The Baltimore Ravens enter the 2021 offseason with a pretty well-known list of needs. But with a philosophy of picking the best value available in the draft, Baltimore is anything but an easy team to predict. One such man, NFL.com draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah, certainly knows that.
Jeremiah was a scout for the Ravens from 2003-2007, so he probably has a little more insight into how they operate than most draft analysts out there, even if he never served under current general manager Eric DeCosta. So, when Jeremiah puts out a mock draft, it’s worth paying a little extra attention to.
With his second mock draft of the offseason, Jeremiah has Baltimore taking a surprise with the No. 27 pick, grabbing TCU safety Trevon Moehrig. He chalks the selection up to Moehrig simply being the best player available, which surpassed the Ravens’ more pressing needs.
But Baltimore fans shouldn’t be too upset. Jeremiah is quite high on Moehrig, making him the only safety on his top-50 big board, ranking 16th overall. It’s also a position that’s one of the Ravens’ sneakier needs as both DeShon Elliott and Chuck Clark are more strong safeties than ball-hawking free safeties. And Moehrig isn’t just a great value, he fits Baltimore’s need right on the nose.
According to Jeremiah’s scouting report, Moehrig has excellent versatility and instincts and can play deep or cover from the slot. As Jeremiah notes, “Moehrig offers a complete skill set” and he certainly looks the part of a Ravens safety with his nose for the ball and willingness to come up and hit a ball carrier. Over three seasons at TCU, Moehrig came down with seven interceptions, 21 passes defensed, two forced fumbles, and a fumble recovery.
While Baltimore has a stacked secondary already with Marlon Humphrey and Marcus Peters on the outside, Jimmy Smith and Tavon Young on the inside. But by adding a true free safety in Moehrig, the Ravens would legitimately have one of the most well-rounded and deep secondaries in the NFL. If they can manage to add to their pass rush and linebacker Patrick Queen makes a jump in his second season in addition to draft Moehrig, Baltimore would be well suited to dominate on defense.
There’s a reason Moehrig has often been off the board well before the Ravens get on the clock. If he’s available to them at No. 27, don’t be shocked to see DeCosta eschew Baltimore’s bigger needs to go get a Moehrig.
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