As a franchise, the Baltimore Ravens are the picture of consistency when it comes to adding players via the NFL draft. General Manager Eric DeCosta is one of the best in the league in evaluating and picking talent to fit the Ravens roster.
One area in particular where the Ravens do well is selecting defensive players who can step in early and contribute. So with training camp just around the corner, we updated our three-round mock, and we focused exclusively on the defensive side of the football.
First round – DT Caleb Banks – Florida
One of the calling cards of a Ravens defensive line is having huge, athletic guys who can line up inside and outside. There might not be a better inside/outside DL in this draft than the 6-foot-6, 326-pound Banks.
Second round – LB Jaishawn Barham – Michigan
We’ve seen C.J. Mosley patrol the middle of the Ravens defense, and now we see Roquan Smith doing it, and when we watch Barham play, we see that same sort of player, and he is a perfect fit for what the Ravens love in an inside backer.
Third round – EDGE Patrick Payton – LSU
We aren’t positive, but we don’t think Kyle Van Noy can play forever, so we go for a real bargain here, taking Payton in the third round to be his eventual replacement.