Joe Serpico evaluates how the Ravens did in the 2023 NFL Draft and looks at the team’s class of undrafted free agents.
2023 Ravens Draft Class
Round 1, Pick 22: Zay Flowers, WR, Boston College
Round 3, Pick 86: Trenton Simpson, LB, Clemson
Round 4, Pick 124: Tavius Robinson, EDGE, Mississippi
Round 5, Pick 157: Kyu Blu Kelly, CB, Stanford
Round 6, Pick 199: Malaesala Aumavae-Laulu, OT, Oregon
Round 7, Pick 229: Andrew Vorhees, OG, USC
Reported Undrafted Free-Agent Signings
Nolan Henderson, QB, Delaware
Keaton Mitchell, RB, East Carolina
Owen Wright, RB, Monmouth
Dontay Demus Jr., WR, Maryland
Brian Walker, TE, Shepherd
Travis Vokolek, TE, Nebraska
Tykeem Doss, OT, Southern Miss
Brandon Kipper, OG, Oregon State
Jaylon Thomas, OG, Southern Methodist
Tashawn Manning, OG, Kentucky
Jake Guidone, C, Connecticut
Camron Peterson, DT, Southern
Kaikeem Caeser, DT, Ohio
Trey Botts, DT, Colorado State – Pueblo
Jeremy Lucien, CB, Vanderbilt
Corey Mayfield Jr., CB, University of Texas – San Antonio
My thoughts on each pick:
Round 1, Pick 22: Zay Flowers, WR, Boston College — The home-run hitter the Ravens’ offense has needed. Stop comparing him to Hollywood Brown.
Round 3, Pick 86: Trenton Simpson, LB, Clemson — Best player available who will likely eventually replace Patrick Queen after Ravens failed to pick up Queen’s fifth-year option.
Round 4, Pick 124: Tavius Robinson, EDGE, Mississippi — Situational pass rusher to add to the rotation. He won’t add much as a run defender or in pass coverage.
Round 5, Pick 157: Kyu Blu Kelly, CB, Stanford — A player I linked to Baltimore in many mocks. He fits the Ravens’ mold at corner.
Round 6, Pick 199: Malaesala Aumavae-Laulu, OT, Oregon — Developmental tackle/guard who excels as a run blocker but needs work in pass protection.
Round 7, Pick 229: Andrew Vorhees, OG, USC — Love this pick. He was one of my favorite players in this class until an ACL injury at combine.
What The Ravens Could Have Done Differently:
Traded back from No. 22. It takes two to tango so this isn’t all on the Ravens. As Will Levis continued to fall, the possibility of a team moving back into the first round to select the Kentucky signal-caller seemed to grow. But after a wild start to the night with a flurry of trades, the back half of the first round went as scheduled. Levis was ultimately drafted in the second round. Ideally, the Ravens would have moved back and picked up a few extra picks.
Draft a cornerback in the first round. Don’t get me wrong, I do like Zay Flowers. He’s going to be a weapon in the Ravens’ offense. Cornerback is the bigger concern. Unless they bring in a veteran corner, the list of contenders to start across Marlon Humphrey is a slew of unproven talent drafted in the mid-to-late rounds during the last three years. Deonte Banks and Joey Porter Jr. were both still available and would be inserted into the starting lineup immediately. With Rashod Bateman and Odell Beckham Jr. in the fold, Flowers wasn’t as pressing of a need.
Selected an edge rusher earlier. Tavius Robinson has elite size and speed but relied heavily on his athleticism to get after the quarterback in college. He gets pushed around at the point of attack and needs to learn an array of pass rush moves to be effective in the NFL. The Ravens need an impact rusher who can contribute immediately. They are putting a lot of pressure on Odafe Oweh and David Ojabo to get after the passer when they could have added Myles Murphy or Nolan Smith in the first round.
Not drafted Trent Simpson. Again, I like the pick. He was the best available player, a top-40 talent who fell into the third round. Baltimore’s linebacker group will have some major speed with Simpson, Roquan Smith and Patrick Queen. It also sent a loud message to Queen by drafting Simpson and not picking up his option a few days later. There was already some speculation that the Ravens might deal Queen and that chatter is sure to pick up steam. This could have been another spot to land a cornerback such as Jakorian Bennett, Kelee Ringo or Clark Phillips.
Added a quarterback. Lamar Jackson signed his long-term deal just hours before the first round of the draft to end that saga. Baltimore has its franchise quarterback. The future behind him is up in the air. Tyler Huntley is playing this season on a restricted free-agent tender. Anthony Brown played in two games last year, starting the regular-season finale with Huntley and Jackson both out due to injuries. Nolan Henderson, the undrafted quarterback from Delaware, was injured in the FCS playoffs and is likely a camp body.
Stetson Bennett would have been an ideal fit because of his familiarity with Todd Monken, but he went in the fourth round which is much higher than I anticipated. Malik Cunningham has similar traits to Jackson and Huntley if the Ravens wanted someone with that skill set. Tanner McKee, Dorian Thompson-Robinson or Max Duggan would have been solid options to groom with Huntley’s future in question.
Overall Grade: B
It may not seem like it above, but I really like the Ravens first two picks. Zay Flowers is a weapon that Lamar Jackson is going to enjoy having on this offense. He’s phenomenal after the catch, and Todd Monken can get Flowers involved on jet sweeps and all sorts of gadget plays. Simpson could be a steal in the third round as his addition gives the Ravens arguably the best group of linebackers in the NFL. He’s a rangy player who even played some cornerback in college.
I am not crazy on the Robinson pick, but I’m a big fan of the three Pac-12 picks to round out the draft. Kelly has the pedigree to be a starter. I wanted the team to select a developmental tackle and they did just that by drafting MAL. My favorite pick of the night was one in the seventh round. Andrew Vorhees was someone high on my draft board before suffering a knee injury at the combine. He will essentially redshirt this season, but he will be in the mix to start in 2024.
The Keaton Mitchell signing is intriguing. J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards will get most of the carries, but Mitchell has a shot to compete with Justice Hill for the final running back spot. Mitchell is terrific pass catcher and a threat to go to the house every time he touches the ball. Hill beat out Tyler Badie, a sixth-round pick last year before the Broncos signed him off the Ravens’ practice squad. Hill has competition for his spot on the roster once again.
It’s a nice story that Dontay Demus Jr. is staying in Maryland and getting an opportunity with the Ravens. It’s hard to imagine him cracking the 53-man roster, however, with Odell Beckham Jr., Rashod Bateman, Zay Flowers, Nelson Agholor and Devin Duvernay all virtual locks to be in the receiver room.
Overall, the Ravens had a good draft weekend with Jackson signing his new deal and getting another playmaker to take the offense to the next level. I would have liked to see the Ravens go cornerback, edge rusher and receiver, in that order, with their first three picks and then round it out the same way with the two offensive line prospects.
Photo Credits: Courtesy of BC, Clemson, Ole Miss, Stanford and USC Athletics