Four Years Ago The Ravens Took A Punter In Round Four, Now It Could Happen Again

Given their special-teams emphasis, needs, and trove of additional picks, the Ravens might replace Jordan Stout with an even higher pick on a punter

Dec 7, 2024; Atlanta, GA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs punter Brett Thorson (92) punts the ball to the Texas Longhorns during the first half in the 2024 SEC Championship game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

I happened to be on the phone with a general manager last month when the news of Jordan Stout signing with the Giants broke.

“Man, they lost another one – Stout just went with (John) Harbaugh,” I mentioned.

There was a brief pause.

“Wow, that’s actually a pretty big deal,” he muttered or something close to it. Then there was another pause.

“Do some work on the punter from Georgia,” he said. “I bet they draft another one.”

Stout didn’t shine until last season in his contract year at that, then emerged as one of the most reliable in the game. Four years ago, he was selected with pick No. 130 in 2022; some viewed it as a reach in the fourth round. It might serve as a harbinger of what’s to come in this draft. The expectation from evaluators I’ve chatted with around the league is that Georgia’s Australian punter, Brett Thorson, goes much higher than Stout, with some opining even the very bottom of the second round isn’t totally out of the realm of possibility.

What’s most likely? “I think somebody could grab him in the third,” another GM suggested.

How High Is Too High For A Punter?

While no punter – probably never even Hall of Fame Ray Guy, I suppose – is really worthy of a first-round pick, in terms of pure ability to make an immediate impact and perform at the top of one’s position group quickly, at least one personnel executive said he could make the case Thorson will provide first-round value. Another suggested if you were to look at the 20 players best poised to provide blue-chip value from Week 1, regardless of position, Thorson would merit consideration.

And while John Harbaugh, a former special teams coordinator, is gone now as head coach, he left a major imprint here; the import of specialists is woven in the Ravens’s football culture and they are still investing more numbers in their special teams coaching staff than most teams, including keeping esteemed kicking specialist Randy Brown on staff. The fact that Harbaugh quickly poached Stout for big money wasn't surprising and Harbaugh left a big imprint on rookie head coach Jesse Minter.

 Thorson has a rugged mentality, everyone who has met with him through this process loves him, and he earns high marks for his hang time and placement. He is more than just a directional specialist, and from what I gather those guys are falling a little out of favor. With a rookie head coach and a place kicker who was shaky a year ago, and with the defense in need of fixing and field position so important, this is a real need for this franchise.

Someone is likely grabbing him day two. Just might be the Ravens, perhaps inside the top 100 picks this time around, given their surplus of 11 selections.