The Ravens' 2024 draft class is on the field this weekend, providing a first glimpse into what they could offer this season and beyond.
Here are my thoughts on this year's group, all in 50 words or less:
On the day of the draft, I projected the Ravens would go cornerback-offensive tackle with their first two picks, but picked the wrong guys. It was partly because of size. Nate Wiggins and Roger Rosengarten must get bigger and stronger. But that can be remedied. Speed and athleticism cannot.
General Manager Eric DeCosta said Rosengarten "does everything pretty well." There were other high-ceiling second-round offensives tackles the Ravens liked, but Rosengarten topped the list because he was a "very safe, clean pick." Baltimore won't hesitate to make him a Day 1 starter if he earns it this summer.
Baltimore is a great landing spot for Wiggins, in part, because he doesn't have pressure to step in and be an immediate starter. He'll play a lot of meaningful snaps as a rookie, but don't expect him to be thrown into the fire the way Zay Flowers was last year.
The Ravens went into the 2024 offseason looking to rebuild their offensive line, mostly through the draft. Instead, they did more heavy lifting at cornerback. Fourth-round pick T.J. Tampa may not be far behind Wiggins when it comes to starting, depending on the futures of Brandon Stephens and Marlon Humphrey.
The Ravens bet on Wiggins, passing up eight trade offers to move back and perhaps take cornerback Cooper DeJean. They've also bet on Rashod Bateman, not only with the extension, but by passing on four straight wideouts picked right after No. 30 – Ricky Pearsall, Xavier Legette, Keon Coleman, Ladd McConkey.
Devontez Walker is the ninth wide receiver the Ravens have drafted in the fourth round. The best rookie season belongs to Demetrius Williams (22 catches, 396 yards, two touchdowns) in 2006. Everybody else had a combined 20 catches for 211 yards. Armed with elite traits, Walker will defy the odds.
My prediction is Walker rivals Williams' production and tops Tylan Wallace, Jaleel Scott, Chris Moore, Tandon Doss, Marcus Smith, Ron Johnson, and Brandon Stokley. The Ravens, including Lamar Jackson, felt like a big, fast receiver who could make plays over the top was the missing piece in the aerial attack.
DeCosta wanted to take a guard earlier in the draft, but their board got "wiped out." While he likes the in-house starting options, there's was interest in adding more competition and I expect a signing at some point. The question is whether it's an obvious starter or veteran fallback option.
Andrew Vorhees is like a mid-round pick in this year's draft, except better. While he didn't see the field last year as he rehabbed his knee, Vorhees was in meetings and got lessons on how to be a pro. He knows he must prove it on the field this summer
Here's how the roster stacks up as the Ravens enter Minicamp at the Under Armour Performance Center.
QB - Lamar Jackson
QB - Josh Johnson
QB No. 3 - Devin Leary
The sixth-round pick has shown off his big arm in OTAs, something he was known for coming out of Kentucky.
QB No. 4 – Emory Jones
The 6-foot-2, 210-pound Jones threw for 2,219 yards last season at Cincinnati and was signed in May as an undrafted rookie.
RB - Derrick Henry
RB - Justice Hill
RB No. 3 - Keaton Mitchell
Mitchell won't return by Week 1 from his late season knee injury, Head Coach John Harbaugh said, but the explosive back should give the Ravens some burst when healthy.
RB No. 3 - Rasheen Ali
A fifth-round pick, Ali is now back on the field after recovering from a biceps injury suffered in the Senior Bowl.
RB No. 5 - Owen Wright
An undrafted rookie out of Monmouth last year, Wright contributed on special teams in 2023 and faces another uphill battle for a roster spot.
RB No. 6 – Chris Collier
Collier, a Division II All-American at Loch Haven, was signed in May as an undrafted rookie after rushing for 1,393 yards.
WR - Zay Flowers
WR - Rashod Bateman
WR - Nelson Agholor
WR - Devontez Walker
WR - Tylan Wallace
WR No. 6 - Deonte Harty
The Baltimore native was signed during free agency after making an impact with the Bills last season as a receiver (15 catches) and on special teams (punt return touchdown).
WR No. 7 - Sean Ryan
Ryan spent last season on the practice squad after being an undrafted rookie and will compete to earn a place on the 53-man roster.
WR No. 8 – Malik Cunningham
A college quarterback (Louisville) signed off the Patriots' practice squad last season, Cunningham has made a position switch and looked comfortable running routes at OTAs.
WR - Isaiah Washington
In five seasons at Rutgers, Washington had 74 receptions for 927 yards and three touchdowns.
WR - Keith Kirkwood
The newest Raven is entering his seventh NFL season and has 294 receiving yards and three scores in his career.
WR – Dayton Wade
Wade was seventh in the SEC in receiving yards (830) last season at Mississippi and has experience playing outside and in the slot.
WR – Qadir Ismail
The 6-foot-6 son of former Ravens receiver Qadry Ismail, Qadir was signed to the 90-man roster after being invited to rookie minicamp.
TE - Mark Andrews
TE - Isaiah Likely
TE - Charlie Kolar
TE No. 4 - Scotty Washington
After being signed to the practice squad last November, Washington re-signed and is battling for a roster spot.
TE - Riley Sharp
The 25-year-old Sharp played most of his Oregon State career at outside linebacker but caught seven passes for 113 yards and two touchdowns in 2023.
TE - Mike Rigerman
Rigerman caught 21 touchdowns and had 1,807 receiving yards during his career at Findlay (Ohio).
FB - Pat Ricard
T - Ronnie Stanley
G/T - Daniel Faalele
OL - Patrick Mekari
T - Roger Rosengarten
OT No. 5 – Corey Bullock
Bullock, who can also play guard, spent his final college season at Maryland after four years at North Carolina Central.
OT No. 6 – Julian Pearl
Pearl started every game at left tackle for Illinois last season and was all Big 10 honorable mention.
OT No. 7 – Darrell Simpson
The 6-foot-6, 335-pound Simpson started 12 games at right tackle for Tulsa in 2023 but can also swing inside to play both guard positions.
G - Ben Cleveland
G/T - Sala Aumavae-Laulu
G/T - Josh Jones
G - Andrew Vorhees
OG No. 5 – TyKeem Doss
Doss spent last season on the practice squad as an undrafted rookie and hopes a year of experience will help him move up the depth chart.
OG No. 6 – Tashawn Manning
Manning was also on the practice squad in 2023 and spent his final college season at Kentucky after a five-year career at Auburn.
OG No. 7 - Darrian Dalcourt
Dalcourt started five games at guard for Alabama last season and is a native of Havre de Grace, Md.
C - Tyler Linderbaum
C - Nick Samac
DT - Justin Madubuike
NT - Michael Pierce
DT - Travis Jones
DE/DT - Broderick Washington
DE - Brent Urban
DL No. 6 – Rayshad Nichols
Nichols was undrafted in 2022 and has been on the practice squad for two seasons vying for a bigger role.
DL No. 7 - Deadrin Senat
Senat has spent the past six seasons as a backup in the NFL and played in 15 games the past two seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The 6-foot, 314-pound tackle is significantly leaner than Pierce, but he has some intriguing explosion.
DT No. 8 - Josh Tupou
In six NFL seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals, Tupou played in 65 games and made 23 starts. He posted 19 tackles each of the past two seasons and had a pair of sacks in 2022.
DL - Tramel Walthour
Walthour made five starts in 2023 as part of a talented defensive line rotation and won two national titles during his college career at Georgia.
DL - C.J. Ravenell
The 6-foot-5 Missouri Western product had 45 tackles and one sack last season and was named to the All-MIAA second team.
OLB - Odafe Oweh
OLB No. 2 – Kyle Van Noy
Van Noy produced a career high 9 sacks in 2023 and re-signing him was one of Baltimore's biggest offseason moves.
OLB - David Ojabo
LB - Malik Harrison
OLB - Tavius Robinson
OLB No. 6 – Adisa Isaac
The third-round pick could be part of the outside linebacker rotation immediately, particularly on passing downs if he's getting to the opposing quarterback.
LB No. 7 – Malik Hamm
The Baltimore native was on injured reserve (ankle) in 2023 after making the initial 53-man roster as an undrafted rookie.
OLB No. 8 - Joe Evans
Evans led Iowa with 9.5 sacks last season and ranks fourth all-time at Iowa with 28 career sacks. He's worked at linebacker with the Ravens but could have some fullback position flexibility.
ILB - Roquan Smith
ILB - Trenton Simpson
ILB - Chris Board
ILB No. 4 – Josh Ross
Ross has been on the practice squad the past two seasons after joining the Ravens in 2022 as an undrafted free agent out of Michigan.
ILB - Yvandy Rigby
A native of Turks and Caicos, Rigby didn't begin playing football until age 14. In 35 career games with Temple, Rigby totaled 205 tackles and four sacks.
ILB - Deion Jennings
Jennings led Rutgers in tackles (95) in 2023 and had 251 tackles during his career. He also showed his chops in coverage with 12 pass breakups and an interception.
CB - Marlon Humphrey
CB - Brandon Stephens
CB - Nate Wiggins
CB No. 4 - Arthur Maulet
Maulet is a tenacious slot cornerback who loves the action inside, and the Ravens made re-signing him one of their offseason priorities.
CB - Jalyn Armour-Davis
CB No. 6 – Damarion "Pepe" Williams
Williams doesn't have a guaranteed role, with the Ravens having safeties and corners capable of playing the slot effectively.
CB - T.J. Tampa
CB No. 8 - Tre Swilling
Entering his third season as a pro, Swilling finished last season on Baltimore's practice squad.
CB - Trayvon Mullen
A second-round pick of the Raiders in 2019, Mullen started 26 games in his first two seasons. He bounced to Arizona and Dallas in 2022 before spending the 2023 season in Baltimore on the non-football injury list. He's Lamar Jackson's cousin.
CB - Christian Matthew
A seventh-round pick of the Arizona Cardinals in 2022, Matthew played in 14 games and made three starts as a rookie before bouncing to Chicago midway through last year and then signing with Baltimore's practice squad near the end of the 2023 season.
CB - Bump Cooper Jr.
Cooper had four interceptions and 18 pass breakups over the past two seasons, showing versatility playing outside corner, slot corner, and safety at Oregon State.
CB - Ka'Dar Hollman
Now on his ninth NFL team, Hollman has 20 tackles, three pass deflections and one fumble recovery in his career.
S - Kyle Hamilton
S - Marcus Williams
S - Ar'Darius Washington
S - Sanoussi Kane
S No. 5 - Jordan Toles
The local Morgan State product had three interceptions and a forced fumble in 2023, and he flashed his ball hawking ways during OTAs. If Toles keep making plays, he's going to be tough to keep off the roster.
S No. 6 - Beau Brade
Widely projected to be drafted, Brade signed with his hometown team with a chance to win a 53-man roster spot. An ankle injury that sidelined him for OTAs didn't help, however. The University of Maryland product will be looking look to prove himself during minicamp and training camp.
K - Justin Tucker
P - Jordan Stout
LS - Nick Moore
No. 2 LS - Randen Plattner
Plattner snapped at Kansas State and was a semifinalist for the Patrick Mannelly Long Snapper of the Year award last season.
There's a bunch of intriguing prospects in the Ravens' undrafted rookie class. With 14 free agency departures and just a handful of additions, plus only nine draft picks, Baltimore has room on the roster. That surely helped with recruiting. The next Keaton Mitchell may be in this class.
If I'm handicapping the undrafted rookie class sight unseen, I'd say Maryland's Beau Brade has the best chance to make the 53-man roster. The Ravens need another safety for depth after Geno Stone's departure. Seventh-round pick Sanoussi Kane was eight picks away from going undrafted. That's a pretty level competition.
