The Ravens have four draft directions — which will they take?
The Baltimore Ravens, coming off a 12-5 season and their second consecutive AFC North title, head into the draft with 11 picks, starting at No. 27 overall in the first round.
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Will they use that pick on a pass rusher, bolster the offensive or defensive line, or perhaps add another cornerback after selecting Nate Wiggins at No. 30 last year?
On the latest episode of 'The Athletic Football Show,' the final installment of our 'On the Clock' series, Robert Mays was joined by CBS Sports' Mike Renner to discuss which direction the Ravens should go with the 27th pick.
A partial transcript has been edited for clarity and length. The full episode is available on YouTube below or in 'The Athletic Football Show' feed on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Robert: Let's get to the Ravens at 27. You have four options for Baltimore. With the guys on the board, I didn't want to tighten it up because I think you could make a justifiable argument for any of these four directions. Option one is to draft any of the pass rushers who are top-10 talents, according to some people. You can take Shemar Stewart or Mykel Williams here, who are still on board, or you can take James Pearce Jr. I'm not sure what your current board looks like, but I think you had him ahead of both of those guys on your initial big board.
Mike: I did way back going into the season, but I do worry about the off-the-field stuff, and I worry that he's just a little bit stiffer. How I have them ranked right now on my final board is Mykel, Pearce and then Stewart. I'm right there with you that I could see any team buying into either of them as top-10 talents, because they are truly all physically gifted in some way, shape, or form.
I just lean toward Williams because he shows the closest thing to an NFL skillset right now. And it's not as if he doesn't have tools that could reach a high end at the NFL level. My comp for him is Carlos Dunlap, He's just a real good power end. For Baltimore, the interior flexibility is nice for that defense as well, so that's where I'm going.
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Robert: That was just option one by the way… which was one of those three pass rushers, so let's keep going. Option two: You draft Tyler Booker or Grey Zabel, and they step in as your left guard from day one. Obviously, Andrew Vorhees started the season there last year but got hurt. Then Patrick Mekari stepped in, but now he's gone, so they don't really have the interior depth that they've typically had on their roster. Option three is a cornerback of your choosing. Once again, they bring in Chidobe Awuzie, but how good do you feel about that if that's a day-one outside corner for you? Option four is you draft Derrick Harmon or Kenneth Grant because it's a similar thought process to the interior of the offensive line.
If you look at it right now, they don't really have a lot of bodies behind those starters with Travis Jones and Madubuike. So you could draft a guy to be a rotational piece now, who could step into a bigger role next year, because Travis Jones is in the final year of his contract, so that's available to you. Again, a pass rusher of your choosing, being Tyler Booker or Grey Zabel, a cornerback of your choosing, or Derek Harman or Kenneth Grant. What are you doing if you are Baltimore?
Mike: This one's tough. I think corner is my least favorite of those because they drafted one in the first round last year. Back-to-back years using a first-rounder on a corner — and even a few years ago using one on a safety — is just a lot of resources on a position where ROI is generally not as much as an edge in the first round. You can find corners later, but it's hard to find high-end edges later. As I'm thinking of this, the highest guy on my board is Derrick Harmon. Obviously, I've heard that he might fall due to medical concerns. But I think the fact that Harmon would be third fiddle right out of the gate, versus Mykel Williams being able to conceivably be a starter from day one, at least an early down starter, probably pushes that for me a little bit towards him — and the fact that Madubuike is not going anywhere anytime soon. With Harmon, as much as I think he could play a little nose and play some of that, he's not replacing Travis Jones' skill set on the nose full time. So I'll go with Mykel Williams, that's the pick.
Robert: That makes total sense, and this would just be a classic Ravens thing where a guy who is 12th on everybody's boards is sitting there at 27. You and I were talking about this a little bit yesterday. You weren't necessarily surprised that these guys who are pumped up as maybe top 12 prospects have fallen in an exercise like this because no one's had the stomach to be the one to swing on them.
Mike: Yes, it's a unique class because there are such high-end athletes with such little production. You usually get one or two of these guys, like your Tyree Wilsons, your Travon Walkers. But this year, it's four or five, it's a handful. There are so few guys who have both in this draft class. It's Abdul Carter, and then that's it in terms of who has the traits and the production.
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Robert: Maybe you can make an argument for Mike Green, but there are a ton of concerns there and the competition level. So there's a question mark with everybody on some front.
Mike: That's why I have Mike Green and Jalon Walker as my next two edges after, just because you want both at the end of the day. And again, when I'm stacking up Mykel versus the other two, he's just closer in my opinion to an impact player at the NFL level, and I could see it with him very easily. Whereas with the other two, you're really squinting for reps, where you're like, 'That'll work against NFL tackles consistently.'
You can listen to full episodes of 'The Athletic Football Show' for free on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, and watch on YouTube.
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