- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 521,914
- Reaction score
- 47
We're a little over 24 hours away from the start of the 2024 NFL draft, and the Ravens are a team to watch despite being relatively quiet on the trade front over the past few years.
Since taking over for Ozzie Newsome in 2018, GM Eric DeCosta has made one significant draft-related trade, and his best selection undoubtedly is All-Pro safety Kyle Hamilton. Baltimore has 11 picks in this weekend's draft, and ample opportunity to move up or down draft boards.
With the Ravens likely picking the best player available, we're looking at every first pick under DeCosta.
Wiggins was the Ravens' highest graded rookie and looks like a future star after recording 33 tackles while playing 15 games for the Ravens this season and starting in each of the team's playoff games. Wiggins's 769 snaps were the seventh most on the Ravens defense that struggled against the pass early on but improved down the stretch.
Baltimore made a trade and moved up to land Flowers out of Boston College. In his rookie season in 2023, Flowers recorded 77 catches for 858 yards and six touchdowns in 16 games. Last season, Flowers became the first Ravens wide receiver to earn a Pro Bowl nod in franchise history.
Hamilton played in all 17 regular-season games in 2024 and finished with 107 tackles (77 solo), including 2.0 sacks, nine pass defenses (one interception), two forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery. Hamilton's 107 stops in 2024 were a career high and the second most on the Ravens behind Roquan Smith (154). Hamilton registered double-digit tackles in five regular-season games and played every single snap in nine contests. He didn't miss a snap during the Ravens' postseason run, where he accumulated 12 tackles (six solo) across two games. Hamilton's versatility in 2024 earned him a Pro Bowl nod for a second straight year and a spot on the second-team All-Pro roster, and the Ravens will likely exercise the safety's fifth-year option while working on a contract extension during the offseason.
Hamilton joins Hall of Famer Ed Reed (2003 & 2004) as the only Ravens defensive backs to earn multiple Pro Bowl nods within the first three years of a career.
Linderbaum is the first Ravens offensive lineman to earn consecutive Pro Bowl honors since Orlando Brown Jr. (2019-20).
Bateman caught four of five targets for 66 yards and a touchdown in the Ravens' 27-25 divisional-round loss to the Bills. Overall, it was his most impactful regular season since getting drafted by Baltimore with career highs in receiving yards (756) and touchdowns (nine) on the second-highest catch total of his career (45) across 17 games. Bateman is signed through the 2026 season.
Oweh was one of the most freakishly gifted athletes in the entire draft, at any position. At 6-foot-5, 251 pounds, he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.37 seconds. He had only played football for five years when Baltimore made the selection.
Now a Steelers linebacker, Queen, the running mate for Roquan Smith, made his first Pro Bowl in 2023 after logging 125 tackles (78 solos) and matching a career high with six passes defended. He also added 3.5 sacks, nine tackles for loss, one interception, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery for the best defense in the league. Queen is the only NFL defender to have produced at least 400 tackles (with 445), double-digit sacks (13.5), and double-digit takeaways (four interceptions and six fumble recoveries) since 2020.
The Ravens traded wide receiver Marquise "Hollywood" Brown to the Arizona Cardinals for the 23rd-overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.
Baltimore also sent the 100th-overall pick (third round) to the Cardinals as part of the trade. Brown was the Ravens' leading wide receiver the year prior (2021), hauling in 91 passes for 1,008 yards and six touchdowns. But in last year's draft, Baltimore also used a first-round pick on Rashod Bateman. Brown posted 195 catches for 2,361 yards and 21 touchdowns in his three seasons in Baltimore.
This article originally appeared on Ravens Wire: 2025 NFL draft: Every Ravens 1st-round pick selected by Eric DeCosta
Continue reading...
Since taking over for Ozzie Newsome in 2018, GM Eric DeCosta has made one significant draft-related trade, and his best selection undoubtedly is All-Pro safety Kyle Hamilton. Baltimore has 11 picks in this weekend's draft, and ample opportunity to move up or down draft boards.
With the Ravens likely picking the best player available, we're looking at every first pick under DeCosta.
2024: CB Nate Wiggins
Wiggins was the Ravens' highest graded rookie and looks like a future star after recording 33 tackles while playing 15 games for the Ravens this season and starting in each of the team's playoff games. Wiggins's 769 snaps were the seventh most on the Ravens defense that struggled against the pass early on but improved down the stretch.
2023: WR Zay Flowers
Baltimore made a trade and moved up to land Flowers out of Boston College. In his rookie season in 2023, Flowers recorded 77 catches for 858 yards and six touchdowns in 16 games. Last season, Flowers became the first Ravens wide receiver to earn a Pro Bowl nod in franchise history.
2022: Kyle Hamilton, Safety, Notre Dame, Round 1, Pick 14
Hamilton played in all 17 regular-season games in 2024 and finished with 107 tackles (77 solo), including 2.0 sacks, nine pass defenses (one interception), two forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery. Hamilton's 107 stops in 2024 were a career high and the second most on the Ravens behind Roquan Smith (154). Hamilton registered double-digit tackles in five regular-season games and played every single snap in nine contests. He didn't miss a snap during the Ravens' postseason run, where he accumulated 12 tackles (six solo) across two games. Hamilton's versatility in 2024 earned him a Pro Bowl nod for a second straight year and a spot on the second-team All-Pro roster, and the Ravens will likely exercise the safety's fifth-year option while working on a contract extension during the offseason.
Hamilton joins Hall of Famer Ed Reed (2003 & 2004) as the only Ravens defensive backs to earn multiple Pro Bowl nods within the first three years of a career.
2022: Tyler Linderbaum Center, Iowa, Round 1, Pick 25
Linderbaum is the first Ravens offensive lineman to earn consecutive Pro Bowl honors since Orlando Brown Jr. (2019-20).
2021: 1st (No. 27) – WR Rashod Bateman, Minnesota
Bateman caught four of five targets for 66 yards and a touchdown in the Ravens' 27-25 divisional-round loss to the Bills. Overall, it was his most impactful regular season since getting drafted by Baltimore with career highs in receiving yards (756) and touchdowns (nine) on the second-highest catch total of his career (45) across 17 games. Bateman is signed through the 2026 season.
2021: 1st Round (No. 31) – EDGE Odafe Oweh, Penn State
Oweh was one of the most freakishly gifted athletes in the entire draft, at any position. At 6-foot-5, 251 pounds, he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.37 seconds. He had only played football for five years when Baltimore made the selection.
2020: Patrick Queen, Linebacker, LSU (28th overall)
Now a Steelers linebacker, Queen, the running mate for Roquan Smith, made his first Pro Bowl in 2023 after logging 125 tackles (78 solos) and matching a career high with six passes defended. He also added 3.5 sacks, nine tackles for loss, one interception, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery for the best defense in the league. Queen is the only NFL defender to have produced at least 400 tackles (with 445), double-digit sacks (13.5), and double-digit takeaways (four interceptions and six fumble recoveries) since 2020.
2019: Round 1, No. 25 overall: Marquise Brown, WR, Oklahoma
The Ravens traded wide receiver Marquise "Hollywood" Brown to the Arizona Cardinals for the 23rd-overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.
Baltimore also sent the 100th-overall pick (third round) to the Cardinals as part of the trade. Brown was the Ravens' leading wide receiver the year prior (2021), hauling in 91 passes for 1,008 yards and six touchdowns. But in last year's draft, Baltimore also used a first-round pick on Rashod Bateman. Brown posted 195 catches for 2,361 yards and 21 touchdowns in his three seasons in Baltimore.
This article originally appeared on Ravens Wire: 2025 NFL draft: Every Ravens 1st-round pick selected by Eric DeCosta
Continue reading...
