The middle of Round 1 is where the draft truly starts to bend.
Picks 13 through 16 often belong to competitive teams — but this year, trade activity has reshaped the order. The Los Angeles Rams and New York Jets currently control selections in this range, yet for the purpose of evaluating roster construction and long-term outlooks, we’ll focus on the Atlanta Falcons and Indianapolis Colts alongside the Baltimore Ravens and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
This is a fascinating tier.
These aren’t TOTAL bottom-feeders. These are organizations with defined identities — some pushing for deep playoff runs, others trying to break through after trading first-round picks last season. But each has clear pressure points on the roster.
For contenders like Baltimore and Tampa Bay, this is about sustaining a window. For Atlanta and Indianapolis, it’s about accelerating one and overcoming the lack of first-round draft capital (and injured starting QBs).
The margin for error shrinks here. Reach too far for need, and you miss out on value. Sit back and draft purely on talent, and you risk ignoring a glaring weakness. Add in looming extensions and future cap decisions, and these picks become as strategic as they are impactful.
In this batch, we break down:
The biggest roster holes for each franchise
Contract situations and future cap implications
Which positions should be prioritized for veterans and rookies
Potential fantasy football implications
This is the range where good teams separate themselves from great ones — and where smart roster management pays off.
Up next: the Atlanta Falcons (via Rams selection), the Baltimore Ravens, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and the Indianapolis Colts (via Jets selection).
Salary cap contract information provided by Spotrac.
2026 NFL Draft Team Needs & Predictions: Ravens
2026 Free Agents:
QB: Tyler Huntley
RB: Keaton Mitchell (RFA)
WR: DeAndre Hopkins, Tylan Wallace, Dayton Wade (ERFA)
TE: Charlie Kolar, Isaiah Likely
OL: C Tyler Linderbaum, LT Joseph Noteboom, G Daniel Faalele, C Corey Bullock (ERFA)
EDGE: Dre’Mont Jones, Kyle Van Noy, David Ojabo, Carl Jones Jr. (ERFA)
DL: Brent Urban, Taven Bryan, Basil Okoye (ERFA)
LB: Jake Hummel
CB: Chidobe Awuzie
S: Alohi Gilman, Ar’Darius Washington
ST: Patrick Ricard, Jordan Stout
2027 Free Agents:
Team Needs: EDGE, IOL, CB, TE, DT, S, WR
The biggest areas of need for the Ravens include the EDGE depth + interior OL (Tyler Linderbaum/Daniel Faalele timing matters a lot). They desperately need to add more pass rush juice (fifth-worst pressure rate in 2025). Defense wasn’t the same after DT Nnamdi Madubuike went down last season. NT Broderick Washington was also limited to just three games (but he could also be released to save money versus the salary cap, per The Athletic).
GM Eric DeCosta echoed his concerns about the need for defensive pressure, along with the inconsistency of the offensive line at times.
GM Eric DeCosta on the roster: pic.twitter.com/CKdTAZ58o6
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) January 13, 2026
Also, the secondary could use a reset. Marlon Humphrey is entering the last year of his deal. CB Chidobe Awuzie was a one-year rental that didn’t go great. DeCosta mentioned before last year’s draft that CB is also a “big need” every year. Called them ‘Bugattis.’ They break down, so you need to have a surplus of reserves.
DeCosta also said on The Inner Circle podcast that they are a ‘draft and develop team.’
Eric DeCosta on free agency:
“I don’t get as involved with free agency so I’m not gonna spend as much time… we don’t spend a lot of money in free agency…we’ve never been a free agency team. We’re a draft and develop team.”
????: @Inner_CirclePOD pic.twitter.com/rGWycs1Uzl
— SleeperRavens (@SleeperRavenss) February 21, 2026
Look for new HC Jesse Minter to add former Chargers players after serving as their DC from 2024 to 2025. Or former Michigan Wolverines, given that Minter spent 2022-2023 coaching there.
Names to monitor include Marlin Klein, Derrick Moore, Rayshaun Benny, and TJ Guy.
Veteran safeties Alohi Gilman and A’Darius Washington are also free agents.
The Ravens are also in a weird spot when it comes to tight end.
Baltimore opted to sign Mark Andrews for more years instead of extending Isaiah Likely in the final year of his rookie deal. Likely struggled with injuries to himself and his QB… that dramatically hurt his 2025 production (along with a few TDs that didn’t actually count). Entering free agency, Likely’s stock is nowhere near where it was at this time last year. However, the upside we have seen from Likely when Andrews has missed time in the past – 11 PPG with no Andrews, the TE5 in PPG last year – warrants a shot on Likely if he carves out a TE1 role on a new team. He could reunite with John Harbaugh in NY, Todd Monken in CLE, or return to Baltimore on a 1-year deal in an effort to boost his stock further in 2027 free agency.
Charlie Kolar is also a free agent. Both TEs played over 400 offensive snaps last season.
Obviously, these heavy TE sets could change under the new OC – Declan Doyle (althought the deployed plenty of 12 personnel last season in the Windy City).
Some insight into what this offense might look like in 2026:
The Ravens ranked 29th in plays per game in 2025. The Bears? First (Doyle was OC there last season).
He also spent time with the Broncos and Sean Payton before landing with Ben Johnson last season.
???????????? @rotounderworld https://t.co/jWuK1frygg pic.twitter.com/Q7nE3c8GUo
— Andrew Erickson™ (@AndrewErickson_) February 18, 2026
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