The Baltimore Ravens sit at the back of the first round in the 2020 NFL Draft — No. 28 specifically. While that doesn’t give them the plethora of amazing prospects like the first 10 teams will get to choose from, it does give Baltimore a chance to see someone fall into their laps.
Where the top half of the round usually consists of teams that are chasing their biggest needs, the Ravens instead pick the highest-rated player on their board. And when someone they have a top-15 grade on falls to No. 28, they’re all too happy to write that name on the card and call it a night.
In the 2020 NFL Draft, that won’t be any different. Baltimore could easily see a player many have rated highly slide down to them. Whether it be a run on a specific position or some teams having larger concerns about something that checked out, these are the seven players who could slide to the Ravens in the 2020 NFL Draft.
LB Isaiah Simmons, Clemson
Simmons is a consensus top-10 player anywhere you look. The problem with Simmons is that many teams could be concerned about how to utilize him. While he’s labeled a linebacker and is sized accordingly, he’s got the speed of a safety. But he’s also a little raw on the mental side of the game, which makes a transition to one position or the other not as clear cut.
With so many hybrid players that have insane physical traits having not lived up to their high draft status because teams don’t know how to use them, they might not be as crazy about Simmons as draft analysts. But for the Ravens and their versatile scheme, you better believe they’ll know how to use Simmons and turn him into a monster.
LB Patrick Queen, LSU
There really doesn’t seem to be a clear consensus on who the second-best linebacker is. For some, it’s clearly Queen while others value Kenneth Murray more. And with the position as a whole being devalued in the wake of pass-heavy offenses, Queen could end up falling in the first round.
While not as fast as Simmons, Queen has the speed to play sideline-to-sideline and still come down in run support. He’s one of the few three-down linebackers in this draft class but many teams just don’t want or need a guy like that this early in the draft.
WR Jerry Jeudy, Alabama
If you could take a time machine back two months ago, everyone was sure Jeudy was a top-5 pick and the clear top wide receiver in the 2020 NFL Draft. Cut to right before the draft starts and all of a sudden the top of the group is muddied. An elite route runner, Jeudy is seeing some people knock him down because he isn’t as fast as former Alabama teammate Henry Ruggs III.
As if that wasn’t enough of a reason to see Jeudy potentially drop into the 20s, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport said there are a few teams that have concerns over his health.
With the coronavirus pandemic making getting medical tests difficult, if not outright impossible in some instances, teams at the top half of the 2020 NFL Draft might just decide to stay away from Jeudy and instead dip into the crazy depth the draft class has.
DL Javon Kinlaw, South Carolina
Depending on who you ask, Kinlaw is an obvious top-10 pick or he’s a project. But no matter the view on Kinlaw, everyone agrees he has the potential to be something special. He’s tall, long, has great athleticism and a nasty punch. But he doesn’t always live up to his physical traits and he’s still a little raw in his technique.
That potential makes him a first-round pick but the lack of polish and a knee injury in the Senior Bowl might have teams not interested in the potential gamble. But as we’ve seen this offseason, Baltimore wants to build up their defensive line and Kinlaw, when healthy and at his best, would be a fitting addition. At No. 28, he wouldn’t have nearly as much pressure to show up immediate either and learning behind Calais Campbell, Brandon Williams and Derek Wolfe would do him serious favors. He makes a lot of sense for the Ravens if he falls far enough.
C/G Cesar Ruiz, Michigan
Ruiz has frequently been mocked to Baltimore. But as the top interior offensive lineman in this draft class, it’s beginning to look more like Ruiz might be gone well before the Ravens get on the clock. It wouldn’t be the same amount of a slide as someone like Simmons but Ruiz being available for Baltimore at No. 28 would still be a slide for him.
RB D’Andre Swift, Georgia
Swift seems to be everyone’s top running back in the 2020 NFL Draft. He’s got speed and power with great vision. There’s little doubt he’s a three-down running back in the NFL who will be an immediate starter.
But boy does the league seemingly hate drafting running backs in the first round unless they’re something truly special. Even then, NFL teams should have learned that paying those guys top money is akin to lighting it on fire. With what happened to Los Angeles Rams running back Todd Gurley and Jacksonville Jaguars running back Leonard Fournette, it wouldn’t be that shocking to see Swift fall to the Ravens at the end of the first round. Still, many have him as a top-15 player in the 2020 NFL Draft and being available at No. 28 would be a massive slide, regardless of his position.
WR Justin Jefferson, LSU
Jefferson is the opposite of Jeudy in this case. Two months ago, Jefferson was a borderline first-round wide receiver in most circles. Right now, he’s expected to go early in the 20s at the latest. But that type of sudden rise before the draft doesn’t always mean scouts and general managers feel quite the same way, and Jefferson could still be viewed as a late first-round player that is good but not great.
The Ravens would love to have someone of Jefferson’s caliber in their wide receiver room but he’d have to slide to get there.
