Ravens News 4/29: Draft Day and more

Ravens draft preview: How do you replace Orlando Brown Jr.? There are first-round options at tackle. - Daniel Oyefusi

North Dakota State’s Dillon Radunz

Why he’d fit: The 6-4, 301-pound Radunz was a full-time starter at left tackle for two seasons. He excelled in a run-heavy offense and performed well at the Senior Bowl against competition tougher than what he faced in the Football Championship Subdivision. He’s athletic and explosive out of his stance as a run blocker, playing with a physicality that would match the Ravens’ style.

Why he might not: Like former Bison star Carson Wentz and fellow top prospect Trey Lance, Radunz will face questions about the jump in competition. He’s light for an offensive lineman and will need to bulk up to match defenders, strength-wise, at the next level.

Projection: Round 2

Florida’s Stone Forsythe (Round 3-4): Another tackle with prototypical measurables for the position, Forsythe uses his long arms to keep defenders at bay in pass protection. At 6-8, he has a tendency to play high, which allows rushers to get underneath him. The 307-pound Forsythe also needs to improve his run blocking, where his inability to gain leverage can lead to him lunging and getting off balance.

2021 NFL Draft: Buying or selling the latest risers and fallers - Ben Linsey

OT LIAM EICHENBERG, NOTRE DAME: BUY

There is a small, small chance we could hear Eichenberg’s name called late in Round 1 depending on if we see a run of tackles, but either way, he now looks like an early second-round pick. While he has shorter arms and doesn’t stack up athletically to Texas’ Sam Cosmior North Dakota State’s Dillon Radunz, he is NFL-ready from a technical standpoint and, as noted in PFF’s 2021 NFL Draft Guide, has one of the highest floors in the class.

Eichenberg played more than 2,600 snaps over the past three years and showed notable growth throughout that span; his PFF grade improved from 63.1 to 80.5 to 89.9. Over the past two years, Eichenberg didn’t allow a single sack. In 2020, there was only one blemish on his grading profile from a pass-protection standpoint — in Week 6 against Florida State when he played with his left eye swollen shut. Take that game out of the equation and he is the third-highest-graded Power Five tackle in pass protection. Talk about a true football guy.

He does need to work on his hand usage, as he won’t get away with throwing a two-handed punch in the NFL, but Eichenberg looks like the next Notre Dame offensive lineman to blossom into a quality starter at the next level.

2021 NFL Draft sleepers: Day 2 standouts, Day 3 hidden gems - Mike Band

Andre Cisco

Syracuse · S · 21 years old

DJ’s Big Board Ranking: No. 117

Production Score: 80

Athleticism Score: 96 (estimated)

OVERALL DRAFT SCORE: 88

STARTER PROBABILITY: 71%

PRO BOWL PROBABILITY: 12%

Cisco is the case of an early-round talent who could fall to the later rounds because of an injury. The fearless defender tore his ACL in pregame warmups against Georgia Tech last September, which ended his 2020 season and subsequently kept him from working out at Syracuse’s pro day last March. Using Bruce Feldman’s college football Freaks List as a reference for Cisco’s speed (mid-4.3s), we can input the information we have — size, bench reps and 40-time — to generate an estimated athleticism score (96) using a statistical technique called imputation. Despite the lack of recent film, Cisco’s pre-injury tape showed an incredibly productive player. The former freshman All-American posted 13 interceptions and 16 pass breakups in 24 career games during his time with the Orange. The model gave Cisco a production score of 80 driven by his playmaking prowess.

B/R NFL Scouting Dept. Final 2021 NFL Draft Big Board - Nate Tice

Wide Receivers

1. DeVonta Smith, Alabama (8.9) (5)

2. Rashod Bateman, Minnesota (8.65) (9)

3. Ja’Marr Chase, LSU (8.6) (10)

4. Jaylen Waddle, Alabama (8.4) (17)

5. Elijah Moore, Mississippi (7.92) (31)

6. Dyami Brown, North Carolina (7.91) (33)

7. Rondale Moore, Purdue (7.9) (38)

8. Terrace Marshall Jr., LSU (7.9) 39)

9. Tylan Wallace, Oklahoma St. (7.8) (52)

10. Amari Rodgers, Clemson (7.71) (59)

11. Kadarius Toney, Florida (7.71) (60)

12. Amon-Ra St. Brown, USC (7.7) (70)

13. Ihmir Smith-Marsette, Iowa (7.6) (84)

14. Anthony Schwartz, Auburn (7.5) (92)

15. Josh Palmer, Tennessee (7.4) (107)

16. Simi Fehoko, Stanford (7.4) (108)

17. Nico Collins, Michigan (7.3) (122)

18. Seth Williams, Auburn (7.3) (123)

19. Cornell Powell, Clemson (7.25) (127)

20. D’Wayne Eskridge, Western Michigan (7.2) (141)

21. Jonathan Adams, Arkansas State (7.2) (143)

22. Tutu Atwell, Louisville (7.2) (147)

23. Cade Johnson, South Dakota State (7.1) (155)

24. Tamorrion Terry, Florida State (7.1) (156)

25. Austin Watkins Jr., UAB (7.0) (158)

2021 Predictive Mock Draft - Jordan Reid

27. Ravens

Azeez Ojulari

EDGE, Georgia

With Matt Judon signing a lucrative deal with the Patriots, the team needs youth to satisfy that role and depth off of the edge. Ojulari is a quality-caliber option that projects to be selected in the mid-to-late first round. Landing in that spot with a team known to develop talent, he could continue to unlock the next levels of his development.

31. Ravens

Rashod Bateman

WR, Minnesota

Acquiring this pick as a result of the trade of Orlando Brown Jr., the Ravens now have flexibility in multiple areas. Likely to select a receiver here or with their earlier pick at No. 27 overall, Bateman provides Lamar Jackson with a potential No. 1 receiver. Bateman provides the team with a dependable perimeter and slot option to pair with Hollywood Brown.

2021 NFL Mock Draft: San Francisco 49ers select QB Trey Lance, Denver Broncos trade up for Justin Fields - Mike Renner

27. BALTIMORE RAVENS: WR RASHOD BATEMAN, MINNESOTA

One of the most complete receivers in the draft, Bateman led the country in yards per route run on the outside in 2019. He has the big catch radius necessary to pair with Lamar Jackson.

31. BALTIMORE RAVENS (VIA KANSAS CITY): EDGE JAYSON OWEH, PENN STATE

No one has a better track record of developing edge talent than the Ravens, and no one at the position in this class has better physical tools than Oweh. You might not even have to say “in this class” after Oweh put up an all-time pro day, with a sub-4.4 40, a sub-7.0 three-cone and an 11-foot-2 broad jump.

2021 NFL mock draft 4.0: Broncos, Patriots trade up for QBs - Daniel Jeremiah

27. Baltimore Ravens

Jayson Oweh

Penn State · Edge

Oweh wasn’t highly productive last season (zero sacks), but he was highly disruptive. He’s a freakish athlete, and Ravens defensive coordinator Don “Wink” Martindale is an expert at finding favorable matchups for his players.

31. Baltimore Ravens

Liam Eichenberg

Notre Dame · OT

The Ravens need a right tackle to replace Orlando Brown. Eichenberg pairs with Ronnie Stanley to give Baltimore a pair of Notre Dame bookends.