Mel Kiper Jr. Lists Ravens Among Winners of Day 2 of the Draft
The cliché is that it's better to be lucky than good. Of course, what's even better than that is to be lucky and good.
That might be the best way to describe the Ravens' results in the draft heading into Day 3.
After General Manager Eric DeCosta snagged Clemson cornerback Nate Wiggins at No. 30 in the first round Thursday night, ESPN analyst Louis Riddick said yesterday on "The Dan Patrick Show" that "if you're Eric DeCosta, if you're [owner] Steve Bisciotti, you went home last night going, 'Damn, we're pretty good at this thing.'"
Last night, DeCosta was able to land players he coveted at two positions of need in Washington offensive lineman Roger Rosengarten (Round 2, No. 62) and Penn State edge rusher Adisa Isaac (Round 3, No. 93).
"Well, I think, so far, we've gotten pretty lucky," DeCosta said. "... I think [that] when your need and best player kind of match up, then you really have something special, and I think that's happened a couple times for us."
ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr. named the Ravens one of the winners of Day 2.
"How about the Ravens landing a right tackle starter at the end of Round 2?" Kiper wrote. "Rosengarten, who made my favorites list, is a perfect fit for the Baltimore offense. He might have been a first-rounder in 2025 if he had remained in school.
"As for Isaac, I gave him a mid-Round 2 grade and Baltimore was able to get him at the end of Round 3. He put up a lot of pressures in college, and even though he doesn't have elite tools, he has a chance to be a really good edge rusher for the Ravens. GM Eric DeCosta got two talented players at a good value on Day 2."
NFL.com analyst Chad Reuter gave the Ravens an "A" for their Day 2 haul.
"Baltimore had to find a tackle with the departure of Morgan Moses and veteran Ronnie Stanley struggling to stay healthy. Rosengarten was the perfect fit because he was a blind-side protector for lefty Michael Penix Jr. at Washington (playing right tackle) and has the potential to play on the left side, as well," Reuter wrote. "Isaac is another typical Baltimore bargain in the third round at a position where the team needed more depth."
Isaac Hailed as 'Elite' Pick, Earns A+ Grades
Here's what pundits are saying about the Isaac selection:
Pro Football Focus: "Grade: Elite. Isaac's slide ends, as PFF's 38th-ranked player lands in Baltimore. While he needs to add strength to hold up to the grind of an NFL season, Isaac already has great handwork to win as a pass-rusher. Since 2022, Isaac has recorded 69 QB pressures and 13 sacks while earning a 13.1% pass-rush win rate. Isaac also dominated in run defense with an 11.4% run stop percentage (fourth among edge rushers) and 0.6 yards average depth of tackle (sixth) in 2023."
The Athletic's Scott Dochterman: "Grade: A+. Once again, Baltimore comes away with a productive, high-value pick. Playing opposite Chop Robinson, Isaac led Penn State with 7.5 sacks and 16 tackles for loss last year. A team captain, Isaac (6-4. 247) was a defensive leader for the Nittany Lions, and he is well-rounded as a pass rusher and run defender. Blessed with long arms (33 7/8 inches), Isaac often doesn't allow tackles to get their hands on him in pass-rush situations. This is value meeting need."
Sporting News’ Vinnie Iyer: "Grade: A+. "Isaac got more attention alongside former college teammate Chop Robinson because of natural pass-rush skills and relentlessness. This is a great get to revamp the pass rush minus Jadeveon Clowney and schemer Mike MacDonald."
Sports Illustrated’s Matt Verderame: "Grade: A-. Isaac is a fantastic get at this point in the draft. Despite being overshadowed by Chop Robinson, Isaac was terrific throughout Senior Bowl week and Baltimore has an excellent staff that will put him in position to succeed off the edge."
NFL Network’s Charles Davis on his favorite Night 2 pick: "How about Adisa Isaac from Penn State going to the Ravens late in the third round? That's line central casting. The exact type of player that they want . Plays with grit, plays with determination, plays with passion."
CBS Sports’ Chris Trapasso: "Grade: B+. Ravens needed more EDGE help, they get an athletic specimen with some raw skills to work with here. Despite not being overly big, he'll battle through contact on outside rush but doesn't have much more in the arsenal beyond first-step quicks, burst, bend. Not a finished product yet. Elite closing speed."
Ebony Bird’s Mike Luciano: "Grade: B+. Isaac records 11.5 sacks during his final two years at Penn State alongside Chop Robinson. With some of the best pure speed of any pass rusher in this class and a nonstop motor that will help him make life tough for opposing quarterbacks, Isaac has a fairly high floor in the pros. The Ravens needed to select one more pass-rusher at some point in this draft, and they managed to do that without trading up. Not only did they get a quality athlete, but his experience and deep bag of pass rush moves could help him be more productive than most Day 2 pass rushers as a rookie."
ESPN’s Jamison Hensley: "After losing linebacker Jadeveon Clowney in free agency, the Ravens addressed their pass rush with Isaac, who was Penn State's most productive edge player. He led the team with 7.5 sacks and 16 tackles for loss, which were more than first-round pick Chop Robinson. So why wasn't Isaac drafted higher? His 4.74 time in the 40 at the combine ranked toward the bottom of edge rushers. But Isaac played faster on the field. He got pressure in 2.5 seconds or less on 11% of his rushes, which ranked second in the FBS behind Texas State's Ben Bell."
NFL.com’s Eric Edholm: "A top-60 player on my board, Isaac is a very good athlete with quickness and football IQ, although his production was a bit spotty. I believe in his well-rounded skill set and ability to fit just about any front. He's a very Ravens-ish prospect with upside."
Russell Street Report’s Darin McCann: "Adisa Isaac is a fun player. He was a team captain who showed a non-stop motor, which projects well as a rotational player who should gain more reps as he progresses physically. He's going to fight and scrap and probably start out with a big role on special teams."
Ravens Got 'Outstanding Athlete' in Rosengarten
Here's what pundits are saying about the Rosengarten selection:
Trapasso: "Grade: A-. Quick-setting OT with the athletic chops to get in the face of EDGEs in a hurry. Has to clean up footwork on pulls but has the natural gifts to eventually excel there. Plays very aggressively, which leads to some off-balanced reps. Has to get a touch stronger. I like the OL investment."
CBS Sports’ Ryan Wilson: "Grade: A-. I think sometimes we count the two plays he struggled in the finals against Michigan against him. I think overall he's surprisingly athletic and probably a better player than maybe we give him credit for."
The Athletic's Nick Baumgardner: "Grade: B+. An outstanding athlete (who played opposite Troy Fautanu in college), Rosengarten's more of a traits-based project right now than a finished product — but his speed and footwork make him an intriguing, interchangeable tackle. He needs to get stronger and become more consistent with his technique, but he's a versatile piece in an area where Baltimore had to get better."
The 33rd Team’s Ian Valentino: "Grade: B+. Roger Rosengarten's process isn't always pretty, but he's effective. His technique hasn't caught up to his athleticism just yet. Baltimore seems always to maximize guys, though, so this will likely end with him finding his ceiling."
Verderame: "Grade: B-. After trading right tackle Morgan Moses to the Jets this offseason, Baltimore had to backfill the position while getting younger. General Manager Eric DeCosta did just that with Rosengarten, who comes to the NFL at 6'5" and 308 pounds."
Iyer: "Grade: B-. Rosengarten is somewhat raw and that made him a reach here because he's more of a project second-rounder, but his athletic, aggressive blocking style could push him into a starting role in time."
Hensley: "The Ravens were able to find their starting right tackle because of a fortuitous second round. With only two offensive tackles selected in 29 picks on Friday night, Baltimore was able to get one of the best and mobile right tackles in this draft. Rosengarten ran the 40-yard dash in 4.92 seconds, the fastest speed of any offensive lineman at this year's NFL combine and the fastest by any 300-pounder regardless of position at the combine. A two-year starter, he is the favorite to fill the void left by Morgan Moses, who was traded to the New York Jets this offseason."
Edholm: "The Ravens really needed some OL help, and here it is. Rosengarten was a standout in Ryan Grubb's quick-strike offensive system and is an above-average athlete for the position, possessing the footwork to match talented rushers. Rosengarten played the right side, which was Michael Penix Jr.'s blind side, but previously played left tackle and could do the same in the NFL."
Baltimore Beatdown’s Joshua Reed: "Not only did patience pay off for the Ravens and General Manager Eric DeCosta yet again with the No. 62 pick but they actually had their pick of high-quality prospects at their biggest position of need with BYU's Kingsley Suamataia also available. I'm not surprised in the slightest by their choice of Rosengarten, who is more ready to play immediately of the two and is a better athlete than given credit for. What another great value pick where they landed a prospect who was generating some late first-round buzz after an impressive showing at the Combine with his athletic testing in the bottom of the second."
Russell Street Report’s Kevin McNelis: "And there's your big investment in one of your positions of need. Roger Rosengarten has a legitimate chance to be the starting RT on this roster when fall rolls around. Not only did he gain experience against high-profile competition, but he had the additional pressure of being the blindside blocker for lefty Michael Penix. His athleticism probably gives him a leg up battling for the roster spot with Daniel Faalele, and with his potential, Coach Joe D could mold him into an everyday starter. I really like the pick. There were a few options and some probably would've preferred the versatility of Suamataia in that spot, but the selection makes total sense."
How Wiggins Could Impact the Defense
The Baltimore Banner's Jonas Shaffer looked at how the addition of Wiggins could impact the defense. Here are some excerpts:
Big-play success
"The Ravens had the NFL's best big-play defense last season. They created big plays (a league-high 31 takeaways and 60 sacks) and limited them, too (13 completions of 20-plus air yards, third fewest in the league, according to the NFL's Next Gen Stats).
"Wiggins should help with both. In 2023, he faced 13 deep targets, according to Sports Info Solutions, and allowed just one completion. Wiggins also forced two fumbles on chase-down plays that denied a touchdown just before the goal line. His takeaway against North Carolina led to a touchback, while his forced fumble against Miami led to a touchdown by another Hurricanes player."
Manning up?
"Last year, the Ravens had the NFL's best pass defense under coordinator Mike Macdonald, according to FTN's efficiency metrics. They also played their lowest rate of man coverage since 2019 (25.8%) — still above the league average but a precipitous drop from their in-your-face heyday under [Wink] Martindale. It's not as if the Ravens have given up on man coverage; many of their zone schemes play out with man-to-man principles. But there is value in having cornerbacks who can follow a wide receiver around the field in obvious passing downs and shut him down.
"Wiggins could give the Ravens that flexibility. He played 172 defensive snaps last season in man-to-man, according to PFF — close to 60% of his total coverage snaps — and allowed just 15 catches on 28 targets for 166 yards. In Baltimore, cornerback Brandon Stephens (224 snaps) was the team's only cornerback to play more than 110 snaps in man coverage last season; he allowed 19 catches on 36 targets for 179 yards."
Haloti Ngata's Sons' Steelers Diss Earns Them Best Guest Announcement Nod
In The Ringer’s Austin Gayle’s article on the winners and losers of Day 2, he said former Raven Haloti Ngata's kids "took the cake for best guest announcement of the weekend thus far."
In case you missed it, before Ngata announced the Ravens' selection of Isaac, he introduced his sons Sam, Max, and Colt, noting that they were all raised in Baltimore and taught to say one thing.
In unison, the Ngata brothers said: "Steelers suck!"
"Ngata's clearly raising those kids right," Gayle wrote.
