Ravens' 2025 Draft 'Dream Haul,' According to Draft Analyst
The Ravens' will enter the 2025 NFL Draft with no critical needs, but areas to further stock and improve. With the majority of their roster constructed, this has them capable of going any number of ways.
NFL.com’s Chad Reuter shared what he believes to be a "dream haul" for Baltimore, beginning with selecting Georgia safety Malaki Starks at No. 27 overall.
"In 2022, some had concerns about Kyle Hamilton's long speed, and the safety fell – until Baltimore snapped him up with the 14th overall pick," Reuter wrote. "This year, Starks' average athleticism scores and lack of fit in some teams' schemes could make him available to the Ravens, who should get the most from his playmaking skills."
In the second round, Reuter's dream pick for the Ravens is North Carolina State offensive tackle Anthony Belton.
"Belton is a long, strong blocker who lacks elite lateral quickness, so he might be destined for a move inside at the next level, similar to the transition made by Baltimore's starting right guard, 2022 fourth-round pick Daniel Faalele," Reuter wrote. "Even if Belton can't beat out Andrew Vorhees for the left guard spot as a rookie, his experience at left tackle will come in handy if veteran Ronnie Stanley suffers another injury."
Ravens' Top Four Needs for the NFL Draft
With the first round of free agency all but done for the Ravens as they secure up to three possible compensatory picks, The Baltimore Banner’s Jonas Shaffer and Paul Mancano discussed which four positions the Ravens will likely address in the NFL Draft.
Edge rusher
"[Edge rusher being No. 1] is funny because I think the Ravens finished, what, second in the NFL in sacks last year," Shaffer said. "But we are looking at the Ravens kind of careening toward the edge of the edge cliff right now because Odafe Oweh's in his walk year, Kyle Van Noy is in his walk year. We don't know what Adisa Isaac is going to be; David Ojabo is also in his walk year, and we don't really know what he's going to be. Tavius Robinson's only heading into year three but is he really going to be a long-term starter at this position? We talked about it a million times and we'll continue to talk about it a million times more, if you want to find high-impact guys in the draft at that edge rusher spot, you need to invest early."
Defensive line
"How many teams have prioritized guys who can rush up the middle? Milton Williams was probably the highest-paid free agent this offseason because he's an interior defensive lineman who can get to the quarterback," Mancano said. "I think there are going to be a lot of guys both the edge and the interior defensive line category that will be on the board for the Ravens at the No. 27 overall pick."
Cornerback
"You can take an outside guy and make sure Marlon Humphrey is set in the slot and have somebody to replace Brandon Stephens," Mancano said. "You can take an inside guy, a nickel corner, and move Marlon Humphrey back to the outside."
"I think the Skeleton Key or whole calculus to this is Marlon Humphrey and to a lesser extent Kyle Hamilton because both of those guys could be in the slot and that means that you can find an outside cornerback," Shaffer said. "But Marlon Humphrey has also been a very good outside cornerback. That means that Kyle Hamilton could go back into the slot and you could take a safety. So, I think it's much better that the Ravens have the flexibility that they do to really open themselves up to a lot of possibilities for the best player available."
Safety
"We saw how many times the Ravens used that dime package last year. Having a third safety to go with Ar'Darius Washington, who we assume is going to be back, and Kyle Hamilton, is massive," Mancano said.
"I think probably the dream scenario is maybe teams are scared off by a Jahdae Barron, the Texas star's length," Shaffer said. "He's very fast, very productive, very good but I think he has T-Rex arms for the position. I don't think he's going to fall anywhere close to 27, but if he does, then he becomes the guy you could drop in as a deep safety, ask to be a slot cornerback, just do a lot of Kyle Hamilton type role stuff. Even if he doesn't' look like Kyle Hamilton."
Roquan Smith Named Top 10 Defender to Build Around
Free agency and the draft are opportunities for teams to construct their rosters, and some do so with the focus of building around specific talent on their rosters.
NFL.com’s Bucky Brooks gave a list of 10 NFL defensive stars he would most want to build around entering the 2025 season, and inside linebacker Roquan Smith made the list at No. 8.
"Off-ball linebackers are rarely viewed as essential pieces to a championship puzzle, but Roquan Smith is a unicorn, a sideline-to-sideline menace with outstanding instincts, awareness and diagnostic skills," Brooks wrote. "The three-time All-Pro is a tackling machine with underrated pass-rushing skills (21.5 career sacks) as a blitz specialist. He's a disruptive presence on the field and leader of a Ravens defense that strikes fear in the hearts and minds of opponents -- an ideal second-level cornerstone."
Two Ravens Picks Make PFF's Top 1-32 Selections from Past Decade
Since 2015, the Ravens have made some of the best picks in the NFL Draft. According to PFF’s Max Chadwick, two of their selections, Humphrey and Lamar Jackson, have been the highest-graded selections at their respective draft slot since 2015.
No. 16 overall: CB Marlon Humphrey: 88.8
"Humphrey has been a constant in Baltimore's secondary and is coming off the highest-graded season of his career, placing seventh among all cornerbacks with a 79.0 mark," Chadwick wrote. "He's a ballhawk with 19 interceptions and 15 forced fumbles throughout his career so far."
No. 32 overall: QB Lamar Jackson: 93.3
"The Ravens traded up to the final pick of the first round in 2018 so that they could select Jackson and secure a fifth-year option on his rookie contract," Chadwick wrote. "It's fair to say that move worked out well for Baltimore, as Jackson is already the greatest quarterback in franchise history. He has two MVP awards to his name at just 28 years old and already has the most career rushing yards by a quarterback (6,173)."
Narrowly missing the cut was Hamilton at No. 14. Hamilton's highest PFF grade was a 90.0. Ahead was Atlanta Falcons guard Chris Lindstrom (93.4).
