Despite the additions of Calais Campbell and Derek Wolfe this offseason, one of the Baltimore Ravens’ biggest priorities heading into the draft will be to beef up their outside pass rush. The Ravens were the most blitz heavy team in the NFL in 2019, but despite sending extra rushers on 54.9% of their defensive snaps they still finished the season with the 12th fewest sacks.
Though Baltimore has outside linebacker Matthew Judon returning in 2020 via the franchise tag, they could use some help opposite him and potentially need his replacement. In order to remedy their pass rush and build towards the future, the Ravens will likely turn to the 2020 NFL Draft. But as we’ve seen in previous years, Baltimore won’t reach for a player and could look to any of the seven rounds for their player.
With that in mind, let’s take a closer look at the best options for the Ravens in each round of the 2020 NFL Draft.
1st Round – Yetur Gross-Matos, Penn State
The two best edge-rushing prospects in the draft, Chase Young and K’Lavon Chaisson, will be long gone by the time the Ravens make their first pick at 28. But there’s a good chance Gross-Matos will still be available.
Gross-Matos ended his time with the Penn State Nittany Lions with 18.5 sacks as well as a whopping 36.5 tackles for loss. He played as an edge defender for most of his career but was often deployed inside on passing downs. His versatility would be an asset to Baltimore and make him a handy tool for defensive coordinator Don Martindale.
Gross-Matos is far from a finished product but he has enough skills to contribute as a pass rush specialist early in his career while he finetunes the rest of his game.
2nd Round – Josh Uche, Michigan
Uche was not a fulltime player during his time with the Michigan Wolverines, playing just over half of their defensive snaps in 2019. Despite this, he was still able to rack up 7.5 sacks as well as 10.5 tackles for loss. His efforts were recognized by his teammates, who voted him Michigan’s Defensive Player of the Year.
Uche profiles as a player that could help the Ravens as a pass rush specialist early in his career while he learns the finer nuances of the game. He’s an athlete who can rush the passer at the moment, though not necessarily an athletic pass rusher. The Ravens should be able to do through homework on Uche, given that he played under Jim Harbaugh in college.
3rd Round – Bradlee Anae, Utah
Anae was a consistently productive part of Utah’s defense during his four seasons in college. He had double-digit tackles for loss in each of his last three seasons, and as a senior, he exploded for a career-high 13 sacks.
Anae is not a natural run defender, thanks in no small part to his “short” arms, and very rarely dropped into pass coverage. While he could certainly develop coverage skills, that would not be an optimal use of his time. This lack of versatility is a major reason why he should still be available when the Ravens are on the clock with either the 92nd or 106th selections.
4th Round – Julian Okwara, Notre Dame
As we hit the middle to later rounds, we start to see more players fall into the “project” category — Okwara of Notre Dame is one such player. He enjoyed some degree of production in college, finishing his time with 14.5 sacks along with 23 tackles for loss. But at present, he is an athletic specimen who needs refinement.
His frame could probably stand the addition of more muscle and getting him into an NFL weight program would certainly benefit him. Failing that, he is a player that could see the field and be successful in passing situations. But he’s far from the finished product.
5th Round – Alex Highsmith, Charlotte
No player in Charlotte school history has more sacks in a single game, a single season, or a career than Highsmith. He achieved all of these marks in his final season with his 4 sacks against Old Dominion contributing to his 14 for the year. Highsmith ended his college career with 20 in total, as well as 46 tackles for loss.
Despite playing at a lower level of competition, Highsmith acquitted himself well when he went up against premier opposition. Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney was particularly impressed, according to Matt Connoly of The State.
His current stature is not that of a player who can handle a full workload as an outside pass rusher. But he has shown that he can get after quarterbacks when he has to. Spending the 170th overall selection on a situational pass rusher while hoping he can develop into more would be a smart investment for the Ravens.
6th Round – James Smith-Williams, NC State
Leadership is something that the Ravens value in their players and Smith-Williams has it in spades. He battled multiple injuries during his time at NC State, including one that cost him five games in 2019. But he still earned his teammates respect enough to be voted as a team captain prior to the season.
Smith-Williams had 8 sacks and 13 tackles for loss throughout his career at NC State. While those aren’t tremendous numbers, he has some athletic traits that suggest that he has not yet peaked as a pass rusher and a creative and talented NFL defensive staff could help him unlock these skills. A coaching staff like the Ravens, for instance
At present, Baltimore does not own a sixth-round selection in this draft but only a fool or a hero would expect the team to not engage in a number of trades on draft day. If one were to net them a sixth-rounder, then Smith-Williams would not be a terrible player to use it on as a developmental prospect.
7th Round – Azur Kamara, Kansas
Kamara only played two seasons for Kansas after two years in junior college. His two seasons with Kansas saw him flit between defensive end and outside linebacker, putting up 4.5 sacks and 11 tackles for loss in total. Kamara is a fascinating prospect, given his time in Juco and the fact that he actually wanted to play soccer at high school.
Kamara has tried to model parts of his game after his role model Khalil Mack. Not a terrible path to follow in, I suppose. He needs some time to develop his instincts as a pass rusher, but taken this late in the draft there would be no pressure to throw him into the starting lineup immediately. As a prospect that can contribute on defense and special teams, he’s a solid last-round selection with a ton of upside.
