N.B. There's a lot of content and text included here so if you just want to see who I selected scroll to the bottom of this post to see a summary of who the Ravens selected...
So I finally had time to run a mock. Especially this year it's been really hard to project so to make it easier on myself and to analyse I've not projected any trades. I ran the first 3 rounds pick by pick making the picks for every team using a combination of the consensus and my personal grades mixed in with where I think guys might be scheme fits too. I'm going to show all the 1st round picks up to the 28th pick but beyond that I'm just going to show the Ravens picks because otherwise the formatting is all weird and I want to focus on the Ravens prospects. All the picks in the first 3 rounds were made using BPA based on my personal grades and based off what players were left I made picks that felt like they might be Ravens-type picks after that at spots where it would be potentially reasonable for these players to be around (so it's perfectly possible that I'm underestimating what sort of talent might be available at various picks but I don't want to be wildly unrealistic).
Without further ado...
With the 28th pick, the Ravens select...
JUSTIN MADUBUIKE, DL, Texas A&M
and here's why:
Madubuike projects tremendously well as a 3tech in the Ravens defence in base but with the ability to move all over the DL (even played some snaps at 5tech and on the EDGE in college albeit that's not where he'll play in the NFL)
When I watch Madubuike, I see violent hands, great lateral quickness and POP! He's really powerful...
In this clip (Madubuike has his hand in the ground next to the EDGE in a 2-point stance at the top): watch the head and entire body of the OL snap back with force straight away
So he's a forceful player. But how forceful?
Watch him use a vicious push-pull move that sends the OL to his knees and then plough through the back on his way to the QB.
In that rep he's marrying outright power with great hand usage.
Madubuike isn't all about power rushes though. For a defensive tackle prospect he's got pretty great short-area quickness which he can use in tandem with his hands:
here (lined up over the center)
(and the reverse angle)
There are dominant reps all over his film - here's some more examples:
in this one, watch him fend off the Guard with one hand (like he's doing a quick speed-to-power to get the guard off balance) and then split the double team on his way to forcing a strip sack
in this one, lined up at 0t, he head fakes one way and then crosses the Center's face and swims over for a quick presure
So far this is mainly pass reps. So what about the running game?
Watch him completely control the OG on this snap against Clemson and reset the LoS, find the football, disengage and make the tackle for a TFL:
Watch the guard try and leverage him inside, he stays firm in his gap, holds up at the LoS, violently sheds and finds the football and makes the tackle
This rep speaks for itself:
I'll finish the Madubuike snippets with this one - I like to watch good on good wherever I can so here is a rep of pass rush against Lloyd Cushenberry (one of the best IOL in this draft class):
He puts Cushenberry on skates initially - but Cushenberry recovers well enough to slow him down - you'd like to see Madubuike disengage a little quicker but this is a pretty dominant rep.
Madubuike is borderline unblockable 1v1.
On to the rest of the draft...
With the 55th pick, the ravens select...
ROBERT HUNT, OL, Louisiana-Lafayette
Small-school OT who projects inside. In a weaker IOL class he stands out. Has great play-strength, is powerful at the point of attack, shows good mental processing and is really aggressive - has shown a good ability to pull from his usual spot of RT all the way across the offensive line which projects well with the way we use our guards to pull (more often LG). Obviously not a perfect prospect or he wouldn't be available in the 2nd round. He's not the cleanest blocker, struggles sometimes to make reach blocks and didn't have a high level of competition at his smaller school. That being said there's a lot to love and some of his problems with his pass sets are alleviated by a move inside to guard. He's a prospect I really like.
With the 60th pick, the ravens select...
BRYAN EDWARDS, WR, South Carolina
Bryan Edwards might be a surprising pick here but he's probably the most underrated WR in the draft class - oft-forgotten because he was stuck with an awful QB on a team that never seemed to want to pass.
And in terms of being a fit here, he definitely fits in. A guy who apparently has to be told not to practice so hard and has a massive chip on his shoulder. Would be a great complement to the receivers we already have in the building too.
Moving onto the 3rd round...
With the 92nd pick, the ravens select...
JABARI ZUNIGA, EDGE, FLORIDA
for how Jabari Zuniga might fit on the Ravens, I point to this brilliant video by our own @Edgar who has been doing great work on his channel with a load of interesting potential prospects:
But Zuniga is an athletic freak who's got surprising bend, some great burst and powerful hands. He's by all accounts an unfinished prospect but he does enough already that he can make an early impact while he develops. Is similar to Zadarius Smith in many ways - frustratingly this includes spending too much time on the ground....
With the 106th pick, the ravens select...
SAAHDIQ CHARLES, OL, LSU
And the first ever LSU player to be drafted by the Ravens. He's a risk - has maturity issues that led to a suspension for undisclosed reasons and has inconsistent play throughout his tape. But he flashes insane highs. Without those issues he's a top 50 type talent but in a draft full of question marks he falls to the end of the 3rd round.
On with the show and onto the 4th Round:
With the 129th pick, the ravens select...
LYNN BOWDEN JR, WR, KENTUCKY
And one of the most dynamic players in the draft. He's an offensive weapon first, WR second but not because he's not a good WR, more that his development has been stunted by having to change position mid-season to QB and run a Wildcat Army-Navy-esque offence for the rest of the year... and he thrived. Bowden is a threat to score from anywhere on the field with the ball in his hands. He's shown off high-end receiver traits but they're underdeveloped right now because of a lost year of development but he was partly earmarked as the best candidate to play QB because of his football intelligence and ability to read defences. He's not someone who will be a pure receiver for us, at least early, but will make an immediate impact with handoffs, some work as a receiver and also is a candidate as a returner. Has some drops on his WR tape but also shows off elite ball tracking traits too in fits and starts. It would seem a shame to ever take the ball out of Lamar Jackson's hands but Bowden is another tool to add to this offence.
With the 143rd pick, the ravens select...
K'VON WALLACE, DB, CLEMSON
A ball of energy at DB - really versatile player who blew up the combine but even before that looked like a dynamic chess-piece type player to add to our secondary. Would be a great addition to our sub-packages and will earn a living on special teams too. Has the ability to man-cover slot receivers although his hips are a bit tight but he's also an exceptionally smart player who thrives in zone when reading pressure from blitzes and jumping routes from those reads. Might not be a starter for the ravens who are set in the secondary but will be someone who adds depth, quality special teams and potential as a DB to come on the field in the dime especially with Deshon Elliott's 2nd season-ending injury.
Onto the 5th round and...
With the 170th pick, the ravens select...
CHRIS ORR, LB, WISCONSIN
There are probably a million reasons why Chris Orr should not be the pick here but I can't look past him. How he didn't get a combine invite is an insult. He is by far the best blitzer in the draft class and there's a reason he ended up with 11.5 sacks in 2019 from ILB. He can get swallowed up by tackles if they get their hands on him but he fills and shed well and he's violent and aggressive coming downhill.
it also helps that Zach Orr (his older brother) is still in the Ravens organisation.
Finally the picks start to slow and we wait until the 7th round
With the 225th pick, the ravens select...
SHYHEIM CARTER, S, ALABAMA
Played as a LB/S hybrid at Alabama, doesn't project to be a starter in the NFL but does look like the kind of prospect who will earn a living on special teams. Priority free agent type who might get drafted purely for special teams value.
And with that, my Mock Draft is complete.
To Summarise:
28: Justin Madubuike
55: Robert Hunt
60: Bryan Edwards
92: Jabari Zuniga
106: Saahdiq Charles
129: Lynn Bowden
143: K’Von Wallace
170: Chris Orr
225: Shyheim Carter
Comments, criticisms, discussion etc. all very welcome
EDIT: some of the gifs didnt work first time-around and had to adjust for only being allowed 5 separate bits of "media" in one post lol
So I finally had time to run a mock. Especially this year it's been really hard to project so to make it easier on myself and to analyse I've not projected any trades. I ran the first 3 rounds pick by pick making the picks for every team using a combination of the consensus and my personal grades mixed in with where I think guys might be scheme fits too. I'm going to show all the 1st round picks up to the 28th pick but beyond that I'm just going to show the Ravens picks because otherwise the formatting is all weird and I want to focus on the Ravens prospects. All the picks in the first 3 rounds were made using BPA based on my personal grades and based off what players were left I made picks that felt like they might be Ravens-type picks after that at spots where it would be potentially reasonable for these players to be around (so it's perfectly possible that I'm underestimating what sort of talent might be available at various picks but I don't want to be wildly unrealistic).
Without further ado...
- Cincinnatti Bengals: Joe Burrow, QB
- Washington Redskins: Chase Young, EDGE
- Detroit Lions: Jeff Okudah, CB
- New York Giants Jedrick Wills, OT
- Miami Dolphins: Justin Herbert, QB
- LA Chargers: Tua Tagovailoa, QB
- Carolina Panthers: Isaiah Simmons, LB/S/DEF
- Arizona Cardinals: Derrick Brown, DL
- Jacksonville Jaguars: Javon Kinlaw, DL
- Cleveland Browns: Mekhi Becton, OT
- New York Jets: Tristan Wirfs, OL
- LV Raiders: Jerry Jeudy, WR
- San Francisco 49ers: CeeDee Lamb, WR
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Andrew Thomas, OT
- Denver Broncos: Kenneth Murray, LB
- Atlanta Falcons: K'Lavon Chaisson, EDGE
- Dallas Cowboys: Xavier McKinney, S
- Miami Dolphins: Josh Jones, OT
- LV Raiders: Patrick Queen, LB
- Jacksonville Jaguars: Austin Jackson, OT
- Philadelphia Eagles: Henry Ruggs, WR
- Minnesota Vikings: CJ Henderson, CB
- New England Patriots: Jordan Love, QB
- New Orleans Saints: Justin Jefferson, WR
- Minnesota Vikings: Denzel Mims, WR
- Miami Dolphins: Grant Delpit, S
- Seattle Seahawks: AJ Epenesa, EDGE
With the 28th pick, the Ravens select...
JUSTIN MADUBUIKE, DL, Texas A&M
and here's why:
Madubuike projects tremendously well as a 3tech in the Ravens defence in base but with the ability to move all over the DL (even played some snaps at 5tech and on the EDGE in college albeit that's not where he'll play in the NFL)
When I watch Madubuike, I see violent hands, great lateral quickness and POP! He's really powerful...
In this clip (Madubuike has his hand in the ground next to the EDGE in a 2-point stance at the top): watch the head and entire body of the OL snap back with force straight away
So he's a forceful player. But how forceful?
Watch him use a vicious push-pull move that sends the OL to his knees and then plough through the back on his way to the QB.
In that rep he's marrying outright power with great hand usage.
Madubuike isn't all about power rushes though. For a defensive tackle prospect he's got pretty great short-area quickness which he can use in tandem with his hands:
here (lined up over the center)
(and the reverse angle)
There are dominant reps all over his film - here's some more examples:
in this one, watch him fend off the Guard with one hand (like he's doing a quick speed-to-power to get the guard off balance) and then split the double team on his way to forcing a strip sack
in this one, lined up at 0t, he head fakes one way and then crosses the Center's face and swims over for a quick presure
So far this is mainly pass reps. So what about the running game?
Watch him completely control the OG on this snap against Clemson and reset the LoS, find the football, disengage and make the tackle for a TFL:
Watch the guard try and leverage him inside, he stays firm in his gap, holds up at the LoS, violently sheds and finds the football and makes the tackle
This rep speaks for itself:
I'll finish the Madubuike snippets with this one - I like to watch good on good wherever I can so here is a rep of pass rush against Lloyd Cushenberry (one of the best IOL in this draft class):
He puts Cushenberry on skates initially - but Cushenberry recovers well enough to slow him down - you'd like to see Madubuike disengage a little quicker but this is a pretty dominant rep.
Madubuike is borderline unblockable 1v1.
On to the rest of the draft...
With the 55th pick, the ravens select...
ROBERT HUNT, OL, Louisiana-Lafayette
Small-school OT who projects inside. In a weaker IOL class he stands out. Has great play-strength, is powerful at the point of attack, shows good mental processing and is really aggressive - has shown a good ability to pull from his usual spot of RT all the way across the offensive line which projects well with the way we use our guards to pull (more often LG). Obviously not a perfect prospect or he wouldn't be available in the 2nd round. He's not the cleanest blocker, struggles sometimes to make reach blocks and didn't have a high level of competition at his smaller school. That being said there's a lot to love and some of his problems with his pass sets are alleviated by a move inside to guard. He's a prospect I really like.
With the 60th pick, the ravens select...
BRYAN EDWARDS, WR, South Carolina
Bryan Edwards might be a surprising pick here but he's probably the most underrated WR in the draft class - oft-forgotten because he was stuck with an awful QB on a team that never seemed to want to pass.
And in terms of being a fit here, he definitely fits in. A guy who apparently has to be told not to practice so hard and has a massive chip on his shoulder. Would be a great complement to the receivers we already have in the building too.
Moving onto the 3rd round...
With the 92nd pick, the ravens select...
JABARI ZUNIGA, EDGE, FLORIDA
for how Jabari Zuniga might fit on the Ravens, I point to this brilliant video by our own @Edgar who has been doing great work on his channel with a load of interesting potential prospects:
But Zuniga is an athletic freak who's got surprising bend, some great burst and powerful hands. He's by all accounts an unfinished prospect but he does enough already that he can make an early impact while he develops. Is similar to Zadarius Smith in many ways - frustratingly this includes spending too much time on the ground....
With the 106th pick, the ravens select...
SAAHDIQ CHARLES, OL, LSU
And the first ever LSU player to be drafted by the Ravens. He's a risk - has maturity issues that led to a suspension for undisclosed reasons and has inconsistent play throughout his tape. But he flashes insane highs. Without those issues he's a top 50 type talent but in a draft full of question marks he falls to the end of the 3rd round.
On with the show and onto the 4th Round:
With the 129th pick, the ravens select...
LYNN BOWDEN JR, WR, KENTUCKY
And one of the most dynamic players in the draft. He's an offensive weapon first, WR second but not because he's not a good WR, more that his development has been stunted by having to change position mid-season to QB and run a Wildcat Army-Navy-esque offence for the rest of the year... and he thrived. Bowden is a threat to score from anywhere on the field with the ball in his hands. He's shown off high-end receiver traits but they're underdeveloped right now because of a lost year of development but he was partly earmarked as the best candidate to play QB because of his football intelligence and ability to read defences. He's not someone who will be a pure receiver for us, at least early, but will make an immediate impact with handoffs, some work as a receiver and also is a candidate as a returner. Has some drops on his WR tape but also shows off elite ball tracking traits too in fits and starts. It would seem a shame to ever take the ball out of Lamar Jackson's hands but Bowden is another tool to add to this offence.
With the 143rd pick, the ravens select...
K'VON WALLACE, DB, CLEMSON
A ball of energy at DB - really versatile player who blew up the combine but even before that looked like a dynamic chess-piece type player to add to our secondary. Would be a great addition to our sub-packages and will earn a living on special teams too. Has the ability to man-cover slot receivers although his hips are a bit tight but he's also an exceptionally smart player who thrives in zone when reading pressure from blitzes and jumping routes from those reads. Might not be a starter for the ravens who are set in the secondary but will be someone who adds depth, quality special teams and potential as a DB to come on the field in the dime especially with Deshon Elliott's 2nd season-ending injury.
Onto the 5th round and...
With the 170th pick, the ravens select...
CHRIS ORR, LB, WISCONSIN
There are probably a million reasons why Chris Orr should not be the pick here but I can't look past him. How he didn't get a combine invite is an insult. He is by far the best blitzer in the draft class and there's a reason he ended up with 11.5 sacks in 2019 from ILB. He can get swallowed up by tackles if they get their hands on him but he fills and shed well and he's violent and aggressive coming downhill.
it also helps that Zach Orr (his older brother) is still in the Ravens organisation.
Finally the picks start to slow and we wait until the 7th round
With the 225th pick, the ravens select...
SHYHEIM CARTER, S, ALABAMA
Played as a LB/S hybrid at Alabama, doesn't project to be a starter in the NFL but does look like the kind of prospect who will earn a living on special teams. Priority free agent type who might get drafted purely for special teams value.
And with that, my Mock Draft is complete.
To Summarise:
28: Justin Madubuike
55: Robert Hunt
60: Bryan Edwards
92: Jabari Zuniga
106: Saahdiq Charles
129: Lynn Bowden
143: K’Von Wallace
170: Chris Orr
225: Shyheim Carter
Comments, criticisms, discussion etc. all very welcome
EDIT: some of the gifs didnt work first time-around and had to adjust for only being allowed 5 separate bits of "media" in one post lol
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