The Baltimore Ravens need any help they can get on the defensive front — the quickest fix might be through the upcoming NFL draft.
Pro Football Focus thinks the Ravens are in such dire need of pass rush help they’ll take an edge rusher in the first round, calling 6-foot-6, 285-pound Auburn edge rusher Keldric Faulk the “Perfect Draft Pick” for Baltimore, which has the No. 14 overall pick in the first round after going 8-9 overall and missing the playoffs.
From PFF: “The Ravens fielded the second-lowest-graded group of edge defenders this season. Faulk would improve that room after logging an outstanding 89.2 PFF run-defense grade over the past two years at Auburn. ”
While Faulk’s stats don’t jump off the page – just 10.0 sacks in 3 seasons — that shouldn’t be something the Ravens get hung up on as he faced constant double teams throughout his final season in 2025.
Will Be One of Youngest Players in NFL in 2026
Faulk is the definition of a football whiz kid. The Highland Home, Alabama, native will still be 20 years old when he makes his NFL debut in September and won’t turn 21 years old until almost a month into the regular season.
That’s the kind of player, in football terms, who is such an open canvas you almost cannot afford to pass him up — Faulk made the SEC All-Freshman Team in 2023 and was an All-SEC pick in 2025.
“Keldric Faulk is a 6’6″, 285-pound edge prospect whose impressive size and age at only 20 years old give him the necessary tools to be an impact player at the next level,” Bleacher Report’s Matt Holder wrote in his pre-draft scouting report. “Faulk became a starter about halfway through his freshman season and racked up 35 tackles, four tackles for loss and a sack to earn a spot on the SEC All-Freshman team.The following year was Faulk’s breakout campaign, totaling 45 tackles, 11 TFLs and seven sacks, though he didn’t receive any postseason honors.”
Faulk is also an extraordinary physical specimen — he can reportedly squat 700 pounds and bench pressed 415 pounds.
Ravens Could Take Big Swing in Free Agency
While drafting a rookie edge rusher is a pretty iffy proposition in terms of getting immediate results, signing an established free agent is a much safer bet.
Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox thinks Cincinnati Bengals star and NFL All-Pro edge Trey Hendrickson might be the solution.
Hendrickson, who led the NFL with 17.5 sacks in 2024, is coming off a career-worst year in 2025 in which he missed 10 games due to injuries and only had 4.0 sacks after a nasty, prolonged contract battle in the offseason.
With such a down year, Hendrickson’s asking price of $30 million per year has gone down significantly, and Knox predicts the Ravens could land him on a 3-year, $75 million contract offer.
“Of course, a more reasonable contract makes Hendrickson much less of a risk than he might be on a market-level deal,” Knox wrote. “He’s still a four-time Pro Bowler who recorded 17.5 sacks in both 2023 and 2024. If healthy, he should provide double-digit sacks in 2026. Expect Hendrickson to land a contract high on incentives and with a team option on the back end. He’ll likely draw the most interest from teams that expect to contend over the next couple of seasons.”
6-foot-6, 288-Pound Auburn Star Called ‘Perfect Draft Pick’ for Ravens