The Baltimore Ravens land a top-tier cornerback with their lone first-round pick
The 17th Annual SB Nation mock draft is underway, and the Baltimore Ravens are on the clock with the No. 22 pick. Starting early, some wide receivers of interest were taken, with the Tennessee Titans selecting Jaxon Smith-Njigba at No. 11, and the Houston Texans following up at No. 12 with Jordan Addison.
Three cornerbacks, Christian Gonzalez, Devon Witherspoon and Joey Porter Jr. were gone by No. 18. Then, just before the Ravens, the Los Angeles Chargers picked wide receiver Zay Flowers.
This left the Ravens with a couple of options, with the most-linked players to Baltimore being TCU wide receiver Quentin Johnston, Maryland cornerback Deonte Banks and Mississippi State cornerback Emmanuel Forbes.
The oddsmakers at DraftKings Sportsbook seem to agree with the assessment, with cornerback being the position they’re favoring for the position of the Ravens’ first drafted player (-120), following by wide receiver (+175).
Therefore, With the No. 22 pick in the 2023 SB Nation NFL mock draft, the Ravens select…
Deonte Banks, CB, Maryland
On the Beatdown Big Board, Banks was our No. 1 player remaining. Combine Banks being the best player available with him playing cornerback, the position the Ravens have the greatest need at, and it’s a home-run pick.
Banks joins a Ravens defense that will relish his tough style of play. But toughness and tenacity isn’t the lone attribute of Banks, with his size, speed (4.35s 40-time) and agility combining into a prototypical cornerback that can mesh well in any system. Banks has demonstrated over the course of his college career that he’s capable of the professional leap; and with his traits and tools at the No. 2 spot for the Ravens, their secondary could be a resounding top five unit in 2023.