The Baltimore Ravens are enjoying a bye week in the opening round of the NFL Playoffs after finishing the season with a franchise-best 14-2 record. They have the makings of a championship team but it’s never too early to look ahead at the 2020 NFL Draft.
We were dazzled over the weekend with some terrific efforts by the Clemson and LSU Tigers. Several of the players we will see in the national championship game will be starring in the NFL. It got us to thinking, can any of the LSU or Clemson athletes be on the Ravens roster next season?
While Baltimore will not be in the mix for most of the top athletes after making the playoffs and locking themselves in as one of the last eight picks in the draft, there’s still plenty of capable talent to check out.
Clemson had eight players drafted last year, while LSU had three. The orange Tigers expect to have a similar number of athletes make it to the next level, while the purple Tigers certainly anticipate more than three this season. So why not have some fun with an all-Tigers draft for the Ravens?
For the sake of this article, we will assume the absolute best scenario. The Ravens win the Super Bowl and select at No. 32.
So with the 32nd pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, the Baltimore Ravens select . . .
Round 1: Clemson WR Tee Higgins
LSU cornerback Kristian Fulton could have been in the discussion, but with the Ravens giving Marcus Peters an extension, they do not need secondary help in the first round. It allows general manager Eric DeCosta to draft another wide receiver to complement last year’s first-round pick Marquise Brown.
Higgins is the perfect addition to the receiving corps with his size and speed. He stands at 6-foot-4 and 215 pounds and will be faster than the 4.75 40-yard-dash he ran back in high school (likely to be in the 4.5-4.6 range now). Baltimore does not have a receiver with that combo on the roster, meaning Higgins would be able to make an immediate impact.
The more weapons for Jackson, the better, and adding more size and speed to this already dynamic offense would make them basically unstoppable.