With only just over a week to go I figured I'd throw out another mock.
I fully simulated this through 3 rounds (albeit I can't be bothered to type it all out)
The draft's getting so close now...
With the 27th Pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, The Baltimore Ravens select...
JAELAN PHILLIPS, EDGE, MIAMI
A talent falls due to those concussion issues and the lack of a clear cut EDGE hierarchy. At 27, he's way too good to pass up on and the Ravens take the BPA (by some distance) at a position of need who just fell right into their lap. Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah was the alternative pick here (along with Phillips, he was easily BPA vs any other options based on my board).
But Phillips is the type of talent who the Ravens, by virtue of being a consistently good-to-great team, never have a shot at:
But they do trade out of this next pick...
The Ravens have TRADED the 58th Pick to the Atlanta Falcons for the 68th Pick and the 108th Pick.
With the 68th Pick, The Ravens select...
DEONTE BROWN, OG, ALABAMA
I'll start with the worries/negatives - there are some weight issues and suspensions in his background. He absolutely flunked the athletic testing and showed up to the Senior Bowl massively overweight and out of shape.
But, when his conditioning is right, someone his size has no right to be able to move as well and as smoothly as he does. Frequently used as a puller (even in pass pro and left 1v1 protecting the edge), and the sight of him pulling around the corner is terrifying for a defender. And he makes good decisions and processes really well and efficiently as a puller. He could finish better in his play generally but as a puller he's brutal. I would like him to sustain blocks better (can sometimes bounce off blocks - especially in level 2) but he's efficient moving guys out of their gaps. He's got nice footwork in pass protection and the anchor to end all anchors. There's some technical stuff with his base and his punch timing and placement that I'd like to see him improve. But his ability to mirror and move laterally with good, clean footwork is phenomenal.
Not a perfect prospect, but a great fit in our power scheme. And an unbelievable ceiling with athleticism despite the fact that he had awful testing numbers (remind you of anyone). If I had to pick a player not named Carlos Basham who just "fits" as a Raven, I'm picking Deonte Brown.
With the 104th Pick, The Ravens select...
AMON-RA ST BROWN, WR, USC
Not a classic Ravens type pick in a historical sense - we've always seemed to be interested in those heigh-weight-speed candidates and St Brown is not that. But at the end of the 3rd round you aren't getting crazy athletes unless there's something wrong with them. St Brown has the look of a guy who'll be a solid WR for a long time. Has a fairly high floor. He's got some nice route processes and just seems to play the game like a pro - that's not to say there aren't areas to improve: I'd like to see him use route-pacing and head-fakes more, especially as he projects to play mostly the slot in the NFL. But he has the look of the type of guy who'll carve out a nice career and many will wonder how he went this late. He's feisty, hyper-competitive and he's got a swagger to him. And he relishes getting physical with DBs both in the route and especially as a blocker.
With the 108th Pick, The Ravens select...
AR'DARIUS WASHINGTON, S, TCU
He falls because he's tiny and he didn't test great so won't be on a fair few teams's boards. But he might have the best tape in the class at S. He looks explosive on tape with fluid hips. High-level instincts allow him to trigger really fast - he's consistently able to close on the ball with speed. Has versatility to play deep, around the line of scrimmage and even some nickel. He's physical and aggressive coming downhill in run support and a competitive tackler. Unafraid to set the edge although he can struggle to get off blocks.
Can get caught flat-footed looking in the backfield at times on play-action, but otherwise shows really good eye discipline.
With the 131st Pick, The Ravens select...
MARCO WILSON, CB, FLORIDA
Frustrating college career with maturity issues including one infamous incident that effectively knocked his own team out of the CFB playoffs. Hasn't shown a ton of improvement since his freshman year. But he's very athletic with inside and outside versatility with decent size and length. Really fluid hips and amazing movement skills. Quick processor, especially out of the slot and in zone - shows a real understanding of route combinations and progressions etc. Understands how offences are trying to put him into conflict as a defender. He's not a particularly physical corner through the route even when lined up in press although he shows good footwork. Not as comfortable in trail and doesn't have the length to recover. Would like to see him be more competitive through the route and not just at the catch-point. Inconsistent in his desire to come downhill in the running game. Tackling technique needs work. High ceiling but there's a decent chance he could bust.
With the 171st Pick, The Ravens select...
JANARIUS ROBINSON, EDGE, FSU
I steal this pick and re-use it from my previous mock. He's a complete non-factor right now as a pass rusher. Zero refinement and no plan BUT he's brutally powerful and was subject to awful coaching and an awful situation all around while in college. All I've really seen is power and the occasional spin move. He's already a powerful edge-setter, hunts from the back-side and uses his length fairly well in the running game. Probably more developmental as a pass-rusher but worth taking a chance on and at least has a somewhat ok floor purely because of his abilities vs the run. He's naturally violent and disruptive with athletic and physical tools to work with.
With the 184th Pick, The Ravens select...
JAYLON MOORE, OT, WESTERN MICHIGAN
Compact tackle - a bit shorter for a tackle and not the longest arms albeit not worryingly small. But he's athletic and moves really well. Has nice foot quickness and moves well laterally. Has heavy and powerful hands that can stymie a rush when they land well. But has some balance issues in much of his game. Pass-sets are inconsistent and too often he seems to set himself up for failure with his set. Not a people-mover and doesn't create much push but works well on the backside can seals well. Stouter defenders consistently out-leveraged him. But he occasionally showed the ability to create some movement on downblocks. Worrying lack of demonstrable functional strength despite the lower level of competition on tape. Works well in space.
Would be a swing tackle prospect who's probably a better fit as a backup LT. Doesn't project well as a starter in a power scheme but would be worth a shot as a developmental prospect/backup.
With the 210th Pick, The Ravens select...
LUKE FARRELL, TE, OHIO STATE
In a thinner draft (at least in terms of my board), I've struggled both weeks to pick someone here. I only have 182 draftable prospects - the Ravens only have 200 according to their recent presser. It makes it really hard to pinpoint who might be available. If I'm honest, if I'm the Ravens, I try and package this pick with an earlier pick to try and move up a couple of spots somewhere maybe. But in this scenario we stick and pick and Luke Farrell makes as much sense as anyone else here. Good frame, athletic, good blocker. Blocks with an edge. Gets good push blocking down and moving into space, works well on double-teams, efficient driving off the ball, making blocks in space, maintaining leverage on outside runs etc. Can even be left 1v1 vs a pass rusher in pass pro and win. Route-tree was almost exclusively limited to short stuff at the line and/or spot routes - really underutilized in the passing game. Has shown a couple of flashes of using his body well at the catch-point. As a receiver he's mostly a projection. But definitely someone with athleticism and blocking that gives him a chance to win the TE 3 job who could maybe develop as a receiver and play special teams.
TL;DR
27: Jaelan Phillips
68 (after trade down): Deonte Brown
104: Amon-Ra St Brown
108 (from earlier trade down): Ar'Darius Washington
131: Marco Wilson
171: Janarius Robinson
184: Jaylon Moore
210: Luke Farrell
I fully simulated this through 3 rounds (albeit I can't be bothered to type it all out)
The draft's getting so close now...
With the 27th Pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, The Baltimore Ravens select...
JAELAN PHILLIPS, EDGE, MIAMI
A talent falls due to those concussion issues and the lack of a clear cut EDGE hierarchy. At 27, he's way too good to pass up on and the Ravens take the BPA (by some distance) at a position of need who just fell right into their lap. Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah was the alternative pick here (along with Phillips, he was easily BPA vs any other options based on my board).
But Phillips is the type of talent who the Ravens, by virtue of being a consistently good-to-great team, never have a shot at:
- Powerful with quickness and lateral agility - has nice bend too - just a great athlete at the position with nice length
- Lots of moves in his arsenal and rushes with a plan - has inconsistently shown good hand usage (could be more precise)
- Is able to marry his quickness, his power and his bend together
But they do trade out of this next pick...
The Ravens have TRADED the 58th Pick to the Atlanta Falcons for the 68th Pick and the 108th Pick.
With the 68th Pick, The Ravens select...
DEONTE BROWN, OG, ALABAMA
I'll start with the worries/negatives - there are some weight issues and suspensions in his background. He absolutely flunked the athletic testing and showed up to the Senior Bowl massively overweight and out of shape.
But, when his conditioning is right, someone his size has no right to be able to move as well and as smoothly as he does. Frequently used as a puller (even in pass pro and left 1v1 protecting the edge), and the sight of him pulling around the corner is terrifying for a defender. And he makes good decisions and processes really well and efficiently as a puller. He could finish better in his play generally but as a puller he's brutal. I would like him to sustain blocks better (can sometimes bounce off blocks - especially in level 2) but he's efficient moving guys out of their gaps. He's got nice footwork in pass protection and the anchor to end all anchors. There's some technical stuff with his base and his punch timing and placement that I'd like to see him improve. But his ability to mirror and move laterally with good, clean footwork is phenomenal.
Not a perfect prospect, but a great fit in our power scheme. And an unbelievable ceiling with athleticism despite the fact that he had awful testing numbers (remind you of anyone). If I had to pick a player not named Carlos Basham who just "fits" as a Raven, I'm picking Deonte Brown.
With the 104th Pick, The Ravens select...
AMON-RA ST BROWN, WR, USC
Not a classic Ravens type pick in a historical sense - we've always seemed to be interested in those heigh-weight-speed candidates and St Brown is not that. But at the end of the 3rd round you aren't getting crazy athletes unless there's something wrong with them. St Brown has the look of a guy who'll be a solid WR for a long time. Has a fairly high floor. He's got some nice route processes and just seems to play the game like a pro - that's not to say there aren't areas to improve: I'd like to see him use route-pacing and head-fakes more, especially as he projects to play mostly the slot in the NFL. But he has the look of the type of guy who'll carve out a nice career and many will wonder how he went this late. He's feisty, hyper-competitive and he's got a swagger to him. And he relishes getting physical with DBs both in the route and especially as a blocker.
With the 108th Pick, The Ravens select...
AR'DARIUS WASHINGTON, S, TCU
He falls because he's tiny and he didn't test great so won't be on a fair few teams's boards. But he might have the best tape in the class at S. He looks explosive on tape with fluid hips. High-level instincts allow him to trigger really fast - he's consistently able to close on the ball with speed. Has versatility to play deep, around the line of scrimmage and even some nickel. He's physical and aggressive coming downhill in run support and a competitive tackler. Unafraid to set the edge although he can struggle to get off blocks.
Can get caught flat-footed looking in the backfield at times on play-action, but otherwise shows really good eye discipline.
With the 131st Pick, The Ravens select...
MARCO WILSON, CB, FLORIDA
Frustrating college career with maturity issues including one infamous incident that effectively knocked his own team out of the CFB playoffs. Hasn't shown a ton of improvement since his freshman year. But he's very athletic with inside and outside versatility with decent size and length. Really fluid hips and amazing movement skills. Quick processor, especially out of the slot and in zone - shows a real understanding of route combinations and progressions etc. Understands how offences are trying to put him into conflict as a defender. He's not a particularly physical corner through the route even when lined up in press although he shows good footwork. Not as comfortable in trail and doesn't have the length to recover. Would like to see him be more competitive through the route and not just at the catch-point. Inconsistent in his desire to come downhill in the running game. Tackling technique needs work. High ceiling but there's a decent chance he could bust.
With the 171st Pick, The Ravens select...
JANARIUS ROBINSON, EDGE, FSU
I steal this pick and re-use it from my previous mock. He's a complete non-factor right now as a pass rusher. Zero refinement and no plan BUT he's brutally powerful and was subject to awful coaching and an awful situation all around while in college. All I've really seen is power and the occasional spin move. He's already a powerful edge-setter, hunts from the back-side and uses his length fairly well in the running game. Probably more developmental as a pass-rusher but worth taking a chance on and at least has a somewhat ok floor purely because of his abilities vs the run. He's naturally violent and disruptive with athletic and physical tools to work with.
With the 184th Pick, The Ravens select...
JAYLON MOORE, OT, WESTERN MICHIGAN
Compact tackle - a bit shorter for a tackle and not the longest arms albeit not worryingly small. But he's athletic and moves really well. Has nice foot quickness and moves well laterally. Has heavy and powerful hands that can stymie a rush when they land well. But has some balance issues in much of his game. Pass-sets are inconsistent and too often he seems to set himself up for failure with his set. Not a people-mover and doesn't create much push but works well on the backside can seals well. Stouter defenders consistently out-leveraged him. But he occasionally showed the ability to create some movement on downblocks. Worrying lack of demonstrable functional strength despite the lower level of competition on tape. Works well in space.
Would be a swing tackle prospect who's probably a better fit as a backup LT. Doesn't project well as a starter in a power scheme but would be worth a shot as a developmental prospect/backup.
With the 210th Pick, The Ravens select...
LUKE FARRELL, TE, OHIO STATE
In a thinner draft (at least in terms of my board), I've struggled both weeks to pick someone here. I only have 182 draftable prospects - the Ravens only have 200 according to their recent presser. It makes it really hard to pinpoint who might be available. If I'm honest, if I'm the Ravens, I try and package this pick with an earlier pick to try and move up a couple of spots somewhere maybe. But in this scenario we stick and pick and Luke Farrell makes as much sense as anyone else here. Good frame, athletic, good blocker. Blocks with an edge. Gets good push blocking down and moving into space, works well on double-teams, efficient driving off the ball, making blocks in space, maintaining leverage on outside runs etc. Can even be left 1v1 vs a pass rusher in pass pro and win. Route-tree was almost exclusively limited to short stuff at the line and/or spot routes - really underutilized in the passing game. Has shown a couple of flashes of using his body well at the catch-point. As a receiver he's mostly a projection. But definitely someone with athleticism and blocking that gives him a chance to win the TE 3 job who could maybe develop as a receiver and play special teams.
TL;DR
27: Jaelan Phillips
68 (after trade down): Deonte Brown
104: Amon-Ra St Brown
108 (from earlier trade down): Ar'Darius Washington
131: Marco Wilson
171: Janarius Robinson
184: Jaylon Moore
210: Luke Farrell
