Before the Ravens had even made a pick, the organization had to view the NFL Draft weekend as a success. That’s because hours before the team was on the clock with their first pick on April 27, the Ravens and franchise quarterback Lamar Jackson agreed to a five-year contract extension to end a saga that had taken a toll on both sides this offseason.
General manager Eric DeCosta acknowledged that he felt a huge weight lifted once the negotiations with Jackson, which had lasted well more than a year, finally got resolved with Jackson re-signed and not traded away, as Jackson had asked for earlier this spring.
With an agreement finally in place, a relieved DeCosta could focus on the draft, and he came away with a six-member class — small by Ravens standards — that delivered a major weapon for Jackson, intrigue and flexibility for the defense and a couple of promising late-round picks on the offensive line.
“I think at some point, we started to build some momentum, which was nice, and here we are,” DeCosta said at his news conference after the final day of the draft. “I think we would all say we’re pretty tired, but it’s a good tired.”
The Ravens selected Boston College wide receiver Zay Flowers with their first pick at No. 22, as DeCosta and head coach John Harbaugh continued with their offseason pledge to rebuild the receiver room after the Ravens wide receivers ranked last in the league in 2022 with 1,517 yards.
The addition of Flowers and free-agent acquisitions Odell Beckham Jr. and Nelson Agholor, plus the return of a healthy Rashod Bateman, who missed the final 11 games of last season with a foot injury, figure to transform the passing game for Jackson and new offensive coordinator Todd Monken.
Flowers is just 5-foot-9, but Harbaugh praised his strength, explosiveness and ability to pile up yards after the catch. DeCosta said Flowers got a ringing endorsement from another 5-9 receiver greatly admired by DeCosta: former Raven Steve Smith.
“If Steve Smith has that much respect for a receiver,” DeCosta said, “you better pay attention. It’s like when Ozzie [Newsome] loves a tight end. You better pay attention.”
In selecting Flowers, the Ravens declined to address their pressing cornerback roster need in the first round, though a couple of corners viewed as first-round talents remained on the board. The Ravens passed on Maryland’s Deonte Banks, who went No. 24 to the New York Giants, and Penn State’s Joey Porter Jr., taken with the first pick of the second round by the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Ravens have a void at cornerback after allowing Marcus Peters to leave as a free agent, with young, largely unproven players such as Brandon Stephens, Damarion “Pepe” Williams and Jalyn Armour-Davis among the returning options.
The Ravens later selected Stanford cornerback Kyu Blu Kelly in the fifth round, and DeCosta implied that a veteran signing is likely.
“There are a lot of potential moves for us to make” at cornerback, DeCosta said, “free agents, guys that we’ve had, guys that we like who are available. … It’s an important position. What we’ve seen is you can never have enough good corners to start the season and throughout the season.”
A lack of cornerback depth is “a fast way to get beat,” he added.
More intrigue for the defense came on the second day of the draft, when the Ravens selected Clemson linebacker Trenton Simpson in the third round. Viewed as one of the top inside linebackers in the draft with the versatility to play outside as well, the selection of Simpson called into question Patrick Queen’s future in Baltimore.
Queen, the team’s first pick in the 2020 draft, is entering the final year of his contract, and the team must decide by May 2 whether to pick up his $12.7 million option for 2024. DeCosta twice during the weekend was asked about Queen’s option but declined to discuss the situation except to say a decision would be made by the deadline.
The addition of Simpson, to go along with Queen and defensive cornerstone Roquan Smith, gives the Ravens a fast, physical, rangy corps of inside linebackers. Simpson was also praised for his special teams ability.
The Ravens added another versatile defender with their first of four Day 3 picks, selecting Mississippi outside linebacker/defensive end Tavius Robinson. The 6-foot-6 Robinson recorded six sacks and forced four fumbles for Ole Miss this year, and DeCosta likened him to former Raven Za’Darius Smith for his flexibility to play multiple spots up front.
Late in the draft, the Ravens focused on the offensive line, including a move after it appeared their draft was over.
The Ravens began the three-day draft with just five picks, which would have been their fewest since 1999. But with the draft winding down, the Ravens traded back into the seventh round, giving up a 2024 sixth-round pick, to select USC guard Andrew Vorhees. It’s essentially a futures bet, as Vorhees tore his ACL at the NFL Scouting Combine, but he was a five-year starter and a first-team All-American with the Trojans this past season.
One round earlier, the Ravens had selected Malaesala Aumavae-Laulu, a big (6-5, 325), physical offensive lineman who played both guard and tackle at Oregon and could project to either position in the NFL, Ravens director of player personnel Joe Hortiz said.
As he does each year, DeCosta stressed that the roster-building process never ends. The Ravens expect to sign a large crop of undrafted rookie free agents to reach the 90-player roster limit, and they will continue to look at the free agent market. Any unrestricted free agents signed after May 1 do not count toward the formula for assigning compensatory draft picks.
“I think we all feel pretty good, but we also understand and realize that we have more work to do,” DeCosta said. “We have four or five months. … The roster is going to look different than it does now, hopefully better. But it is going to look different, and we’re going to keep building and building and building until we can build the team that can go as far as possible.”
2023 RAVENS DRAFT CLASS
(NOTE: The Ravens did not have a second-round pick after sending it to the Chicago Bears in the deal for linebacker Roquan Smith.)
First round (No. 22) — WR Zay Flowers, Boston College
Third round (No. 86) — LB Trenton Simpson, Clemson
Fourth round (No. 124) — OLB Tavius Robinson, Mississippi
Fifth round (No. 157) — CB Kyu Blu Kelly, Stanford
Sixth round (No. 199) — T Malaesala Aumavae-Laulu, Oregon
Seventh round (No. 305*) — G Andrew Vorhees, USC
*Pick acquired from Cleveland in exchange for 2024 sixth-round pick
Photo Credits: Courtesy of BC, Clemson and Ole Miss Athletics