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As it currently stands the Baltimore Ravens are heading into the 2023 NFL Draft with just five selections, their fewest since 1999 when they made just four picks and they don’t have a pick in the second or seventh round.
General manager Eric DeCosta has gone on the record countless time about how much he and the rest of the organization’s front office covet draft picks. It is the organization’s philosophy to always look for ways to increase their draft haul to give themselves more swings at improving the roster with young and inexpensive talent.
With that in mind, NFL Network draft analyst, Chad Reuter, has the Ravens trading back in the first round with the Kansas City Chiefs in his first four-round mock draft to pick No. 31 overall in exchange for a pair of midround picks
“The Ravens dealt second- and fifth-round picks to the (Chicago) Bears for linebacker Roquan Smith last fall, so adding a third- and fourth-rounder from the Chiefs in this trade will help build depth,” Reuter wrote.
This move wouldn’t be all that surprising and could totally be in the realm of possibilities since these two teams exchanged high-round picks as recently as 2021. That was the year that the Ravens traded a disgruntled Orlando Brown Jr. on the last year of his rookie deal and a 2021 second and sixth-round pick to the Chiefs for a haul that included 2021 first, third, and fourth-round picks as well as a fifth-rounder in 2022.
Ravens Find a New No. 2 Corner in 1st Round
Reuter projected that the reigning Super Bowl champions would move up to add former University of Tennessee speedy wide receiver, Jalin Hyatt, with the Ravens’ original selection of No. 22 overall.
With the last pick in the first round, he had the Ravens bypassing the wide receiver position to address one of their other top needs by taking former University of South Carolina standout cornerback, Cam Smith, at No. 31 overall.
“Veteran cornerback Marcus Peters, who started 13 games for Baltimore last season, remains a free agent,” Reuter wrote. “Smith’s size and aggressive play remind me of the three-time Pro Bowler.”
Smith dominated on the perimeter in each of the last two seasons for the Gamecocks since taking over 2021 first-rounder Jaycee Horn as the team’s No. 1 cornerback. Ironically, he had one of his most impressive and high-profile performances this past season against Hyatt when South Carolina drubbed Tennessee 63-38. Smith made the eventual 2022 Biletnikoff award winner a nonfactor in the game, limiting him to just 6 receptions for 65 receiving yards and no touchdowns.
Smith possesses great length, vision, and instincts, all of which he uses to his advantage to make up for some of his deficiencies of which there are few. According to Sports Reference, he finished his collegiate career with 91 total tackles including 3.5 for a loss, 18 pass deflections, 6 interceptions, and a forced fumble in 32 games.
Ravens Address Top Offensive Needs in 3rd Round
With their original pick and the one they acquired in the trade, Reuter has the team taking prospects at their top two needs on offense. At No. 86 overall, he projected former University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill standout wide receiver Josh Downs and at No. 95 overall, he projected Eastern Michigan University offensive guard Sidy Sow.
Downs was an explosive and highly productive offensive playmaker in his last two years for the Tarheels. he recorded back-to-back seasons of over 1,000 receiving yards and 8 or more touchdowns that included a career-high 1,335 receiving yards in 2021 and a career-high 11 receiving touchdowns in 2022 according to Sports Reference.
He excels at creating separation with excellent footwork and possesses impressive elusiveness in the open field to rack up more yards and create big plays after the catch. Downs ran a 4.48 in the 40-yard dash at the 2023 NFL Scouting and is one of former Ravens wide receiver Steve Smith Sr.’s favorite prospects at the position to evaluate.
“He can get you out of any trouble whether it’s a linebacker, safety, corner,” Smith Sr. said. “He is not a guy you want to allow to catch the ball in open space. He will make a fool out of you. He has that hocus pocus, that magician-type playmaking ability that’s rare.”
After losing Ben Powers in free agency to the Denver Broncos, the Ravens have a vacancy at their starting left guard spot. Sow would come in and provide fierce competition for 2021 third-round pick, Ben Cleveland, to take over the job and at least provide quality depth if he doesn’t win the battle coming out of training camp and the preseason.
The 6-foot-5 and 323-pound people mover is a road grader in the run game who started a program-record 54 games in college which include 11 of his first 13 at left tackle before moving inside to play guard for the remainder of his collegiate career. Sow had a nice showing at the Combine as well and even received praise for his pass sets from renowned Philadelphia Eagles offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland according to Nick Baumgardner of The Athletic.
Ravens Add More Depth at Edge Defender in 4th Round
For the third year in a row, Reuter has the team taking an edge rusher albeit much later than they selected David Ojabo last year in the second or Odafe Oweh the year before in the first.
One common trait between the two and the University of Oregon standout, D.J. Johnson, who he mocked to them at No. 124 overall in the fourth round is that they all have impressive athleticism and dynamic upside.
He played three different positions during his time with the Ducks including two years at tight end from 2020-2021 and recorded 11 receptions for 124 receiving yards and 3 touchdowns in nine games. As a defender exclusively, Johnson recorded 53 total tackles including 13.5 tackles for loss, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, 2 pass deflections, and 8 sacks which included a career-high 6 as a senior in 2022 according to Sports Reference.
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