Most NFL teams don’t have players outside their 2-deep who can fetch anything back in a trade. If the Baltimore Ravens have that on their defense, the time to take advantage might be right now.
Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox picked Ravens edge rusher and 2022 second round pick (No. 45 overall) David Ojabo as the team’s most likely trade candidate headed into the start of their preseason schedule August 7 against the Indianapolis Colts.
“David Ojabo hasn’t become a key contributor yet,” Knox wrote on August 7. “He missed most of his 2022 rookie season while recovering from a torn Achilles, and he suffered a partially torn ACL in 2023. He appeared in 13 games last season and recorded two sacks, but he also played a mere 13 percent of the defensive snaps … Baltimore should see whether Ojabo’s draft pedigree and unrealized potential as a pass-rusher are enough to draw interest on the trade market.”
If we know anything about NFL coaches and general managers it’s that they’re almost hard wired to believe another team’s failure with any given player can be their gain — meaning there’s at least one GM out there who is probably willing to send a seventh round pick back to the Ravens for Ojabo, who is currently buried behind Odafe Oweh and Tavius Robinson on the depth chart.
Ojabo Suffered Serious Injury Before NFL Draft
Ojabo only played 2 seasons at Michigan before he entered the NFL draft and the Ravens drafted him in the second round despite knowing he tore his Achilles tendon at Michigan’s Pro Day.
The Ravens took Ojabo in large part because of how impressive he was at the NFL scouting combine before his injury, where he clocked in at 6-foot-4 and 250 pounds, ran the 40 yard dash in 4.55 seconds to go with a 35-inch vertical.
Even with those standout numbers, we have to question why the Ravens spent a second round pick on someone who tore their Achilles tendon just one month earlier.
“Ojabo’s rush approach is fairly sophisticated with the feet and agility to juke, stutter, spin and race his way past offensive tackles,” NFL draft analyst Lance Zierlein wrote in 2022. ” … The Achilles tear he suffered at his pro day is likely to hurt his draft stock, but it will be hard for teams to pass on his upside if he remains available in the second round.”
One Great Team With No Great Edge Rushers
If the Ravens are looking for a trade partner for Ojabo, there is one obvious place they should start — with the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles.
The Eagles have a war chest of draft picks general manager Howie Roseman seems always willing to swap for talent and head coach Nick Sirianni doesn’t have any proven edge rushers on the roster.
Philadelphia found itself in this situation after they decided to give free agent edge rusher Bryce Huff a 3-year, $51.1 million contract before the 2024 season and have veteran Josh Sweat play on a 1-year, $10 million contract.
Sweat went out and led the Eagles in sacks and landed a 4-year, $76.1 million contract with the Arizona Cardinals in free agency. Huff was a bust and the Eagles traded him to the San Francisco 49ers in June.
Ravens Urged to Trade Former Second Round Pick to NFC East