WITH PICK NO. 28, THERE ARE NEEDS
After their 28-12 AFC divisional-round loss to the Tennessee Titans on Saturday night, the Ravens will pick No. 28 overall in the first round of the 2020 NFL draft.
From now until the NFL scouting combine begins Feb. 23 in Indianapolis and the draft is held April 23-25 in Las Vegas, a lot will change as players move up and down draft boards.
In the meantime, it’s clear that the Ravens need help at some key positions. Here are five players they could target in the first round:
Terrell Lewis, edge, Alabama
The last time the Ravens drafted an Alabama pass rusher, it didn’t work out so well. But Lewis is a much different player. At 6 feet 5 and 258 pounds, he is a long, explosive athlete with a reported 40-yard-dash time of 4.65 seconds. The Athletic’s Dane Brugler wrote that Lewis “flashes Danielle Hunter-like upside,” which is exactly what the Ravens need on their defensive front, especially if Matthew Judon leaves in free agency.
Justin Jefferson, WR, LSU
At 6-3 and 192 pounds, Jefferson would complement the speedy 5-9, 170-pound Marquise “Hollywood” Brown. According to analytics website Pro Football Focus, his 83.6% catch rate was by far the best mark among receivers with at least 65 targeted passes. He also broke 22 tackles, tied for the fourth most among wideouts, and would give quarterback Lamar Jackson another talented after-the-catch playmaker.
Zack Baun, LB/edge, Wisconsin
Baun might end up being an off-ball linebacker in the NFL, but he earned one of PFF’s highest pass-rushing grades and finished second in the Big Ten in both sacks (121⁄ and tackles for loss (191⁄ behind only Ohio State star and Heisman Trophy finalist Chase Young. That versatility should make him attractive to a team that needs help at linebacker and edge rusher.
Tyler Biadasz, C, Wisconsin
Biadasz was a first-team All-America selection by PFF in 2019 and was the website’s only center with elite grades in both the run game and passing game. Patrick Mekari struggled in the Ravens’ divisional-round loss to the Titans and Matt Skura, coming off a torn ACL, PCL and MCL in his left knee, is a restricted free agent this offseason, which means the Ravens could be looking for a new starting center.
Neville Gallimore, DT, Oklahoma
Michael Pierce, Domata Peko Sr., Justin Ellis and Jihad Ward are all unrestricted free agents in 2020. Gallimore has freaky speed for a 6-2, 302-pound tackle and had the third-best pass-rush win rate in the Big 12 (12%) entering the conference championship game, per PFF. In college football reporter Bruce Feldman’s “Freaks List” for The Athletic ahead of the 2019 season, Gallimore ranked second, having run a 4.76 40yard dash and squatted 800 pounds, according to coaches and teammates.