The Baltimore Ravens 2021 NFL Draft will be another opportunity for the organization to draft well. Current Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta and former Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome have been known as two of the best-drafting general managers in NFL history. In the 25 years that the two have headed the organization, the pairing has drafted three Hall of Famer’s, and a handful of others that will be welcomed into Canton over the next decade.
DeCosta is now the big dog in charge and has already started his Ravens tenure strong. The Ravens last two first-round picks, Marquise Brown and Patrick Queen, have both already become key contributors over the past two seasons. Brown has led all Ravens wide receivers in receiving yards since 2019 and Queen led the Ravens in tackles this past season as a rookie.
Being a first-round pick of the Ravens comes with a lot of responsibility. Over the past 25 drafts, Baltimore has made a total of 26 total selections in the first round. Of those 26 players, 13 of them have been named a first or second-team All-Pro at some point in their Ravens careers. Seven made multiple All-Pro teams. Only four of the 16 players selected before 2012 did not win a Super Bowl ring with the Ravens.
Now venturing into 2021, DeCosta is searching for a game-changer. His team has made the playoffs in each of the last three seasons and Lamar Jackson is an All-Pro level quarterback whose talent cannot be wasted. Since 2018, the Ravens own the third-best winning percentage, fourth-most points, and fewest points against in the NFL. Here are some potential Baltimore Ravens 2021 NFL Draft first-round targets.
Potential Baltimore Ravens 2021 NFL Draft First-Round Targets
Trevon Moehrig (TCU) – Safety
The Ravens are perhaps one of the best teams at exemplifying the success of the “best player available” approach. Baltimore has won a lot of games in their 25 years as a franchise and a lot of it has been due to never reaching for a need in the draft. When Newsome drafted Marlon Humphrey in 2017, cornerback was not a pressing need for the Ravens. However, Humphrey was perhaps the best overall player available when the Ravens were on the clock and four years later, he has collected one first-team All-Pro honor, led the NFL in forced fumbles in 2020, and has the eighth-most past defenses since being drafted.
Trevon Moehrig does not necessarily fill a position of need but he provides a different skillset than either Chuck Clark or DeShon Elliott. At TCU he was asked to play as a deep free safety but he also has the athletic ability and football IQ to play solid man-to-man coverage. His run support may need some improvement but the Ravens already have two safeties who are naturals near the line of scrimmage. Moehrig would join one of the best secondaries in football and would not only improve an already great unit but perhaps the most versatile defense in the NFL as well. If DeCosta cannot find a better overall player at number 27, Moehrig would be the perfect option to strengthen what is maybe the best secondary in football.
Same position options: Jevon Holland
Creed Humphrey (Oklahoma) – Center
Interior offensive line was perhaps the biggest need for the Ravens coming into the off-season. Lamar Jackson saw a ton of pressure from the middle in a number of games in 2020 and DeCosta has already made a point of addressing it. He has already found a potential replacement for Marshal Yanda in Kevin Zeitler but he is probably not yet done adding to the offensive line. The Ravens most pressing need on the interior is at center and DeCosta could easily find one early in the draft.
Creed Humphrey has likely been on the Ravens radar for multiple years. Before electing to return to Oklahoma for his senior year, Humphrey was projected to be the first center taken in the 2020 NFL Draft. He then returned to school and had another very productive season. Humphrey was named the Big-12’s Offensive Lineman of the year for the second straight season and did not allow a sack on 401 passing snaps. His hands, smarts, functional athleticism, and incredible work ethic in the trenches make him a natural fit for a Ravens team that runs the ball a lot.
The one thing working against Humphrey being matched with Baltimore is his positional value. While Humphrey would make a perfect Raven, centers are typically more of a priority on the second day of the draft. Only five of the 32 starting centers in the NFL in 2020 were first-round picks. As mentioned prior, the Ravens are a team that typically does not reach for players. However, if the Ravens feel center is too big a need not to address, Humphrey would be a great fit in offensive coordinator Greg Roman‘s run-heavy offense.
Same position options: Landon Dickerson
Sam Cosmi (Texas) – Offensive Tackle
Perhaps the most shocking development of the Ravens off-season has been Orlando Brown Jr.‘s dissatisfaction with being Baltimore’s right tackle. While the two-time Pro-Bowler has been one of the best tackles in football over the past three seasons, he has openly voiced his intent to play on the left side of the line. Due to Ronnie Stanley‘s Week 8 injury, he got his first shot at playing left tackle in the NFL. The only problem is, Stanley is perhaps the best left tackle in football and the Ravens would be hard-pressed to do anything but allow him to resume his regular role when he is healthy next season.
Even if the Ravens do not move off of Brown before the draft, Sam Cosmi could be his successor in Baltimore. Cosmi has stated he is comfortable playing any of the five positions on the offensive line and has the high-quality athletic traits to be a top-end starter in the NFL. At Cosmi’s Pro Day, he tested in the 98th percentile for offensive tackles in the 40-yard dash, 10-yard split, and three-cone at 6’6″ 314 pounds. Being able to move the way Cosmi does at his size is what has allowed him to be so effective when blocking in space and in pass protection. The Ravens are going to need another right tackle within the next year and Cosmi brings the movement skills and build to dominate with the Ravens.
Same position options: Teven Jenkins
Terrace Marshall (LSU) – Wide Receiver
Terrace Marshall Draft Profile
The quest for a true number-one wide receiver in Baltimore since the retirement of Steve Smith has been a long journey. DeCosta, Newsome, and head coach John Harbaugh have selected multiple wide receivers in each of the last three drafts and they could potentially do the same in 2021. However, Marquise Brown is the only Ravens receiver taken in the first two rounds since Smith’s retirement in 2016. Wide receiver is a premium position in the pass-happy state of the current NFL and Jackson needs weapons that can be game-breakers and difference makers. Finding a true number-one receiver late in the first round is tricky but the Ravens are a run-first team whose best approach may be to just keep taking shots at the receiver position.
Terrace Marshall is projected to be the best fitting receiver for the Ravens at number 27. He carries a 6’2 1/2″ and 205 pound frame, with 4.38 speed, and a skill set that makes him a fit for any offense in the NFL. At LSU, Marshall spent the majority of his time lining up as a ‘big slot’ receiver but was flanked out on the outside in multiple formations. His athletic ability allows him to both stretch the field and make contested catches. Overall, Marshall is not the most refined wide receiver in the 2021 class but his size and raw athleticism give him one of the highest upsides outside of the top-three receivers in this year’s draft. The Ravens might not get a player that was as productive as Justin Jefferson was in his first year but Marshall could bring a similar upside from the same system.
Same position options: Rashod Bateman
Azeez Ojulari (Georgia) – EDGE
If Azeez Ojulari is available when the Ravens are on the clock at any point in the middle-to-late part of the first round, DeCosta and Harbaugh need to sprint the card in as fast as possible. He is great value late in the first round, he fills a big need at EDGE and has the leadership qualities that great Ravens have historically demonstrated. Baltimore has not taken an EDGE in the first round since Terrell Suggs in 2003, but if Ojulari is available to them they need to select him.
The Ravens have seen their very deep pass rushing room from 2020 dwindle over the past two months. Each of Yannick Ngakoue, Matt Judon, and Jihad Ward found new homes in free agency and Baltimore currently only has three EDGE’s with NFL experience on their roster. Neither of the three players who departed Baltimore had ever registered double-digit sacks but each contributed three or more sacks this past season. Finding a franchise EDGE defender in the draft is always difficult and DeCosta could be looking to add a cornerstone with the 27th-overall pick. Ojulari could be that guy,
Ojulari is debatably the most complete EDGE in the draft. He is not the biggest player at 6’2 1/4″ but has a long wingspan of 82 1/2″ and the natural athleticism that NFL teams love in a modern-day outside linebacker. His speed and burst off of the edge was the main trait that allowed him to compile 9.5 sacks in 10 games at Georgia this past season and his sneaky power helped him force four fumbles. He is also quick and smart enough to drop back into coverage. Ojulari has shown a ton of growth over his time in college and is the perfect pass rusher for the Ravens to develop into their next franchise-outside linebacker.
Same position options: Gregory Rousseau
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