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As we get closer to the draft, I thought it might be interesting to look at the Ravens recent history with trades, whether pre-draft, post-draft or draft day trade ups and downs. The GM of the Ravens has been Eric DeCosta since 2019. Joe Hortiz was director of player personnel for Baltimore, also since 2019. Even though Hortiz did not have the final say on any draft deals, he most certainly had a lot of input in most, if not all of those decisions. DeCosta also made a lot of deals, and it's probable that Hortiz was in on every one of those meetings. This could provide a clue as to how Hortiz might operate as the Chargers new GM.
What's especially impressive to me is how DeCosta/Hortiz acquired a LOT of mid round picks some years, especially extra 3rd and 4th rounders. It wouldn't surprise me if Hortiz trades down, maybe even a few times, to get some extra 2nd, 3rd or 4th rounders. The Ravens also had a habit of trading players during trading camp or otherwise for extra picks. We can be sure that Hortiz will be consulting frequently with Harbo and other staff, identifying those players who don't fit the schemes they want to run. These players would most probably be prime candidates for trades for picks. The cap is also a big consideration, and we could see players moved due to that.
2019
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According to Wikipedia, "DeCosta's first off-season (2019) as General Manager was defined by a series of moves that were controversial at the outset [13] DeCosta's first move was trading QB Joe Flacco to the Denver Broncos for a 4th round draft pick in the 2019 NFL Draft (later used to select RB Justice Hill)."
DeCosta made three training-camp trades with other teams that fortified the roster and accumulated additional draft picks for the 2020 Draft. The Ravens traded OG Alex Lewis to the NY Jets for a 7th round draft pick (later used to select safety Geno Stone out of Iowa). Also, the Ravens got a 5th round pick from the Minnesota Vikings for Kaare Vedvik, an undrafted punter/kicker who was not going to make the 53-man roster due to Justin Tucker and Sam Koch. Vedvik was cut by the Vikings prior to week 1 of the regular season. Lastly, the Ravens traded OG/OT Jermaine Eluemunor and a 6th round pick to the New England Patriots for their 4th round pick (later used to select LB Malik Harrison from Ohio State in the 2020 NFL Draft).
"...Just before the trade deadline, DeCosta made a season-changing trade by dealing a 5th round pick and LB Kenny Young to the Los Angeles Rams for CB Marcus Peters, a move that seemingly fortified the Ravens defense.
2020
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2021
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The Ravens traded up to double-dip on wide receivers with Tylan Wallace in the fourth round, but he’s yet to be anything but a special teams contributor. It’s hard to see a path for him to develop into a receiving threat in 2023. DeCosta took a flier on CB Shaun Wade in the fifth round but traded him to the New England Patriots before his rookie season even began. Wade was passed up on the depth chart that summer and was set to be a roster cut.​
Ravens draft picks in 2021:
With the 27th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, the Baltimore Ravens selected Minnesota wide receiver Rashod Bateman. At pick 31, the Ravens selected Penn State edge rusher Odafe Oweh.
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2022
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2022 draft class
The cement is still very much wet on the Ravens’ 2022 draft class, but the early returns were mostly positive from this past season. DeCosta’s largest rookie group to date featured two first-round picks and a whopping six fourth-round selections. DeCosta opted not to trade up and instead stacked up on prospects in the middle of the draft.
First-round picks Kyle Hamilton and Tyler Linderbaum highlight the list as standout performers in Year 1. Linderbaum was a full-time starter for every single game and looked the part of a Pro Bowl quality center. Hamilton came on strong as the year progressed and finished the year as one of the league’s highest-graded rookies and safeties.
DeCosta’s best mid-round pick was Isaiah Likely, who finished fourth on the team in receiving and caught three touchdowns. Cornerback Jalyn Armour-Davis struggled in his on-field opportunities early in the season and was soon yanked from the lineup. Sixth-round pick Tyler Badie was cut from the 53-man roster before the season, then signed to the practice squad, and is now no longer on the roster.
This class has a lot more room for upside given players like David Ojabo, Charlie Kolar, and Daniel Faalele essentially had redshirt rookie campaigns.
Biggest hits: S Kyle Hamilton, C Tyler Linderbaum, TE Isaiah Likely
Biggest misses: CB Jalyn Armour-Davis, RB Tyler Badie
2023
Round 1 - Pick 22 - WR Zay Flowers
Grade: A
Flowers may not have been the best rookie wide receiver this year, but he certainly was the best out of the first-round talents. Outside of his mistakes in the AFC Championship game, Flowers showed that his game translates well to the NFL and he could end up being a star in this league. Baltimore knocked this one out of the park.
Round 3 - Pick 86 - LB Trenton Simpson
Grade: C+
Simpson didn't put up a ton of numbers because he was playing behind All-Pros in Roquan Smith and Patrick Queen. With the latter expected in his free agency, is there a chance that Baltimore will give Simpson more opportunities in his second year? That will certainly be on the table in 2024.
Round 4 - Pick 124 - EDGE Tavius Robinson
Grade: C
The edge rusher recorded a single sack in 2023 despite being buried on the depth chart. His development will be a big storyline this camp because the Ravens have several veteran free agents at his position who may not return. If the team is confident he can improve into his second year, this will be a great value pick.
Round 5 - Pick 157 - CB Kyu Kelly
Grade: F
There are fifth-round picks that made an impact on the teams that drafted them this year. To have a fifth-rounder not even crack the 53-man roster isn't very good. Baltimore had a great secondary thanks to the depth in some of their free-agent signings, but they might be right back in the cornerback market if they aren't careful.
Round 6 - Pick 199 - OT Malaesala Aumavae-Laulu
Grade: D
Similar to another offensive lineman on this list, Aumavaeu-Laulu didn't get a lot of playing time due to the depth on the overall roster. The judgment of this pick will come during the 2024 offseason. If he's fighting for a roster spot, Baltimore will have missed with this pick.
Round 7 - Pick 229 - G Andrew Vorhees
Grade: D
Didn't see any playing time along the interior. As a seventh-round pick, that isn't too surprising for a team that had the best record in the NFL during the regular season. It'll be interesting to see if he has a roster spot next year.
Overall Grade: B-
In short, the overall grade of Baltimore will be mostly incomplete as the team tries to develop some of their young players in the middle rounds. The organization missed some late-round picks, but nailing a first-round receiver has become so important that this class will be looked on favorably no matter what.
​https://www.si.com/nfl/ravens/news/b...ew-free-agency
Another grade puts that 2023 Ravens draft in the middle of the pack:
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What's especially impressive to me is how DeCosta/Hortiz acquired a LOT of mid round picks some years, especially extra 3rd and 4th rounders. It wouldn't surprise me if Hortiz trades down, maybe even a few times, to get some extra 2nd, 3rd or 4th rounders. The Ravens also had a habit of trading players during trading camp or otherwise for extra picks. We can be sure that Hortiz will be consulting frequently with Harbo and other staff, identifying those players who don't fit the schemes they want to run. These players would most probably be prime candidates for trades for picks. The cap is also a big consideration, and we could see players moved due to that.
2019
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According to Wikipedia, "DeCosta's first off-season (2019) as General Manager was defined by a series of moves that were controversial at the outset [13] DeCosta's first move was trading QB Joe Flacco to the Denver Broncos for a 4th round draft pick in the 2019 NFL Draft (later used to select RB Justice Hill)."
DeCosta made three training-camp trades with other teams that fortified the roster and accumulated additional draft picks for the 2020 Draft. The Ravens traded OG Alex Lewis to the NY Jets for a 7th round draft pick (later used to select safety Geno Stone out of Iowa). Also, the Ravens got a 5th round pick from the Minnesota Vikings for Kaare Vedvik, an undrafted punter/kicker who was not going to make the 53-man roster due to Justin Tucker and Sam Koch. Vedvik was cut by the Vikings prior to week 1 of the regular season. Lastly, the Ravens traded OG/OT Jermaine Eluemunor and a 6th round pick to the New England Patriots for their 4th round pick (later used to select LB Malik Harrison from Ohio State in the 2020 NFL Draft).
"...Just before the trade deadline, DeCosta made a season-changing trade by dealing a 5th round pick and LB Kenny Young to the Los Angeles Rams for CB Marcus Peters, a move that seemingly fortified the Ravens defense.
2020
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2021
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The Ravens traded up to double-dip on wide receivers with Tylan Wallace in the fourth round, but he’s yet to be anything but a special teams contributor. It’s hard to see a path for him to develop into a receiving threat in 2023. DeCosta took a flier on CB Shaun Wade in the fifth round but traded him to the New England Patriots before his rookie season even began. Wade was passed up on the depth chart that summer and was set to be a roster cut.​
Ravens draft picks in 2021:
- 27th Overall Selection (R1-P27): Rashod Bateman, WR, Minnesota
- 31st Overall Selection (R1-P31, from Kansas City): Odafe Oweh, EDGE, Penn State
- 94th Overall Selection (R3-P30, from Kansas City): Ben Cleveland, OG, Georgia
- 104th Overall Selection (R3-P40, special compensatory pick): Brandon Stephens, DB, SMU
- 131st Overall Selection (R4-P26): Tylan Wallace, WR, Oklahoma State
- 160th Overall Selection (R5-P16, from Arizona): Shaun Wade, DB, Ohio State
- 171st Overall Selection (R5-P27): Daelin Hayes, EDGE, Notre Dame
- 184th Overall Selection (R5-P40, compensatory pick): Ben Mason, FB, Michigan
With the 27th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, the Baltimore Ravens selected Minnesota wide receiver Rashod Bateman. At pick 31, the Ravens selected Penn State edge rusher Odafe Oweh.
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2022
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2022 draft class
- S Kyle Hamilton (Round 1, No. 14)
- C Tyler Linderbaum (Round 1, No. 25)
- OLB David Ojabo (Round 2, No. 45)
- DT Travis Jones (Round 3, No, 76)
- OT Daniel Faalele (Round 4, No. 110)
- CB Jalyn Armour-Davis (Round 4, No. 119)
- TE Charlie Kolar (Round 4, No. 128)
- P Jordan Stout (Round 4, No, 130)
- TE Isaiah Likely (Round 4, No. 139)
- CB Damarion Williams (Round 4, No. 141)
- RB Tyler Badie (Round 6, No. 196)
The cement is still very much wet on the Ravens’ 2022 draft class, but the early returns were mostly positive from this past season. DeCosta’s largest rookie group to date featured two first-round picks and a whopping six fourth-round selections. DeCosta opted not to trade up and instead stacked up on prospects in the middle of the draft.
First-round picks Kyle Hamilton and Tyler Linderbaum highlight the list as standout performers in Year 1. Linderbaum was a full-time starter for every single game and looked the part of a Pro Bowl quality center. Hamilton came on strong as the year progressed and finished the year as one of the league’s highest-graded rookies and safeties.
DeCosta’s best mid-round pick was Isaiah Likely, who finished fourth on the team in receiving and caught three touchdowns. Cornerback Jalyn Armour-Davis struggled in his on-field opportunities early in the season and was soon yanked from the lineup. Sixth-round pick Tyler Badie was cut from the 53-man roster before the season, then signed to the practice squad, and is now no longer on the roster.
This class has a lot more room for upside given players like David Ojabo, Charlie Kolar, and Daniel Faalele essentially had redshirt rookie campaigns.
Biggest hits: S Kyle Hamilton, C Tyler Linderbaum, TE Isaiah Likely
Biggest misses: CB Jalyn Armour-Davis, RB Tyler Badie
2023
Round 1 - Pick 22 - WR Zay Flowers
Grade: A
Flowers may not have been the best rookie wide receiver this year, but he certainly was the best out of the first-round talents. Outside of his mistakes in the AFC Championship game, Flowers showed that his game translates well to the NFL and he could end up being a star in this league. Baltimore knocked this one out of the park.
Round 3 - Pick 86 - LB Trenton Simpson
Grade: C+
Simpson didn't put up a ton of numbers because he was playing behind All-Pros in Roquan Smith and Patrick Queen. With the latter expected in his free agency, is there a chance that Baltimore will give Simpson more opportunities in his second year? That will certainly be on the table in 2024.
Round 4 - Pick 124 - EDGE Tavius Robinson
Grade: C
The edge rusher recorded a single sack in 2023 despite being buried on the depth chart. His development will be a big storyline this camp because the Ravens have several veteran free agents at his position who may not return. If the team is confident he can improve into his second year, this will be a great value pick.
Round 5 - Pick 157 - CB Kyu Kelly
Grade: F
There are fifth-round picks that made an impact on the teams that drafted them this year. To have a fifth-rounder not even crack the 53-man roster isn't very good. Baltimore had a great secondary thanks to the depth in some of their free-agent signings, but they might be right back in the cornerback market if they aren't careful.
Round 6 - Pick 199 - OT Malaesala Aumavae-Laulu
Grade: D
Similar to another offensive lineman on this list, Aumavaeu-Laulu didn't get a lot of playing time due to the depth on the overall roster. The judgment of this pick will come during the 2024 offseason. If he's fighting for a roster spot, Baltimore will have missed with this pick.
Round 7 - Pick 229 - G Andrew Vorhees
Grade: D
Didn't see any playing time along the interior. As a seventh-round pick, that isn't too surprising for a team that had the best record in the NFL during the regular season. It'll be interesting to see if he has a roster spot next year.
Overall Grade: B-
In short, the overall grade of Baltimore will be mostly incomplete as the team tries to develop some of their young players in the middle rounds. The organization missed some late-round picks, but nailing a first-round receiver has become so important that this class will be looked on favorably no matter what.
​https://www.si.com/nfl/ravens/news/b...ew-free-agency
Another grade puts that 2023 Ravens draft in the middle of the pack:
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