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The Baltimore Ravens are gearing up to welcome a new crop of rookies to the Under Armour Performance Center.
There are plenty of storylines to monitor heading into the draft, including whether the Ravens trade up for an elite cornerback or edge rusher and which position upgrade is the most urgent.
General Manager Eric DeCosta and Head Coach John Harbaugh met with the media on Tuesday and have some interesting opinions on the edge rusher position, offensive line depth, and rebuilding the roster.
With the first round one week from Thursday night, here are the takeaways and observations from the Ravens' pre-draft press conference.
Baltimore has 11 draft picks, four of which come in round six alone. The Ravens GM said he sees "a lot of opportunity" in those middle to late rounds.
Baltimore has Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely as premier players at the position, with Charlie Kolar adding more depth. Still, the Ravens GM wouldn't discount adding another player at the position.
The Ravens need an edge rusher, and the GM highlighted a strong group of pass rushers.
Justin Tucker has a Hall of Fame resume, but he's embroiled in an off-the-field investigation that could halt his Ravens and NFL career. Tucker has been accused of inappropriate conduct with women at area massage parlors. The league is investigating, and DeCosta was asked about potentially drafting a kicker and Tucker's replacement.
Baltimore has a zero tolerance policy on particular off-field behaviors or health concerns, and the GM confirmed that over a dozen players have been eliminated from their draft board for "red flags".
Rather than focus on a left tackle in the NFL draft, the Ravens re-signed Ronnie Stanley to a two-year deal that should allow him to retire as a Raven. DeCosta gave insight into his thought process.
In 2024, Baltimore focused more on adding undrafted free agents due to a lack of talent and draftable players. DeCosta confirmed more draftable players on his board in 2025.
The Ravens GM compared elite cornerbacks to a luxury sports car and clarified that it's a premium position and they'll draft a cornerback at some point.
Tylan Wallace has been terrific on special teams, but the Deonte Harty experiment didn't work in 2024. When asked about special teams, Eric DeCosta confirmed the Ravens will draft a return man.
Ar'Darius Washington has yet to sign his tender, and while Baltimore wants to have the impact defender on the roster, the Ravens GM confirmed that a safety will get drafted.
Baltimore has talked about re-signing running back Derrick Henry, and that asking price went up after Philadelphia signed Saquon Barkley to a deal paying upwards of $20 million per season. DeCosta was asked about a potential extension, and it sounds like it'll happen later rather than sooner.
This article originally appeared on Ravens Wire: Takeaways and observations from the Ravens' pre-draft press conference
Continue reading...
There are plenty of storylines to monitor heading into the draft, including whether the Ravens trade up for an elite cornerback or edge rusher and which position upgrade is the most urgent.
General Manager Eric DeCosta and Head Coach John Harbaugh met with the media on Tuesday and have some interesting opinions on the edge rusher position, offensive line depth, and rebuilding the roster.
With the first round one week from Thursday night, here are the takeaways and observations from the Ravens' pre-draft press conference.
Eric DeCosta on late round additions
Baltimore has 11 draft picks, four of which come in round six alone. The Ravens GM said he sees "a lot of opportunity" in those middle to late rounds.
Ravens GM on potentially drafting another tight end
Baltimore has Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely as premier players at the position, with Charlie Kolar adding more depth. Still, the Ravens GM wouldn't discount adding another player at the position.
Eric DeCosta on edge rusher and which positions are stacked
The Ravens need an edge rusher, and the GM highlighted a strong group of pass rushers.
Eric DeCosta on potentially drafting a kicker
Justin Tucker has a Hall of Fame resume, but he's embroiled in an off-the-field investigation that could halt his Ravens and NFL career. Tucker has been accused of inappropriate conduct with women at area massage parlors. The league is investigating, and DeCosta was asked about potentially drafting a kicker and Tucker's replacement.
Eric DeCosta on red flags, players with character concerns
Baltimore has a zero tolerance policy on particular off-field behaviors or health concerns, and the GM confirmed that over a dozen players have been eliminated from their draft board for "red flags".
Eric DeCosta on Ronnie Stanley
Rather than focus on a left tackle in the NFL draft, the Ravens re-signed Ronnie Stanley to a two-year deal that should allow him to retire as a Raven. DeCosta gave insight into his thought process.
Ravens could see less impact on UDFA
In 2024, Baltimore focused more on adding undrafted free agents due to a lack of talent and draftable players. DeCosta confirmed more draftable players on his board in 2025.
Ravens will draft a cornerback
The Ravens GM compared elite cornerbacks to a luxury sports car and clarified that it's a premium position and they'll draft a cornerback at some point.
Ravens to add a return man
Tylan Wallace has been terrific on special teams, but the Deonte Harty experiment didn't work in 2024. When asked about special teams, Eric DeCosta confirmed the Ravens will draft a return man.
Ravens will draft a safety
Ar'Darius Washington has yet to sign his tender, and while Baltimore wants to have the impact defender on the roster, the Ravens GM confirmed that a safety will get drafted.
Eric Decosta on Derrick Henry extension
Baltimore has talked about re-signing running back Derrick Henry, and that asking price went up after Philadelphia signed Saquon Barkley to a deal paying upwards of $20 million per season. DeCosta was asked about a potential extension, and it sounds like it'll happen later rather than sooner.
This article originally appeared on Ravens Wire: Takeaways and observations from the Ravens' pre-draft press conference
Continue reading...
