Lamar Jackson Is Among Ravens' Biggest Winners Coming Out of the Draft
Every team's new draft class directly affects its existing players and coaching staff.
The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec looked at the Ravens' 2026 draft and identified the team's winners and losers coming out of the three-day event.
Here are some excerpts:
Winners
Head Coach Jesse Minter and his staff
"It was clear how much input the new staff had. Offensive Line Coach/Run Game Coordinator Dwayne Ledford advocated loudly for Penn State guard Vega Ioane, and the Ravens got him in the first round. Wide Receivers Coach Keary Colbert and his assistant, Prentice Gill, both have ties to USC and wide receiver Ja'Kobi Lane, who was selected in the third round. Defensive Line Coach Lou Esposito was seventh-round pick Rayshaun Benny's position coach at Michigan. Minter and fourth-round tight end Matthew Hibner were also together at Michigan. General Manager Eric DeCosta gave Senior Special Teams Coach Randy Brown the ultimate say in finding the team's next punter and then drafted Brown's guy, Ryan Eckley, in the sixth round. It was a good week for DeCosta in building synergy with a mostly new staff."
QB Lamar Jackson
"The Ravens didn't get a center. However, they got a mauling guard in Ioane, who has vowed to keep defenders away from his quarterback. They got two big red zone and third-down targets in Lane and Elijah Sarratt. And they got two tight ends with pass-catching ability in Hibner and Josh Cuevas. Jackson loves utilizing the middle of the field and his tight ends. Now, he has a little more to work with in both areas."
TE Mark Andrews
"His position room had to feel awfully lonely during the offseason program with his buddies and longtime teammates Isaiah Likely, Charlie Kolar and Patrick Ricard elsewhere, and only two tight ends on Baltimore's roster. However, he now has two young tight ends to mentor. He also avoided the inevitable speculation that the Ravens drafted his replacement when Baltimore opted to select Ioane at No. 14 and not Oregon tight end Kenyon Sadiq."
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Losers
G Emery Jones Jr.
"DeCosta expressed confidence in Emery Jones on Saturday, saying he expects him to develop into a good guard and have the opportunity to compete for a starting job. Winning one, however, seems unlikely for the 2025 third-round pick. The Ravens aren't going to sit veteran guard John Simpson, whom they signed to a three-year, $30 million deal. They didn't draft Ioane at No. 14 to sit him as a rookie. They're set with starting tackles Ronnie Stanley and Roger Rosengarten. Barring an injury, Jones will probably have to wait his turn."
WR Devontez Walker
"The third-year pro, who has scored touchdowns on three of his six career receptions, could beat out Lane and Sarratt for the No. 3 receiver role. Yet, he now has to work through more traffic to earn that spot. He also now has much more competition for touches with the addition of two middle-round receivers and two Day 3 tight ends. This is a huge summer for Walker, and he needs to stay healthy and maintain consistency."
After Maxx Crosby Saga, DeCosta Was 'Back in His Happy Place' at the Draft
For a few days last month, the Ravens thought their 2026 and 2027 first-round picks would become the property of the Las Vegas Raiders. All that was left to make the blockbuster trade for edge rusher Maxx Crosby official was a physical.
We all know how that turned out. Crosby is still a Raider, and the Ravens were on the clock with the 14th-overall pick on Thursday night.
DeCosta and the Ravens were criticized for the deal falling through, but The Athletic’s Michael Silver said the aborted trade has "finally been relegated to the secondary-storyline department" and that DeCosta was "back in his happy place" at the draft.
"Eric DeCosta did what he had to do because, after reviewing three doctors' assessments of Crosby's recently repaired left knee, he believed acquiring the five-time Pro Bowl defensive end posed too much of a risk," Silver wrote. " … Technically, the trade couldn't become official until the league year began, meaning either side could change its mind for any reason.
"Upon arriving in Maryland that Tuesday Crosby, who'd had surgery in January to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee, underwent a physical exam that included a series of imaging tests. After consulting with the Ravens' team physician — and those of the Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants — DeCosta became uncomfortable with the prognosis. He sat in his office, struggling with the choice that awaited him: Honor the deal, and assume what he now viewed as a significant risk, or be the bogeyman who blew it up.
"He called Bisciotti in the Bahamas, telling him, 'I'm not sure if you want to sit down for this, but it's not good news.' Bisciotti gulped and asked for half an hour to consider the situation, after which he called back and agreed with his GM that the best course of action was to renege."
Recalling the situation, Bisciotti said: "We knew we were going to take a huge hit, so we did not do it lightly. I said, 'I understand the firestorm you're walking into.' It was very tough for him, because he's the one that takes the bullets."
The fallout included hot takes that teams would be reluctant to do business with the Ravens in the future.
"I do get phone calls from GMs. I do talk to agents often about deals. I have GMs who are calling me about trades," DeCosta told Silver. "So I think maybe that storm has subsided, and we're open for business again."
Case in point: The Ravens made a trade during the draft, sending a fifth-round pick and 2027 sixth-rounder to the San Francisco 49ers to move up 21 spots and grab Hibner.
"That narrative," DeCosta said, "can no longer be repeated."
The Short- and Long-Term Outlooks for Three Intriguing Day 3 Picks
Some of the Ravens' 11 draft picks will be counted on to make an immediate impact, while others are projected to provide depth initially with the potential to earn bigger roles as they gain pro experience.
Expectations for Ioane and second-round outside linebacker Zion Young are clear. Ioane is considered a plug-and-play starter and Young is projected to be a significant contributor this season as the Ravens look to beef up their pass rush.
Baltimore Positive’s Luke Jones looked at both the short- and long-term outlooks for each member of the Ravens' 2026 draft class. Here's a look at what he said about three Day 3 picks:
CB Chandler Rivers (Fifth round, No. 162 overall)
2026 projected role: "The 5-foot-10, 185-pound slot corner will compete for snaps on special teams as he tries to develop into a depth piece in a Minter defense that regularly uses five or six defensive backs."
Long-term outlook: "DeCosta mentioned Rivers in the same breath as undersized success stories like Lardarius Webb and Tavon Young, and he was a favorite of the scouts after a rock-solid college career. Considering Marlon Humphrey and Chidobe Awuzie are not under contract beyond this season, Rivers is one of several young corners on the roster who can make an impression to earn a more meaningful role for 2027 and beyond."
RB Adam Randall (Fifth round, No. 174)
2026 projected role: "Randall's best path to playing time as a rookie is on special teams as he's still new to the running back position after beginning his college career as a wide receiver."
Long-term outlook: "He obviously has a big fan in Owner Steve Bisciotti, so it'll be interesting to see how the 6-foot-3, 231-pound Randall develops behind starter Derrick Henry and fellow backups Justice Hill and Rasheen Ali. Given his experience as a receiver, improving in pass protection would go a long way in making Randall an interesting third-down option over the next couple years."
DT Rayshaun Benny (Seventh round, No. 250)
2026 projected role: "The 6-foot-3, 305-pound Benny has the size and arm length to earn snaps at the 5-technique with DeCosta labeling him 'a plug-and-play guy' after the draft, which isn't something you usually say about a seventh-round choice."
Long-term outlook: "Minter and Defensive Line Coach Lou Esposito clearly see upside from their days together in Ann Arbor, which makes this a great value pick if Benny develops into a dependable rotation player. The only surprise was Baltimore waiting this long in general to address the defensive line with Nnamdi Madubuike's status unclear and Broderick Washington also missing most of last season with injuries."
