Ravens draft tracker: Analysis of every Baltimore pick in the NFL draft

As Day 2 of the NFL draft starts Friday night, the Ravens may have to hurry up and wait. Again.

They were patient Thursday night, when they watched Clemson cornerback Nate Wiggins fall to them at No. 30 overall. With picks near the end of the second (No. 62 overall) and third rounds (No. 93), will general manager Eric DeCosta stay put or move around?

Stay tuned for updates and analysis.

Round 1, No. 30 overall: Nate Wiggins, CB, Clemson

The Ravens said after the draft that they were hoping Wiggins would fall to them in the first round, but a run on offensive linemen probably forced their hand. Nine linemen were among the first 29 picks, leaving the Ravens with a few good cornerback options at No. 30: Alabama’s Kool-Aid McKinstry, Iowa’s Cooper DeJean and Wiggins.

Wiggins, who won’t turn 21 until August, might have the highest ceiling of the three. While his thin frame needs filling out, Wiggins’ elite speed (4.28-second 40-yard dash) and football IQ should give him a chance to compete for significant snaps as a rookie. Marlon Humphrey and Brandon Stephens are still the Ravens’ top outside cornerbacks, but injuries at the position have been a persistent thorn in the defense’s side.

With the defense bolstered, the Ravens are expected to address their offensive line on Day 2. The team lost starting guards Kevin Zeitler and John Simpson in free agency and traded right tackle Morgan Moses. Edge rushers and wide receivers could also be priority positions in the second and third rounds.

More coverage:

• Ravens select Clemson cornerback Nate Wiggins with 1st-round pick
• Nate Wiggins brings speed to Baltimore’s secondary | Banner Ravens Podcast
• The Ravens played it safe. The Chiefs’ bold trade means the pick must be scrutinized.

Round 2, No. 62 overall: Roger Rosengarten, RT, Washington

Once again, the Ravens stood still and let the pick come to them. With it, they addressed their biggest need: rebuilding the offensive line. DeCosta said he was up late wondering if he should use his first-round pick on the position group before opting to build up the secondary.

By picking Roger Rosengarten, the Ravens have brought in someone to compete for the starting right tackle position left open when they traded Morgan Moses to the New York Jets. Playing for the Washington Huskies, who were the runners-up in the college football national championship playoff, Rosengarten did not allow a sack in his college career. He redshirted in 2020 after playing one game. He then played four games in 2021, 13 in 2022 and 15 in 2023.

Rosengarten finished his college career with a PFF grade of 78.6, but PFF projected him as a Day 3 pick (fourth to seventh round). In PFF’s evaluation, he’s a developmental tackle. While athletic, he currently does not have the power to find success against NFL defensive players. The projection on NFL.com was much the same, determining that he is smart but is too slow to keep up as a tackle. It projects he would be better suited at guard.

More coverage:

• Ravens get offensive line help, draft Washington OT Roger Rosengarten in 2nd round

Round 3, No. 93 overall: Adisa Isaac, EDGE, Penn State

It was always unlikely that the Ravens would find a ready-made replacement in the draft for outside linebacker Jadeveon Clowney, even in the first round. But Isaac should help lift the floor for the Ravens’ pass rush, which entered the draft with just two solid starters at outside linebacker in Odafe Oweh (five sacks in 2023) and Kyle Van Noy (nine sacks).

Teammate Chop Robinson, a first-round pick, overshadowed Isaac during the predraft process, but Isaac was the more productive Nittany Lions pass rusher last season, finishing with a team-high 7.5 sacks and 16 tackles for loss. As a pass rusher, Isaac has few elite traits but a well-rounded game. He can win with his burst off the line of scrimmage, power, bend and effort. As a run defender, though, the 6-4, 247-pound Isaac can be swallowed up by some offensive tackles. Until his technique and strength improve, Isaac could be limited to a situational role.

With three of the Ravens’ most pressing roster needs — cornerback, offensive line and outside linebacker — addressed over the draft’s first two days, DeCosta can turn his focus Saturday to wide receiver, running back and other positions. The Ravens have six picks remaining: two in the fourth round (Nos. 113 and 130), one in the fifth (No. 165), one in the sixth (No. 218) and two in the seventh (Nos. 228 and 250). DeCosta said they could look to move into next year’s draft, too, where the depth of talent is expected to be better.

Round 4, No. 113 overall (from Denver Broncos, via New York Jets): Devontez Walker, WR, UNC

A third-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference receiver, Walker started six games last season. He made 41 receptions for 699 yards and seven touchdowns in eight games played. He had impressive long speed and the ability to make catches through contact. However, both PFF and NFL.com said in their evaluations that he needs to improve his route tree.

Walker is unpolished, but he has the potential to develop into a starter. According to the NFL combine’s evaluation, he has elite speed, explosiveness and jumping ability. At 6-2 and 200 pounds, he adds size to a smaller wide receiver room. He has speed, but with speedsters in Rashod Bateman and Zay Flowers, Walker’s unique talent amid this group is his vertical ability.

Walker transferred twice, which slowed his rise. He started at North Carolina Central, but his freshman season was canceled due to the pandemic. He transferred to Kent State and made first-team All-Mid-American Conference in his second season. In 2023, he transferred to UNC but had to sit out the start of the season due to a mistake in his paperwork.

Unlike some of the other Ravens pick, Walker is reuniting with an adversary rather than a former teammate. He was the only wide receiver to make a 20-plus-yard reception against first-round pick cornerback Wiggins last season.

Round 4, No. 130: T.J. Tampa, CB, Iowa State

DeCosta said Friday that the Ravens could prioritize talent over need on Day 3, and Tampa is a testament to that process. He entered the draft as the No. 55 overall prospect on Arif Hasan’s consensus big board, only to fall to the bottom of the third round.

Like Nate Wiggins, the Ravens’ first-round pick — and, coincidentally, his rooommate at the scouting combine — Tampa primarily lined up as an outside corner for the Cyclones. He allowed just 25 catches on 49 targets for 240 yards last season, according to PFF, and just one touchdown catch in his final 934 defensive snaps. Tampa’s stock fell during the draft process; a hamstring injury sidelined him at the combine, and he ran a 4.58-second 40-yard dash at his pro day.

Still, at 6-1 and 189 pounds, with a wingspan that ranks in the 89th percentile for cornerbacks, Tampa profiles as the kind of prospect the Ravens target for their secondary. He’s physical in the run game and was a fixture on Iowa State’s special teams units. Durability shouldn’t be a concern, either; he missed just one game in college, and that was after opting out of the Cyclones’ bowl game last season.

Round 5, No. 165: Rasheen Ali, RB, Marshall

The Ravens added depth behind Derrick Henry with Rasheen Ali, a 1,000-yard rusher out of Marshall. He is projected as a third-string running back by NFL.com, which is exactly what the Ravens are looking for behind Henry and Justice Hill while they wait for Keaton Mitchell to return.

The 5-11, 206-pound Ali rushed for 1,135 yards and 15 touchdowns last season and 2,831 yards and 42 touchdowns over four seasons. He did that despite taking a break in 2021 to address his “mental, physical and emotional health,” according to the Herald-Dispatch.

Ali finds success with his vision and ability to shift speeds, which offset a lack of NFL-caliber strength and agility. He’s got good acceleration and twitchiness despite running too upright and lacking power. He’s also a solid receiving option. At Marshall, he lined up in the slot and made 28 receptions. He needs to work on his ball security once it’s in his hands, though.

This past season, Ali was second-team All-Sun Belt Conference. He led the FBS with seven plays of 50+ yards. However, he ruptured his biceps tendon at the Senior Bowl.

Round 6, No. 218 (compensatory pick, from Jets): Devin Leary, QB, Kentucky

The 6-foot-1, 215-pound Leary has solid arm strength and was a team captain at North Carolina State and Kentucky. He passed for 9,553 yards, 87 touchdowns and 28 interceptions over his six years in college, including 2,746 yards, 25 touchdowns and a Southeastern Conference-high 12 interceptions in his lone season with the Wildcats. Leary suffered a torn pectoral muscle in his right (throwing) shoulder in 2022, and his accuracy fell to 56.3% last season, his worst mark since 2019.

Leary, 24, is not a dynamic athlete, but he could catch on in a Ravens quarterback room that lost backup Tyler Huntley in free agency. Josh Johnson is expected to back up Lamar Jackson next season. Malik Cunningham’s future at the position is unclear.

Round 7, No. 228 (from Jets): Nick Samac, C, Michigan State

The Ravens added a second offensive lineman, Nick Samac, who had 32 starts across 49 games for Michigan State. He earned honorable mention All-Big Ten in 2022 and 2023 and was the only Spartan invited to the combine. He was still recovering from injury, so he only interviewed and recorded height, weight, hand size and wingspan.

Samac, a 6-foot-4, 307-pound center, is athletic with good hands and a strong core. However, he needs to build strength to transition to the NFL. He punches well on the inside but struggles to widen his base. He is aggressive once he’s on the move, leading the way on a rushing attack, but he is not as adept at dropping back into pass protection.

When Samac was healthy, he was almost always in the game. He played 2,427 snaps. Last season, he played every offensive snap in five games. While NFL.com projects him as an eventual starter, Samac will play behind Pro Bowl center Tyler Linderbaum for the Ravens.

Round 7, No. 250: Sanoussi Kane, S, Purdue

The Ravens’ final pick combined for 151 tackles as a junior and senior, but his best hope for an early impact will come on special teams, where he saw over 500 snaps in his career. According to The Athletic’s Dane Brugler, Kane “can key and diagnose in the run game, and the ball carrier often goes down when he makes contact. His instincts are underdeveloped and leave him late reacting to throws (gets hung up on zone reads and play action), but he has the speed and physicality to stay attached to tight ends in man coverage. Overall, Kane needs to cut down on the wasted steps, but he is a physical presence in the run game with matchup potential in coverage.”

DeCosta said Kane “is a guy that does a lot of things well. A tough player. I think he’s got good ball skills, should play on special teams.” Last season, Kane lined up in the box on 434 snaps, in the slot on 230 snaps and as a deep safety on 32 snaps, according to PFF.

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