The Baltimore Ravens face multiple vital tasks during the 2024 NFL draft. They need to land as many draft picks as possible while maximizing the immediate and future production of whichever rookies they bring in.
Baltimore will always draft the best player available if the board warrants it, but they also draft for need when someone needs to be added. Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta talked about adding a running back to the team during the 2024 draft, hinting the pick could come in the later rounds.
“I think so. I think it was an interesting dynamic this year [for running backs] in free agency. You saw whatever it was – maybe nine or 10 guys – get signed on the first day of free agency. I think part of that was probably how people looked at this running back class in the Draft. There are no top-tier, first-round, necessarily, type talents this year. That being said, there are a lot of guys – if you are looking at the prospects in maybe the second, third or fourth round – there are a lot of those guys, particularly [in] third-, fourth- [or] fifth-round clumps, so we’ve looked at those guys very closely. We’re excited about some of those players. There is probably a pretty strong chance that we will draft a running back at some point; [the] round is obviously to be determined, but we do think there is a chance for us to get a good, young player who can help us in different ways; as a running back, in the passing game and also on special teams.”
Baltimore signed running back Derrick Henry on the second day of free agency, automatically reducing the position to the team’s need list. However, with Keaton Mitchell currently on the mend from a late-season injury, it wouldn’t be shocking to see the Ravens take a ball carrier with one of their later picks.
