OTL: Let’s Address Needs with…Free Agent, Top Prospect, or Draft Gem?

As of today, we’re less than a month out from the start of the NFL Draft, an event that marks a welcome reprieve from the slog of the offseason. One indicator of how impactful this class could be is that, even after the initial feeding frenzy in free agency, the available group still has some high-profile names out there.

Top remaining NFL free agents:

Aaron Rodgers
Stefon Diggs
Keenan Allen
CJ Mosley
Nick Chubb
JK Dobbins
Amari Cooper
Tyler Lockett
Russell Wilson
Brandon Scherff
Stephon Gilmore
Von Miller
Za’Darius Smith
Matthew Judon
Elijah Moore
Justin Simmons
Kyzir White
Julian…

— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) March 23, 2025

Diving into this Draft class, it seems like the depth varies by position, as always, but there could be some real difference-makers with the early picks, as well as diamonds in the rough that could make us all wonder in a few seasons how they ever made it to Day 2 or even Day 3.

There are a lot of options out there, and fortunately for the Ravens, they have 11 total Draft picks at a time when they need to be frugal with their cap space. They’ve already done a good job with securing help at positions of need, like re-signing Ronnie Stanley and landing themselves a viable back-up QB…

QB Cooper Rush’s 2-yr deal has a base value of $6.25M, w/ $3M in incentives in each yr ($12.25M max deal). He received a signing bonus of $2.745M & base salaries of $1.255M & $1.3M. There is a $750K roster bonus in 2026 & there are 3 added void yrs. His 2025 Cap # is $1.904M.

— Brian McFarland (@RavensSalaryCap) March 24, 2025

…but I wanted to play GM for a day and look at the spots where the Ravens still have some needs. We’ll go position by position, and, assuming that particular position is given priority, I’ll pick a free agent that could satisfy the need, a high-profile Draft prospect, and a prospect that could be a late gem. One caveat with this activity is that these moves would likely be mutually exclusive for some of the others listed. With that in mind, let’s begin.

Guard

Free agent: Dalton Risner

High-profile prospect: Tyler Booker, Alabama

Potential draft gem: Connor Colby, Iowa

Priority number one for this offense, of course, is keeping LJ upright and untouched. While the Ravens chose to bring back Ben Cleveland, surprising a lot of people, that feels much more like a depth move than a solution to a glaring problem at the position.

Guard Ben Cleveland signed a 1-yr Veteran Salary Benefit (VSB) deal of $1.17M. The deal includes no bonus & contains no gtd money. Under the VSB rules, his Cap # is reduced to $1.03M.

— Brian McFarland (@RavensSalaryCap) March 20, 2025

After all, even when Cleveland was here, he didn’t get much work, which led to speculation around his relationship with the coaching staff and his work ethic. Even assuming Andrew Voorhees and Daniel Faalele are the players the Ravens want them to be, it wouldn’t hurt to bring in more competition for the spot. Risner’s asking price could be low due to a recurrent back injury, and he was willing to take a one-year deal last season with the Vikings on an O-line that performed surprisingly well.

If Baltimore chooses to go the amateur route and Tyler Booker is still there at #27 (or if there’s a chance to slightly trade up and steal him), I would be perfectly happy with the team doing that. Otherwise, if they choose to prioritize other positions, Iowa’s Connor Colby is a guy whose athletic profile I love, coming out of a school known for churning out O-linemen like it’s their job.

Safety

Free Agent: Julian Blackmon

High-profile prospect: Xavier Watts, Notre Dame

Potential draft gem: Billy Bowman, Oklahoma

If you’ve read some of my columns lately, you’ll know that Julian Blackmon is a guy I’ve had my eye on for safety depth. The 26-year-old has played the entirety of his career to this point on a Colts defense that never felt like the right fit, and his playing style would allow him to move around this defense with less pressure, even fitting in as a rotational piece.

The mention of Xavier Watts over Nick Emmanwori and Malaki Starks will raise some eyebrows from readers, I’m sure, but I really like Watts’ potential fit for this defense because he’s a constant threat to pick the ball off, something desperately needed when you look at Baltimore’s inability to force turnovers at times. Emmanwori or Starks bring solid athleticism, but their film and possible fit within the defense give me pause. If the Ravens wait to throw a dart at the board for a safety, Billy Bowman could be another Ar’Darius Washington kind of player. His size at just under 5’10” and 192 pounds leaves something to be desired, but his athletic profile is no joke.

Billy Bowman is a FS prospect in the 2025 draft class. He scored an unofficial 7.53 #RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 271 out of 1095 FS from 1987 to 2025.

Splits projected, times unofficial.https://t.co/cwRbrqlp1A pic.twitter.com/UgCWsw8ECC

— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) February 28, 2025

Defensive Tackle

Free Agent: Calais Campbell

High-profile prospect: Kenneth Grant, Michigan

Potential draft gem: Jordan Phillips, Maryland

I said it when the Ravens parted ways with Campbell: there aren’t too many 6’9” defensive tackles out there just walking around on the street. Beyond that, there aren’t many veteran players that reach his age and still produce at a high clip, and being able to bring Calais back into the fold would bring not only a motivated performer, but a leader.

The Draft group for me is a little iffy, because it doesn’t feel like it would be worthwhile to invest at #27 on one of the prospects that’s likely to be available there (Oregon’s Derrick Harmon and Ole Miss’ Walter Nolan are names I’m seeing a lot), but if Kenneth Grant were to have an improbable slide down the board, a gamewrecker like him up the middle would be hard to stay mad about. He’s a hard tackler who was one of the centerpieces of a formidable Wolverines defense, and his ability to provide a push up front could be exactly what this pass rush needs.

If the Ravens opt to wait, I’m hit or miss on a lot of the later options, but there are some guys I like such as Tennessee’s Omarr Norman-Lott and Virginia Tech’s Aeneas Peebles. Neither of those guys feel like the fit for what the Ravens need up front quite like Jordan Phillips, though. Phillips comes with the added bonus of being a local guy, and he might be one of the most freakish athletes I’ve ever seen in person. A 20-year-old with a 6’3” frame and 335 pounds of solid muscle means huge potential to develop, and I have to believe Chuck Smith would be pounding the table to get a guy like Phillips into the fold.

If the waters around Ravens Flock remain relatively calm over the next week, I may come back and touch on some other positions with this same strategy, like CB, inside linebacker and tight end. Stay tuned!

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Source: https://russellstreetreport.com/2025/03/25/out-to-lunch/otl-lets-address-needs-with-free-agent-top-prospect-or-draft-gem/