A day after selecting Georgia safety Malaki Starks in the first round of the draft, the Ravens addressed their pass rush and offensive line on the second day of the draft by selecting Marshall edge rusher Mike Green and LSU offensive tackle Emery Jones.
The Ravens had a lot of draft capital available to move around in potential deals but made their picks on turn, selecting Green at No. 59 in the second round at Jones at No. 91 in the third.
Green’s talent and production are undeniable — he led the nation in sacks this past year with 17 — but his selection carries the shadow of two past sexual assault allegations. He has never been charged and denied all wrongdoing, but the pick by the Ravens comes while the team is dealing with an active NFL investigation of kicker Justin Tucker for alleged sexual misconduct.
General manager Eric DeCosta said the team investigated the allegations against Green “very thoroughly,” with investigators and scouts talking to people at Marshall and at Virginia, where Green began his college career before being suspended.
“We understand the severity of what these allegations were, of course,” he said, “but, doing our due diligence, we are comfortable with Mike. I personally spent an hour and a half with him in my office, and I think the best is yet to come with him. And I’m glad we got him.”
Questions about drafting Green dominated the team’s news conference at the end of the second day of the draft, but both DeCosta and head coach John Harbaugh stressed the team’s “exhaustive” due diligence in concluding that Green was a draftable player.
For a long time in the wake of the Ray Rice incident in 2014, public perception was that the Ravens had a no-tolerance policy regarding sexual misconduct allegations. The Ravens never made any effort to change that perception, though after the allegations against Tucker surfaced, team officials clarified that no such firm policy exists.
In the case of Green, DeCosta said, “We diligently investigated it. We got as much information as we could. We considered the facts. We considered the allegations. We considered what the reports actually were and what they actually weren’t, and we made the decision based off of that.”
Harbaugh called the due diligence “exhaustive,” adding, “we made the decision based on what we thought was fair.”
Green had begun his collegiate career at Virginia and was abruptly suspended from the team in September 2022 with little explanation. He ultimately transferred to Marshall and became a star in 2024. It was at his Combine news conference that Green offered the details that he left Virginia because of a sexual assault allegation that he had denied. He also revealed that he had faced a sexual assault allegation in high school.
Neither Green nor Jones was made available to the media in a teleconference or Zoom interview, as Day 2 picks usually are.
Green’s impact on the field is clear. DeCosta called him “one of the premier pass rushers I this draft,” and he was widely viewed as a first-round talent whose stock dropped because of the allegations.
In addition to his nation-best 17 sacks, the 6-3, 255-pounder also finished with 84 tackles and three forced fumbles in his first full season at Marshall.
Harbaugh praised Green’s “relentless motor,” adding, “He’s going to come in Day 1 and make a mark.”
Green joins Kyle Van Noy and Odafe Oweh atop the Ravens’ edge rush depth chart, and he figures to be a much needed long-term solution. Van Noy, 34 and entering his 12th NFL season, led the Ravens with 12.5 sacks last year, and Oweh added 10. Both are scheduled to become free agents in 2026.
Behind those two, the Ravens have depth concerns. Tavius Robinson recorded 3.5 sacks in limited duty last year, and David Ojabo has yet to establish himself in three NFL seasons. Adisa Isaac, a third-round selection last season, remains unproven after missing most of his rookie season with hamstring injuries.
Given the Ravens’ lack of depth and looming contract concerns, it’s no surprise that DeCosta attacked the edge rush position early in the draft. But selecting Green and his background certainly invites significant scrutiny.
In the third round, the Ravens bolstered their offensive line by selecting Jones (6-5, 315), a three-year starter at right tackle. The Ravens already have second-year tackle Roger Rosengarten there, but Harbaugh said they view Jones as a potential swing tackle and will also look at him at guard.
The Ravens have an immediate opening at left guard after losing Patrick Mekari to free agency. Andrew Vorhees and Ben Cleveland are incumbent candidates, but neither could decisively win the job last year, which is why the super-utility Mekari ended up starting the final 14 games at left guard.
DeCosta said Jones impressed him at the Senior Bowl, where he flashed “a lot of effort and tenacity. … He’s the guy that, when we left, I just thought, ‘You know what? This guy would have a chance of being pretty good for us.'”
Barring any trades, the Ravens will have eight picks on the final day of draft, beginning with No. 129 in the fourth round. They also have the No. 136 pick in the fourth round, the one pick in the fifth, four in the sixth and one more in the seventh round.
Photo Credits: Courtesy of Marshall Athletics and LSU Athletics