The 2019 NFL season is over as well as the Senior Bowl. That means the 2020 NFL Scouting Combine is the next chance for prospects to help or hurt their draft stock. With the combine next week, this is a final opportunity to run a mock of the 2020 NFL Draft with just what prospects put on tape and not the hype that surrounds any outlier measurements or individual drills.
Luke Easterling of Draft Wire did exactly that, creating a four-round mock draft that gives his predictions on how things will shake out. As is usual with all mock drafts at this point, this doesn’t include any compensatory picks (since they haven’t been announced yet) or trades. But it’ll give you a great idea at some players Baltimore could be quite interested in in the 2020 NFL Draft.
Let’s kick this mock draft off with Baltimore’s first pick, at No. 28:
1st round (No. 28) – RB Jonathan Taylor, Wisconsin
“Mark Ingram’s absence was painfully obvious in Baltimore’s playoff meltdown, and the Ravens would do well to seek a young back who can do all things he brings to the table. Taylor is a complete runner who has the vision, patience, power and explosiveness to be a dangerous weapon in the league’s top rushing attack.”
We’ve already talked at length about Taylor in Easterling’s previous mock draft, so I’ll keep it short here. Running back isn’t a terrible idea at some point in this draft simply as more depth and an eventual replacement for Ingram. But getting one in the first round doesn’t really make a ton of sense considering the Ravens have two guys they feel comfortable with starting and a third running back they took last year in Justice Hill. Finding roster space for a fourth running back would be just too much.
Instead, Georgia offensive lineman Solomon Kindley (No. 29), TCU wide receiver Jalen Reagor (No. 30), LSU linebacker Patrick Queen (No. 33), LSU wide receiver (No. 34), Alabama outside linebacker Terrell Lewis (No. 36) or Wisconsin offensive lineman Tyler Biadasz (No. 37) would all make better sense in the first round of this mock draft for Baltimore.
The rest of the Ravens’ selections are better fits, so click on the next pages to see who Easterling mocks to Baltimore in the second, third and fourth rounds.
No. 28 / No. 60 / No. 92 / No. 119 / No. 124
2nd round (No. 60) – WR Donovan Peoples-Jones, Michigan
Though it isn’t as big of a need, the Ravens do indeed need more help at wide receiver for quarterback Lamar Jackson. In Peoples-Jones, Baltimore gets yet another speedy wide receiver to match up with Marquise Brown, which should stress opposing offenses to keep up.
At 6-foot-2 and 208 pounds, Peoples-Jones projects as a big slot receiver in the NFL. That means he might have a more limited role in 2020 with Willie Snead still under contract for next season. But Peoples-Jones is still a big-play option that can make plays happen if given the ball in space or sent deep thanks to his size and speed combination.
No. 28 / No. 60 / No. 92 / No. 119 / No. 124
3rd round (No. 92) – EDGE Jason Strowbridge, North Carolina
Strowbridge is an interesting prospect that doesn’t seemingly have a position. At 6-foot-4 and 267 pounds, he might be a little too big to be a stand-up outside linebacker while being too small to be a defensive tackle in a 3-4 front. That means he’ll likely be placed at defensive end in the Ravens’ scheme but moved around depending on what package Baltimore was in until he can develop more in one area and find a more consistent spot on the roster.
With the Ravens not having a definitive starter at defensive end, that might end up being a great fit for Strowbridge. He’ll be primarily tasked with helping set the edge and providing extra force to hopefully tie up the tackle so Baltimore’s outside linebackers can rush the quarterback uncovered.
The Ravens might decide to get him a little thinner and faster at the loss of some strength in order to play him in a more traditional stand-up outside linebacker role. In that case, I’d expect Strowbridge would become more of a rotational pass rusher rather than a three-down outside linebacker expected to help against the run.
No. 28 / No. 60 / No. 92 / No. 119 / No. 124
4th round (No. 119) – OL Damien Lewis, LSU
Guard is a need that is still very much up in the air for Baltimore right now. If Marshal Yanda decides to retire this offseason, I’d expect the Ravens to pick up an interior offensive lineman far sooner than the fourth round. But regardless of Yanda’s decision, Baltimore will need to continue stacking talent on the interior of their offensive line.
In Lance Zierlein’s scouting report on NFL.com, he notes Lewis is a beast as a run blocker but lacks the footwork and agility to pass protect well. Luckily, with Orlando Brown at right tackle, Lewis’ pass-blocking issues might be well masked and allow Baltimore to continue running behind the right side of their line.
If selected and Yanda does retire, I’d expect Lewis to be in the competition for the starting right guard job as a rookie. If given a year to develop behind Yanda, he could be a good plug-and-play option as a replacement for Yanda’s fierce run blocking.
No. 28 / No. 60 / No. 92 / No. 119 / No. 124
4th round (No. 124) – WR Lynn Bowden Jr., Kentucky
Bowden is another really interesting pick here with a ton of upside but also a bit of a work in progress.
As a junior at Kentucky, Bowden showed off his versatility, playing practically every position on offense. In 2019, Bowden caught 30 passes for 348 yards and a touchdown while rushing 185 times for 1,468 yards and 13 touchdowns. Bowden even threw the football 74 times, completing 35 attempts for 403 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions. That makes Bowden a very intriguing prospect for a team like the Ravens.
However, the fact Bowden was moved all over the field and used at quarterback ultimately hurt his development as a pure wide receiver. Because of that, he doesn’t have a ton of polish and is forced to rely on his athleticism, which won’t be as freakish when in the NFL.
But given Baltimore’s more unique offensive scheme with quarterback Lamar Jackson, Bowden seems like a great fit for the Ravens. They can put him at every single skill position on offense and create whole packages to create mismatches. Much the way Taysom Hill has been used in New Orleans, I’d envision a similar all-around role for Bowden in the NFL.
Still, I wonder if the fourth round is a little too high for a prospect some teams might view as a project or only as a gadget player.
