Rob Carr/Getty Images Head coach John Harbaugh of the Baltimore Ravens greets head coach Andy Reid of the Kansas City Chiefs prior to a game at M&T Bank Stadium on September 19, 2021.
The Baltimore Ravens currently have 10 selections in the 2022 NFL Draft, with the first of those picks coming at No. 14 overall, and a total of four choices in the Top 100. But might the team be willing to trade down in the first round to acquire back-to-back picks near the end of Round 1? That’s the idea proposed by NFL.com draft analyst Chad Reuter in his April 4 feature covering “Six Round 1 trades that would make sense.”
Trading Away the No. 14 Overall Pick
Specifically, Reuter envisions Baltimore sending the No. 14 overall selection and one of its five 2022 fourth-rounders to the Kansas City Chiefs in exchange for the No. 29 and No. 30 overall picks, the first of which the Chiefs acquired from the San Francisco 49ers via the Miami Dolphins.
“No team has traded two first-round picks for a top-15 selection since 2003, when the Saints and Jets both did so to jump into the top 10,” admits Reuter. “Chiefs coach Andy Reid is not shy about making big moves, however, as last year’s trade (with the Ravens) for offensive tackle Orlando Brown and last month’s decision to send elite receiver Tyreek Hill to Miami both show.”
Never mind that Reid and Chiefs GM Brett Veach may want to land an elite wide receiver prospect to replace Hill, who won’t be around to open up the field for free agent acquisitions JuJu Smith-Schuster (Pittsburgh Steelers) and Marquez Valdes-Scantling (Green Bay Packers).
“With further needs at edge rusher and cornerback, Kansas City could make this deal well in advance of the draft with the knowledge it will gain a true first-round talent at one of those spots, regardless of how the first 14 picks shake out,” argues Reuter.
For the Ravens, the attraction is obvious: the chance to select two first-round talents instead of one, with Reuter suggesting that Baltimore add Clemson cornerback Andrew Booth Jr. and Iowa center Tyler Linderbaum, the latter of whom has been has regarded as being “worthy of a top-10 selection,” yet will almost certainly be available into the twenties, being that he’s an interior offensive lineman.
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Tyler Linderbaum Doesn’t Fit the Mold of a Ravens Center
However, Linderbaum doesn’t seem like a great fit for the Ravens, who will need a new starter at center now that Bradley Bozeman (Carolina Panthers) has departed in free agency.
“Our philosophy, honestly, is we want big guys,” said Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta in the team’s pre-draft press conference on April 5.
So it’s worth noting that Linderbaum is a mere 6-foot-2 and 296 pounds, this as compared to Bozeman, who is 6-foot-5 and 325 pounds.
On Tuesday DeCosta also indicated that there is depth in the draft at the center position this year, which is unusual.
“I think one of the cool things about this draft at the center position is we see four or five guys that we like that might not be first round-type picks and that might be second, third, or fourth round guys that we think would be good players at center this year,” DeCosta concluded.
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