Despite Doubling Down On Draft Prospects, Ravens Still Look Needy At TE

When a team doubles down on a position group in fairly rapid succession, and it does it a few times in one draft and not at the positions you most expected, it warrants further examination.

We’ve already chronicled what NFL general managers and evaluators thought of the Ravens taking successive receivers in the third and fourth round (Ja’Kobi Lane and Elijah Sarratt) over, say, a potential premium defensive tackle but tight end was arguably even more of a weakness heading into the draft and they grabbed two of them later in the process.

And they did it again in a cluster (two out of a possible three picks from round four into round five). And, once again, there is reason to believe, as was the case with the receivers and has been the case traditionally when the Ravens double down, the second player taken at tight end might make more of an impact than the first.

Before we examine the players in depth, that phenomenon itself is something I’ve been probing with people who have been involved in making draft picks over a long period of time. Are there certain human tendencies that give rise to it happening as often as it does? A human nature element to it?

“Definitely, I’ve been through it before,” said one NFL personnel executive. “You have two kids at the same position and you are a little split on it, and it’s kind of close, and then you come up the next round and the other guy is still sitting there, it’s hard to pass that up. Even if there are some names on the board you think can help you now at some other positions, the fact you just went through it on the clock, and he was in the mix, there’s a natural pull there.”

Longtime former NFL general manager Marty Hurney told me: “No question I’ve been through that before and the best thing you can do is take the best player on the board, especially late like that. Normally, it’s probably not going to be two tight ends like that – you might think more offensive or defensive linemen since you need so many – but now with the Rams having so much success with the three-tight-end thing, everybody is going for multiple tight ends, so that not out of the realm.”

Which TE Has The Best Chance To Stick?

The Ravens took Matthew Hibner (SMU) by trading back into the fourth round, and then took Josh Cuevas (Alabama) with one of their four selections in the fifth round. We spoke to several evaluators who wrote them up, and they did not look at either as a candidate to start one day. And they seemed to prefer Cuevas as a prospect with a better chance to be more than a niche prospect, although at least one general manager who reviewed the Ravens draft felt like Hibner was good value.

Here was one scouting report on Hibner: “Back-up, role-type player. No wingspan. Only a +1 wingspan differential. Short catch radius. Doesn’t have ideal length, and that leads to body catching, which can lead to drops at this level. We see him as a No. 3 or No. 4 tight end with limited upside and athleticism.

“Has good straight-line ability and runs a good time, but this is not a player who pops. You have to find a role for him in your offense, probably trying to get to the second level.”

And here’s one scouting report on Cuevas: “He goes higher if not for durability issues. We have a big X there. It’s a concern. Lacks the ideal height you are looking for. Lacks ideal wingspan differential at +2. We have alerts for him as a special teams contributor. We see him as a combo F and Y TE – he can be an H-back and a move tight end in a rotational role.

“He’s savvy, athletic enough, sure-handed, versatile. We see him as a quality back-up. We have a higher grade on him than Hibner, who is more one-dimensional. Cuevas gives you more flexibility as a depth player.”

How Do They Fit The Ravens?

We asked one personnel executive how much he believed these tight ends up grade the Ravens for Week 1 at a critical position. Remember, the Ravens couldn’t get anything for Mark Andrews a year ago, and a year older at $13M a year, other front offices are not nearly as high on the overall construction of this room that Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta seems to be.

“I think they really (screwed) up passing on the kid from Vandy (tight end Eli Stowers in the second-round,” the exec said. “That’s a blue-chip move tight end prospect to replace (Isaiah) Likely right there and push Andrews down the depth chart. I think Andrews is damaged goods…

“That tight end room is not what it was a couple of years ago. I see a starter who has not performed in big games and has hit the wall, and not much behind him besides a blocker. And a quarterback who likes throwing to those bigger targets. This could be a problem position for them.”

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