The Ravens answered one of their big defensive questions on the opening night of the NFL Draft by selecting Georgia safety Malaki Starks, and they will look to address other roster concerns when the second night of the draft begins on Friday, April 25, at 7 p.m.
Barring any trades, the Ravens have two picks on Friday, at No. 59 in the second round and No. 91 in the third round. They are scheduled to have eight more picks throughout the final four rounds on Saturday, with two in the fourth round, one in the fifth, four in the sixth and a final pick in the seventh round.
The Ravens were in the market for a safety with depth concerns behind Kyle Hamilton and Ar’Darius Washington. With that box checked, their most pressing roster needs include a starting left guard, after losing Patrick Mekari to free agency, and help at edge rusher, with both Kyle Van Noy and Odafe Oweh entering contract years and questionable depth behind them.
The Ravens also will look to bolster the interior defensive line. They need at least one more inside linebacker and are constantly on the lookout for cornerbacks.
Speaking at the team’s predraft news conference last week, general manager Eric DeCosta said he thought this draft class was particularly strong at edge, defensive line and offensive line, and that value could be found in the middle rounds in a class viewed as deeper overall than those of some previous years.
Here are five players who could be on the Ravens’ radar and potentially on the board for them when they are on the clock on Friday night:
DARIUS ALEXANDER, DL, TOLEDO: After an early run wiped five interior defensive linemen off the board in the first round, Alexander is in the group that could go on Day 2. Michael Pierce has retired and the Ravens have not re-signed Brent Urban, so they will be looking to fortify the trenches alongside Nnamdi Madubuike, Travis Jones and Broderick Washington. Alexander (6-4, 305) converted from offensive tackle to the defensive line early in his Toledo career. A five-year player, he turns 25 in August. He had 40 tackles, including 7.5 for loss and 3.5 sacks this past season.
OLUWAFEMI OLADEJO, EDGE, UCLA: The Ravens passed on edge rushers Donovan Ezeiruaku (Boston College) and Mike Green (Marshall) when they were available at No. 27, and Oladejo might be a more realistic target when they are next on the clock. The 6-3, 261-pounder began his career at Cal and has played both inside and outside linebacker in his career, which is one reason his career sack numbers are relatively low, with six in 46 games, including 4.5 this past year. Like Malik Harrison, Oladejo could be an edge-setting, run defender on early downs with pass-rush upside.
SHAVON REVEL, CB, EAST CAROLINA: At 6-2 and 194 pounds, Revel has the size and speed of a first-round talent, but he is coming off a torn ACL in September that limited his evaluation in the predraft process. Revel had two interceptions, including a pick-six, in three games this past season before his season-ending injury. DeCosta has said it’s likely the Ravens will draft a cornerback at some point this year, and Revel is a potential future outside starter. Still, given the injury history of Jalyn Armour-Davis and T.J. Tampa, it’s fair to wonder whether the team would use a relatively high pick on another cornerback with injury concerns.
JONAH SAVAIINAEA, OL, ARIZONA: If the Ravens are looking for a Patrick Mekari-type, Savaiinaea could be that guy. At Arizona, the 6-foot-4, 324-pound Samoan made 15 starts at right guard, 16 at right tackle and five at left tackle. The Ravens have an opening at left guard with the free-agency departure of Mekari, and although Savaiinaea’s guard experience at Arizona was on the right side, he could compete with incumbents Andrew Vorhees and Ben Cleveland for that left guard job. He would also offer value as the swing tackle, a job Mekari notably held in his years as the team’s offensive line super-sub.
DANNY STUTSMAN, ILB, OKLAHOMA: UCLA’s Carson Schwesinger is considered the top inside linebacker on the board right now but might not make it to the Ravens at No. 59. Stutsman, a three-year starter at Oklahoma, could be a Round 3 target. He’s a 6-foot-3, 233-pound thumper who logged more than 100 tackles in each of the past three seasons at Oklahoma. The Ravens didn’t see enough from Trenton Simpson last year, and inside linebackers Malik Harrison and Chris Board, who essentially replaced Simpson, are both gone. Even if Simpson takes that next step this year, the Ravens need another inside linebacker, and Stutsman also has extensive special teams experience, which the Ravens always value.
Photo Credit: Courtesy of East Carolina Athletics