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Five Takeaways From Daniel Jeremiah's Pre-Combine Conference Call

Washington offensive lineman Troy Fautanu (55) during an NCAA college football game against Tulsa, Saturday, Sept. 9, 2023, in Seattle.
Washington offensive lineman Troy Fautanu (55) during an NCAA college football game against Tulsa, Saturday, Sept. 9, 2023, in Seattle.

The NFL Scouting Combine kicks off tomorrow from Indianapolis and Daniel Jeremiah of NFL Network helped set the stage.

Here are some of the top Ravens takeaways from Jeremiah's conference call with reporters that fans should know heading into the Combine:

Ravens may have some home-run pick options at offensive tackle.

Jeremiah said it's a "loaded" offensive tackle class with about 10-11 players that include a bunch of Day 1 starters, which could make it a good time for Baltimore to hit a refresh at the position – either immediately or in preparation for the near future.

Some possibilities are Georgia's Amarius Mims, who Jeremiah has to Baltimore in his latest mock draft, Oklahoma's Tyler Guyton, and Washington's Troy Fautanu. Jeremiah has them ranked together in his top 50 – Fautanu at No. 17, Guyton at No. 18, and Mims at 19.

Here's the latest 2024 NFL Draft big board from NFL Network's Daniel Jeremiah.

"Tyler Guyton and Mims as these two big freaks, like just big physical, athletic kind of rare guys," Jeremiah said. "They're a little bit raw, but there's a huge upside there. If one of those guys were to fall to them, I think that would be a home run pick.

"Fautanu from Washington, if he were to get down there, he is one of who is a little undersized and a little over 319 pounds. He is a left tackle at Washington. A lot of teams have him as a guard. I think he could hold up as tackle."

One potential path for the Ravens would be to draft a college tackle who could start at guard in 2024, considering Baltimore currently has two open starting guard spots, and potentially take over at one of the tackle spots in 2025 and beyond.

Jeremiah said Arizona's Jordan Morgan, Notre Dame's Blake Fisher, and Texas' Christian Jones could fit the bill beyond the first round. Morgan is No. 39, while Fisher and Jones aren't in Jeremiah's top 50.

The cornerback class is also strong.

Jeremiah said he has around 15 cornerbacks with grades that should put them in the first three rounds, which should give Baltimore a good chance to grab one.

"I think once you get through that top group, I think there's a lot – that second, third round range – a good number of those guys are going to be nickels," Jeremiah said.

Last year, the Ravens had their eyes on some cornerbacks who were plucked before they got on the clock. Baltimore ended up taking Kyu Blu Kelly in the fifth round but he didn't make the team. Thus, the Ravens are back in the position of needing to restock the cornerback pipeline.

If Baltimore does pick a cornerback in the first round, Clemson's Nate Wiggins and Iowa's Cooper DeJean are two names to know. Wiggins sounds more like a true boundary cornerback whereas DeJean has more position flexibility, which the Ravens covet.

"Wiggins is one I'm curious about," Jeremiah said. "He is big and ultra, ultra fast. A really, really fluid kid. I think you'll see him kind of rise up as we're going through the process.

"I think [DeJean] can play anywhere. That's one of the things I love about him. You are drafting a big-time athlete who has just got – he has football instincts. He has ball skills. … He could play nickel and be a big, physical nickel. You could play him as a high safety, let him do that. I think you kind of sort it out."

Keep an eye on these 2024 prospects at Ravens positions of need.

Ravens could look for size  to fill out the wide receiver team.

The Ravens already have Zay Flowers, Rashod Bateman and Nelson Agholor returning next season at wide receiver, but Baltimore isn't done adding to the wide receiver pipeline.

What will the Ravens be looking for?

"I think with Zay Flowers I think he is going to be a No. 1 if he isn't a No. 1 already. That would be the person I would be looking to complement. I'm going to go look for some size," Jeremiah said.

Jeremiah's three examples were Texas' Adonai Mitchell, Oregon's Troy Franklin, and Florida State's Keon Coleman as "three guys would kind of fill out that basketball team so to speak for the Ravens."

Jeremiah expects Mitchell (6-foot-4, 190 pounds) will "put on a show" at the Combine with his speed and leaping ability. Franklin (6-foot-2, 170 pounds) could do the same as a "big-time home run hitter" and Coleman (6-foot-4, 210 pounds) has "some freaky ball skills."

Here's how NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah sees the first round of the 2024 Draft shaking out.

There could be a Day 2 run on running backs.

The Ravens are reportedly doing their homework on the big-name veteran running backs set to hit the free agent market.

If they don't go that direction, or maybe even if they do, they could scoop up a running back at the end of the second round (like they did with J.K. Dobbins) or third round.

While Jeremiah doesn't have any first-round running backs, he has six to eight very closely graded. For that reason, he thinks there will be a run of them near the end of the second round or maybe into the third.

"I think Day 2 is going to be the running back day," Jeremiah said. "I wonder if we're going to see a game of chicken in the second round where teams are saying, well, we have the grade to take this guy here, but we don't want to be the first one in line. We just need to make sure we're not the last one in line. Does that push the running backs down?"

A familiar prospect at EDGE rusher?

The Ravens already have high school teammates in edge rushers Odafe Oweh and David Ojabo. Could they add another familiar talent to the mix with Penn State's Chop Robinson?

Jeremiah's scouting report on Robinson, who hails from Gaithersburg, Md. in Montgomery County, sounds like Oweh's when he was in the 2021 draft.

"Robinson is an extremely twitched-up edge rusher with limited production," Jeremiah wrote. "He has average size but is incredibly explosive."

Two other edge rushers who will be in play likely near the end of the first round are UCLA's Laiatu Latu and Missouri's Darius Robinson.

Latu has a very different resume than Robinson because it's all about production (23.5 sacks the past two seasons). Jeremiah called him a pass rush "artist."

Robinson is a bigger (6-foot-5, 286 pounds), position flexible defensive front piece who stood out at the Senior Bowl when he was lined up wider. Jeremiah compared his body type to New Orleans Saints eight-time Pro Bowler Cam Jordan.

Jeremiah's names to watch are Texas' Jonathan Brooks, Tennessee's Jaylen Wright, USC's MarShawn Lloyd, Oregon's Bucky Irving, Kentucky's Ray Davis, Notre Dame's Audric Estime, Wisconsin's Braelon Allen, and Florida State's Trey Benson.

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