Getty Ravens WR Zay Flowers and most of his fellow draftmates will still have a profound impact even if none of them start.
The 2023 NFL draft has come and gone and despite having limited capital at their disposal, the Baltimore Ravens were still able to add several talented young players on both sides of the ball that project to be key contributors for years to come.
They came into the annual three-day event with just five picks but were able to draft six prospects after trading back into the seventh round by sending a sixth-rounder in next year’s draft to a division rival. Their total number of selections was a far cry from the whopping 11 picks they ended up making last year.
Here’s the list of all the picks they made in sequential order:
Round 1 – WR Zay Flowers, Boston College
Round 3 – LB Trenton Simpson, Clemson
Round 4 – OLB Tavius Robinson, Ole Miss
Round 5 – CB Kyu Blu Kelly, Stanford
Round 6 – OT Malaesala Aumavae-Laulu, Oregon
Round 7 – OL Andrew Vorhees, USC
General manager Eric DeCosta told reporters in his post-draft press conference after the second day of the draft that the team was content with making fewer picks than they’re accustomed to making because of all the young talent they’ve added in recent years.
“It’s going to be hard for guys to make the team,” he said. “We’ve had a lot of draft picks in the last three or four years and so we went into this year really not thinking that we wanted 10 picks.”
Grades Are Still High Despite Class Being Smaller Than Usual
Even though DeCosta made his fewest amount of picks since taking over as the team’s head front office executive, the general consensus among pundits and draft analysts about this year’s haul is positive with most giving them high letter grades.
ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr gave the Ravens a ‘B+’ and praised him for finally getting a long-term deal done with franchise quarterback Lamar Jackson before he broke down his picks. He applauded DeCosta for being able to land his top wide receiver in Flowers and off-ball linebacker in with their first two picks
“DeCosta didn’t do his usual wheeling and dealing with trades this weekend, but he landed a nice class, headlined by my guy Flowers,” Kiper wrote.
NFL.com’s Chad Reuter was among those that gave the Ravens an ‘A’ and he also highlighted their first two picks as his favorite from the six-man haul.
“The Ravens found a tough and quick receiver in Flowers to complement Odell Beckham Jr. and Rashod Bateman,” he wrote. Even after wisely trading their 2023 second-round pick for linebacker Roquan Smith last season, Simpson’s closing speed and ability to play outside or inside made him a home run pick in Round 3.”
Sporting News’ Vinnie Iyer also gave the Ravens an ‘A’ and believes that they “delivered the best possible outcome with limited volume after re-signing Lamar Jackson”. He loves the potential of Flowers in their new-look and coordinated offense and thinks that the quick development of fifth-round cornerback Kyu Blu Kelly is a necessity.
“Flowers is a key extra weapon for the new, more wide-open offense of Todd Monken, while Simpson gives them the NFL’s best linebacker corps,” he wrote. “The key is Kelly turning into an absolute gem to replace a big need at corner minus Marcus Peters.”
Rob Maaddi of the Associated Press is among the few that are not as high on the class. He gave the team a ‘C+’ and cited their decision to go wide receiver over cornerback which he believed was the more glaring need as the reason.
“With Odell Beckham Jr. in the flock, should’ve addressed the secondary in the first round instead of taking WR Zay Flowers at No. 22. Went defense with next three picks,” he wrote.
Ravens Would Like to Add Free Agent Veteran Cornerback
As much as Maadi and some of his fellow members of the media, as well as countless fans, weren’t happy about the team not prioritizing finding a starting caliber cornerback earlier in the draft, the Ravens themselves aren’t worried and have a plan of action.
“The roster is never set,” DeCosta said. “I think what you’ll see is in the coming weeks, there are a lot of potential moves for us to make: free agents, guys that we’ve had, guys that we like who are available.”
When asked if they would like to potentially add a veteran corner, his response was “Yes, I’m sure we would” because it’s a vitally important position especially when it comes to the style and high-level defense they expect to play every year.
“What we’ve seen is you can never have enough good corners to start the season and throughout the season,” DeCosta said. “That’s a fast way to get beat, is to not have enough corners on the field.”
As far as potential free agent targets at the position, the top two on their radar are likely the two they’ve been linked to the most which are either re-signing Peters, signing former second pick Rock Ya-Sin who they had in for a visit in March, or potentially both given the expected cap space they will be freed up once Jackson’s extension is finalized.
Peters has spent the last three and half years with the team as an integral piece in their secondary and one of the foremost emotional leaders in the locker room while still performing at a Pro Bowl level when healthy. Ya-Sin is one of many young experienced players still available in a saturated veteran market at the position.
Another option they could explore is signing one of the two and bringing back Anthony Averett as well. The five-year veteran began his career with the Ravens after being selected in the fourth round of the 2018 NFL Draft out of Alabama.
He finally got his shot to be a full-time starter due to injury in 2021 but despite having a career year in which he recorded career-highs across the board including three interceptions, Averett didn’t cash in in free agency as many projected he would.
INTERCEPTION by @antaverettjr_ to seal it!!
3 seconds left to play on CBS!
Following an injury-riddled 2022 season with the Las Vegas Raiders, his market is likely even further depressed which could make him an inexpensive depth option for the Ravens to pair with a more notable veteran signing.
DeCosta also brought up and expressed confidence in the development potential of the two young corners they selected in the fourth round last year, Jalyn Armour-Davis out of Alabama and Damarion Williams out of Houston. While both players struggled with injuries and consistency as rookies, the team is still excited about what they can become in time.
“We feel the same way – if those guys were in this year’s Draft, we probably would have drafted them in the same spot, and they’re good, young players,” he said.
With the addition of Kelly, the Ravens have drafted at least one corner in each of the past three years. Brandon Stephens was a third-round pick in 2021 out of SMU and started 11 games at free safety as a rookie before making the transition back to corner full-time last season.
Heading into his third year, he is the projected starter at the moment until the team brings in an established veteran. But at some point, they will need to start getting meaningful, consistent, and quality snaps from one or more of their youngsters at the position now that they no longer have a quarterback on a rookie contract.