The 2025 NFL Draft is approaching and the Baltimore Ravens have the 27th pick. This is a breakdown of their team needs and potential players they could select in the Draft.
State of the Union
It was another season with high expectations that came up just short for the Ravens. After a bumpy start to the regular season, many considered them to be the team to beat in the NFL by the end of the regular season. It was a coin-flip game on the road in Buffalo in the Divisional Round of the playoffs but ultimately, the Bills pulled off the win. The Ravens have made the playoffs in six of the last seven seasons but have only made one AFC Championship Game and no Super Bowls. Lamar Jackson is a two-time (almost three-time) NFL MVP but has never made it to the biggest stage. The Ravens have a roster that is largely ready to win now, so this offseason will be about adding a couple of key pieces that could be the difference to winning a game like that Divisional Round game in Buffalo. That means replacing a couple of the pieces that are leaving in free agency but also trying to find some real contributors in the draft.
Potential Departures
LT Ronnie Stanley – Ronnie Stanley was drafted by the Ravens in 2016 and has been one of the best left tackles in the NFL ever since. It is expected that the Ravens will make it a massive offseason priority to re-sign Stanley but if they don’t manage to keep him, they will need to fill that gap.
LG Patrick Mekari – To make matters worse, Stanley’s partner on the left side of the offensive line, Patrick Mekari, is also set to hit free agency. The Ravens would love to keep their whole offensive line together, however, they might need to let Mekari go in order to pay Ronnie Stanley.
CBs Brandon Stephens and Tre’Davious White – The Ravens drafted Stephens in 2021 but his rookie deal is now up. Stephens started every regular-season game for Baltimore but he didn’t perform great. Rookie CB Nate Wiggins emerged as the superior corner by the end of the season to play alongside Marlon Humphreys. The Ravens are likely to move on from Stephens and from Tre White. White was acquired by trade to help bolster the Baltimore secondary and did not perform well.
WRs Diontae Johnson and Nelson Agholor – Diontae Johnson had a disastrous Ravens tenure. He was cut after refusing to play in a Week 13 game against the Eagles. The Ravens actually re-signed him before the playoffs but it was a strategic move to hopefully get a compensatory pick, they will not be keeping him. Nelson Agholor has not done much as a Raven and it would be surprising to see him re-signed as well.
Safeties Marcus Williams and Ar’Darius Washington – The Marcus Williams contract has been a disaster for the Ravens. They paid him huge money to be one of the leaders of their defense but he dealt with a lot of injury issues leading up to 2024. He was healthy last season but was benched midseason because of the terrible secondary play of the Ravens. He was eventually replaced by Ar’Darius Washington, who is also set to hit free agency. Washington played really well down the stretch and the Ravens might look to get him back to reprise that role.
Team Needs
Secondary – The Ravens had one of the worst secondaries in the NFL during the first half of last season but recovered well and were playing at a high level to end the season. That being said, they are losing a lot of their secondary depth in free agency and will want to replace some of those aging players with younger talent.
Offensive Line – The Ravens will hope to keep Ronnie Stanley at left tackle but they could potentially have to replace the entire left side of that offensive line.
Wide Receiver – Zay Flowers is a star but outside of that, the Ravens need help at receiver. Rashod Bateman shows flashes of good wide receiver play but is not consistent enough to be a WR2. If the Ravens can find a good pairing to go alongside Flowers and have Bateman be the WR3, Lamar Jackson will only get more scary to defend.
Potential Draft Picks
WR Emeka Egbuka (Ohio State) – Emeka Egbuka was always overshadowed at Ohio State, first by Marvin Harrison Jr. and last season by Jeremiah Smith. However, at almost any other college in the country, he would have been their star receiver. Egbuka is big, strong and has great hands. He plays great out of the slot, which would fit perfectly for the Ravens, allowing Flowers and Bateman to line up outside with Egbuka in the slot. Egbuka’s biggest weakness is that he doesn’t have lightning top speed or elite quickness. However, the Ravens will often have longer developing pass plays where Lamar Jackson is maneuvering in the pocket, so that could alleviate Egbuka’s weakness.
OL Donovan Jackson (Ohio State) – Jackson is expected to be a guard at the next level but he has great size and athleticism for a guard. If the Ravens re-sign Ronnie Stanley, Jackson would perfectly fill the hole left by Patrick Mekari and could help out Stanley as he ages. Jackson is athletic enough to be really effective on pulls and stretch blocks despite his size, which is essential for this Ravens offense.
EDGE Mike Green (Marshall) – Defensive line isn’t necessarily a position of need for Baltimore, but Mike Green would make a perfect Raven. When you have a great roster, you might want to just take the best player available and if Mike Green drops all the way down the board, he would be that player. EDGE is one of the hardest positions to analyze in the draft market at this point in time. Players like Green, James Pearce Jr. and others are all over the place when looking at different mock drafts. The league seems very split on where these EDGE players will go but Green is a freak talent whose production was off the charts at Marshall.
S Nick Emmanwori (South Carolina) – Nick Emmanwori would be a great replacement for the safeties leaving the Ravens in free agency. Emmanwori can rush the passer and get up to make tackles in the run game but also has elite ball skills in the secondary. At 6’3 and 227 pounds, Emmanwori has great size for a safety but also has wide receiver-level speed. The biggest criticism of Emmanwori from scouts is that he will take a play or even a drive off at times. However, when he is locked in, he is one of the most talented secondary players in the draft. The Ravens could be a great fit for Emmanwori because their tremendous culture could be the fix that Emmanwori needs for his tendency to occasionally lose focus.
