Perfect Picks 2024: Baltimore Ravens

By Lee Wakefield

Now that free agency has quietened down a little bit after its initial flurry, I thought it would be the right time to get into what is my final contribution towards our Perfect Picks series. Fear not, there are still a number of editions to go yet, so keep your eyes out for each of the remaining pieces! Today we get into the Baltimore Ravens, a team who are perenially good and perenially draft well, so I hope to do them proud in this one… Let’s go.

Round 1 - Jordan Morgan, Offensive Line, Arizona

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The Ravens have lost three starters across their offensive line since they last played football; interior players John Simpson and Kevin Zeitler have left via free agency and right tackle, Morgan Moses traded away to the New York Jets.

As you’ll see below, my full draft has Baltimore taking three linemen in total, headlined by Jordan Morgan of Arizona.

Morgan is an experienced tackle prospect who could have some guard versatility in his NFL career. Some teams, the Ravens being on one of them, have thresholds for arm length for tackles. Morgan has arms that measure just over 32 inches, which shouldn’t meet their satisfactory mark, which could make him a guard. This is part of the reason why I’ve noted Morgan as “offensive line” in the heading.

Could Morgan’s fleet-footedness and high-end combination of power and athletic traits mean they would make an exception and pencil Morgan in at right tackle?

Maybe.

Or, they could pencil him in at guard and say, “We’re just going to get our best five offensive linemen on the field” and see where Morgan fits in over the short and long term?

Either way, Baltimore gets a top prospect to plug in and protect Lamar Jackson.

Round 2 - Brandon Dorlus, Defensive Line, Oregon

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Notice how I’ve noted Dorlus as “defensive line”? Yeah, it’s for similar reasons as I noted Jordan Morgan as offensive line. Dorlus, to me, is a versatile defensive lineman who can play from 3-technique all the way out to being a stand-up edge defender.

This versatility would be something that the Ravens are usually attracted to. Dorlus would be a smaller defensive lineman who can shoot gaps and disrupt the backfield, or a larger edge defender who can set a hard edge and contain running backs and quarterbacks whilst pushing the pocket.

Dorlus has great length and movement skills, a high motor, and reasonable production throughout his career – For a team whose pass rushers tend to be good athletes but a little meh (hi, Odafe Oweh) in terms of production, Dorulus sounds like a Ravens pass rusher!

Mid-Round Gem - Cole Bishop, Safety, Utah

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Aside from investment in each of the lines, Baltimore needs to invest in the secondary too, which is why we make the selection of Cole Bishop here. Free agency saw cornerback Rock Ya-Sin, as well as safety Geno Stone leave, which is a lot of snaps to lose.

Bishop’s value from a team building point of view allows new Defensive Coordinator, Zach Orr, to unleash Kyle Hamilton and use him however he wants, which is exactly how you want to be able to use him. Hamilton is a skeleton key, he’s one of the most impactful and versatile secondary defenders in the league. 

Bishop can be a partner for Marcus Williams on the back end when Hamilton is in the slot and he himself can play deep, or closer to be line of scrimmage. All of this gives the Ravens a versatile piece for the defense who can be impactful from day 1 in the league.

Late Round Sleeper - Anthony Gould, Wide Receiver, Oregon State

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Late in the seventh round can we find a player or two who can add value to the football team immediately, despite their late draft positon. This tends to be on special teams, which is where Anthony Gould comes in.

Gould has shown himself to be a capable albeit undersized receiver but also, a capable return specialist too.

The former-Oregon State Beaver rounds off my Pac-12-centric blurbs on my four featured players here because I feel that he has a chance to usurp Tylan Wallace and Justice Hill from their respective returner jobs for the Ravens. Which could be especially valuable since Wallace and Hill are both in the final years of their respective contacts.

Gould is 5”8, so is probably limited to a gadget role or running the odd deep route on offense but sub-4.4 speed and elite explosion shown in testing coupled with good instincts in the return game make him an interesting flyer late on in the draft. 

Draft In Full:

Round 1 – Jordan Morgan, OL, Arizona

Round 2 – Brandon Dorlus, DL, Oregon

Round 3 – Cole Bishop, S, Utah

Round 4 – Mason McCormick, IOL, South Dakota State

Round 4 – Cedric Johnson, EDGE, Ole Miss

Round 5 – Elijah Jones, CB, Boston College

Round 6 – Drake Nugent, IOL, Michigan

Round 7 – Anthony Gould, WR, Oregon State

Round 7 – Kendall Milton, RB, Georgia

Feature Image Credit: Baltimore Ravens

Lee Wakefield

NFL Draft Contributor

LEE WAKEFIELD IS A DEFENSIVE LINE ENTHUSIAST, CHARGERS SUFFERER, AND LONG-TIME WRITER AND PODCASTER FOR A NUMBER OF PUBLICATIONS. @WAKEFIELD90 ON TWITTER.

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