Over the past several weeks leading up to Thursday’s NFL draft, The Baltimore Sun has looked at prospects of interest to the Ravens at areas of need like linebacker, wide receiver and the offensive and defensive lines.
But what if the Ravens decide to take the best player available early in the draft instead?
With their two second-round picks, the Ravens could target a safety, a tight end, an offensive tackle and even a running back. Here’s how six players outside the team’s positions of need stack up, why they’d fit and why they might not:
California safety Ashtyn Davis (No. 1)
Why he’d fit: Davis, an All-American hurdler for the Cal track team, is one of the best athletes in this year’s class, regardless of position. A former walk-on, he started 29 straight games for the Golden Bears before suffering an injury that required core muscle surgery this offseason, keeping him from participating in the Senior Bowl and scouting combine. He finished his college career with 171 tackles, seven interceptions (including one returned for a touchdown) and three forced fumbles, earning second-team All-Pac 12 honors as a senior. He also averaged 22.9 yards per kick return and 16.5 yards per punt return and was named Cal’s Special Teams MVP as a freshman and sophomore.
With his speed, Davis covers plenty of ground as a deep center field safety, and he’s a willing tackler in run support. He also showed a knack for delivering big hits to jar balls loose from receivers. One of Davis’ best games of 2019 came against Oregon and projected first-round quarterback Justin Herbert, with Davis receiving a coverage grade of 90.0 from scouting website Pro Football Focus. His versatility is another key selling point, having played two-high and one-high looks and spending some time as a slot corner.
Perhaps even more attractive than his production and athleticism is his mental makeup. The Athletic reporter Bruce Feldman, who chronicled Davis’ upbringing in a family that struggled with drug addiction, believes that Davis has Pro Bowl potential and is a “football nerd” with outstanding study habits.
Why he might not: With Earl Thomas III and Chuck Clark at safety, there isn’t a clear path for Davis to see the field right away. But he could find a role in dime packages in which Clark plays more of a linebacker role, similar to what cornerback Brandon Carr did at times last season. The Ravens can’t get enough defensive backs on the field, playing in base personnel (three linemen, four linebackers) just 5% of the time, according to USA Today.
As well as Davis plays at times, he’s also shown inconsistency and a lack of discipline, only natural for a player who made a late switch to football. The Athletic’s Dane Brugler also noted that Davis’ “play violence can border on reckless, leading to late hits or friendly fire.” Questions linger about his tackling, with occasional problems wrapping up and finishing.
Lenoir-Rhyne safety Kyle Dugger (No. 2)
Why he’d fit: The Ravens have had some recent success with drafting Division II prospects (Grand Valley State’s Matthew Judon, Missouri Southern’s Brandon Williams), and Dugger could be the next in line. Though not facing the same level of competition as his FBS counterparts, Dugger showed elite athleticism and speed wrapped up in a 6-foot-1, 217-pound package at the small private school in North Carolina. After running the 40-yard dash in 4.49 seconds, recording a vertical jump of 42 inches and hitting a broad jump of 134 inches, Dugger’s athletic profile compares favorably with first-round safeties Eric Berry, Terrell Edmunds and Derwin James.
With his size, Dugger also showed that he can be effective playing in the box, capable of fighting off blockers and finding the ball carrier through traffic. He doesn’t shy away from contact, and can outmuscle receivers at the point of attack on downfield throws. That kind of versatility will be attractive to coordinator Don “Wink” Martindale, especially as the league shifts toward position-less defense. Perhaps he can even play weak-side linebacker in the Ravens’ scheme.
What might make Dugger even more attractive to the Ravens is his potential as a punt returner, a position the team has struggled to fill in recent years. With the caveat that he was bigger and faster than anyone on the field, Dugger averaged 13.9 yards per return with six total touchdowns, including two games with two return TDs.
Why he might not: As previously mentioned with Davis, the Ravens don’t need a starting safety. But Thomas is 30, and missed 19 games in three years with injuries before playing in 15 last season.
The biggest question mark in evaluating Dugger is the low level of competition he played against. It’s hard to know just how dominant he can be when facing elite players, but he impressed scouts and evaluators during his week of practice at the Senior Bowl.
Multiple analysts also knocked Dugger’s motor, with NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein noting that he “looked bored at times” and Brugler writing that he “doesn’t always crank up if the play is away from him.”
Auburn cornerback Noah Igbinoghene (No. 3)
Why he’d fit: Igbinoghene (pronounced IG-bin-OG-gah-nee), the son of two Olympic-caliber track athletes from Nigeria, is another former track star, breaking the Alabama state record in the triple jump as a high school senior. A four-star recruit at receiver, Igbinoghene had six catches as a freshman at Auburn before making the switch to corner, a position he hadn’t played since middle school.
Igbinoghene’s main selling points are his athleticism, strength and patience, with a knack for staying in a receiver’s hip pocket and the toughness to mix it up as a run defender. He’s also among the youngest players in the draft, with his 21st birthday still seven months away. His 210 press-coverage snaps in 2019 were the second most among draft-eligible cornerbacks, according to Pro Football Focus, a sign of the team’s trust in his ability to win one-on-one and something NFL teams look for when making evaluations.
Of course, he wouldn’t be a Ravens target without making some kind of contribution on special teams. He averaged 31.4 yards per kick return, scoring two touchdowns, and played as the gunner on punt coverage.
Why he might not: The Ravens might be the most well-stocked team at cornerback in the league, with slot man Tavon Young returning from a season-ending neck injury and veteran Jimmy Smith brought back on a one-year deal as depth behind starters Marlon Humphrey and Marcus Peters. But it’s worth repeating how much the Ravens covet defensive backs, with at least one corner selected in each of the team’s past five drafts.
Baltimore might be a good situation for Igbinoghene, who has just two years of experience at corner. One of his most glaring weaknesses is his tendency to grab receivers, resulting in penalties, which might be fixed with a year of NFL coaching. He also had just one career interception in college, and was beaten up by more polished route runners. Listed at 5-10, he’s considered a bit on the shorter side for a corner.
Dayton tight end Adam Trautman (No. 4)
Why he’d fit: That fact that Trautman, a former high school quarterback, is a possible second-round NFL draft pick is remarkable when you consider that his first catch for the Football Championship Subdivision Flyers in 2016 was his first in a competitive football game. He ended his college career with 2,295 receiving yards, the most in school history, and 31 touchdowns and was the first tight end to receive the Pioneer Football League Offensive Player of the Year Award.
As a senior, Trautman was reliable (he dropped just two of his 78 catchable passes, per PFF) and explosive (27 plays of 15-plus yards), using his 6-foot-5, 255-pound frame to dominate defenders at the catch point. He didn’t miss a game in four years, and was notably a tough competitor and leader as team captain.
Why he might not: Even after trading former first-round pick Hayden Hurst to the Atlanta Falcons, the Ravens have Mark Andrews, a Pro Bowl selection in his second season, and veteran Nick Boyle, who signed a three-year, $18 million last offseason, at the top of the depth chart. Still, the Ravens found a way to get all three on the field last season, and it doesn’t hurt to have quality depth at a position that’s key to so much of what the Ravens do on offense.
As is the case with all small-school prospects, Trautman was able to use his athletic advantages to dominate mismatches. But despite his size, he didn’t show much juice after the catch breaking tackles. He also needs to develop as a route runner, with Zierlein noting that Trautman was given a lot of free releases at the line of scrimmage. There are also questions about his blocking, as he relies more on his athleticism and size than technique, with issues concerning his stance, footwork and hand placement.
TCU offensive tackle Lucas Niang (No. 5)
Why he’d fit: At 6-6 and 315 pounds with 34¼ inch arms, Niang has the ideal size to be a solid starting lineman in the NFL. He used that size well in college, not allowing a sack in 27 starts for the Horned Frogs. Even better, he did it without drawing any attention from officials, garnering just three total penalties across 1,982 career offensive snaps, according to PFF. He even held his own against former Ohio State stars Nick Bosa and Chase Young in 2018.
What the Ravens might find even more attractive is his prowess in the running game. Niang is nimble with quick feet, and Zierlein notes that he is “a scheme-diverse run blocker with athleticism for move blocks and technique/leverage to open running lanes with power.” He could even offer some help on the interior as the Ravens look to replace Marshal Yanda.
Why he might not: Niang was limited to just seven games in 2019 and missed the Senior Bowl and the combine because of a torn hip labrum, which required surgery.
When he was on the field, Niang’s technique was erratic, with questions concerning his footwork, hand placement and posture. He’s also been knocked for his average athleticism and top-heavy body type, the same issues that pushed Ravens starting right tackle Orlando Brown Jr. into the third round in 2018.
With Brown and Ronnie Stanley anchoring the line, the Ravens don’t need an immediate starter at either tackle spot. But outside of 33-year-old veteran Andre Smith, who signed a one-year deal this offseason, the Ravens don’t have much depth behind their young cornerstones. In Baltimore, Niang could be a swing tackle as he develops.
Utah running back Zack Moss (No. 6)
Why he’d fit: There isn’t a more violent runner in this year’s class than Moss, who punished defenders at just 5-9 and 223 pounds. He’s drawn comparisons to Marshawn Lynch, Marion Barber and Kareem Hunt, which tells you all you need to know about his running style.
According to PFF, Moss broke 0.33 tackles per rush attempt since becoming the starter in 2017, the third-highest rate in the country, and produced the fifth-most explosive rushes of 10 or more yards. For a team coming off the best rushing season in league history, that’s an attractive player.
There’s no questioning Moss’ production, either. As a three starter, he set school records for career rushing yards (4,067), career rushing touchdowns (38) and 100-yard rushing games (19).
Why he might not: All that production created some wear and tear. Throughout his college career, Moss dealt with knee, ankle and shoulder injuries, with a grade two AC sprain in his left shoulder causing him to miss one game in 2019 and requiring injections for him to finish the season. He also sat out the Senior Bowl.
Even without considering the declining value of running backs, the Ravens have three established players in Mark Ingram II, Gus Edwards and 2018 fourth-round pick Justice Hill. Still, Ingram turns 30 this season, and for a team that runs as much as the Ravens do, another talented player in the backfield could certainly be useful.