We’re entering the dog days of the offseason now that the NFL Draft has wrapped up, but the jubilation about the new slate of rookies joining each team is still fresh.
The draft is the most exciting part of the offseason for most fans, as they pour their hopes and dreams into young prospects with the potential to change the course of their favorite teams.
This often results in most people rushing to slap a “boom or bust” label on players early in their careers, but it’s crucial for us to remember that most of these draft picks won’t make it more than three years in the NFL — the average length of a pro football career.
Rarely do you have a situation like when the Kansas City Chiefs selected quarterback Patrick Mahomes with the tenth pick in the 2017 NFL Draft and allowed him to sit for a year to develop before flourishing into a superstar.
The Baltimore Ravens followed the same approach with quarterback Lamar Jackson, but that level of patience is strictly reserved for quarterbacks more often than not.
For every other position that’s drafted in the first three rounds, teams are looking for players who can make an immediate impact, even if it’s only on special teams — the unit that’s on the field during kicking plays. And for prospects drafted in the last four rounds, making an NFL roster shifts from a possibility to a longshot the later that a player is selected.
The point is, the draft is a crapshoot at best. Most general managers would be happy with a draft class consisting of two starters, a few depth pieces, and a handful of developmental players.
That’s a good haul for a majority of NFL teams, but that’s not the case for Baltimore heading into the 2024 season.
The Ravens have been busy retooling their roster and coaching staff since falling one game short of the Super Bowl just a few months ago, and the draft provided another chance to add a new influx of talent to get this team over the hump next season.
Baltimore had a number of glaring needs heading into the draft, but the front office predictably stuck to its “best player available” approach. This resulted in a vintage Ravens draft class where highly touted prospects fell into Baltimore’s lap in the early rounds and the team opted to draft players with high upside potential in the last few rounds rather than reach for a position of need.
General manager Eric DeCosta has proven to be effective at making the most out of a majority of his draft selections, but it feels more important than ever that his front office struck gold in the 2024 draft.
It’s critical for a few impact players to emerge out of this draft class in order for Baltimore to make another deep playoff run, so let’s discuss how these rookies could help elevate this team to the championship level it’s striving to reach.
Reviewing the 2024 draft class
Top three picks
- Nate Wiggins
Last month, I ranked defensive back as the least pressing need for the Ravens heading into the draft. But with how the draft board panned out for Baltimore, this is a tremendous pick.
The early run on quarterbacks, offensive linemen, and skill players created an opportunity for the Ravens to grab what many pundits believe is the best cover cornerback in the entire draft.
Wiggins’ sub-4.3 showing in the 40-yard dash and supreme start-stop ability that he demonstrated throughout his three years at Clemson make him the ideal candidate to join Baltimore’s extensive lineage of franchise cornerbacks. DeCosta and several team officials have lauded his physical play style and “never back down” mentality — which are prerequisites if you’re going to be No. 1 corner for the Ravens.
Cornerback Marlon Humphrey currently holds the mantle, but he has started facing injuries with greater regularity over the last few seasons so having Wiggins waiting in the wings puts Baltimore’s secondary in a good position for the long term. Wiggins is just 20 years old, so his ceiling is limitless at this point.
He’ll have the chance to refine his technique and learn the ins and outs of defensive coordinator Zach Orr’s scheme behind Humphrey and cornerback Brandon Stephens, but that doesn’t mean he’ll be riding the bench by any means.
I expect Wiggins to gradually receive more playing time as the season rolls along, as is often the case with Baltimore’s first round corners. Exposing him to a variety of situations could pay huge dividends come January once the pressure picks up and the Ravens defense is inevitably called upon to make a key stop.
- Roger Rosengarten
DeCosta made it clear early in the offseason that rebuilding the offensive line would be a huge priority heading into the draft and he followed through with this second round pick.
Rosengarten played left tackle during his first two years at Washington before switching to right tackle in 2022 to protect the blind side of left-handed quarterback Michael Penix Jr.
This versatility is a huge plus for Baltimore considering the major injuries that left tackle Ronnie Stanley has dealt with over the last few years. That Rosengarten can fill in for Stanley in a pinch allows offensive lineman Patrick Mekari to stay in his role as a backup who can play every position along the offensive line.
On top of that, Rosengarten is viewed as one of the top pass protectors in this draft class. Few quarterbacks are more dangerous than Jackson when he’s given time to throw, so adding a more-than-capable pass protector to man the right tackle spot could take a lot of pressure off of Jackson to dodge defenders in the backfield.
Plus, having extra time to throw will help open up the playbook for offensive coordinator Todd Monken to attack downfield more often. This could turn out to be one of the top value picks in the 2024 draft if Rosengarten can establish himself as a day one starter.
- Adisa Isaac
This was the most head scratching decision of the draft simply due to the spot Isaac was selected. At No. 93 overall in the third round, the Ravens could have picked up another offensive lineman or wide receiver to improve their offense.
Instead, they opted to try their hand at developing another edge defender. Isaac is a solid run defender who has flashed as a pass rusher, but it’s difficult to justify picking him at No. 93 when you consider Baltimore’s current depth across the defensive line.
Barring injuries taking a toll on the team, it’s hard to see a scenario where Isaac gets playing time ahead of outside linebackers Odafe Oweh, David Ojabo, Tavius Robinson, or Kyle Van Noy.
This is reminiscent of when Baltimore drafted Brandon Stephens in the third round of the 2021 draft. It was considered a huge reach at the time due to the talent that was still available on the draft board at various other positions. But the Ravens have proven to be justified in that pick now that Stephens has flourished as a starting cornerback.
Isaac may be fully capable of putting everything together and growing into a reliable player like Stephens. It’s hard to see how he gets the playing time necessary to develop into that kind of player, but this could be an addition for the long term rather than for 2024.
Rounding out the rest of the draft
DeCosta made up for the Isaac selection by nabbing wide receiver Devontez Walker with his first of two picks in the fourth round. Walker could fill the deep threat role that Baltimore has missed since wide receiver Hollywood Brown was a Raven.
That Walker isn’t being asked to come in and be the savior for the wide receiver corps gives him a huge advantage compared to the receivers that Baltimore has drafted throughout Jackson’s career. He can come in and play 20 to 25 snaps a game to create the threat of blowing the top off the defense.
This will create wider running lanes for running back Derrick Henry, which is a massive problem for defenses once he gets a head of steam. Plus, adding a receiver who can make big plays will take some pressure off of Jackson to execute 10- to 12-play drives each time the offense is on the field.
Baltimore made another quality addition in the fourth round by drafting cornerback T.J. Tampa. He was widely regarded as a second round prospect, but the Ravens managed to draft him at No. 130 overall.
Tampa will most likely see a majority of snaps on special teams in his rookie season, but his physical press-man play style could earn him some playing time on defense throughout the season.
Following the fourth round, Baltimore added depth at running back, quarterback, offensive line, and safety. Time will tell if those late round picks can develop into viable starters or backups, but the Ravens won’t sit on their hands until preseason waiting for someone to step up.
Remember, DeCosta likes to make additions to the roster well into July. His approach to team building means we can expect a few more moves over the next few months. This roster is still far from being complete, but DeCosta’s 2024 draft class crystallizes what the Ravens must address moving forward.
A few random thoughts
- The Ravens are banking on one of their young pass rushers to step up in a huge way this season. Orr’s scheme won’t rely on one or two edge defenders to rack up a majority of the team’s sacks, but it would provide a huge boost for this defense if outside linebackers Odafe Oweh and David Ojabo could consistently win one-on-one matchups. This would give Orr more flexibility to run a wide variety of coverages. With the Ravens picking up Oweh’s fifth-year option, it’s clear team officials are hopeful he’ll break out over the next two seasons.
- Baltimore appears to be following a similar approach to its offensive line. As of now, the projected offensive line consists of Stanley, guards Andrew Vorhees and Ben Cleveland, center Tyler Linderbaum, and Rosengarten. One of the huge keys to having a stout offensive line is consistency. Units tend to perform better when they’ve played with each other for a few years. This projected line has never played together and includes two starters who haven’t logged a snap in the NFL. I believe Baltimore made the right move by revamping this line, but this unit is definitely the biggest question mark heading into the season unless DeCosta has a few moves under his sleeve that he’s waiting to unveil.
