Zrebiec Ranks General Manager Eric DeCosta's Positional Draft Successes
Over Eric DeCosta's six-year tenure as general manager, the Ravens have drafted some of the best players in the NFL.
The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec took on the task of trying to rank which positions DeCosta has had the most draft success at thus far.
1. Safety
The picks: Geno Stone (seventh, 2020), Kyle Hamilton (first, 2022), Sanoussi Kane (seventh, 2024)
"Signing veteran safeties has produced some notable misses for the Ravens. The draft route hasn't, at least not in recent years," Zrebiec wrote. "Hamilton is already one of the best safeties in the NFL, and he's well on his way to becoming the highest-paid one. Stone had a solid three-season run in Baltimore, becoming a core special-teamer and then leading the AFC in interceptions in 2023. Kane played the third-most special teams snaps on the team last year and could push for a defensive role in his sophomore season."
Though past DeCosta's six-year mark, Zrebiec also highlighted Chuck Clark (2017) and DeShon Elliott (2018).
2. Defensive line
The picks: Daylon Mack (fifth, 2019), Nnamdi Madubuike (third, 2020), Broderick Washington (fifth, 2020), Travis Jones (third, 2022)
"For how much Ravens officials talk about the importance of the trenches and stopping the run, they just haven't gone the defensive line route very often in recent drafts," Zrebiec wrote. "The last time they selected an interior defensive lineman before the third round was 2014. In recent years, they've mostly relied on one or two veterans and the combination of Madubuike, Washington and Jones. That recipe has worked just fine. … Madubuike developed into a Pro Bowl performer and is one year removed from a 13-sack season. Washington has been a solid rotational guy and got a second contract from the team. Jones still has room to grow, but he's gotten better every year and looks to be a second contract guy, too."
Benjamin Morrison a Prospect to Watch for Ravens on Day 2
While all eyes are on Day 1 of the draft, The Baltimore Sun’s C.J. Doon and PFF’s Mason Cameron are suggesting Ravens fans take note of Notre Dame cornerback Benjamin Morrison for Day 2. Cameron named him the Ravens' best Day 2 fit.
"With just five cornerbacks on their roster as it's currently constructed, the Ravens could make excellent use of Morrison's skill set as a long, smooth-moving man cornerback," Cameron wrote. "Baltimore ran a top-10 rate of Cover 1 in 2024, making Morrison a natural fit after Notre Dame ran the most Cover 1 in the FBS last season."
Doon mocked Morrison to the Ravens in his latest seven-round mock draft with the No. 59 pick.
"The Ravens have a budding star at cornerback in Nate Wiggins and a reliable veteran in Marlon Humphrey, but even with the addition of Awuzie, there are a lot of question marks behind the two starters," Doon wrote. "The 6-foot, 193-pound Morrison has tremendous ball skills, as evidenced by his nine career interceptions and 20.5% forced incompletion rate over the past two seasons."
The knock against Morrison that's lowered his draft stock has been his health.
"The biggest red flag is two hip surgeries, the latter of which kept him out for the final 10 games of Notre Dame's run to the College Football Playoff championship game this past season," Doon wrote. "But if the Ravens are comfortable with Morrison's medicals, he has the makeup to grow into a long-term starter at a position of need."
What Will the Ravens Do About Derrick Henry's Contract?
The Ravens have had a handful of departures and additions this offseason, but before they reach the draft, NFL.com’s Jeffri Chadiha shared his burning question for Baltimore: "What are the Ravens going to do about Derrick Henry's contract?"
"Henry is entering the last year of a two-year, $16 million deal, and he clearly outperformed his contractual value in 2024, when all he did was log the best campaign ever by a running back 30 years or older (1,921 yards on the ground, with 18 total touchdowns)," Chadiha wrote. "If not for Philadelphia's Saquon Barkley, Henry likely would've ended up as the NFL's Offensive Player of the Year. Henry should actually be thankful for Barkley when it comes to a different matter, though: The Eagles quickly moved to raise Barkley's pay after he helped them win a Super Bowl, increasing his average annual salary from $12.58 million to $20.6 million."
DeCosta has been clear about his affinity for Henry, saying a photo is Henry is going up on his office wall as a response to if there's a possibility of extending Henry.
Henry said at NFL Honors he hopes to retire as a Raven.
Ravens Losses in Free Agency Not as Dramatic as Last Season
In 2024, the Ravens saw 14 of their free agents sign contracts elsewhere, including multiple household names. This season, they've seen far fewer, and The Baltimore Banner’s Giana Han notes the losses haven't been as dramatic.
"Although the team went into the offseason with 21 pending free agents, the losses weren't as dramatic as in last offseason, when the Ravens saw the departures of Pro Bowl linebacker Patrick Queen and outside linebacker Jadeveon Clowney, among others," Han wrote.
However, Han named which players who signed elsewhere left the biggest hole for the team to fill, with offensive lineman Patrick Mekari as No. 1.
"The Ravens aren't just losing a starting offensive lineman; they're losing their most versatile player along the line," Han wrote. "For years, the Ravens said they saw Patrick Mekari as a starter even though he wasn't in the starting lineup. They found him to be more valuable as a Swiss Army knife who could sub in where needed.
"This season, they needed him more at left guard than they did as a backup. Mekari started at right tackle before switching when the Ravens apparently decided they would rather have rookie Roger Rosengarten take over at tackle so Mekari could replace Andrew Voorhees at guard. For the first time in his career, Mekari started every game."
Behind Mekari in Han's list is cornerback Brandon Stephens.
"In his contract year, Brandon Stephens did not play up to expectations," Han wrote. "He was a key part of why the Ravens' pass defense was so good in 2023 — and one of multiple factors for why it struggled in the first half of 2024. But whether or not you believe he can return to being the shutdown cornerback he was, his absence creates a giant hole… The Ravens have a lot of spots to fill. But, out of all of them, Stephens was the only starter. He played 92.8% of the defensive snaps. The Ravens have two second-year safeties in Sanoussi Kane and Beau Brade and one second-year cornerback in T.J. Tampa, but all three are mostly unproven."
Quick Hits
Yesterday's Most Read: How the Ravens Can 'Take it to the Next Level' in the Draft
- In CBS Sports’ Pete Prisco's latest mock, the Ravens draft Boston College EDGE Donovan Ezeiruaku at No. 27. "They need help off the edge, as their three top edge pass rushers all have expiring contracts after 2025. The Ravens have shown in the past they will take speedy edge players in the draft. This kid fits that perfectly."
