The Ravens have 11 draft picks in 2025, tied with the San Francisco 49ers for most in the NFL.

As someone who relishes the draft, General Manager Eric DeCosta will have multiple ways to address needs, manipulate the board, and find players the Ravens are targeting.

The goal is to make the Ravens deeper and stronger, to improve their chances of reaching their ultimate goal – winning the Super Bowl. Here are five top questions for Baltimore entering the draft, with the countdown to Day 1 (April 24) getting closer:

Will the Ravens spend an early pick on an edge rusher?

It may sound strange that an edge rusher would be a priority for the Ravens, who finished second in the league in sacks (54) in 2024. However, Kyle Van Noy, Odafe Oweh, and David Ojabo are all entering the final year of their contracts. Adisa Isaac and Malik Hamm have been slowed by injuries during their young careers.

A variety of edge players have been linked to the Ravens in mock drafts, including Donovan Ezeiraku (Boston College), Shemar Stewart (Texas A&M), Mykel Williams (Georgia), and James Pearce Jr. (Tennessee).

Fortunately for the Ravens, this draft is loaded with talented pass rushers, so the Ravens may wait until Day 2 to grab one. Among those who may be on Baltimore's radar in Day 2 are Jordan Burch (Oregon), Ashton Gillotte (Louisville), Landon Jackson (Arkansas), Oluwafemi Oladejo (UCLA), Jack Sawyer (Ohio State), Nic Scourton (Texas A&M), Josaiah Stewart (Michigan), Bradyn Swinson (LSU), J.T. Tuimoloau (Ohio State), and Princely Umanmielen (Mississippi).

Oweh was the 31st pick in 2021, the last first-round edge rusher the Ravens have taken. But they may do it again. The best way to neutralize great quarterbacks like Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, and Joe Burrow is to harass them the way the Philadelphia Eagles pressured Mahomes in Super Bowl LIX.

Will mock draft favorite Malaki Starks actually become a Raven?

Starks is the flavor of the month, the player who has been most often mocked to Baltimore. It makes sense. Starks was a three-year starter at Georgia, which is hard to do, considering how talented the Bulldogs have been on defense. He can handle all the responsibilities of playing deep safety and is kind of player Baltimore is looking to pair with All-Pro safety Kyle Hamilton.

The Ravens used Hamilton primarily as a deep safety in 2024, but they'd like him to return to his versatile 2023 role, when he was as a torpedo they could launch from multiple positions.

"If we can add another safety, obviously, it would be really good for us," DeCosta said after the season. "It gives us that multiplicity on defense and the ability to do a lot of different things. Kyle becomes that sort of (Swiss Army) knife again."

Starks may be gone by the time Baltimore picks at No. 27. However, there's another talented safety expected to go Day 1 – Nick Emmanwori of South Carolina. Emmanwori is a different kind of safety, a physical freak (6-foot-3, 220 pounds) who had one of the most impressive workouts at the Combine.

Emmanwori and Hamilton would give Baltimore the NFL's most physically imposing safety tandem. If both Emmanwori and Starks are available at No. 27, which one would the Ravens prefer? Opinions vary on who fits the Ravens better, but ESPN draft expert Mel Kiper Jr. leans toward Starks.

"He's my No. 1 safety," Kiper said during a conference call with national media. "I mocked Emmanwori ahead of him (Starks). He had a great year, and he tested great, Nick did. Malaki is not going to test great, and he didn't have the phenomenal year because they moved him around. [But] when he can do what he does, and just lock into that safety spot with his ball skills, his awareness, the way he tackles. I think the Ravens would be a great fit."

Will the Ravens draft a kicker for the first time?

The NFL’s investigation into allegations against Justin Tucker makes his status uncertain, and this is a deep draft for kickers. Having 11 picks gives the Ravens more leeway to draft a kicker on Day 3 if there's one available they like.

Andreas Borregales (Miami, Fla.), Ryan Fitzgerald (Florida State), and Tyler Loop (Arizona) are among the kickers that Kiper believes can step in immediately as rookies and perform well. Head Coach John Harbaugh said at the NFL annual meetings that the team has been doing its intel on kickers.

"At this point in time, you have to look," Harbaugh said. "You always have to do your due diligence, so we will be prepared to do that on draft day if we feel like we need to and if the right guy is there."

At Tuesday's pre-draft press conference, DeCosta was asked if it's worth it to draft a kicker. DeCosta said it is for the right player, but he added that history shows teams don't necessarily have to use a draft pick to find their kicker.

"It's worth it if you have the right kicker," DeCosta said. "It just depends on the [Draft] board. It depends on the player. It depends who's there. It depends on how your coaches see him. And also, it should be said that some of the greatest kickers of all time weren't drafted, right? So, there's no blueprint for finding a kicker, except you have to be able to evaluate the kicker. I think [Senior Special Teams Coach] Randy Brown does a phenomenal job of evaluating kickers, and we have a lot of other really good coaches who do a great job of evaluating talent along with our scouts."

How many offensive linemen will the Ravens take in a draft where they're likely leaning toward defense?

Re-signing left tackle Ronnie Stanley was a major win for the Ravens, allowing them to keep their offensive line largely intact. Four starters on the offense line are returning, and Andrew Vorhees, who started three games in 2024, looks poised to step in at left guard.

The Ravens need more offensive line depth after losing Patrick Mekari and Josh Jones in free agency, but they aren't pressed to find that in Round 1. However, if a talented offensive guard like Tyler Booker of Alabama fell to No. 27, would the Ravens view him as too good to pass up?

In ESPN’s War Room Mock Draft, Mina Kimes said she loved Booker going to the Ravens, but that Ravens' opponents wouldn't.

"I feel like the league is going to be infuriated that this man has fallen to the Baltimore Ravens," Kimes said. "What a fit."

It seems more likely the Ravens will wait until Day 2 or 3 to address their offensive line depth. You can make a case that Baltimore will draft a defensive tackle, cornerback, safety or inside linebacker before taking anyone on offense. Even if the Ravens draft two offensive linemen, it would not be shocking to see them take seven or more defensive players.

"I think it's a good, strong offensive line class this year across the board, a really good group of tackles and guards," DeCosta said during the Ravens' pre-draft press conference. "Anytime you have a chance to draft an offensive lineman that you think can be a really good player, you should do that, especially the way we play football. We're a team that prides itself on running the ball and being physical."

Will there be any big surprises?

Could the Ravens trade up a couple spots in Round 1 to grab a player the love? Could they spend a high draft pick on a position that might not be expected like wide receiver or tight end? Will they trade out of the first round and acquire even more picks?

There are always surprises in the draft, which is part of what makes it so interesting. But there's no doubt that doing well in April helps you win in September. After winning a lot in recent drafts with players like Hamilton, Tyler Linderbaum, Zay Flowers, Nate Wiggins, and Roger Rosengarten, the Ravens are looking to strike gold again.

"I see a lot of opportunity in this draft class in the middle rounds," DeCosta said. "We have 217 players on the front board. There've been years we've had a hard time getting to 160. The mid rounds are going to be really good.

"I think if you're going to have 11 picks, this is a draft that reminds me a little bit of 2022, from the standpoint of the depth of the draft in the middle rounds. That's an opportunity for us to get better."