This is the time of year that everyone, including myself, is focusing on what they want the Ravens to do (or not do) in the Draft.
For today, though, I want to do something a little different. We’ve done pieces like this before, but I think it will make for an interesting exercise to look not at what Baltimore is going to do, but at what the rest of the division is doing, and how it may impact the road ahead. The reason the best GMs in the league are so good at what they do is that, come Draft time, they don’t just know what their own squad’s needs, but they also know what the market is based on what everyone else’s needs.
So, what do Baltimore’s AFC North rivals need or want in this Draft cycle, and what does it mean for how the Ravens proceed?
Cleveland Browns
By virtue of another rough year at the Factory of Sadness, the Browns now hold the #2 overall pick in the Draft. Luckily, their team needs don’t align very closely with what the Ravens are looking for, and even if they do choose to pick a high-profile EDGE or CB at the top, that player would be one that Baltimore would never have realistically been able to land anyway.
In either of those situations, Cleveland would likely select Abdul Carter or Travis Hunter. When trade rumors swirled earlier in the offseason around Myles Garrett, it seemed much more reasonable that the Browns would try to find their next generational EDGE in Carter, but with Garrett back in the fold, maybe they see if Hunter’s two-way athleticism could be a difference-maker for them.
There’s been a lot of conversation around grabbing another QB at their spot as well, but the rumor mill around NFL scouts is that (should Cam Ward be selected #1) Shedeur Sanders at #2 is far from a sure thing. Cleveland picked up Kenny Pickett, and there has been further conversation about possibly pursuing a reunion with Joe Flacco or pitching a trade to Atlanta for Kirk Cousins.
As the Draft advances, they’ll likely be looking for an addition at RB given Nick Chubb’s status as a free agent. They like what they have in Jerome Ford, but they want a true #1 in the backfield, and this would be a good class to get it. Either of the high-profile Ohio State RBs in TreVeyon Henderson or Quinshon Judkins would be sure to please the Dawg Pound. Realistically, these selections likely don’t move the needle for Baltimore’s Draft strategy until you start looking into the later rounds, where Best Player Available could mean the teams are looking at the same guy for depth.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Continuing our game of Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon with Kenny Pickett, let’s talk about the Steelers.
Like Cleveland, Pittsburgh has some questions at QB, but without the benefit of high Draft capital to help fix the problem. The Steelers own the 21st pick in the first round, but used their second-round selection in the DK Metcalf trade, meaning they don’t get another bite at the apple until pick #83. Pittsburgh is currently only rostering Mason Rudolph and Skylar Thompson in the QB room, so there’s rightly been plenty of speculation around whether the Steelers would risk waiting until pick #21 to grab this class’s QB3, which appears to be Ole Miss’ Jaxson Dart. Otherwise, the front office can continue to court Aaron Rodgers, but who knows whether Rodgers comes back at all?
Beyond that, the departures of Larry Ogunjobi and Najee Harris leave the Steelers with some work to do along their D-Line and in the RB room. While Jaylen Warren has proven himself to be a solid back for them, they’ll likely be missing the inside power brought by Najee. The question becomes whether they feel they can find a viable replacement in the Draft, or if they have to grab one of the other available free agent backs. If I’m in the Pittsburgh front office, I’m probably using pick #83 on an interior defensive lineman, since there are plenty of difference-makers there in this class. From a Baltimore perspective, it seems like Pittsburgh likely won’t be able to address every issue in this class, so you can identify where their attention went, then identify the weaknesses still left on their roster with a lack of top-tier Draft capital.
Especially if reinforcements aren’t available for the middle of their D-line, Derrick Henry and Lamar Jackson will know that area’s open for business in the fall.
Cincinnati Bengals
I went a little out of order with this one, considering that the Bengals pick before the Steelers, but I wanted to save Cincy for last, because their shopping list in the Draft class is similar to Baltimore’s.
If you peruse that list, pretty much all of those names are ones that would make Ravens fans go, “Man, would’ve been nice if he was there for us.” Similarly to Baltimore, Cincy’s roster has their franchise QB and a proven (and expensive) receiving group, and like Baltimore, the challenge becomes the continuity of their O-line protecting Joe Burrow and keeping him upright.
Beyond that, though, there’s been trouble in the Jungle recently as Trey Hendrickson’s relationship with the front office seems to have soured. Hendrickson is coming off back-to-back seasons with 17.5 sacks a piece, but Bengals owner Katie Blackburn made comments seeming to indicate that the veteran EDGE wouldn’t be worth the extension he was asking for. If the relationship becomes untenable to the point that Hendrickson threatens to hold out, it’s a whole new ball game coming into this Draft, as Cincy’s top priority becomes EDGE. Unfortunately for Baltimore, it could mean a top-tier candidate like a Mike Green could be gone before they can get to him, but Baltimore could just as easily pivot to another priority position like Safety or Guard if that ends up being the case.
There’s still some time between now and the Draft, so the landscape can change, but Baltimore is likely to hold steady to make sure any acquisitions won’t have major impacts on the comp pick formula down the road. Time will tell, and hopefully the end product will be one that still leaves plenty of options for Baltimore when they’re on the clock.
