Second and Third Round Mock Draft: who will the Ravens select?

The Ravens selected Marlon Humphrey with the 16th overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft. Tonight, the Ravens will head into Round 2 and 3 with crystal clear needs after not addressing the biggest needs in round one. Here’s how I see the next two rounds playing out. This mock draft will cover the Ravens three picks tonight, and conclude after the Ravens make the 78th overall selection.

ROUND 2

33. GREEN BAY PACKERS (from Browns) - Dalvin Cook, RB Florida State

34. SEATTLE SEAHAWKS (from 49ers) - Forrest Lamp, OG, Western Kentucky

35. JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS - Cam Robinson, OT, Alabama

36. CHICAGO BEARS - Kevin King, CB, Washington

37. LOS ANGELES RAMS - Zach Cunningham, LB, Vanderbilt

38. LOS ANGELES CHARGERS - Budda Baker, S, Washington

39. NEW YORK JETS - Taylor Moton, OT, Western Michigan

40. CAROLINA PANTHERS - Chidobe Awuzie, CB, Colorado

41. CINCINNATI BENGALS - Malik McDowell, DL, Michigan State

42. NEW ORLEANS SAINTS - Tyus Bowser, OLB, Houston

43. PHILADELPHIA EAGLES - Curtis Samuel, WR/RB, Ohio State

44. BUFFALO BILLS - Jordan Willis, OLB, Kansas State

45. ARIZONA CARDINALS - Marcus Williams, S, Utah

46. INDIANAPOLIS COLTS - Quincy Wilson, CB, Florida

47. BALTIMORE RAVENS - Carl Lawson, OLB, Auburn

One of the two biggest needs for the Ravens is at pass rusher, and with Carl Lawson. The Ravens are bringing in a really solid option at the position. Lawson is a powerful edge rusher, who has decent speed as shown in his 4.67 40 yard dash time. His closing speed on quarterbacks is very good, and he also is able to hold the edge against running backs. His reliable tackling from the edge gave a huge boost to the Auburn defense over the course of his career. Plus Lawson comes from the SEC, which is the best preparation a college player can get for the NFL. Lawson has a great character as well, as he was voted a team captain in both 2015 and 2016.

Lawson does have an injury history, but he is a major difference maker when on the field.

48. MINNESOTA VIKINGS - Joe Mixon, RB, Oklahoma

49. WASHINGTON REDSKINS - Alvin Kamara, RB, Tennessee

50. TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS - Josh Jones, S, N.C. State

51. DENVER BRONCOS - Chris Wormley, DE, Michigan

52. CLEVELAND BROWNS (from Titans) - DeShone Kizer, QB, Notre Dame

53. DETROIT LIONS - Fabian Moreau, CB, UCLA

54. MIAMI DOLPHINS - Marcus Maye, S, Florida

55. NEW YORK GIANTS - Dion Dawkins, OT, Temple

56. OAKLAND RAIDERS - Raekwon McMillan, ILB, Ohio State

57. HOUSTON TEXANS - Jourdan Lewis, CB, Michigan

58. SEATTLE SEAHAWKS - Dalvin Tomlinson, DT, Alabama

59. KANSAS CITY CHIEFS - Cordea Tankersley, CB, Clemson

60. DALLAS COWBOYS - Obi Melinfonwu, S, UConn

61. GREEN BAY PACKERS - Teez Tabor, Florida

62. PITTSBURGH STEELERS - Desmond King, DB, Iowa

63. ATLANTA FALCONS - Dan Feeney, OG, Indiana

64. CAROLINA PANTHERS (from Patriots) - Zay Jones, WR, East Carolina

ROUND 3

65. CLEVELAND BROWNS - Sidney Jones, CB, Washington

66. SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS - Chris Godwin, WR, Penn State

67. SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS (from Bears) - Davis Webb, QB, Cal

68. JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS - Larry Ogunjobi, DT, Charlotte

69. LOS ANGELES RAMS - Tarell Basham, DE, Ohio

70. NEW YORK JETS - Nathan Peterman, QB, Pittsburgh

71. LOS ANGELES CHARGERS - Antonio Garcia, Troy

72. NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (from Panthers) - Derek Rivers, DE, Youngstown State

73. CINCINNATI BENGALS - Dorian Johnson, OG, Pittsburgh

74. BALTIMORE RAVENS (from Eagles) - JuJu Smith-Schuster, WR, USC

Finally, the Ravens address the biggest need in the draft, wide receiver. This may not have been the prospect that the Ravens had wanted coming into the Draft, but given the way the board has played out, Smith-Schuster is the best choice, and it isn’t as if this is a bad choice either.

Smith-Schuster has consistently drawn Anquan Boldin comparisons due to his lack of high end speed, but elite reliable hands. The comparison has also come as a result of how big and physical he is on the field. Again, while the Ravens would have gathered a true number one receiver, Smith-Schuster is a good fit. He compliments Mike Wallace well just like Boldin complimented Torrey Smith. This pick could turn into a steal for the Ravens if Smith-Schuster becomes the type of security blanket that Anquan Boldin was for Joe Flacco. At best, Smith-Schuster could develop into a number one receiver, at worst, he is a good stop gap until the Ravens are able to find that true number one receiver.

75. BUFFALO BILLS - Bucky Hodges, TE, Virginia Tech

76. NEW ORLEANS SAINTS - Ryan Anderson, OLB, Alabama

77. ARIZONA CARDINALS - Ahkello Witherspoon, CB, Colorado

78. BALTIMORE RAVENS - Pat Elflein, C, Ohio State

The Ravens badly need a center, and they get one here with Pat Elflein. I’ve always preferred Ethan Pocic, a center from LSU to Elflein, but I think the Ravens will go with Elflein over Pocic. I had the Ravens selecting Elflein in my Ravens seven round mock draft 10.0, here’s what I wrote about him:

“Elflein is almost the polar opposite of Jeremy Zuttah. Elflein is great character guy who is very disciplined, but doesn’t have the best athleticism. However, after all of the penalties committed by Zuttah, I’m sure the Ravens would much rather get a guy who isn’t as athletic, but won’t cost them 10 yards on key downs. That player is Elflein.

However, despite not being the most athletically gifted, Elflein is excellent at controlling his body, he won’t get bowled over by a big nose tackle like Brandon Williams.

What is most important is Elflein’s reliable blocking that made him a star in the Big Ten. Above all, the Ravens want a player who can keep Joe Flacco upright, and Elflein will help in achieving that goal as he throughly protects the middle of the line.”

How would you grade these picks?

Check back to Baltimore Beatdown throughout the draft for the latest news and analysis of the Ravens’ newest players.