The Baltimore Ravens have traded kicker/punter Kaare Vedvik to the Minnesota Vikings in exchange for a fifth-round pick in the 2020 NFL draft. It was expected Baltimore would move Vedvik at some point this offseason, with coach John Harbaugh outright saying that was the plan. But after Thursday’s preseason game against the Jacksonville Jaguars — in which Vedvik connected on all five of his field goal tries, including from 55 yards, and punted twice for 111 yards — it seemed the Vikings just couldn’t want much longer.
Clearly, Minnesota felt they could upgrade their special teams by trading for Vedvik. But what does Vedvik’s trade mean for the Ravens?
First and foremost, it’s worth acknowledging Vedvik was never going to take the starting job here in Baltimore. Justin Tucker and Sam Koch are arguably the best kicker and punter in the league, so unseating either was beyond unlikely. That means it won’t ultimately affect the depth chart in the slightest for the Ravens.
It’s all about that fifth-round pick Baltimore gets and what they can turn it into.
The Ravens have been one of the better teams in the NFL when it comes to scouting, identifying and selecting talent in the draft. But for the prominent first-round selections fans all know about, Baltimore has actually been better in the later rounds — especially in the fifth.
Over the last decade, the Ravens have found gold in the fifth round. They’ve selected tight end Nick Boyle, outside linebacker Matthew Judon, offensive lineman Jermaine Eluemunor, tackle Ricky Wagner, defensive end Arthur Jones, outside linebacker Pernell McPhee and guard John Urschel. All of those players have either been outright starters or have been in competition for starting jobs for Baltimore. Several even earned massive contracts after their rookie deals with the Ravens were over, showing how great Baltimore has been at finding talent there and developing it.
If the Ravens keep the fifth-round pick they got in exchange for Vedvik, they have a good chance at drafting a major contributor. But Baltimore could package that pick to move up or down the draft and get talent elsewhere.
According to Draft Wire’s 2019 NFL draft trade value chart, the No. 156 pick carries a 28.6-point value. While that might not vault the Ravens to the first round by itself, it’s additional value they can package to move up in a round or grab an extra pick in an earlier round.
With the Ravens being adept in the draft, an extra pick carries quite a lot of weight. Considering it was for a kicker Baltimore wasn’t going to keep on their 53-man roster, it’s practically stealing from Minnesota. It’s another big score early in general manager Eric DeCosta’s tenure as general manager.
