It’s the final week of mock drafts for the 2019 NFL draft. With the first round kicking off on Thursday, we’re making our final predictions to see who the Baltimore Ravens might have on the board in the first few rounds.
I changed things up, using The Draft Network’s mock draft simulator instead of FanSpeak. It definitely messed with the boards and could very well present a much more realistic view of how things will shake out in the 2019 NFL draft.
Let’s take a closer look at who I chose for the Ravens in my latest mock draft:
First round – No. 22: G/C, Garrett Bradbury, NC State
I would have loved to trade back here. Either dropping back and staying in the first round or moving out of the first round completely would have been desirable. But not being able to trade in this mock draft simulator, I instead kept the No. 22 selection and picked up the best option for the Ravens: Bradbury.
Baltimore dramatically needs help on the interior of their offensive line. They had a revolving door of players at left guard last year and they could use an upgrade over center Matt Skura. Even right guard still remains a bit of a question mark as Marshal Yanda is nearing the end of his career and the Ravens need an heir apparent there. Bradbury immediately comes in and starts at either left guard or center. He’s smart, agile and has enough power to upgrade either spot from Week 1.
The best thing is his versatility, which will allow Baltimore more options to get a better offensive line together. Given their desire to run the football often, finding a starter on the interior of the offensive line might be the biggest addition the Ravens can have this offseason.
Third round – No. 85: S, Darnell Savage, Maryland
Savage has been climbing boards recently as more people get a chance to check out his film. If Savage is available that late in the third round, Baltimore has to take him, even if they don’t have an immediate need for him.
Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar recently compared him to safety Bob Sanders, which seems fitting. Savage always plays fast, hard and has a hit stick “Madden” users will drool for. It’s a style that fits the Ravens’ defense perfectly.
However, this is a perfect case of “BPA” for Baltimore. With safeties Earl Thomas and Tony Jefferson, the Ravens don’t have an immediate need for a safety in the third round. But Jefferson has two years remaining on his contract and could be a cap casualty next offseason. Having Savage take a year to learn behind two of the best while getting his feet under him could see the Maryland prospect flourish sooner rather than later.
While I would have loved to take a wide receiver, all the ones available at this point were reaches. Savage was just too good to pass up here.
Third round – No. 102: RB, Miles Sanders, Penn State
If the Ravens can’t get Alabama’s Josh Jacobs, Sanders might be the best fit for Baltimore’s current roster. He won’t need to start immediately but still offers a different skill set than what the Ravens currently have.
When Baltimore picked up running back Mark Ingram in free agency, it was generally considered to be a great addition. However, there were questions on how Ingram would fit into a backfield that already had plenty of his style of play. Grabbing Sanders helps round things out in 2019.
Sanders isn’t a power back but a shifty rusher. It’s exactly what Baltimore needs right now with Gus Edwards, Ingram and Kenneth Dixon on the depth chart. Sanders can be thrown in as a receiver out of the backfield or simply as a change-of-pace to the rest of the unit’s downhill running style.
Sanders is still pretty raw as a rusher, which makes sense considering he was sitting behind current New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley at Penn State. With only one year as the lead back, Sanders needs to develop a little better vision, patience and instinct. Luckily, those things can be taught while he lets Edwards and Ingram take the bulk of the carries initially before getting a real shot at the starting job in a few years.
