The Baltimore Ravens mopped up at the 2020 NFL Draft, adding 10 new players and getting heaps of praise thrown on them for the value they picked and the needs they filled. But if you take a step back and look at what type of players the Ravens drafted, you’ll get a better idea of their strategy moving forward.
Not every team in the NFL is as good as Baltimore when it comes to scouting, drafting and developing players. The Ravens certainly have a history of greatness even though they’re one of the newer franchises in the league, respectively speaking. Baltimore has drafted Hall of Famers like Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, Jonathan Ogden, as well as future Hall of Famers Terrell Suggs and Marshal Yanda. While that level of greatness might not extend to their 2020 NFL Draft class, they’re sure to have added a bunch of impact players nonetheless.
But where the Ravens were really able to separate themselves this year was in establishing their strategy and building upon it. Baltimore honed in on a few key factors they wanted all their players to have while building up specific portions of their roster in order the further strengthen what they do best.
Finding winners:
“I think we just want winners,” general manager Eric DeCosta said in the post-draft press conference.
DeCosta was transparent here. After every night of the 2020 NFL Draft, DeCosta reiterated they were looking for players that performed well in the biggest games. He said the focus was to find players who knew how to step up when the level of competition increased, with the hopes that those guys would better be able to transition into the NFL.
“We want guys that are mature, that are fully developed, in terms of preparation, work ethic, approach and discipline,” DeCosta continued. “[With] some of the big schools, you get guys that … They come in and their process is close to being the same, and the adjustment is not quite as severe as it could be. Playing in big games – whatever level of football it really is – playing in big games matters.”
When you look at some of the guys the Ravens drafted, it’s clear they paid extra attention to film from their big games.
Baltimore’s first-round pick, linebacker Patrick Queen, was fresh off a national championship against Clemson in which he had eight total tackles including 2.5 for a loss, and a half sack.
Running back J.K. Dobbins also found another level when playing against Clemson in the Fiesta Bowl. Dobbins put up a 9.7 yards-per-carry average, rushing for 174 yards and a touchdown while adding another 47 yards on six receptions.
The transition to the NFL can be a rough one for every player, regardless of where they were selected. And that’s expected to be even worse this year with the coronavirus pandemic potentially shortening the in-person time these rookies will get with the coaching staff. Finding guys who already know how to get the job done might make them better prepared for facing the best of the best every single week in the NFL.
Shutting down the run:
If it wasn’t clear that Baltimore was shaken by how they got beat by the Tennessee Titans in the playoffs, they’ve highlighted it this offseason. The Ravens don’t want to get bullied and run on again, and they’ve invested heavily in their front seven as the remedy.
The Ravens already revamped their defensive line in the offseason, trading for Calais Campbell and signing Derek Wolfe. Entering the 2020 NFL Draft, Baltimore was already sporting a significantly improved run defense. But that didn’t stop them from improving it even further.
The Ravens were expected to draft Queen, a three-down linebacker that has the range to drop back into coverage. But they shocked many by doubling down at the position and selecting Malik Harrison, an old-school linebacker well known for stuffing the run. Baltimore also continued their remodel of the defensive line by drafting two more defensive tackles — Justin Madubuike and Broderick Washington Jr.
While the Ravens worked hard to return most of their starters from last season, the front seven could realistically see five new players in the lineup come Week 1. For a team that went 14-2 last season and had very few weaknesses, this level of change is clearly in an effort to squash their biggest flaw.
Getting faster:
The Kansas City Chiefs made life difficult for opponents last season by turning their roster into a track team. With speed on top of speed, the Chiefs dared teams to match up against them straight up, beating them through scheme when opponents shied away from it. The Ravens must have liked what they saw there because they got faster through the 2020 NFL Draft.
Baltimore was already a pretty fast team. Wide receiver Marquise Brown was lightning last season and he was actually slowed down by injuries and a screw in his foot. Quarterback Lamar Jackson won the NFL’s MVP thanks in large part to a highlight reel that included him juking the life out of several defenders and outrunning the rest. Running back Mark Ingram might be on the wrong side of 30 but he’s still got enough speed to surprise and bust off huge gains. But with the 2020 NFL Draft, Baltimore added to that speed on both sides of the ball.
Queen ran the fourth-fastest 40-yard dash among linebackers at the 2020 NFL Scouting Combine. His 4.5-second 40-yard dash is an improvement on the guy he was drafted to replace, C.J. Mosley, who ran an unofficial 4.6-second time at Alabama’s Pro Day in 2014, according to Chase Goodbread of NFL.com.
Dobbins ran a 4.45-second 40-yard dash coming out of high school, which would have been good enough fifth-best among the running backs at the combine, even if he hadn’t improved at all over the last four years. Wide receiver Devin Duvernay also finished fifth in his position group, running a 4.39-second 40-yard dash time at the combine.
Even guys like Harrison and James Proche, though they might not be known for their speed, have enough of it to be effective weapons and used in a variety of roles for Baltimore. With all of it combined, the Ravens have some more speed on offense to create mismatches while improving their speed inside on defense to better match up in games.
Drafting for the future:
One of the reasons for Baltimore’s sustained success is because they don’t just look at what they need right now in the draft. Instead, the Ravens use their “best-player-available” philosophy to grab great prospects sliding down the draft board to stock their roster for the future.
The most shining example of that was when Baltimore selected cornerback Marlon Humphrey in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft, despite not having a dramatic need at the position. Humphrey got some playing time as a rookie but largely spent his first two seasons in a backup role before securing the starting job last season and turning in an All-Pro performance.
As I had said before the draft, the Ravens taking a running back early was a real possibility if someone fell right into their laps. Sure enough, that’s exactly what happened, with Baltimore taking Dobbins in the second round, someone DeCosta didn’t expect to be there that late.
“We thought he was going to be a first-round pick,” DeCosta said following Day 2 of the 2020 NFL Draft. “We thought he might have been the first back, might have been a guy that went 25-to-30 or somewhere in there.”
Though Dobbins is surely going to get some playing time as a rookie, he could see a similar entrance to the NFL as Humphrey. With Ingram in front of him, Dobbins will likely be relegated to more of a rotational role early and as he continues to learn the intricacies of the position, he’ll see an increase in playing time. By the time Dobbins actually starts, he should be primed for a Pro Bowl season.
With the Ravens’ run-heavy offensive scheme, having guys waiting in the wings to take over is a wise strategy. When Baltimore is ready to move on from Ingram, they won’t have to hope a player they love as much as Dobbins is available for them to pick. They won’t have to potentially reach for a running back or spend valuable cap space on a free agent simply because it’s a pressing need. In the end, that saved draft capital and money can go to building up other positions and further making the Ravens’ roster better.
Overall strategy:
The more time I spend looking at Baltimore’s draft class, the more impressed I am.
The Ravens fixed the one flaw that got them kicked out of the postseason. That alone should be enough to get them over the hump towards another Super Bowl. But they got faster as well, further creating mismatches they can take advantage of and improving on an offense that scored the most points in the league last year. They’re easily a better roster than the 2019 unit that went 14-2.
However, one real shot at a Super Bowl isn’t enough. Baltimore has experience maxing out the credit cards for a ring in 2001, seeing injuries and other issues keep them from the promised land and forcing them to blow up the roster after it didn’t work out. Instead, ensuring the roster is set up for a few years to take repeated shots at a Super Bowl is the best strategy and the Ravens took steps towards that goal in the 2020 NFL Draft.
Baltimore filled what would have been some of their biggest needs next offseason, adding cheap, long-term options on both the offensive and defensive lines as well as finding a starter at running back. Instead of being forced to scramble at this time next year, spending their money and draft picks to hopefully keep up with the rest of the pack, they’re letting rookies grow into their roles and extending their Super Bowl window safely.
This is the type of draft the Ravens have prided and built themselves on. It’s why they’ve been so successful over the last 24 seasons and why they’re likely going to be one of the best teams in the league for their 25th and beyond.
