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With the first week of free agency down and most teams having addressed their top needs with the top free agents, all attention now shifts to the 2020 NFL Draft. It’s there that NFL teams will be able to further fill their immediate needs as well as build for the future.
Though the Baltimore Ravens have been aggressive at the start of free agency, they still have a load of needs they need to fill before Week 1 of the regular season. While they’ll undoubtedly use the second wave of free agency following the draft to find low-cost additions to bolster their roster, it’s the first few rounds of the 2020 NFL Draft where Baltimore can find real stars.
ESPN’s Mel Kiper has put together his third mock draft of the season, using the first week of free agency to readdress every first-round pick to see what changed. However, like his last two mock drafts, Kiper has the Ravens selecting LSU linebacker Patrick Queen at No. 28.
“The Ravens didn’t really address the inside linebacker position in free agency, which means I don’t see a reason to change from my first two mock drafts. Queen fills a direct void as a replacement for C.J. Mosley, who Baltimore lost in free agency a year ago.”
As I noted in my list of team needs, there’s a solid case to be made that inside linebacker might actually be Baltimore’s most pressing issue right now. Though things could certainly change before draft day, the Ravens need at least one other legitimate starter if they plan on having L.J. Fort man the weak-side spot. Even with another player added to the mix, Baltimore could use even more depth at inside linebacker on top of that.
In Queen, the Ravens find their unquestioned starter. He’s a fast, agile and hard-hitting linebacker that’s capable of doing anything defensive coordinator Don Martindale would ask of him. With the team revamping their defensive line, Queen can come down and scrape to make tackles in the run game. He can drop back into coverage. Queen can be sent on blitzes to generate quarterback pressure. In all, Queen looks to be the type of true three-down linebacker Baltimore absolutely needs.
Kiper also noted that he had interior offensive lineman Cesar Ruiz as an option for the Ravens in the first round too.
“I also considered center/guard Cesar Ruiz, who could take over for the retired Marshal Yanda at guard.”
That wouldn’t be a bad investment either, though Baltimore likely feels good about letting Ben Powers have the first crack at the starting job right now. However, if the Ravens love what they’ve seen from Ruiz and believe he could be Yanda’s immediate heir, solidifying their offensive line would be a wise, albeit less exciting, selection.
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