With nine picks in the 2020 NFL Draft, including seven in the first four rounds, the Baltimore Ravens have plenty of ammunition to move around in the first round if they wish. The question on most minds is if they’ll actually do it. History says it won’t happen but that doesn’t stop the idea from reaching a fevered pitch among fans.
It’s exciting to think of the possibilities, like Baltimore trading up for Alabama wide receiver Jerry Jeudy or getting Clemson linebacker Isaiah Simmons if he falls a little bit. Of course, given the Ravens’ typical desire to accumulate as many picks as possible, moving back is also an option. But using Baltimore’s draft history as an indicator of the future, the Ravens are far more likely to just sit still at No. 28 than anything else.
Take a look at each of the first-round trades in Ravens draft history and who they’ve picked.
Ravens’ first-round trades:
2018 – Traded back from No. 16 to Bills for No. 22
2018– Traded back from No. 22 to Titans for No. 25 and picked Hayden Hurst
2018 – Traded into 1st round (No. 32) with Eagles and picked Lamar Jackson
2010 – Traded back from No. 25 with Broncos, out of 1st round entirely
2009 – Traded up from No. 26 to No. 23 with Patriots and picked Michael Oher
2008 – Traded back from No. 8 to Jaguars for No. 26
2008 – Traded up from No. 26 to No. 18 with Texans and picked Joe Flacco
2006 – Traded up from No. 13 to No. 12 with Browns and picked Haloti Ngata
2003 – Traded into 1st round (No. 19) with Patriots and picked Kyle Boller
2000 – Traded up from No. 15 to No. 10 with Broncos and picked Travis Taylor
The Ravens have pulled off first-round trades in just seven of their 24 NFL Drafts (29.17%). In total, Baltimore has made 10 separate trades involving the first round over that timeframe, including three in the 2018 NFL Draft and two in 2008. Of those 10 trades, four involved the Ravens moving back while six involved moving up or trading back into the first round for a specific player they wanted.
This breakdown actually defies the belief Baltimore typically moves back in the first round. However, with three of the Ravens’ trades up involving quarterbacks, it paints a pretty clear picture of what Baltimore values enough to warrant packaging valuable picks for a player.
Though not all of their trades up have panned out, half have, with three players (Jackson, Flacco and Ngata) earning at least one Pro Bowl nomination in their careers with the Ravens. That fits with general manager Eric DeCosta saying it would take an “elite” player for him to consider trading up in the 2020 NFL Draft.
In a historically great wide receiver draft class, there might not be enough incentive to warrant trading up for a receiver and it might be difficult to find trade partners to move back as well. Top pass rushers and offensive linemen are a little rarer in this draft and could be viable targets for a trade-up but they’re two of Baltimore’s biggest needs right now. Of course, quarterbacks are always a prime trade-up target but with all four teams behind the Ravens having their franchise passers in place, it seems likely that a quarterback a team has their eyes on will drop into the second round.
The NFL Draft is always a fluid situation that is near impossible to predict. With teams trading ahead of Baltimore and players either going too early or falling, things can change in an instant. But when looking over the Ravens’ draft history, I wouldn’t get my hopes up for a move in either direction in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft.
[vertical-gallery id=43099]