Mink: It was good news this week when Ar'Darius Washington signed his restricted free agent tender. He proved himself last year as a very capable starter who plays bigger than his size. The Ravens were planning on him being a big part of their 2025 defense all along. Thus, I don't think it changes the calculation of their need at safety going into the Draft.
Baltimore is without two safeties that started last season in big roles: Marcus Williams and Eddie Jackson. While Sanoussi Kane and Beau Brade could have more substantial roles this season, I expect Baltimore still wants to add another premier safety to the mix alongside Kyle Hamilton. The Ravens love using three safeties and Washington has also been mentioned as a slot cornerback option.
It would not surprise me at all to see the Ravens use a first-round pick on a safety such as South Carolina's Nick Emmanwori or Georgia's Malaki Starks. I mocked Starks to Baltimore. There are also strong second- and third-round options such as Notre Dame's Xavier Watts, Penn State's Kevin Winston, and Texas' Andrew Mukuba. Any of them would be strong selections.
Brown: Some of the Ravens' young edge rushers will need to stay healthier to earn a bigger role.
David Ojabo's first two seasons were plagued by injuries. In his third season in 2024, Ojabo played just 275 defensive snaps. I think his development has been slowed by the practice reps and game action he has missed.
The same is true for Adisa Isaac, who played just four games as a rookie dealing with hamstring issues, and Malik Hamm, who spent the 2024 season on injured reserve (knee). Both have potential but need better luck avoiding health issues.
It's not a coincidence that two other young outside linebackers, Odafe Oweh and Tavius Robinson, have gotten better every year. They've been able to stack practice days and work on their craft, and their career trajectories continue to rise.
Baltimore may draft an outside linebacker who can compete for reps behind Kyle Van Noy, Oweh, and Robinson. With Van Noy and Oweh entering the final year of their contracts, the Ravens would welcome more impact from any young edge rusher.
Mink: That's a lot of names you threw out and generally, yes, I think Baltimore will be patient and wait for the best player on the board to fall to them. The Ravens always seem to have some player drop that nobody expected would get to them.
As far as the edge rushers you mentioned, they're all intriguing. Georgia's Mykel Williams feels like a typical Ravens pick to me considering he's a big, rugged player from a big SEC school who could slide because of minor injuries that limited his production in his final season and because he didn't have his best showing at his Pro Day. The Ravens trust the tape and talent and if he makes it to No. 27, I could see them pouncing.
Boston College's Donovan Ezeiruaku lacks ideal size but is a high production guy with 16.5 sacks last season. Tennessee's James Pierce Jr. is kind of the opposite. Though his slighter frame won't be ideal for some teams, he's highly gifted athletically but his production (7.5 sacks last season) didn't exactly match.
