What Happens If The Ravens Trade Down? Mapping Every Realistic Scenario

Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta proclaimed that his team is in a drafting “sweet spot” with the 14th overall selection, and the scouting industry would agree with him.

But that doesn’t mean this franchise won’t throw us a curveball or two and do something out of the ordinary. Heck, even though they ultimately pulled out of the trade with Las Vegas, tha proposal was as fervently un-Ravens as anything in the history of the organization. Let’s be real, sweet spot or not, this isn’t a stellar draft class and the rival Bengals just bailed out of the 10th overall pick and there are reasons so many teams are actively trying to trade down.

Two general managers told me they believe the Giants are more likely than not to grab an offensive lineman with that 10th pick, and a run on tackles could come way sooner than Mock Draft Nation has been suggesting. “(Vega) Ioane, (Kadyn) Proctor, (Spencer) Fano, (Monroe) Freeling, Miami (Francis Mauigoa), they all have top-10 potential,” one GM very interested in OL help told me over the weekend. One veteran personnel exec said: “The offensive linemen are coming off the board faster than you guys (in the media) think.”

It’s certainly worth considering that DeCosta might not be so smitten with what’s available at 14 by Thursday night. What if all three first-round talents at, say, safety, were on the board (they couldn’t indulge there), and Baltimore is able to pick up additional draft picks (their very lifeblood) to let someone else pick at 14?

What might those scenarios look like?

Drop Back For A Tight End

Some believe the Ravens could grab Oregon’s Kenyon Sadiq at 14. And they absolutely better add a big downfield target who can leap and separate on Thursday or Friday. If OL is picked clean and every TE is still on the board and, say, every WR except for two, man that feels like potential value. Could you still get Sadiq around 19, and would Tampa and Carolina both pass on him?

Eli Stowers of Vandy has become a bit of a fetish for me based on evaluators I trust continuing t vouch for him. You could drop all the way to the top of second round and possibly get him too. “He isn’t far off from Sadiq for me at all,” said one personnel exec who has looked heavily at the offensive skill positions. “He can’t block but could (ex-Raven move tight end Isaiah) Likely? He’s a big slot receiver who helps you Week 1.”

Rookie offensive coordinator Declan Doyle worked with Ben Johnson in Chicago a year ago, who leans into heavier personnel and used his first top pick as a head coach on a TE last year.

Drop Back For A Corner

You can’t expect this front office, even if the GM doesn’t want to be “typecast” to not place a premium on cover corners. They seem loaded enough at safety, but Minter is going to be in sub packages 80% of the time – and he’ll play more dime than most (second-most usage in NFL during two years running Chargers defense, per TruMedia). And he plays about as much quarters coverage as anyone in the NFL.

And, well, despite all their investments in defensive backs in the draft and free agency and with contract extensions, it’s definitely a position that needs tending. Even if Marlon Humphrey mans the slot. Minter used mid-round picks to grab larger corners who fit his needs in LA, but if a run on OL and the first wave of pass rushers and receivers does in fact cause corners to drop, it’s going to be hard to pass them up. Could they get their hands on Tennessee’s Jermod McCoy, after he flashed elite speed coming off the ACL injury, closer to 20?

Drop Back For A Pass Rusher

Rival executives see 14th overall as a big of no-man’s land for a proven impact pass rusher. The true blue chip front seven prospects – Arvell Reese and David Bailey and Sonny Styles and Rueben Bain, Jr. – will be gone, and that next cluster carries some significant variance.

Akheem Mesidor is five-year starter who turned 25, but his game film wasn’t that far removes from Bain, his Miami teammate, as they made their national title push. Doesn’t set the edge as naturally as the Ravens would like, but his ability stunt inside and blow up the run or pass is right up their alley. DeCosta spent a lot of time at the Liar’s Lunch bemoaning older draft prospects, but could that be a decoy?

“Now, because of NIL, guys are getting paid to stay in,” DeCosta said last week. “That’s problematic for us because if guys are coming in older, they’ve probably got less upside.”

What if the Ravens dropped back around 25 or so, where they usually draft?

“If he was 22 or 23 (years old), he still wouldn’t be in that top tier, but he’d be right behind them,” one longtime evaluator told me. “But the age is a big deal.”

Drop Back For a Defensive Tackle

The Ravens regret not getting involved in a generational 2025 DT draft in much more meaningful fashion. And with Nnamdi Maduibike dealing with serious neck issues that cost him almost all of 2025, it’s an acute concern now. This isn’t a great draft to seek that position, but with Broderick Washington perhaps done being an elite run stuffer and with inside linebacker Roquan Smith in rapid decline, Travis Jones and some journeymen aint gonna cut it up front.

Ohio State’s Kayden McDonald is viewed by some teams I spoke to as a first-round worthy talent, and if he flashed even a little more pass rush – given the rest of the Dt class – it would be a given that he was among the first 32 picks. I’d far prefer a trade-up if necessary on day two for some other DT prospects, but Minter wants to mitigate the run without stuffing the box, and you can’t dismiss this prospect entirely.

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