The Baltimore Ravens have been widely regarded as one of the best drafting teams in the NFL ever since entering the league in 1996. They have found ways to select talent at positions of need while also utilizing the “best player available” strategy to their advantage.
In a post-Senior Bowl 2022 mock draft, Kyle Stackpole of CBS Sports put together selections for each pick in the first round. For Baltimore, he selected University of Georgia defensive lineman Travon Walker. He explained his choice by talking about how versatile the defensive lineman is, as he can play on both the inside and the outside.
“The Ravens’ defense could lose its two starting interior linemen to free agency (or retirement), and the unit also finished in the bottom third of the league with just 34 sacks. Walker could help in both areas, as he can line up inside and outside and tallied six sacks for the national champion Bulldogs this past season.”
Walker totaled 61 tackles and 9.5 sacks in his three years with the Bulldogs. He stands at 6-foot-5 and weighs around 275 pounds, which gives him the versatility to line up in a lot of different places on a defensive front. He is extremely explosive, and is a force both rushing the passer and in the run game.
The Ravens need to get younger on the defensive line, and Walker would be a great place to start. He is still a bit raw in terms of needing to develop, but he has all of the tools to help a team during his rookie season while working his way into a better player, something that Baltimore could value immensely.