This time last year, few draft pundits predicted that talented linebacker C.J. Mosley would be available at pick 17, where the Ravens would eventually select him. The Ravens have a knack for patiently waiting in the bottom half of the draft’s first round, watching other teams reach to fill roster needs, select over-hyped quarterbacks, or fall in love with flashy athletes. Quite simply, the NFL Draft is unpredictable.
This process usually results in quality football players sliding down the board, and the Ravens often capitalize by selecting a prospect ranked much higher than the spot in which they are ultimately drafted.
While only two quarterbacks will be selected before the Ravens pick, there will surely be highly ranked players who slip down the first round due to unexpected selections. Here are a few talented prospects who, like Mosley in 2014, could fall further than expected for reasons unrelated to recent injuries, character/substance abuse problems, etc.
Malcom Brown: DT, Texas
6’2” 319 lbs.
Brown is a top-15 talent. He is a disciplined, versatile tackle who shows excellent instincts against the run and will attract the double team at the next level. However, no one area of his game jumps out at you on tape, and the fact remains that defensive linemen are not the sexiest of draft selections. Brown has been one of the least-discussed players in the top half of the draft.
Sometimes defensive linemen fall a bit further than expected, like Sharrif Floyd’s mysterious plummet in 2013. Looking to make a splash by selecting flashy prospects, many teams may pass on the big man. Despite the Ravens’ need for skill players, snagging Brown at pick 26 would be an absolute robbery.
Landon Collins: SS, Alabama
6’0” 228 lbs.
Built like a linebacker, Collins is a thumper who thrives close to the line of scrimmage, contributes on special teams, and skillfully diagnoses the quarterback’s intentions from the back end.
People are re-examining Collins’ pass coverage skills, however, and his stock is taking a bit of a hit as a result. An interesting development with this year’s draft is that there are very few other talented safeties with whom Collins can be compared, therefore scouts are becoming nervous that he may be the best of a bad group, not necessarily elite in his own right.
Could Collins be the second Crimson Tide defender in as many years to fall into Baltimore’s lap?
Collins is more of a strong safety and does not possess great cover or ball skills—an area where the Ravens’ safeties are already deficient. The Ravens brought in Kendrick Lewis in free agency, and will likely suit him up at free safety next to the skillful Will Hill at strong safety. So a box safety would not be the perfect fit or fill the Ravens’ greatest need, but never say never when it comes to Ozzie and Alabama boys.
DeVante Parker: WR, Louisville
6’3” 209 lbs.
I have Parker ranked as the seventh best player in the draft. He is an exceptional talent. But with the meteoric rise of Breshad Perriman’s draft stock, I can see a team over-valuing the Central Florida product’s speed and taking Perriman over Parker somewhere between picks 11-16. Subsequent teams in the middle of the first round may feel uneasy coming away with the fourth prospect at any one particular position, which is what Parker would represent in such a scenario.
Parker will not fall all the way to the Ravens, but he could slide further than people think, and with an elite catching radius, polished route running, and plenty of speed, he is probably one of the few players who would entice Ozzie to trade up a few spots.
