Mocking the Draft: Ravens make a trade in first round

SB Nation's latest mock draft arrived and it has the Ravens doing something they've done plenty of times in the past.

Trading down.

Yes, the Ravens are all about value, and if they think they can grab a player of interest a few spots back, they'll do so — especially if it means adding a pick as a result.

This time, Mocking the Draft's Matthew Fairburn has Baltimore trading with the Chiefs, so that Kansas City can move up and take UCLA offensive guard Xavier Su'a-Filo. Now, I'm not so sure Su'a-Filo goes that high, though guards are being valued higher than they have been in recent years.

Su'a-Filo is also regarded as this draft's top interior offensive lineman and it would be seen as an area to address for Kansas City.

With Kansas City at 17, the Ravens fall back to 23 and take Alabama offensive tackle Cyrus Kouandjio.

The reasoning, Fairburn writes:

"Offensive tackle is still an issue for the Ravens, even after bringing back Eugene Monroe. Cyrus Kouandjio has injury issues that may scare some teams off, but the Ravens have enough of a need to take a risk on the Alabama offensive lineman."

The top tackles, Greg Robinson and Jake Matthews, will be long gone by the time Baltimore's set to pick. And history shows that they're not going to mortgage a full draft for one pick. Not to mention, those two are franchise left tackles and the Ravens already locked one up in Eugene Monroe.

Therefore, you have the next tier to choose from. If you want to keep Kelechi Osemele at left guard, taking a tackle here could prove worthwhile. If you want to keep your options open along the offensive line, you can either take Notre Dame's Zack Martin or wait until the second and third rounds to grab a tackle.

The mock draft continues into the second round with the Ravens addressing a need at safety.

Fairburn has the Ravens taking Washington State safety Deone Bucannon.

Again, the reasoning:

"The Ravens drafted Matt Elam a year ago, but more help is needed in the secondary. Deone Bucannon is a hard-hitting safety with plenty of range."

With the Ravens signing Darian Stewart this past weekend, I don't think they'd look for a second-tier prospect this early. This safety class is extremely top heavy, and once you get past Jimmie Ward, it's slim pickings.

Part of me thinks these two positions can be reversed, with the Ravens targeting a free safety in the first round and going offensive line in the second.

There's still a long time before it gets sorted out though.

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