A Strange Ravens Draft Demands A Unique Grading System. Rating Every 2026 Pick

Anybody can do draft grades. Everybody, seemingly, does draft grades.

We, of course, do them a little differently.

And after what could be categorized as a bizarre Ravens draft, where they managed to use 11 selections in a suspect draft class that was most loaded at offensive line and somehow select one interior offensive of defensive linemen until the seventh inning … yeah let’s get a little weird. Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta certainly did.

Rookie head coach Jesse Minter gushed about this draft class and the way it set up at the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball, and then the Ravens basically sat that out after having Vega Ioane fall into their laps with the 14th pick. They chose potential possession receivers over potential Nnamdi Madubuike insurance and leaned into bottom of the second-tier tight end prospects over potential starting offensive linemen.

We’re going to grade this bad boy on the following scale:

All-In: Love the pick. Even if it doesn’t work out, no second-guessing.

Pumped: Excited for the pick and strong believe it will work out

Can Live With It: I get the selection and how it fit with the board and needs

Skeptical: Saw other options that appealed more. Odd for certain reasons

WTF: ‘Nuff said

With that out of the way, let’s do it.

2026 Draft Class – WTF

In general, I can’t get my head around what they did here. For a normal team, let alone one trying to win a Super Bowl with a rookie coach, with the needs they have, it’s bizarre. Doubling down on receivers and tight ends with limitations is odd. Passing on top tier, explosive move tight ends and entire waves of OL and DL, I can’t get with. Not saying it won’t work, or can’t work. And unexpected and unconventional can be very good. But I don’t get it and I’m not feeling it.

First Three Rounds

Ioane (14th overall): All In – Absolutely great pick for them. Immediate Pro Bowl potential at massive position of need.

EDGE Zion Young (45th): Skeptical – The Ravens have utterly failed at finding pass rushers – and even second-contract players – between picks 25-90. Howie Roseman, Eagles GM, grabbed Eli Stowers, the kind of toy Declan Doyle desperate needs, a few picks later. Missed out on a potential quality long-term solution at center. This can’t be a redshirt year. Maybe if they had moved back between 45-80 to get real help. But they sat on their hands and hoped.

WR Ja’Kobi Lane (80t): Pumped – With Zay Flowers not going to show up in the endzone much, and Isaiah Likely gone and Rashod Bateman suspect, this is a guy who can catch a fade in the back of the endzone and high-point the ball. Evaluators I trust like the kid. Wish he was more explosive, but if he was, he’d be a first-round pick.

Fourth And Fifth Round

WR Elijah Sarratt (115th): WTF – Love this kid and think he has a chance to be more impactful than Lane … But what are the odds of both popping? He can win in traffic and block like Lane can’t, but there are a lot of similarities too. Little too cute for me. Not a reflection on the player, but rather the strategy that went in into and what else they needed to do in this draft.

TE Matthew Hibner (133rd): Skeptical – They needed to upgrade this position. Doesn’t have the twitch of the top downfield prospect, frankly, they still need. Have a feeling he might do more on special teams than offense. Lack of burst, not being able to break through at Michigan concerns me. Some evaluators thought he’d go sixth round; run on TEs pushed him up. Nothing I’ve heard makes me think you can count on production in 2026, though he will surely develop over time.

CB Chandler Rivers (162nd): Pumped – They had to grab a corner somewhere who has a chance to get on the field now, because with the composition of this room he might get on the field soon. Kid plays with physicality and gets down in the run game and has legit coverage skills and can excel in man. Sounds like a Ravens corner … Except lacks ideal size and especially what Minter has looked for in his corners. Slot guy, but high traffic of NFL big bodies will be interesting. Have to give Minter the benefit of the doubt here.

TE Josh Cuevas (173rd): Pumped – History tells us the second tight end the Ravens take in these situations will fare better than the first. They know the Alabama program inside out. Can get yards after contact. Soft hands. Blocks better than a lot of other TEs in this class. Can excel in the quadrants of the field Charlie Kolar used to.

RB Adam Randall (174th): Skeptical – They needed to grab help at RB, but with Derrick Henry at age 32 it needed to be more on an every-down type. Only one year of RB play, but intrigued by the wide receiver background. But this is going to be a long play. Has to develop vision for the position and learn pass pro. Intriguing to see what role, if any, they can carve for him. But the owner picked him, so figure he's on the team.

Rounds Six And Seven

P Ryan Eckley (211th): All-In – They needed to come away with one of the top punters in this class and they did. Fills a big void with Pro Bowler Jordan Stout now on the Giants. Field position will matter with an unproven play caller on offense. Thought several punters could go higher.

DT Rayshaun Benny (250th): WTF – Again, nothing against the kid, and he has ties to the coaching staff. But feels like a throwaway at the end after yet another draft where they ignore a critical position. Is this like a DeCosta thing now? Took a long time for him to emerge as a starter and best case is he becomes an early-down rotational guy.

G Evan Beernsteen (253rd): Pumped - Hey, they took another offensive lineman! I'll take it. At least this new staff gets a developmental project to work on.

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