What better time than the final hours before the first round of the NFL Draft to throw together my one-and-only mock draft for the year?
Admittedly, I’m usually good for about 30-40 mocks in the stretch from the NFL Combine to Draft Day, but this Draft Season I took a different approach and opted to just sit back and… well, not do any.
The boards change so much from mid-February through the end of April, and it’s pretty apparent that none of the mocks from the first 4-6 weeks of the offseason are even relevant anymore.
Alas, this mock will likely be as irrelevant, simply because the odds of nailing even a single pick is slim, let alone nailing your whole board. I will say though- I nailed the Pepe Williams pick last draft, so momentum is on my side!
Let’s give it a whirl…
R1P22
CB Joey Porter Jr, Penn State
I’m watching the quick ascension of Emmanuel Forbes and hearing enough about Tae Banks going earlier than the 20’s, that I’m left to believe we’ll see Porter Jr. fall to the Ravens at 22 with the aforementioned DBs off the board. The Ravens could surely go with a wide receiver here if they so choose- Jordan Addison would be my favorite in this spot with Jaxon Smith-Njigba off the board and Addison my WR20- but I’m not sold on that route this early in the draft process.
One more quick note- the Ravens could conceivably try to trade down from 22nd overall, but after hearing and reading enough about this draft being viewed as ‘meh’ overall by unnamed NFL execs and phantom scouts, I’m not sure teams will see superior talent late in Round One that’ll have them scrambling to jump up the boards. Maybe for Hooker? That’s all I can see being realistic.
R3P86
WR AT Perry, Wake Forest
I know this isn’t the big splashy WR that everybody seems to want in this draft… but he’s certainly got the ‘big’ part of that covered at 6’ 3 ½”amirite?? ATP’s biggest issue for me is the drops but we’re in Round 3 and I’m betting on upside here for a guy that can get downfield (4.47 in the 40) and overmatch DB’s with his size.
I did debate Michael Wilson out of Stanford in this spot, but Perry has more upside in my books, and I figured that’s the best path to success (or a short career to move on from).
A very solid compliment to the group that Eric DeCosta has put together and promised would be revamped (with one more to come!).
R4P124
WR Andrei Iosivas, Princeton
I’m doubling down on wideouts and doubling down on Ivy League picks in this mock!!
Iosivas is a RAS Monster and a freakish athlete that needs to develop the actual wide receiver aspect of his game (hands, route running intricacies, etc). What better way to learn than under the tutelage of both Odell Beckham Jr. on the field, and new Receivers Coach, Greg Lewis?
Best to take two swings here, which now totals four new wideouts in the Ravens room this offseason.
*golf clap*
R5P157
DE Villami Fehoko Jr, San Jose State
This is where the draft is going to be all over the place with every team having vastly different rankings. In going with Fehoko here, I’ve seen him off mock boards as early as Round 4 and as late as the end of Round 6. Again, we’re in the 3rd day of the draft so development and preference is the name of the game, and I think the ceiling for Fehoko is certainly higher than you’d expect from a Round 5 defensive line prospect.
Not sold?
Notable film study extraordinaire/NFL analyst, Brett Kollman (@BrettKollman), comp’d Fehoko to Pernell McPhee. Nuff said.
R6P199
If Vorhees played what most consider a ‘premium position’, I imagine he would’ve fallen to a mid-Round 3 pick at the furthest. Alas, Vorhees is likely to play on the interior of the Offensive Line in the NFL, and marrying that ‘devalued position’ with an injury that likely costs him his rookie year allows him to fall into the Ravens lap in Round 6.
Will he help the Ravens in 2023? Highly unlikely.
Will he future proof the interior of the Offensive Line where LG is still up in the air and we don’t know how much longer Kevin Zeitler will be in Baltimore or the NFL beyond 2023? Absolutely.
Future proofing protection for [insert whichever QB you so choose].
That’s it! Now tear it apart, ya jackals!!
One Response
I still see trade back and get a 2nd and 3rd. I like Forbes or Smith in the 2nd. With the first third get an edge like Hall, then with the second 3rd get a WR like Mims, Hyaat or Tillman. In the 4th address the OL with Zavala or Vorhees. Later on add depth with BPA. Then we wait to add pieces after teams start releasing players later on.