OTL: A New ILB Partner as a Late Birthday Present for Ro?

Ravens linebacker Roquan Smith celebrated his 28^th birthday on Tuesday, and if you need some motivation to get through the afternoon slump, this should help:

Despite a slightly underwhelming season last year, it still amazes me that Smith is just now 28. He is still well within his prime and has a lot to offer Charm City in the years to come. Here’s to a great year ahead both on and off the field for Roquan!

Last week, I discussed the possibility of Baltimore bringing in a LB to pair with Smith or platoon with Trenton Simpson. While I’m skeptical of whether it’d happen in Round 1, it’s not impossible:

Schwesinger has been rising up boards of late, and the UCLA product is athletic and strong in coverage. While that’s the kind of profile I’d like to see next to Smith, I do think that drafting him would mean the recent praise of Simpson was smoke. The two are fairly similar players, and as we saw last year, the Ravens could benefit from a bigger body to split time with Simpson depending on the down. For Cole Jackson, the profile doesn’t matter – LB is not the move in the 1st Round:

Ultimately, I would tend to agree, unless Jihaad Campbell is available and is the clear best player available. As I’ve said, the Ravens are in a great spot to follow their BPA formula throughout the draft, so I’m confident they’ll bring in one of “their guys” in Round 1.

As always, though, the mid-to-late round pickups will be the difference for long-term success. Looking at the last decade’s 3^rd Round picks, how would you grade Baltimore’s haul?

With Orlando Brown Jr., Mark Andrews, Nnamdi Madubuike and Travis Jones being centerpieces, along with a few strong contributors, I’d have to give the Ravens an A- or higher. Owning 11 picks, I expect Baltimore to be active in going after the players they like in the middle rounds this year, but that makes it all the more critical that they hit.

Getting deeper into the draft as we get closer to the event, Mel Kiper Jr. has the Ravens selecting S Malaki Starks and EDGE David Walker in the first two rounds.

While Starks would be a home run pick by my estimation, I admittedly know less about Walker, a Central Arkansas product. Notching 10.5 sacks is great, but I’d have to question how his play would translate to the NFL level.

A similar prospect that’s set to visit 1 Winning Drive is William & Mary OT Charles Grant:

At 6’5” I would expect to see Grant transition to Guard for Baltimore, but if RSR’s OL guru likes him, I like him too.

All-in-all, while I expect the Ravens to draft each of the positions I’ve mentioned above while going BPA, it’s hard to know where they’ll lean positionally in Round 1. Following Mock Drafts, it feels like there will be a number of good cornerbacks available at Pick 27. That said, with Nate Wiggins expected to breakout any day now and the recent signing of Chidobe Awuzie, I don’t know how much of a priority it’ll be.

How should Baltimore think about the CB position in the draft? Should the positional value make it a viable option even if Starks, an EDGE, or an O-Lineman are available? Do they need a potential starter or is depth the main thing? Sound off in the comments!

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