A lot of talent fell out of the first round, which pushed over talent down as well. Is it worth the Ravens trading up.
Round 1 of the 2025 NFL Draft is complete. Shedeur Sanders was not the second quarterback taken, but will likely be one of the first picks in the second round. A lot of other talent fell down the board like Will Johnson and Mike Green, who the Ravens won’t have a chance to grab. But here are five names the Ravens could trade up for in the second round to add instant impact talent to their already Super Bowl-worthy roster. They could look at the Browns‘ No. 36 pick, their second in the second round after No. 33, or look at either of the Bears’ second second-rounders at No. 39 or 41 overall.
EDGE Donovan Ezeiruaku
Ezeiruaku was the most mocked player to the Ravens at No. 27 outside of S Malaki Starks. Now, Ezeiruaku is in the Round 2 and with talent ahead of him on the board. The Ravens could trade up to the mid-to-late thirties or early forties to grab the pass rusher who had 14 sacks his last year in college. Ezeiruaku has a bag of moves that would work in the NFL but would likely be a rotational piece at first who needs work in the run game. But a guy in the early second round who could get sacks immediately sounds like a great value.
EDGE Nic Scourton
Scourton is the other pass rusher here who was given first-round buzz as well. Similar to Ezeiruaku, Scourton is not the most explosive pass rusher but has a bag of moves that will translate to the NFL and give immediate production. Texas A&M used him at a heavier weight as more of a force. At Purdue, Scourton was lighter, flashed power and finesse moves, and came away with eight sacks. Scourton has said he’s going to play in the NFL closer to his lighter Purdue weight. Scourton would be an instant quarterback-getter at the NFL level, a guy who knows how to finish the play.
WR Luther Burden III
Excuse me while I find cover to duck behind. Wide receiver is not on many people’s list of needs or wants for the Ravens, especially early and especially in a trade-up. And for the most part, it’s not on my list either. But Burden is a special talent. A down year of production, not his fault since the quarterback play was an undraftable level of bad, and people have fallen off Burden. But Burden might have one of the highest ceilings in this class. He can run NFL-level routes and win with any intelligence, burst, or suddenness. He has an elite catch radius, elite yards-after-catch ability, and play strength that leads to real jump ball ability Ravens fans have been asking for in the receiver room for years.
Burden has the chance to develop into a real X-receiver in the first year or two of his rookie contract as well as having the burst and strength to be an electric returner. With DeAndre Hopkins walking in a year and potentially Rashod Bateman in two and Zay Flowers in three, there’s never a reason not to draft very good wide receivers.
CB Shavon Revel
Revel is an interesting case, and similar to Josh Simmons who was taken at 32, if healthy, Revel could have been a top-20 pick. Instead, Revel suffered a torn ACL in September, missing most of the college season. That being said, he’s on track to be cleared for training camp and is about as Ravens’ as a corner gets. A 6-foot-3 pressman corner with elite speed and burst, he reads routes well and plays physical. Some inconsistencies in technique lead to lapses but his athleticism creates recoveries for him other corners simply can’t replicate. The lapses lead to pass breakups instead of interceptions and issues at the line of scrimmage.
But coming off an ACL injury and playing behind Marlon Humphrey, Nate Wiggins and Chidobe Awuzie, trading up for this alien of a corner who can slow play his development his rookie year is a perfect fit.
OT Aireontae Ersery
Ersery may not be ranked in the top of the second round. But as one of the last available left tackles who could potentially start immediately, there’s good reason to think that teams would have no problems drafting him in the thirties or forties. Ersery is a perfect fit for the Ravens: a strong, tall, athletic tackle who could come in and start immediately at guard but has the obvious upside of potentially developing as a very skilled franchise left tackle who can run all of Monken’s scheme. Zone-gap versatile, Ersery is also a skilled pass protector who does what Monken wants all of his linemen to do: be able to protect one-on-one. This would be a great trenches trade-up for the Ravens, who impacts the now as a guard as well as the future as a franchise left tackle once the Ravens are ready to move on from Stanley.