We have come upon another Mock Draft Friday as we count down the days towards the NFL Draft.
Unfortunately, the Ravens suffered another significant loss to their defense on Wednesday as Jadeveon Clowney signed a multi-year deal with the Carolina Panthers.
A farewell message from Jadeveon Clowney on IG: “THANK YOU RAVENS NATION!” pic.twitter.com/uabq1PP4Hu
— Jonas Shaffer (@jonas_shaffer) March 28, 2024
This one hurts more than the other losses because Clowney seemed like a guy that fit with this organization. The coaches loved him; he had a career year, and by all accounts, he looked like he enjoyed his time in Baltimore.
Good for Clowney for returning close to where he grew up and turning a breakout year into a big payday. This continues a trend of players who were free agents in 2023, turning their good years into big paydays elsewhere.
Replacing Clowney won’t be easy.
The Ravens defense generated a 6.9% higher pressure rate with Clowney on the field last season, despite blitzing on 10.7% less dropbacks.
Clowney generated 71 pressures in 2023, 29 more than any defender on the Panthers.#KeepPounding https://t.co/qDXgJgoP19 pic.twitter.com/jFNZ9aGgeJ
— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) March 27, 2024
The in-house options are looking pretty bad right now. Outside of Odafe Oweh, the team has Tavius Robinson, a fourth-round pick who has potential, a mystery box with David Ojabo, Malik Harrison who can play Edge as well, and some UDFAs from last year.
Granted, the Edge room wasn’t looking too hot at this time last year either. The team’s number one priority at this point is to re-sign Kyle Van Noy to give them some kind of floor.
This is also something that we will have to take into account when we have our Mock Draft Fridays, as Edge is a need that is quickly climbing up my board.
Speaking of, let’s get to this Mock Draft Friday.
For today’s edition, I wanted to do something different. I used a full-on BPA model and saw where it took ame. I feel like the mock drafts have been getting stale recently, with a month left until the Draft. I was hammering the O-line picks, mainly tackle, in the first round so much that it was getting to be a bit much.
So today, we will spice it up with a full BPA mock draft with one question in mind: “What would EDC do if he had this board?”
We start this Mock Draft with a stunner. If Fontanu’s fall last week was shocking, Brian Thomas Jr.’s fall would be even more shocking a bet that would pay well at Fair Go casino. He is a wide receiver with great tape from last year, and when you add his testing results, his stock skyrockets.
Brian Thomas Jr. is a WR prospect in the 2024 draft class. He scored a 9.82 #RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 58 out of 3121 WR from 1987 to 2024.
Pro day pending.https://t.co/UQzFM7GSyH pic.twitter.com/7D0peoTHrq
— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) March 16, 2024
Just look at those testing numbers, man. I don’t know how he fell, but he was there, and yes, he is the BPA. He would make the wide receiver corps nearly unstoppable and add yet another weapon for Monken.
The more I look at Max Melton, the more I drag him up my board. He is a great athlete with solid tape and plays with an edge. He’s BPA here, and it’s fun to dream on him joining Marlon Humphrey and Brandon Stephens.
Kiren Amegadjie is an athletic project that will need development, but the upside is clearly there. Gabriel Murphey is an Edge Prospect that, while smaller, has elite testing numbers and bend.
Leonard Taylor is a strong interior presence that was again too valuable to pass up. Javion Cohen is another dart throw at athleticism.
Davis is a great athlete at Running back with power. Hampton is a freak at safety because of his height and could replace Geno Stone. Tyrice Knight is another shot at a young linebacker with upside.
Clowney leaving adds another piece for the Ravens among a sea of needs. The answers may be discovered on draft night or through another unexpected breakout from a street veteran free agent.
