Pundit Proposes Two Trades Between Ravens and Giants
As noted in Late for Work on Wednesday, the Ravens have been named a potential landing spot for New York Giants defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence. FOX Sports’ Ralph Vacchiano thinks Baltimore should trade for a different Giants defensive player: outside linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux.
Vacchiano speculated about potential trades that could happen during the draft, and he proposed the Ravens send the Giants their 2026 third-round pick (No. 80 overall) and a 2027 conditional fifth-round pick for Thibodeaux.
"Jesse Minter is taking over a team ready for a Super Bowl run, but still too dangerously thin on the edge," Vacchiano wrote. "The Ravens could fix that by adding Thibodeaux, who is an expensive luxury for the Giants. With Brian Burns and Abdul Carter there, they're unlikely to re-sign Thibodeaux after this season, so they could be willing to deal him now, especially if they could get a third-round pick, which the Giants don't currently have."
Thibodeaux, the fifth-overall pick in 2022, had a career-high 11.5 sacks in 2023. He had a combined eight sacks in 22 games over the past two seasons.
Vacchiano also had the Ravens and Giants as trade partners in another proposal. In this scenario, Baltimore would send cornerback Marlon Humphrey to New York for a 2026 fourth-round pick (105th overall) and a 2027 conditional seventh-round pick.
"Humphrey, a four-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro, will be 30 and carries a $15.25 million salary, so he might not cost more than a Day 3 pick," Vacchiano wrote. "The Ravens will be OK in the secondary without him."
If the hypothetical trade came to fruition, Humphrey would be the sixth Raven to reunite with Head Coach John Harbaugh in New York, joining tight end Isaiah Likely, fullback Patrick Ricard, punter Jordan Stout, safety Ar'Darius Washington, and guard Daniel Faalele.
However, the Ravens haven't given any indication that Humphrey, who is in the final year of his contract, is not in their plans for 2026.
When General Manager Eric DeCosta was asked at the NFL Scouting Combine in February if the Ravens would need to adjust Humphrey's contract to keep him, he replied: "Not necessarily. I do expect him to be on the team. I love Marlon."
Humphrey was among the veterans in attendance at the start of the Ravens' voluntary offseason workout program this week.
Mock Draft Has Ravens Trading Down in First Round, Picking Tight End
Speaking of trades, Sports Illustrated’s Matt Verderame conducted an all-trades mock draft. He had the Ravens moving down in the first round after swapping picks with the Minnesota Vikings.
In Verderame's proposal, Baltimore traded the No. 14 pick to the Vikings for the No. 18 pick, a third-round pick, and a sixth-round pick. Baltimore then selected Oregon tight end Kenyon Sadiq.
"Baltimore has some of the league's best players — Lamar Jackson, Derrick Henry and Kyle Hamilton — but the roster is dangerously thin in spots," Verderame wrote. "The Ravens certainly feel this lack of depth at tight end after losing Isaiah Likely and Charlie Kolar in free agency.
"Adding Sadiq would give Jackson another weapon and more talent at the position. At Oregon, Sadiq caught 51 passes for 500 yards and eight touchdowns last season."
Sadiq has been gaining traction as a mock draft pick for Baltimore. Earlier this week, ESPN’s Peter Schrager had Baltimore taking Sadiq in his mock draft, which he based on what he's hearing rather than what he would personally do.
Should Ravens Draft a Pass Catcher Rather Than an Interior Offensive Lineman in First Round?
Interior offensive line is the Ravens' biggest need, so it's not surprising that Vega Ioane and Spencer Fano have been the prospects most frequently linked to Baltimore in mock drafts.
However, there is a growing sentiment that the Ravens could take a pass catcher, be that Sadiq or a wide receiver.
"The Ravens have never selected a guard or center in the top half of the first round," ESPN’s Jamison Hensley wrote. "There is a strong possibility of adding a wide receiver to pair with Zay Flowers; in the past seven drafts, the Ravens have selected three wide receivers in the first round."
ESPN’s Matt Miller noted that the Ravens have been connected to two pass catchers in Sadiq and Arizona State wide receiver Jordyn Tyson.
"There might be a 50-50 shot of Sadiq being on the board at No. 14, but the idea of Tyson or Omar Cooper Jr. (Indiana) at wide receiver to boost the offense makes sense," Miller wrote.
The Baltimore Banner’s Kyle Goon also made the case for selecting a receiver over a blocker in the first round.
"It would feel a bit un-Ravens-like to reach for glamour over solid positional stability, but it's a highly justifiable change of pace," Goon wrote. "The wide receivers and tight ends have leaders, but they lack depth. The question marks around Flowers and Mark Andrews suggest a youth movement is necessary — perhaps as much an issue as all the holes in the interior line."
