The Baltimore Beatdown crew offer their predictions for the first night of the NFL Draft
Night one of the NFL Draft is an exciting time. There’s always drama as picks roll in 10 minutes at a time. For the Baltimore Ravens, if they don’t trade up, they’re unlikely to draft until 10 p.m. ET—two hours after the event begins at 8 p.m. ET. Below, you’ll find predictions offered by the contributors here at Baltimore Beatdown.
Quarterbacks are always a topic in the first round of the draft, but so many teams appear uninterested in taking one of the prospects in the top half of the draft. This will penalize the Ravens, as the more quarterbacks taken off the board, the better prospects in other positions fall. It’s hard not to expect defensive lineman Jordan Davis becoming a Baltimore Raven, with the majority of mock drafts having him as the overwhelming favorite.I think the Ravens will try to trade back in an attempt of acquiring an extra second- or third-round selection, but it won’t be easy. They’ll need a trade partner. NFL.com’s Peter Schrager believes the Packers want their pick of the litter at wide receivers, which could land them further back in the first round where they’ll be happy taking an offensive lineman. — Kyle Barber
Premium positions will be in high demand throughout the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft. Zero running backs or tight ends will be selected in the opening stanza. Zion Johnson will be the only interior blocker and Quay Walker the only inside linebacker picked on Day 1. Meanwhile nine pass rushers, five offensive tackles, four quarterbacks, six cornerbacks and six wide receivers will hear their names called on Thursday night.
If the Ravens are unable to secure one of the three premier offensive tackles at #14, Eric DeCosta will attempt to trade down and choose a pair of pass defenders in the top-40. With their competition in the AFC loading up and Lamar Jackson’s contract situation unsettled, expect Baltimore to utilize a needs based approach in the early rounds of this draft to maximize their fleeting Super Bowl window. – Vasilis Lericos
The first round of this year’s draft might be full of surprises. I think there will be early and late runs on offensive lineman with eight total taken between tackles and guards/centers. I also expect there to be more cornerbacks selected than projected: at least five. The Ravens will not end up with either position unless they trade back. At No. 14, they’ll instead select Jordan Davis or edge rusher. I’m also buying in to some of the tea leaves dropped in recent days: Derek Stingley is picked No. 3 overall by Houston, Jermaine Johnson is gone in the top 5-6 picks, and Jameson Williams is the first wide receiver off the board. — Frank Platko
I predict there will be a run on edge rushers in the top 10, leaving the Ravens without a quality option at the position with the 14th pick. I predict a massive trade into the top 10 to secure Liberty quarterback Malik Willis by a team (potentially the Steelers or Saints.)
Baltimore will reportedly attempt to trade up for a falling player but will fail to do so and will end up trading back a few spots with a team that wants a wide receiver. The Ravens will end up taking a cornerback or defensive tackle Jordan Davis with their first-round pick. — Dustin Cox
In what many analysts are calling the craziest draft, nobody really seems to know what’s going to happen. At the end of tonight, I think we see two quarterbacks taken off the board. On the other end, I think six edges are gone by the end of the night, the most by one position. The Ravens don’t end up with Penning and trade up to land one of their guys in Stingley, Thibodeaux, Or Johnson. Lastly, a lot of movement occurs with at least four first round trades and at least one player involved. — Zach Canter