After landing wide receiver Marquise "Hollywood" Brown in the first round of the NFL Draft, the Ravens don't have a second-round pick Friday, but they have two third-round picks (No. 85 and No 102).
Several mock drafts have predicted what the Ravens will do in the third round. Here's a look at some players that people are linking to Baltimore:
Pick No. 85 – D'Andre Walker, Edge Rusher, Georgia
Pick No. 102 – Michael Jordan, G, Ohio State
Pick No. 85 – Anthony Nelson, Edge Rusher, Iowa
Pick No. 102 – Michael Jordan, G, Ohio State
Pick No. 85 – D'Andre Walker, Edge Rusher, Georgia
Pick No. 102 – Khalil Hodge, ILB, Buffalo
Pick No. 85 – Miles Sanders, RB, Penn State
Pick No. 102 – Anthony Nelson, Edge Rusher, Iowa
Pick No. 85 – Justice Hill, RB, Oklahoma State
Pick No. 102 – Beau Benzschawel, G, Wisconsin
Seeing Walker and Nelson as possible targets for the Ravens is not a surprise. The Ravens lost linebackers Za'Darius Smith and Terrell Suggs during free agency – two players who combined for 15 ½ sacks last season. Although free agent defensive end Ezekiel Ansah visited the team this week, the Ravens have not added a pass rusher yet this offseason.
Walker led Georgia with 7 ½ sacks last season, playing against top-flight competition in the SEC. A sports hernia that required surgery in January prevented Walker from doing position drills at the NFL Combine, but he participated in his Pro Day on April 4 and looked healthy.
Nelson is a tall defensive end (6-foot-7, 271 pounds) who increased his sack production very year in college – six sacks in 2016, 7 ½ sacks in 2017, and 9 ½ sacks last year. Not only does Nelson get to the quarterback, he was a solid run defender in college.
Adding Jordan to the offensive line would address another area the Ravens are looking to upgrade. Jordan would likely have a chance to compete for a starting job at left guard, and at 6-foot-6, 312 pounds, he is the kind of physical offensive lineman who would fit their run-first offense. In 2016, Jordan became the first Ohio State freshman offensive lineman to earn a starting job since Hall of Famer Orlando Pace in 1994.
As for the running backs, Hill and Sanders could be attractive to the Ravens even after signing running back Mark Ingram in free agency. Hill gained more than 1,000 yards rushing in two of three seasons at Oklahoma State and was a strong runner between the tackles. Head Coach John Harbaugh has said he would not mind adding another back to the rotation that includes Ingram, Gus Edwards, and Kenneth Dixon.
Sanders had 1,413 yards from scrimmage and nine touchdowns at Penn State last season. At the Combine, Sanders ran a 4.49 in the 40-yard dash, the sixth-best time among running backs. Sanders also caught 24 passes for 139 yards last season, giving him the potential to help the Ravens as a receiver out of the backfield.
