With the NFL’s tampering period starting yesterday, the football world went nuts. Players have agreed to deals that will see them on different teams and a bevy of big trades have been pulled off. Among that group has been the Baltimore Ravens, who have been uncharacteristically aggressive at the beginning of free agency.
The Ravens have beefed up their defensive line by pulling off a trade for Calais Campbell and agreeing to a deal with Michael Brockers. Tight end Hayden Hurst is now gone but with his departure comes a bunch of changes to Baltimore’s picks in the 2020 NFL Draft.
So what better time to take a look forward at the draft and what might have changed with the first day of the legal tampering period finished. Are any new players on the board for the Ravens this time around and have their needs dramatically changed enough to see them go in a different direction? Only one way to find out and that’s to run a simulation.
As usual, I used The Draft Network’s mock draft simulator with the predictive board. To get the most out of Baltimore’s wild first day, I went with a two-round mock, which will give us three players that should make an immediate impact on the Ravens’ roster. Let’s see who I picked.
1st round (No. 28) EDGE Zack Baun, Wisconsin
After packing on the pounds on the defensive line and hopefully fixing their run-defense woes, adding another outside linebacker just makes too much sense. I’m assuming the Ravens are keeping Matthew Judon after franchise tagging him, but finding someone opposite him would be a wise decision even if they’re able to sign him to a long-term extension this offseason. With the addition of Campbell and Brockers, another potent outside pass rusher would really help free up Judon more and could see Baltimore’s defense do a brilliant job at moving and collapsing the pocket on quarterbacks next season.
There were a bunch of options for me to choose from with A.J. Epenesa, Yetur Gross-Matos, Baun and Terrell Lewis all sitting there. If I could, I would have tried to move down to the last pick in the first round to still get one of these guys but also get an extra pick out of it. But in this case, I went with Baun.
While many people find themselves in love with one of these pass rushers and will surely hate my pick accordingly, I like the versatility Baun brings to the table for the Ravens given what they’ve done already. He can be a stand-up outside linebacker or play on the line with his hand in the dirt if needed. He’s smart and is a solid tackler, which will help in early downs while being quick and agile, which will help as a speed rusher on the outside. Baun “plays like a Raven,” which accounts for far more than some people think when it comes to who Baltimore brings on board.
2nd round (No. 55) – WR Donovan Peoples-Jones, Michigan
Once again, guys I liked fell into my lap here and I was able to pick up an impact player at a position of need. While Peoples-Jones is clearly in the second tier of wide receivers in this draft class, he fits exactly what the Ravens are looking for right now.
Peoples-Jones is a sure-handed possession receiver with some ability to create yards after the carry. He’s physical, is a solid downfield blocker and plays tough all the way around. Given he’s coming from Michigan where Ravens coach John Harbaugh’s brother Jim is the coach, Baltimore will likely be able to get a more accurate report on what Peoples-Jones brings to the team and the locker room, which could see them fall in love with him in the second round.
Though he’s technically a slot receiver, he can play outside as well if he learns how to better handle press coverage. That versatility will come in handy on Baltimore’s offense, where they’ll move him all over the place to put him in the best matchups opposite Marquise Brown.
2nd round (No. 60) – RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire, LSU
So many mock drafts have Baltimore grabbing a running back in the first round, which is kinda nuts. But there is more than a passing need at the position, even with Gus Edwards returning as an ERFA and Ingram still in the starting role. Finding an eventual replacement for the early-down work those two do might not pay off a ton in 2020 but is a smart investment for the future.
When looking at Edwards-Helaire, it’s easy to see how he fits into the Ravens’ scheme and their mentality. Edwards-Helaire is a powerful running back standing at just 5-foot-7 and 207 pounds. He’s the type of running back that will make just about every defender pay by lowering his shoulder and driving his feet through contact. But boy would you be mistaken for thinking he was just a bruiser.
His 4.6-second 40-yard dash time proves he’s got a little speed in him as well and he’ll make defenses pay for giving him an open lane. Even if a linebacker has him one-on-one, Edwards-Helaire has surprising quickness and agility to make guys tackle air while he picks up extra yards on a fast cut. He’s a plus in the passing game, though like almost all running backs coming into the league, he needs to improve his pass protection if he wants to be a true three-down running back.
It’s worth noting some pundits compare Edwards-Helaire to Ray Rice and the Ravens clearly know how to utilize a running back like that. However, the plus in favor of Edwards-Helaire is that he’ll come into the NFL with about 500 fewer touches on him, which should increase his durability quite a bit more down the stretch.
