BALTIMORE — ESPN NFL draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. has never hidden his affection for his hometown Ravens, and sometimes he can go overboard in showing favor.
But deep down inside, there is always that nugget of truth that sums up his evaluation of the team heading into the NFL draft, which begins April 27 in Kansas City.
“They should have beaten, could have beaten, Cincinnati easily with a beat-up, banged-up Tyler Huntley and no Lamar Jackson,” Kiper said of the Ravens’ quarterback situation in a 24-17 loss in the AFC wild-card round. “Physically, I thought they had them beaten had they not had the freakish play [Huntley’s goal-line fumble returned 98 yards for a touchdown] which resulted in the 14-point swing.”
When it comes to the draft, the positions the Ravens need to target are obvious to the Calvert Hall graduate, who has been covering the annual event for ESPN since 1984.
“The bottom line is they need one or two corners, they need one or two receivers and I think a defensive lineman,” Kiper said.
Even though the Ravens have only five picks — Nos. 22 (first round), 86 (third round), 124 (fourth round), 157 (fifth round) and 199 (sixth round) — Kiper believes they can still fill their needs. He said this wide receiver class is weaker than some recent years, but the two strongest positions are cornerback and tight end.
He also rates the quarterback position near the top, but then there is a drop-off. So while the Ravens and Jackson sit and wait to see who blinks first during contract negotiations, Baltimore needs to come away with a quarterback in the draft.
It probably won’t be either Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud, who is expected to go No. 1 overall to the Carolina Panthers, or Alabama’s Bryce Young, projected as the No. 2 pick to the Houston Texans.
But the Indianapolis Colts might be willing to send their No. 4 pick to the Ravens in a deal for Jackson, putting Baltimore in position to draft Florida’s Anthony Richardson or Kentucky’s Will Levis.
“The most NFL-ready, right now, would be Stroud and Young,” Kiper said. “Levis played in two NFL systems with college coordinators. If you wanted to go to [new Ravens offensive coordinator] Todd Monken, you’d have to ask, what kind of quarterback you want?
“If you say we’re going to get away from the runner, you go with Will Levis. If you want more of the Lamar Jackson-type quarterback coming out, then you’d go with Anthony Richardson.”
The Ravens shouldn’t have to make as many difficult decisions at cornerback, according to Kiper. He has graded 28 cornerbacks who could be picked within the first four rounds and 49 total worthy of being drafted.
Kiper rates Illinois’ Devon Witherspoon at the top, followed by Oregon’s Christian Gonzalez. Penn State’s Joey Porter Jr. is the top shutdown cornerback of the group, and the Ravens need one with veteran Marcus Peters still unsigned and three-time Pro Bowl selection Marlon Humphrey expected to play more often inside.
Maryland’s Deonte Banks, Mississippi State’s Emmanuel Forbes, Michigan’s D.J. Turner, South Carolina’s Cam Smith and Georgia’s Kelee Ringo round out a superb group.
“Now, if Jalyn Armour-Davis can start to stay healthy and develop, maybe they got something there,” Kiper of last year’s fourth-round pick out of Alabama. “We’ll see. The Ravens need corners, so this is a really good year for them to find some.”
The Ravens’ legacy at drafting wide receivers in the first round isn’t very good. Do I need to mention some of them again? Oh heck, why not? Travis Taylor, Marquise “Hollywood” Brown, Breshad Perriman, Rashod Bateman.
Bateman was recently critical of Eric DeCosta for the general manager’s honest assessment of the group, but the Ravens shouldn’t back off trying to select one in the draft.
Kiper agrees.
“The wide receiver position is intriguing,” he said. “I don’t know about No. 1 [receivers]. I think there are a lot of twos. I don’t think there is a legitimate one right now. A lot of times, it’s just being in the right place at the right time, the right year where you take one and it works out. It’s just hit or miss. As you go, and you look at most teams, you can go through a history and say, ‘Boy, they struggle with this spot or struggle with that.’
“That’s just the way it is. You can’t be perfect.”
Boston College’s Zay Flowers, Ohio State’s Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Southern California’s Jordan Addison and TCU’s Quentin Johnston are Kiper’s top ranked wide receivers and will likely be taken in the first round. Michigan State’s Jayden Reed, Tennessee’s Cedric Tillman and Wake Forest’s A.T. Perry are among his top 10 and could still be available when the Ravens pick again in the third round at No. 86 overall.
If the Ravens hit on all three positions, Kiper expects improvement. The Ravens are in need of a pass rusher, but they might already have a good one on the roster.
“I love what [David] Ojabo can do,” Kiper said of last year’s second-round pick out of Michigan, who missed most of his rookie season while recovering from a torn Achilles tendon. “He is going to be an extra draft pick this year coming back healthy after being injured and redshirted this past year. They need to develop [third-year outside linebacker] Odafe Oweh. If he comes on, that gives the Ravens a good one-two punch to the outside.”
Easier said than done, of course. But there’s hope.
“The Ravens are close to where they need to be,” Kiper said.
