Ravens' Three-Round PFF Mock Draft Features Trade and Receivers
"Let's make a deal," the Baltimore Ravens hypothetically declare. ... No, not for Lamar Jackson, though the resulting selections would likely make his job easier.
A new three-round mock draft compilation of AFC North teams from Pro Football Focus has the Ravens making moves up and down the draft board, namely through a hypothetical deal with the Atlanta Falcons that sends the 22nd and 199th overall choices south in exchange for the 44th, 75th, 110th, and 113th selections.
To that end, the Ravens use the newly gained second-rounder to take LSU pass rusher BJ Ojulari (16.5 sacks over the past three seasons) after getting back in the second round in the wake of the Roquan Smith deal with Chicago.
"The Ravens have yet to sign an outside player in free agency and hold just five picks in the 2023 NFL Draft," list curator Gordon McGuinness reasons in green-lighting the trade. "That’s a dangerous combination. So, while the 22-spot drop is steep, it allows the team to add two more players."
In the third, PFF sees the Ravens shaping up their wideout room in the form of Houston's Nathaniel Dell and Michael Wilson of Stanford, the former obtained with the 75th choice hypothetically gained from the Falcons.
Dell was the nation's leading receiver with 1,398 yards while Wilson made up for an injury-laden career with a strong week at Mobile's Senior Bowl.
While adding receivers has been a popular choice for Baltimore-based mock drafts, PFF reasons that Ojulari, a first-team All-SEC rep and the younger brother of current New York Giant Azeez, would be a fine addition to the apparent collection of pass rushers chosen in the top 50.
"While the Ravens missed out on a top wide receiver with their first pick, they grab Ojulari at 44th overall," the accompanying blurb declares. "The LSU product earned a career-high 83.0 pass-rushing grade last season and adds to an edge group that includes two recent top 50 picks in Odafe Oweh and David Ojabo."
Burdened with offensive uncertainty thanks to the Jackson situation, the Ravens figure to be one of the busier AFC North teams at next month's draft, especially further considering the Cleveland Browns aren't picking until the third round, having dealt their opening selections to respectively obtain Deshaun Watson and Elijah Moore.
Elsewhere in this imaginary first round, the Cincinnati Bengals take Utah tight end Dalton Kincaid while the Pittsburgh Steelers go with Maryland cornerback Deonte Banks.
The 2023 NFL Draft will be held April 27-29 in Kansas City.
Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags
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