3rd round (No. 92): LB Willie Gay Jr., Mississippi State
The board has lined up beautifully so far for the Ravens but this is a pick that I’m just not that big of a fan of. While Gay is certainly a plus athlete that has plenty of speed and agility with a non-stop motor, he can also be slow processing on the field. That leads to Gay being more chaotic as a player, which can backfire for a defense just as often as provide amazing highlights.
While I think Gay is an intriguing prospect that makes some sense in Baltimore’s aggressive defensive scheme, I don’t think he’s a top-100 player either and believe he can be had somewhere in the fourth or even fifth round. But I can also see how a solid showing at the 2020 NFL Scouting Combine might have pushed him up many boards and could see a team reach for him in the third round. Still, he was the top-rated option on the board for me here so I grabbed him.
I do think Gay has a high upside and if he can slow things down mentally, he can find a great enforcer role in the middle of a defense and be used as an attacker on blitzes. But initially, Gay is likely to be relegated to special teams while he hopefully develops into more with more playing time.