Skip to main content
Advertising

Five Factors That Will Influence Ravens' First-Round Pick

Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders
Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders

The NFL Draft is just one day away and the Ravens are slated to pick at No. 27 overall.

Baltimore has one of the best rosters in the league and will stick to its best player available approach, but there are still a lot of moving parts on Day 1.

Here are five factors that could influence what the Ravens do in the first round:

How many quarterbacks go before Baltimore?

This is the big question every year, but there's a wide range in 2025. The only true lock to go in Round 1 is Cam Ward, who is expected to be drafted No. 1 overall by the Tennessee Titans. Colorado's Sheduer Sanders will likely go somewhere in the first round. After that, it's a crapshoot.

Ole Miss' Jaxson Draft and Alabama's Jalen Milroe are legitimate options on Day 1, and someone like Louisville's Tyler Shough could even enter the mix.

The Ravens will be rooting for as many quarterbacks as possible to go before No. 27 in Round 1, pushing players at other positions down the board and into their lap.

Cornerbacks getting drafted in the early 20s.

The Ravens are in the cornerback market and using a first-round pick on the position is possible.

There are a few Round 1 options at corner, but they all could come off the board right before pick 27. The Green Bay Packers (No. 23), Minnesota Vikings (No. 24), and Los Angeles Rams (No. 26) all have a need at cornerback. Could somebody such as Texas' Jahdae Barron of Michigan's Will Johnson make it to Baltimore? If a run starts, it would be tough to envision.

What happens with the second tier of tackles?

There are two offensive tackles in LSU's Will Campbell and Missouri's Armand Membou at the top of this class, but what happens with the second tier could shape Baltimore's draft board.

After re-signing Ronnie Stanley and hitting on Roger Rosengarten last draft, the Ravens don't have an immediate need at tackle, which could push them out of the Day 1 market. If that's the case, having arun on tackles would be beneficial for Baltimore.

Josh Simmons (Ohio State), Kelvin Banks Jr. (Texas), and Josh Conerly Jr. (Oregon) are all potential first rounders that could go ahead of pick 27. However, the Ravens could still look to draft one of the tackles if they believe the value is too good to pass up or the player can play guard early in his career.

Will one of the two top safeties still be on the board?

Safeties Nick Emmanwori (South Carolina) and Malaki Starks (Georgia) have been linked to the Ravens throughout the draft process. They are the two clear-cut leaders at their position, and both are candidates to get taken before pick 27.

Depending on Baltimore's board, either Emmanwori or Starks could be the undisputed pick in the first round if they last long enough. They each have intriguing skill sets as Emmanwori had elite testing numbers while Starks is versatile coming from a top-notch program.

If one of them gets taken early, that would increase the potential of both top safeties being off the board by No. 27.

Which pass rushers are available?

The Ravens are returning all of their outside linebackers from last season, but there is a long-term need on the edge with Kyle Van Noy and Odafe Oweh in the final years of their contract. Baltimore could also look to add in the interior to create a dominant duo with Nnamdi Madubuike.

If there are runs on other positions early, some top tier pass rushers fall to the late 20s. Edge rushers Mykel Williams (Georgia) and Donovan Ezeiruaku (Boston College) and defensive tackles Derrick Harmon (Oregon) and Walter Nolen (Ole Miss) are names to watch.

Related Content

Advertising