The Ravens are drawing praise from pundits for their 2026 draft, including several picks that are being labeled as "steals."
Every year, Arif Hasan of "Wide Left Football" creates a consensus draft board, based on more than 100 big boards from analysts.
Time will tell how the Ravens' rookies pan out. But according to Hasan's formula, here are the three biggest steals in Baltimore's 11-player draft, comparing their consensus ranking to where they were actually selected:
DE Rayshaun Benny, Round 7 (250)
Consensus rank: (137) Difference +113
According to Hasan's ratings, Benny is the top value pick ever selected by General Manager Eric DeCosta during his eight-year tenure as GM.
Many pundits anticipated Benny to go in Round 3 or 4, making his seventh-round selection a huge get for the Ravens. The Athletic's Dan Bruger ranked Benny as his 12th-best defensive tackle.
Benny has the potential to join the Ravens' defensive line rotation as a rookie regardless of Nnamdi Madabuike's status following his reported recent neck surgery. DeCosta called Benny a "plug-and-play guy coming in right out of the gates."
The Ravens know Benny has been well coached. He will be reunited with new Defensive Line Coach Lou Esposito, who was Benny's position coach at Michigan, and Head Coach Jesse Minter, who was the Wolverines' defensive coordinator for two seasons. Minter and Benny won a national championship together in 2023.
"I thought in 2023, he was our third or fourth defensive lineman," Minter said. "We had Mason [Graham] and Kenneth Grant and Kris Jenkins Jr., and we had obviously a pretty loaded group, but he made some really key plays for us in that season.
"He got hurt in the Rose Bowl that year, and I know it affected him. I was gone after that, but I thought this year he really bounced back after kind of battling through the injury in 2024. He showed some really good stuff. He does a lot of things on tape that we like to see. He's just a guy that's gotten better and better. He was really raw and kind of a young player coming into Michigan, but I know he's been well trained and well coached, and I'm excited to add Ray."
CB Chandler Rivers, Round 5 (162)
Consensus rank: (86) Difference +72
Rivers was ranked No. 91 overall on Brugler's draft board, which would be a borderline third- or fourth-round pick.
Rivers will compete for playing time as a slot corner after being a starter for four seasons at Duke, playing both outside and in the slot.
"We've had success over the years with these type of guys, even going back to some of my favorite Ravens – Lardarius Webb is a guy that comes to mind or Tavon Young, those kind of really good football players that might be a little undersized," DeCosta said.
Rivers has a nose for the football, recording seven interceptions and forcing three fumbles during his time at Duke.
WR Elijah Sarratt, Round 4 (115)
Consensus rank: 69 Difference +46
Some mock drafts had Sarratt going as high as Round 2. He was an extremely productive college wide receiver at James Madison and at Indiana, where he helped the Hoosiers win a national championship last season.
Sarratt could thrive in the red zone, as he compiled 44 touchdowns over his four years in college.
"He's well-built, strong, really dynamic with RAC, just always trying to get more, get North and South immediately after the catch," Director of College Scouting Andrew Raphael said. "You see a lot of broken tackles and a lot of production on fades, back-shoulders, the instincts on the outside that translate to potential inside in the slot."
