He’s got the things that can’t be coached and the things he can do on the football field would make him a perfect replacement for Terrell Suggs. Ferrell is a productive pass rusher from the National Champion Clemson Tigers that Baltimore may not be able to pass up at 22.

Decision Maker (Or Who To Blame If Things Go Wrong)

Eric DeCosta is the Ravens new decision maker. He has worked under Ozzie Newsome for a long time. Instead of taking a chance to be the general manager of another team, DeCosta waited for Newsome to hand the job off to him.

DeCosta has already proven to be disciplined like Newsome in free agency.