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The Baltimore Ravens enter the 2020 NFL Draft with nine picks, including seven in the first four rounds. With few major holes and a roster that is already pretty stacked with talent — returning most of last year’s starters — there’s no guarantee that nine more players will actually make the cut. But with a philosophy that usually involves accumulating as many picks as possible to take as many chances on landing major contributors, Baltimore’s fortune of draft picks has many wondering whether the Ravens will be willing to move around to address their most pressing needs with star prospects.
When asked whether he’d be willing to trade in the first round, Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta was clear he’d be open to it. But he also made sure to acknowledge it would depend on what they’d be getting in return, regardless of if they moved up or back.
“Yes, it just would depend on what that opportunity was,” DeCosta said in the Ravens’ pre-draft press conference. “Who is the player that’s available? What can we get in exchange for making a trade? What kind of picks can we get?”
Though they’ve only pulled off first-round trades in 2018 (moving back twice before selecting tight end Hayden Hurst and trading back into the first round to select quarterback Lamar Jackson), DeCosta noted that Baltimore has the ammunition to move up if they wish.
“This year, we do have a lot of [picks],” DeCosta said. “We have the opportunity to maybe go up and get a guy.”
However, DeCosta was quick to temper any enthusiasm by adding a dose of reality. When a prospect begins to slide, the Ravens won’t be the only ones on the phones trying to move up to grab him, with DeCosta adding that other teams are “usually willing to give up more than you’re willing to give up.”
While everything said by a team before the NFL Draft should be taken with a whole bag of salt, DeCosta was surprisingly candid as well. He acknowledged that even with all the scouting, film review and interviews, the draft often comes down to luck. And while he’d be willing to package some of the Ravens’ picks to move up and take a prospect they like, it would have to be for someone special.
Ravens GM Eric DeCosta said he think's trading up is "dangerous" and "risky" because you give up picks. He believes there is a luck component in draft and doesn't like situations where you have to give up picks. But DeCosta said he would consider trading up for an "elite player."
— Jamison Hensley (@jamisonhensley) April 9, 2020
Whether that means DeCosta has someone specific in mind in the 2020 NFL Draft or that he’d really only ever trade up for a quarterback is the big question. As is often the case with the draft, it’s a fluid situation that will have to be assessed in real time with limited time on the clock. However, it’s worth noting the only time since 2010 they’ve traded up in the first round was to take their franchise quarterback in Jackson.
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