What Did NFL General Managers Think Of The Ravens Zion Young Pick? We Have Answers

No one pick will tell the story of the Ravens 2026 draft, but there were certain inflection points that had a significant impact on a cluster of selections that would follow them.

The first, and perhaps most influential, for the Ravens was selecting Missouri defensive end Zion Young at 45th overall, toward the tail end of a second run on edge defenders and just before a slew of top tier tight ends and interior offensive linemen would come off the board between then and when Baltimore picked again, at 80th overall.

So let’s dig down on that pick, both the evaluation of the player and the opportunity cost of what they missed out on (most likely Vandy tight end Eli Stowers, who the Eagles grabbed triggering a sustained run on that position group).

We need to set appropriate expectations, and while Young will be grouped in with potential pass rushers, it’s going to take a lot of development for him to make an impact in that regard. NFL general managers, and most of the evaluators I spoke to, liked the player and understood the pick, while acknowledging it came at a price.

If he is indeed more a lighter Brent Urban than fully-developed Matthew Judon and makes his money setting the edge on early-downs with limited pass protection, and, if, say, neither of the tight ends the Ravens went on to draft are of the caliber of what they passed on, and the lost out on starting centers, too … That’s a problem.

Here’s what the GMs had to say:

GM 1

“We had a good grade on the kid. We liked him. That’s about where we thought he would go. We definitely liked him. You have to be realistic about what he can do and how you can use him, but he could become a quality starter for them.

“High effort kid. Edge setter. Doesn’t really have much get off. He has a lot to work on if you are going to bill him as a pass rusher. He’s not super flexible. It’s a body-type they gravitate to. I get the pick … But yeah, it definitely took them out of run on tight ends and offensive line. You can’t always predict that stuff. It’s really tough … I think it’s fair to say they need (fourth-round pick tight end Matthew) Hibner to perform for them, and I think he might. That’s another pick we liked."

GM 2

“I see Zion as a power player, not a natural pass rusher. He’s best against the run, but has some rush to him. He lacs the athleticism and explosiveness that some of the other rushers had. Buit he is a tough, edgy dude. Definitely seemed like a Raven type player. They’re probably assuming with Henderson more of a rusher than a run guy that they needed something to compliment him.”

A personnel executive from another team questioned the upside of Young as impacting quarterbacks, believing new head coach Jesse Minter will have his work cut out bringing that along. A long-time evaluator said he views him solely as “rush defense only” and is skeptical he will have the bend and speed and diversity of attack to win on third down. He believes last year’s swing at edge in the draft – Mike Green – had better become that guy for the Ravens this season as a designated pass rusher.

And, for as great as Minter may be (and he did unlock Odafe Oweh with the Chargers after the trade there), this has been an absolute blindspot for general manager Eric Decosta taking edge defenders (or inside linebackers like Patrick Queen, who was always going to need to move outside) – many of them longer bodied, with long levers, limited flexibility, limited natural sack production.

No OLB/DE/EDGE DeCosta has taken between 25-90 in the draft has blossomed or merited a second contract with the team. That’s troubling.

Ravens Recent Struggles With EDGE Defenders

2019 - DE Jaylon Ferguson (85th overall)
38 G (10 GS) - 4.5 sacks - 13 TFL

2020 - LB Patrick Queen (28th overall) - 5th yr option not executed
67 G (67 GS) - 13 sacks - 37 TFL

2021 - DE Odafe Oweh (31st overall) - traded on 5th yr option
67 G (25 GS) - 23 sacks - 26 TFL

2022 - DE David Ojabo (45th overall)
32 G (1 GS) - 4.5 sacks - 2 TFL

2023 - LB Trenton Simpson (86th overall)
49 G (19 GS) - 5 sacks - 11 TFL

2024 - DE Adisa Isaac (93rd overall)
4 G (0 GS) - 0 sacks - 1 TFL

2025 - DE Mike Green (59th overall)
17 G (2 GS) - 3.5 sacks - 7 TFL

Should that factor into the Ravens strategy in a situation as critical as this one, especially given their success with tight ends in the mid rounds (and they did still take two but without the likelihood of making as big of a Week 1 impact?

GM 1 said: “It has to. Self-scouting is part of the job. It’s not going to be a deciding factor, but that’s fair to question, and that’s a big pick for them. They’ve had difficulty getting those kinds of guys (edge) to top out.”

Maybe Minter will succeed where three defensive staffs have struggled, even bringing in much-revered pass rush specialist Chuck Smith to John Harbaugh’s last staff to try to help. Or maybe the is a flaw in their process and evaluation that created a seven-year blindspot in the first place.

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