Ravens potential plug-and-play prospects: Offensive tackles

Possible targets for the Ravens in the 2024 NFL Draft who could come in and start on the end of their offensive line right away as rookies.

Aside from first-round wide receiver Zay Flowers who quickly established himself as a starter and broke multiple franchise records during a standout rookie campaign, the Baltimore Ravens 2023 rookie class mostly consisted of developmental prospects who are now primed to be in line or compete for starting positions.

With all the notable losses they’ve suffered through free agency as several key cogs from last year’s team have signed elsewhere, their 2024 draft class won’t be afforded the same luxury. This year’s incoming crop of first-year players will be expected to contribute as a starter or in a vital role as a heavy rotational piece.

With the sizable contracts they are currently paying, the most notable being two-time MVP-winning quarterback Lamar Jackson and All-Pro defensive tackle Justin Madubuike, the Ravens need to target prospects who they can plug in and play right away at positions of need.

The second position group to be broken down in this short article series is offensive tackle. While the Ravens still have former All-Pro left tackle Ronnie Stanley, he is headed into the final year of a restructured contract and has struggled with injuries since 2020. They traded veteran right tackle Morgan Moses to the New York Jets ahead of free agency and the top in-house option is 2022 fourth-rounder Daniel Faalele with just one career start under his belt. Although they still have veteran utility lineman Patrick Mekari under contract and added veteran tackle Josh Jones in free agency, both players are viewed as highly valuable backups more than preferred full-time starters. Here are potential plug-and-play prospects Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta could target and get immediate contributions from.

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Troy Fautanu, Washington

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The former Huskie is arguably the most plug-and-play-ready offensive line prospect in this entire class and one many Ravens fans view as a pipe dream who won’t make it out of the top 15. However, no one thought the league would let 2023 First Team All-Pro safety Kyle Hamilton fall into their laps at No. 14 overall two years ago either. The team recently had Fautanu in for one of their pre-draft visits so he very well may be a prospect whom they’d consider trading up for if he fell within a reasonable range where they wouldn’t have to give up a huge haul. Fautanu made 31 career starts in college and possesses the experience and positional flexibility to play both guard and tackle. As a blocker, he is an absolute mauler in the run game and a stone wall pass protection with how well he can both get after defenders in space and anchor or counter against power, speed, and technically sound rushers.

Jordan Morgan, Arizona

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The former Wildcat is the most likely of the projected first-round plug-and-play prospects at the position to still be on the board when the Ravens are slotted to pick at No. 30 overall. Although he played left tackle exclusively in college, many pundits believe he has the ability to play on the right side at a high level or projects best inside at guard at the next level. Morgan could become the immediate answer at right tackle or either guard spots which are also currently up for grabs while still training and being groomed to be the Ravens’ future blindside protector.

Morgan’s first shot at being a full-time starter in college came in 2022 and he was having a standout season for the first 11 games before suffering a torn ACL and missing the final two. Morgan admitted he didn’t quite feel like his pre-injury self until about midway through his senior season and it showed up on film as he looked much more agile, fluid and less stiff movements on his way to earning First-Team All-Pac-12 honors. He also attended the 2024 Reese’s Senior Bowl where he had a strong overall performance between reports from practice and the all-star game itself.

Tyler Guyton, Oklahoma

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The former Sooner has been the most popularly projected prospect to land with the Ravens in first-round mock drafts for the last month and a half and for good reason. Guyton doesn’t have a wealth of starting experience in college with just 14 career starters between his four seasons at TCU and Oklahoma combined with the bulk coming in 2023 but his talent and potential to emerge as a upper echelon starter at the next level are very high. He is a very athletic tackle who is still just scratching the surface of his full potential but is gifted enough to be able to shorten his learning curve or at least make up for his mistakes on the fly if thrust into a starting role as a rookie. Guyton is light on his feet, smooth with his footwork, and has a nice feel for where schemed up or delayed pressure might be coming from and adjusts well mid-rep.

At 6-foot-8 and 322 pounds with over 34-inch arms, Guyton has all the desirable dimensions and measurables to be successful. While he was primarily a right tackle for the Sooners, he has experience playing on the left side and could very well wind up playing there down the road with the physical tools he possesses. Guyton also attended the Senior Bowl and put good reps on tape both in practice and during the all-star game itself. There’s a solid chance a team picking a few spots ahead of the Ravens might target him so it wouldn’t be all that surprising if DeCosta made a move to get in front of the Dallas Cowboys at No. 24 overall or the Green Bay Packers at No. 25 overall if he believes Guyton is there guy and won’t last until 30.

Roger Rosengarten, Washington

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The other former Huskie has been gaining some late first-round buzz as the pre-draft process has gone along but will likely go no later than the second. While he spent the past two seasons starting 28 games at right tackle, it was because Washington trusted him to protect the blindside of left-handed quarterback Michael Penix including all 15 games on their way to a national championship appearance in the 2023 season. Rosengarten mixes up his pass protection plan to make up for some of the deficiencies in his game while keeping rushers on their toes so they can’t anticipate the same moves in every pass set.

Rosengarten did a great job in one-on-one battles at the Reese’s Senior Bowl, keeping some of the brightest standouts of the event at bay and away from the quarterback. He countered and stalled out their spin moves, widened them out around the pocket and anchored well when they tried to bull-rush him. His stock would rise even higher following the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine when he ran a 4.92 in the 40-yard dash and produced a Relative Athletic Score of 9.19 out of 10 which ranks 113 out of 1,377 offensive tackles from 1987 to 2024.

Blake Fisher, Notre Dame

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The former member of the Fighting Irish will go much later than his former college teammate Joe Alt who is a lock to come off the board in the top 10-15 picks and could very very well be the first offensive tackle taken this year. However, some executives and evaluators believe Fisher is the more natural at the position between the two of them with a lack of consistency being the only aspect of his game holding him back from being viewed as a first-rounder as well. Nevertheless, he is a gifted athlete who moves well in space as a puller, mirrors well in pass protection and is a road grader in the run game.

Fisher has the positional flexibility and experience to play both bookend spots at the next level. He became the first true freshman in program history to ever open the season as the starting left tackle before a meniscus injury knocked him out of commission until the season finale. From there he spent the next two years starting 25 games at right tackle where he could play right away for the Ravens who could target him on Day 2 if they opted to address a different position of need who was the best player available late in the first round.