Pundits Are Raving About Ravens' Sixth-Round Cornerback
The Ravens' Day 1 and Day 2 picks this year have been universally praised by pundits, and their Day 3 selections also are getting love.
Cornerback Robert Longerbeam was named one of ESPN’s Field Yates’ favorite picks of the sixth round.
"It is nice to have a specific trait to hang your hat on as a Day 3 pick, and Longerbeam's is his excellent ball skills," Yates wrote. "He led the Big Ten in pass breakups in 2024 (12) after finishing second the season before for Rutgers (eight). Longerbeam has very good speed and instincts, allowing him to be a play disruptor."
Pro Football Focus' Trevor Sikkema also is high on Longerbeam.
"I like Robert Longerbeam a lot," Sikkema said on the "PFF NFL Show." "I think that this is a slot stud. I was watching him in person at the Shrine Bowl, and the stop and start ability that you have to have as a slot defender was excellent. I felt like he was great value in the sixth round."
Longerbeam, the 212th-overall pick, was one of two cornerbacks taken by the Ravens in the sixth round (Western Michigan's Bihlal Kone at No. 178 was the other).
"They were so close and both so talented in different ways, and I think our goal was to get one of those two guys, and as we got to the end of the draft, Longerbeam was still there," General Manager Eric DeCosta said. "It was like a no-brainer for us to take him. He's just a really, really quick-footed, good corner who can play off coverage. He supports the run. He plays bigger than his size, and he's got tremendous speed.
"One thing we know here in Baltimore is you can never have enough corners. We think now we have a really, really good mix of veteran corners and also younger developmental guys who can help us get better."
Teddye Buchanan-Ravens Ranked Among 10 Best Scheme Fits From Draft
Another Ravens Day 3 pick, fourth-round linebacker Teddye Buchanan, is getting recognition.
Buchanan, the 129th-overall selection, and the Ravens were named one of the 10 best scheme fits from the draft by The Athletic’s Ted Nguyen.
Nguyen described Buchanan as an "undersized sideline-to-sideline tackler, lightning-quick blitzer" who is suited for the Ravens' zone and match heavy scheme, which features players "who can play in multiple spots throughout the defense."
"He is light, but he'll strike blockers and can knock back pulling guards," Nguyen wrote. "He can get washed down because of his size but generally does a good job of avoiding blocks. He's active in coverage and has a good burst when closing on passes."
Meanwhile, ESPN’s Matt Miller put Buchanan at No. 79 in his top 100 picks rankings.
"Buchanan was one of my favorite linebackers to watch on film and landed with a team that has had a historic run at the position," Miller wrote. "He won't be unseating Roquan Smith anytime soon, but Buchanan has the goods to eventually start in the NFL."
More Accolades for Malaki Starks and Mike Green
As previously noted, the Ravens' early-round picks, especially first-round safety Malaki Starks and second-round edge rusher Mike Green, have been lauded by pundits.
"Good Morning Football's" Manti Te'o believes Starks is the draft pick most likely to succeed in his rookie season.
"He doesn't have to be a unicorn. He doesn't have to be a franchise-changing player. He just can be Malaki Starks. He can be the ball hawk," Te'o said. "He's a lot like Ed Reed. He can play sideline to sideline. He's very instinctual. He can come up in the run game if you need him to. That allows the Ravens to take Kyle Hamilton and use him the way they want to use him, which is close to the line of scrimmage, disguising, coming off the edge on blitzes."
Sharp Football Analysis’ Warren Sharp included Green (No. 2) and Starks (No. 9) among his top 10 defensive steals of the draft.
"[Green] brings explosive pass-rushing ability, with 17 sacks last season, and has the potential to become a dominant force on the edge for Baltimore," Sharp said. "[Starks] brings a blend of speed, intelligence, physicality, projecting as a long-term solution at safety for Baltimore's defense."
Jeff Zrebiec Analyzes Ravens' Post-Draft Depth Chart
The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec looked at the Ravens' depth chart coming out of the draft. Here are his observations on several positions that were regarded as needs:
Offensive tackle
Starters: Ronnie Stanley, Roger Rosengarten
Top backups: Carson Vinson, Emery Jones Jr.
Depth: To be determined
"The Ravens feel good about bringing back starters Stanley and Rosengarten. Yet, they shouldn't be content with their tackle depth. Jones and Vinson, third- and fifth-round picks, respectively, may develop into solid NFL players, but the swing tackle role is extremely important and difficult for guys learning on the job. The Ravens should add a veteran tackle, whether it's George Fant, who visited Baltimore earlier this month, or someone else."
Guard
Starters: Andrew Vorhees, Daniel Faalele
Top backups: Ben Cleveland, Garrett Dellinger
Depth: Corey Bullock
"Unless the Ravens bring in a veteran late in the offseason, it appears that Vorhees and Faalele will be the team's Week 1 starting guards for a second straight season. The Ravens haven't given Cleveland an opportunity to start in the past, and Dellinger is a seventh-round rookie. There will be a few undrafted interior offensive linemen added, but a case could be made for the signing of another veteran."
Interior defensive line
Starters: Nnamdi Madubuike, Travis Jones, Broderick Washington
Top backups: Aeneas Peebles, C.J. Ravenell
Depth: CJ Okoye, Adedayo Odeleye
"Arguably, the Ravens' biggest draft surprise was that they only selected one interior defensive lineman from a really deep position class, and that player was Peebles, an undersized sixth-round pick with pass-rush ability. The Ravens will lean heavily on Madubuike and Jones. Washington has played plenty of important snaps for them over the years. DeCosta already acknowledged that a nose tackle will be added to replace the retired Michael Pierce. There's room for another veteran defensive end, too."
Outside linebacker
Starters: Kyle Van Noy, Odafe Oweh
Top backups: Mike Green, Tavius Robinson
Depth: David Ojabo, Adisa Isaac, Malik Hamm
"This will be a fun position to monitor throughout training camp. There will be roles to be won, and at least in the case of Ojabo and Hamm, they'll be tasked with finding a way to make the team. It's going to be tough for Baltimore to keep more than five outside linebackers. Van Noy and Oweh are returning after double-digit sack seasons. Robinson has made himself into a solid rotational guy. Green, who was a second-round pick, was one of the top edge rushers in the draft. He'll get opportunities to make an immediate impact. The wild card is Isaac, a 2024 third-round pick who played just four games as a rookie."
Brian Baldinger Says Ravens Are One of Two Teams Who Improved Most in the Draft
NFL Network's Brian Baldinger said the Ravens and Las Vegas Raiders are the teams that improved the most in the draft.
The Raiders were 4-13 last season, so there is a lot of room for improvement. The Ravens, on the other hand, were already one of the league's elite teams and their losses in free agency were minimal.
"The Baltimore Ravens just know what they're doing," Baldinger said.
In addition to praising the Starks and Green selections, Baldinger also likes what the Ravens did on the offensive line.
"I've always said this about the Ravens: They replace offensive linemen the way Walmart replaces things off the shelf," Baldinger said. "They drafted three more offensive linemen, including Emery Jones from LSU, who is a bona fide potential starter at both tackle and guard, to just start building that depth for when they have injuries, when they lose guys in free agency, like they have lost over the years. They just get the next guys up and ready to go."
