The Baltimore Ravens are slated to have 10 draft picks in the 2022 NFL draft, and they have plenty of needs to fill. Nine of those draft picks are in the first four rounds, so they have many early selections to draft high-quality players.
When looking at one draft mistake that each NFL team needs to avoid this year, Brent Sobleski of Bleacher Report said that the Ravens can’t concentrate too much on the trenches and ignore cornerback. When explaining why, Sobleski mentioned that the team shouldn’t bank on the health of some of their injured secondary stars.
“Injuries marred the Ravens secondary in 2021. Marlon Humphrey and Marcus Peters finished their seasons on injured reserved. Furthermore, Anthony Averett, Jimmy Smith and DeShon Elliott are upcoming free agents. Considering Baltimore must face Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals’ trio of talented receivers twice a year, they should value defensive backs at a premium…Maybe Humphrey and Peters will come back healthy to fortify the secondary. The Ravens shouldn’t bank on that and should consider a cornerback as high as the 14th pick.”
While cornerback is certainly be a need for the team, the trenches are arguably more important at the moment. Baltimore’s offensive line struggled without All-Pro tackle Ronnie Stanley, and the organization can’t bank on his health until he shows he’s 100% healthy.
The good thing about the Ravens’ draft strategy is that they tend to value needs as well as the best player available on their board. If there is a cornerback who falls to No. 14 that would be a quality pick, they should absolutely make that move. However, if they are in love with an offensive lineman or defensive lineman and he represents the best player available, then that’s a fine pick as well.