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The 2020 NFL Draft begins next Thursday. Mel Kiper of ESPN released his fourth mock draft of the season. It has the Ravens addressing some critical needs across the first two rounds. Let's break it down.
28. Patrick Queen, LB, LSU
The Ravens lost a few defensive linemen this offseason, but they upgraded by trading for Calais Campbell and signing Derek Wolfe. What they haven’t replaced, however, is inside linebacker C.J. Mosley, who left the team in free agency last year and whose absence was felt throughout the 2019 season. Queen, a run-and-hit linebacker with stellar instincts, could fill that void. With Marshal Yanda retiring, guard is another option here.
Patrick Queen has been Kiper's selection for the Ravens at 28th overall in all four of his mock drafts, thus far. It remains to be seen if Queen is actually available here. Many other mock drafts have him being selected higher, including Todd McShay's latest draft which has the Eagles taking him with the 21st pick.
Nevertheless, Queen fills the Ravens void at inside linebacker. He is extremely athletic, but he is still relatively raw. He also comes with a few question marks. He only started one season at LSU and needs to become a more consistent tackler. Regardless, he still has one of the highest ceiling's among linebackers in the class.
55. Jalen Reagor, WR, TCU
Reagor was a touchdown waiting to happen in the Big 12, but he was let down by poor quarterback play last season, and he had too many drops in 2018. Still, I have a second-round grade on him because of his athleticism and ability after the catch. The Ravens have one diminutive speedster in Marquise Brown, but Reagor could provide some pop in the passing and return game in 2020.
Jalen Reagor is not an easy player to evaluate. I would not be surprised to see him drafted in the first round. I also would not be surprised to see him still available here. As Kiper mentioned, subpar quarterback play at TCU prevented him from fully showcasing his talent. His elite speed sets him apart from other prospects, but he only ran 4.47 40-yard dash at the combine. However, he recently ran an unofficial 4.22 at his virtual pro day.
An NFL team asked former TCU WR Jalen Reagor to do a pro day this week and film it. Here is the film that went out: pic.twitter.com/eTJ6sAqWLL
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 11, 2020
Reagor is a risky prospect, but he is a solid value late in the second round. Like Queen, Reagor has an extremely high ceiling. Still, Michael Pittman Jr. was still on the board and is a more complete prospect.
60. Matt Hennessy, C, Temple
With Marshal Yanda retiring, the Ravens will have an open competition for his vacant right guard spot, and Ben Powers, R.J. Prince and Patrick Mekari are expected to be involved. Hennessy, a three-year starter at center for the Owls, could win that job. The Ravens want to run the ball — they set the NFL single-season record with 3,296 rushing yards in 2019 — so they need to find a road grader to replace Yanda and keep their offense rolling.
After selecting a receiver and a linebacker, the Ravens draft an interior offensive lineman here to potentially replace Marshal Yanda in the starting lineup. Matt Hennessy was PFF's highest graded center in 2019 and had a strong combine finishing with the second best 20-yard shuttle time among offensive lineman. He is ready to contribute immediately.