The 2020 NFL Draft is tomorrow, giving us one more chance to answer your draft questions in Mailbag. Here we go …
Mink: The top three wide receivers – Oklahoma's CeeDee Lamb and Alabama's Jerry Jeudy and Henry Ruggs III will be long gone. It sounds like LSU's Justin Jefferson won't slip beyond the Eagles at No. 21 either. The ranking of the next group of wide receivers is up in the air, but many pundits feel Higgins would come in at No. 5 and come off the board late in the first round.
Yet, for some reason, there hasn't been a lot of buzz with him and Baltimore. Despite my personal feelings that a first-round wide receiver isn't the best value, I'm not sure why. Higgins stands in at 6-foot-4, 216 pounds. He has had major production with over 2,000 receiving yards and 25 touchdowns the past two seasons. NFL.com's Lance Zierlein compares him to A.J. Green. How long have Ravens fans been clamoring to get an A.J. Green-like receiver???
Sure, it's a possibility at No. 28. I just don't think it's a very likely one considering the depth of wide receiver talent in the second and third rounds. If Higgins were to slip to the back end of Round 2 (there are some injury concerns), and I've seen some mocks with him really falling, then he would be hard to pass up.
Downing: The Wisconsin running back put up huge numbers in his college career. He topped 2,000 rushing yards in each of the last two seasons and finished his college career with more than 6,500 yards from scrimmage. That's incredible production. He's one of the most productive running backs in college football history. He also shined at the Combine, showing his stats are no fluke and the talent is legit.
But I'm not convinced the Ravens look his direction in the second round. They already have a crowded backfield with Mark Ingram, Gus Edwards and Justice Hill, so I don't think there's an urgency to add to the position unless they can get a true gamebreaker. There's no question that Taylor is a good player, but he has some tread off the tires because of his workload in college – he carried 926 times over the last three years – and I'd expect the Ravens to address more pressing needs in the second round.
Mink: A move of that magnitude would take the Ravens' first-round pick (No. 28) and both second-round picks (Nos. 55 & 60). With a second round absolutely loaded with talent, it would take an extremely rare prospect at No. 13 to be worth it, in my opinion. You're talking about giving away what should be three high-level starters for one potentially elite player. I'm not sure it's worth it.
Downing: Moving up to pick No. 4 would take a massive haul. We don't know exactly what the Giants want, but it's fair to assume the Ravens would have to offer multiple first-round picks, plus some mid rounders, to move up 24 spots in the first round. That's not realistic. Simmons is a great prospect, but that's the kind of move that would only make sense for a quarterback.
If we're talking about trade-up scenarios, the more likely possibility would be that the Ravens move up a few spots in the 20s to get a stud defender or one of the top three receivers (Lamb, Ruggs or Jeudy) if they happen to fall. Moving any higher than 20 would be surprising considering how much General Manager Eric DeCosta loves picks. As a comparison, the Steelers moved up 10 spots last year (from pick 20 to 10) for linebacker Devin Bush, and they had to give up a second and third-round pick in the process.
Mink: On the surface, the Ravens definitely don't need another safety. They have their starters in Earl Thomas III and Chuck Clark, who they just extended this offseason. Thomas is under contract for three more seasons with big money committed for two of those three.
Behind them, the Ravens have an alluring young talent in DeShon Elliott, who has impressed in practices and preseason games the past two years but had bad luck season-ending injuries both years. I'm still interested in seeing what he has to offer. Baltimore also brought back veteran special teamer and versatile defensive back Anthony Levine Sr.
But let's not forget that Tony Jefferson is gone. Levine is on a one-year deal. I think a young safety on Days 2 or 3 wouldn't be surprising. They could learn for a couple years and contribute on special teams before potentially stepping into a bigger defensive role.
Downing: I'll go ahead and assume you're talking about the Ravens here, rather than the NFL overall. (The league might see 10-12 receivers drafted in the first two rounds). And as far as the Ravens, definitely under. It wouldn't surprise me if they take a receiver in the first two rounds. But they aren't taking three wideouts. Even as someone who loves drafting receivers, that would be excessive.
