Now almost three years removed since the 2021 draft, it’s a good time to take a step back and look at where these guys find themselves today. Leaving that weekend, Ravens fans hoped they had their #1 WR and stud pass rusher of the future, at the very least. A mammoth guard would probably slide into the starting lineup after some development, and did we just draft Project Pat’s heir?
How are all those picks looking now?
Let’s go through them one by one.
Round 1: Pick 27 – Rashod Bateman, WR, Minnesota
When Bateman was drafted, he was viewed as the potential WR1 of the future alongside Marquise Brown. Bateman had been mocked to Baltimore for many months leading up to the draft, and Baltimore got their guy at 27. He was placed on IR during his first training camp and missed five games his rookie year. He had a very hot start in his 2022 season, but a lingering Lisfranc injury eventually required surgery, and ended his campaign. He’s shown flashes, but has never had a real chance to see consistent volume between his injuries and the style of the Ravens’ offense. Bateman has settled into a WR2/3 role, but we may not see him elevate above that in a Ravens uniform as long as Mark Andrews and Zay Flowers stick around.
The next WRs off the board don’t inspire much jealousy, however: The Jets took Elijah Moore at 34, who has played in 10 more games than Bateman with similar production on a per-game basis. The Cardinals nabbed Rondale Moore at 49, D’Wayne Eskridge went to Seattle at 56, and the Rams followed with Tutu Atwell at 57.
Grade: C
Round 1: Pick 31 – Odafe Oweh, LB, Penn State
The Ravens used the Orlando Brown Jr. trade pick to select Oweh with the penultimate pick of the first round. The Ravens were looking for a pass rusher, so many questioned why Oweh was selected after he had no sacks in seven games in his final year at Penn State. The Ravens figured that the production would come with development thanks to Oweh’s athletic freakishness, as did many scouts. Oweh had a solid rookie season headlined by a game winning forced fumble against Kansas City, but disappointed in 2022 with just three sacks. This year, he has four sacks in seven games and is generating pressure at a higher rate than he ever has in the NFL. Oweh has always been able to set the edge in the run game, and has been a solid piece for this defense since he was drafted.
The Tampa Bay Bucs took EDGE Joe Tryon-Shoyinka with the very next pick. He has exactly as many sacks (12), two fewer forced fumbles (3-1), and six fewer QB hits (36-30) in six more games played than Oweh.
Grade: B-
Round 3: Pick 94 – Ben Cleveland, OG, Georgia
Cleveland looked like a Raven just based on the measurables coming out of college. He came into the NFL at 6-foot-6 and almost 360 pounds, and played physical football at Georgia. In his rookie year, he started four games, but got playing time in twelve. Cleveland has never really developed as many hoped he would. Ben Powers and Kevin Zeitler took the two guard spots last year, but the departure of Powers left an open space. Cleveland was in the running for the left guard spot, but was beaten out by John Simpson. Cleveland has had opportunities to get himself consistently on the field, but hasn’t won the camp battles. He’s also been the culprit on at least one Justin Tucker blocked FG attempt on special teams this season.
Grade: D
Round 3: Pick 104 – Brandon Stephens, DB, SMU
Stephens was seen as a safety coming out of SMU, and the Ravens used him in a hybrid S/CB role early in his career. Stephens struggled in his first two years swapping between safety and cornerback. One his big issues early on was a lack of ball skills. In his first two years, he typically played solid coverage, but couldn’t find the football once it was thrown. A lot of the time we saw Stephens lose ground or commit a penalty with the ball up. In his third season, he’s improved massively and has only allowed one touchdown. Stephens was just a guy who needed a few years to develop and now he’s playing very well in year three.
Grade: B+
Round 4: Pick 131 – Tylan Wallace, WR, Oklahoma State
Wallace was selected to help fill out the WR room behind Bateman and Brown. Wallace put up nearly 1500 yards his sophomore year at Oklahoma State and continued to produce in both his upper-class years. Wallace came out of college as a quick, explosive receiver, but he never made his way into the Ravens’ offensive mix. He’s caught just six passes for 56 yards in his career. While Wallace hasn’t met the pass catching expectations, he has not gone without impact. He’s a special teams regular, and has found a role on the squad. His quickness allows him to be a solid gunner, and that’s where he’s settled in as a player.
Grade: C-
Round 5: Pick 160 – Shaun Wade, DB, Ohio State
Wade took a massive hit to his draft stock after a poor 2020 season at Ohio State. The Ravens took a shot on him in the fifth round looking for him to shift back into his 2019 form. Just three months post draft he was shipped away to New England for two future late round picks. He’s appeared for the Patriots in 11 games this year, but as a Ravens’ draft pick you can’t put a grade on him considering he never had the chance to play a regular season game for the team.
Grade: N/A
Round 5: Pick 171 – Daelin Hayes, EDGE, Notre Dame
The Ravens have a rich history of drafting mid-to-late round edge rushers that turn out to be stars. Matthew Judon and Za’Darius Smith are two names that come to mind and many hoped Hayes would follow the trend. Hayes played just one game for Baltimore over his first two years due to a barrage of injuries. Baltimore let him go after the 2022 season, and he was then waived on injury settlement from the 49ers after they scooped him up. Hayes physically cannot stay on the field in any capacity and for that reason it doesn’t feel fair to give him a grade.
Grade: N/A
Round 5: Pick 184 – Ben Mason, TE/FB, Michigan
Many thought Ben Mason would be the heir to Pat Ricard at fullback. Ricard was an unrestricted free agent the following season, but ended up inking a new contract after the 2021 campaign. Mason has still never played in an NFL regular season game, and was cut from the Ravens practice squad a few weeks into this season. There was probably better use for this pick, and because this pick was wasted on a player the Ravens turned out to not need whatsoever, it deserves poor marks.
Grade: F
Overall Draft Grade
This draft is one of the more disappointing ones in the last decade for Baltimore, assuming these guys continue on the current career trajectories. Bateman and Oweh both seem to be solid players, but nothing more. Oweh probably has more of a chance to leap into stardom then Bateman, but only the future will tell. It seems likely the team will pick up Oweh’s fifth-year option after this season, but Bateman is more of a question. Eric DeCosta uncharacteristically swung and missed in the fourth and fifth rounds. Usually there’s a handful of those guys who end up becoming NFL starters for Baltimore, but not in this batch.
Grade: C-
