Ravens Prioritizing Size and Toughness Is Among Things We Learned From Their Draft
Now that the dust has settled on the NFL Draft and pundits have issued their grades, it's an appropriate time to look at what can be gleaned about teams' hauls.
The Baltimore Sun’s Brian Wacker and The Baltimore Banner’s Childs Walker each named five things we learned from the Ravens' draft. Here are some of their takeaways:
Ravens prioritized getting bigger, stronger and tougher.
Wacker: "Head Coach Jesse Minter and General Manager Eric DeCosta used adjectives like 'physical' and 'rugged' to describe the 11-player class. We heard it from the players, too. First-round guard Vega Ioane explained how he's 'trying to kill somebody' between the whistles, and second-round outside linebacker Zion Young tried to jump through the Zoom screen, fired up about 'smash-mouth football.'
"The Ravens are stepping into a new era, one they're dubbing 'The Next Flight,' but in some respects, this draft was about trying to get back to their organizational roots. In 2025, the Ravens' 53-man roster ranked in the bottom half of the NFL by average weight (245.1 lbs.), and they fielded the league's fourth shortest team (73.8 inches), according to data compiled by Vegas Insider. By contrast, the year of Baltimore's last Super Bowl run, the Ravens' average weight (252) was the heaviest in football."
With their first pick, the Ravens again told us a repeat of 2025 is unacceptable.
Walker: "A sturdy guard over the most ferocious pass rusher in the class? That was the decision the Ravens made Thursday night when they drafted Vega Ioane No. 14 overall. Rueben Bain Jr., a powerhouse edge who plays like his hair is aflame, fell, fell, fell right to their spot. Even after they signed Trey Hendrickson, they could have used another upgrade to a pass rush that underwhelmed last season.
"But what was the Ravens' greatest flaw, the one that threatened them to their very core? An interior offensive line that was simply not up to the task of protecting franchise quarterback Lamar Jackson. In their quest to re-embrace fundamentals under new coach Jesse Minter, they had to start from the inside out."
Declan Doyle's offense has new priorities.
Wacker: "Here's a list of everything we know about Declan Doyle's offense: Players think it's going to be 'electric,' explosive plays are one of three nonnegotiables (along with physical and detailed), and it will utilize Jackson's legs as an 'eraser of mistakes' rather than a set play call. Sure sounds like Doyle wants Jackson to air it out more.
"The Ravens jumped on third–round wide receiver Ja'Kobi Lane higher than some projected he'd go, but they covet his upside and catch radius. He's a big receiver who Ravens coaches want to take advantage of in the red zone — something the previous coaching staff promised and failed to do with DeAndre Hopkins. Fourth-round wide receiver Elijah Sarratt thrives more on the perimeter. Back-shoulder throws are his biggest strength, according to the fourth-round pick out of Indiana. The go ball, out-route toward the left sideline and slant up to the right accounted for 60% of his route tree production, according to the football data site SumerSports.
"Whether they're good enough to immediately contribute or not, adding Lane and Sarratt is at least an indication of the offense's new direction."
It had its virtues, but this Ravens draft zagged again and again.
Walker: "The Ravens loaded up on targets and protectors for Jackson. They checked some expected boxes, drafting a pair of solid all-around tight ends, SMU's Matthew Hibner and Alabama's Josh Cuevas, to learn behind Mark Andrews. Their track record at the position suggests at least one of those guys will be a real player, even if neither is ready to fill Isaiah Likely's (or even Charlie Kolar's) shoes in 2026.
"They took the top punter on many boards in Michigan State's Ryan Eckley, who'll try to fill Jordan Stout's spot. They added a classic value pick in undersized Duke cornerback Chandler Rivers — fast, smart and one of the most prolific defensive playmakers in college football. It's easy to envision Rivers shining on special teams and gradually forcing his way onto the field as a nickel back.
"But they left other needs — a new starting center, an early-round defensive lineman to hedge against the health concerns around Nnamdi Madubuike — to be addressed by other means. When we thought they'd build their offensive line, they drafted two wide receivers. After opening with their eyes on the trenches, they used five of their next six picks on skill positions."
Ravens Are Just Outside Top 10 in The Athletic's Draft Class Rankings
The Athletic’s Dane Brugler ranked the draft classes of all 32 teams, and the Ravens landed at No. 11.
Brugler's favorite pick for the Ravens was Ioane.
"It was hard not to pick Zion Young here, but Ioane should be one of the league's most impactful rookies," Brugler wrote. "He is a plug-and-play option who can be an athletic bulldozer and will immediately upgrade the Ravens' guard play.
Brugler identified Sarratt as a Day 3 pick who could surprise.
"I'll bet [fifth-round cornerback] Chandler Rivers and [seventh-round guard] Evan Beerntsen outplay their draft spot, but Sarratt was my favorite of Baltimore's Day 3 picks," Brugler wrote. "He might not be the best separator, but he plays with outstanding timing, reliability and a level of craftiness that will earn him early looks."
FOX Sports’ Rob Rang believes the Ravens were among the biggest winners of the draft. He only gave three teams a higher grade than Baltimore's A-minus mark.
"With 11 draft picks, DeCosta had plenty of 'shots at the basket,' and I think this class will have plenty of swishes," Rang wrote.
Ravens Crack Top 5 in Post-Draft Power Rankings
NFL.com’s Eric Edholm updated his power rankings after the draft. The Ravens moved up one spot from last month's post-free agency frenzy rankings to No. 5.
"The Ravens keep climbing their way back to respectability, and draft time is often a good time for them," Edholm wrote. "OG Vega Ioane and edge rusher Zion Young feel like Ravens from birth. Both should vie for major roles early. Drafting two receivers -- two different receivers, yet two Ravens-y ones -- also should help diversify the passing game a bit more. Ditto the two tight ends. And if punter Ryan Eckley is as good at his job as Tyler Loop was at his as a rookie, Baltimore once again upgraded on special teams.
"Few teams take advantage of the talent grab that is the draft quite like the Ravens. They don't hit on every pick, but they rarely fail to upgrade in some form."
The four teams ahead of the Ravens were (in order): the Seattle Seahawks, Los Angeles Rams, Denver Broncos, and Buffalo Bills.
Adam Schefter Says Diego Pavia Has 'Good Opportunity' With Ravens
Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia, who reportedly has accepted an invitation to Ravens rookie minicamp this weekend, is perhaps the most intriguing undrafted free agent.
Pavia, the Heisman Trophy runner-up to No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza of the Las Vegas Raiders, is the first Heisman Trophy finalist to go undrafted since Northern Illinois quarterback Jordan Lynch in 2014.
"I'm sure that he's disappointed that he didn't get drafted, of course," ESPN's Adam Schefter said on "The Pat McAfee Show." "But that's a good opportunity in Baltimore this weekend. The Ravens currently have two quarterbacks on their roster: Lamar Jackson and Tyler Huntley. They don't have a third. It's been a strong organization for a long time. To me, that's a good opportunity.
"I always feel like it's more important about where you go, not where you go in the draft. And if he can go in there and impress them and get signed to the roster, I like that opportunity for Diego Pavia."
Schefter added that there are other teams that want to bring in Pavia if the Ravens don't sign him. Additionally, the CFL's Winnipeg Blue Bombers placed Pavia on their negotiation list, meaning they have exclusive CFL negotiation rights with him.
Pavia was one of the nation's top dual-threat quarterbacks, but there are concerns about his height (5-10) and advanced age for a rookie (24). He has also been criticized for posting an obscenity on social media after not winning the Heisman, but he later apologized for the remark.
Connecticut quarterback Joe Fagnano has also accepted an invitation to Ravens rookie minicamp, per The Athletic.
Pundit Revisits Ravens Drafting Jackson While Having Joe Flacco in Place as Starting QB
With the Rams selecting Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson in the first round despite having reigning MVP Matthew Stafford, ESPN’s Bill Barnwell looked at past teams that unexpectedly drafted a quarterback in the first round.
One such situation involved the Ravens, who traded back into the first round in 2018 to take Jackson at No. 32 even though Super Bowl XLVII MVP Joe Flacco had been their starting quarterback for 10 years.
After Flacco was sidelined by a hip injury, Jackson took over as the starter in Week 10 of his rookie season and led the Ravens to six wins in seven games and a playoff berth.
Unsurprisingly, Barnwell deemed the transition from Flacco to Jackson a "wild success."
"Skeptics suggested that Jackson was exposed in a playoff loss to the Chargers, only for Jackson to respond by winning the first of his two MVP awards the following season," Barnwell wrote. "Flacco never threw another pass in a Ravens uniform and was traded to the Broncos for a fourth-round pick after the season. Jackson hasn't followed in Flacco's footsteps by winning a Super Bowl, but he's in the middle of a Hall of Fame career."
Quick Hits
Yesterday's Most Read: Late for Work: Lamar Jackson Is Among Biggest Winners Coming Out of the Draft
- ESPN’s Field Yates named Ioane one of his five favorite picks in the first round.
