The Baltimore Ravens come away with a litany of talent in Dane Brugler’s 7-round mock draft.
The Baltimore Ravens enter the draft with few holes on their roster, but 11 draft picks to add starter quality talent and depth everywhere else. In The Athletic’s Dane Brugler’s seven-round mock draft, they do precisely that, beginning with bolstering the offensive line with the No. 27 pick.
27. Baltimore Ravens: Kelvin Banks Jr., OT/G, Texas
“Ronnie Stanley returning to Baltimore lessens the need here, but Banks would compete with Andrew Vorhees for the starting left guard spot in Year 1, while giving the Ravens much needed tackle depth behind Stanley and Roger Rosengarten. Adding Banks would help turn the offensive line into a strength for Baltimore.”
Banks is ranked the No. 26 player on Brugler’s board and the No. 2 guard.
Overview of Banks from Brugler’s THE BEAST
With well-timed feet and handwork, Banks is a natural in pass protection and shows an instinctive feel to attack with leverage and create force through his body mechanics. His balance can be too easily disrupted, though, especially in the run game, which can leave him overextended or on the ground. Overall, Banks doesn’t have ideal length and needs to improve his sustain tactics to be a consistent finisher against NFL talent, but he has controlled footwork and depth in his pass sets, plus the fundamental know-how to fit and leverage blocks and keep defenders occupied. He projects as an immediate NFL starter who can stay at tackle, although his best long-term position might be guard.
Brugler’s Full Ravens’ Mock Draft
- 1 (27). OT/G Kelvin Banks Jr., Texas
- 2 (59). S Xavier Watts, Notre Dame
- 3 (91). Edge Ashton Gillotte, Louisville
- 4 (129). DT Rylie Mills, Notre Dame
- 4 (136). CB Caleb Ransaw, Tulane
- 5 (176). Edge David Walker, Central Arkansas
- 6 (183). TE Jake Briningstool, Clemson
- 6 (203). WR Dont’e Thornton Jr., Tennessee
- 6 (210). OT Branson Taylor, Pittsburgh
- 6 (212). K Andres Borregales, Miami
- 7 (243). RB Kalel Mullings, Michigan
A Few Thoughts
- Adding Banks gives the Ravens a stronger, superior offensive line than last season. They were a strong, formidable blocking unit, but they need an upgrade to continue keeping Lamar Jackson upright and Derrick Henry running downhill.
- Watts in Round 2 is an excellent spot for the Ravens. It won’t be pleasant to not have landed an edge in the first two rounds, especially when seeing the Ravens take Banks over Donovan Ezeiruaku, but Watts is an NFL starter and a perfect addition for the Ravens, paired with Kyle Hamilton and Ar’Darius Washington.
- Gillotte is a fair pick at a fair price in Round 3. He doesn’t have the prototypical “freak” build nor the production, which has him taken in the back-half of the third round. Still a Top 100 player in this draft. Hopefully Pass Rush Coach Chuck Smith can draw out his potential.
- Mills in the fourth round isn’t a bad choice, the Ravens need a defensive tackle coming out of this draft. I don’t see Mills as the guy on account of the Ravens’ affinity for character. In 2024, Mills punched an opponent in the helmet.
- The Ravens are all but guaranteed to draft a kicker in this draft. Brugler has Andres Borregales as his No. 1 specialist in the draft and he’s the first one off the board. Borregales in his senior season went 18-of-19 on field goal attempts and 62-of-62 in extra points. In his final two seasons, Borregales went 6-of-8 from 50+.