The Baltimore Ravens were able to secure multiple talented players over the course of the 2021 draft. They had two first round picks to work with due to the trade of offensive tackle Orlando Brown Jr., holding both the No. 27 and No. 31 overall selections.
Baltimore selected wideout Rashod Bateman at No. 27 and outside linebacker Odafe Oweh at No. 31. In a 2021 re-draft, Sam Monson of Pro Football Focus has the Ravens taking a very familiar path with a twist, first taking Oweh at No. 27. Monson talked about how the former Penn State star was good enough as a rookie for Baltimore to take with their first pick instead of their second.
“Oweh was good enough as a rookie for Baltimore to grab him again with the first of two picks rather than the second. Oweh’s speed and burst is legitimate, and he had multiple pressures in all but four games in his first season. He finished with 49 pressures, second only to Parsons among first-year players. Oweh has big-time potential and just needs to iron out the inconsistencies going forward.”
At No. 31, Monson has the Ravens taking Bateman, flip-flopping how the first round actually played out for the team. He mentioned the contributions he made during his rookie season, including his route running and separation.
“The Ravens end up with the same two players they drafted in the first round but flip the order in which they select them. Bateman battled injury before finally getting on the field. While he didn’t set the world alight, he did show some savvy route running and ability to separate at a time when the Ravens offense was struggling overall in the passing game. Bateman averaged only 1.26 yards per route run but caught 66.7% of his contested targets and 70.8% of targets overall.”
Both Bateman and Oweh showed massive amounts of potential during their rookie seasons, and now enter 2022 as the No. 1 player at their position on Baltimore’s roster. Bateman is the clear-cut No. 1 wideout, while Oweh will be relied upon to step up with Tyus Bowser currently out with an injury.