Nba Playoffs

OWINGS MILLS, Md. -- The 2024 NFL draft began Thursday, April 25, in Detroit. The Baltimore Ravens made nine of the draft's 257 picks, beginning with the No. 30 selection of the first round.

ESPN provided pick-by-pick analysis of each of the Ravens' selections as they were made.

A look at each of Baltimore's scheduled selections:

My take: The Ravens couldn't believe that Wiggins, one of their top-20 rated players, was still on the board at the bottom of the first round. Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta turned down eight offers to trade back because they loved Wiggins so much. Wiggins, who was the second-fastest player at this year's NFL combine, only allowed 176 yards to receivers in 10 games last season. He has the speed to match up against the likes of Bengals receiver Ja'Marr Chase. The Ravens can use Wiggins and Brandon Stephens as their outside cornerbacks and shift physical Marlon Humphrey into the slot. It just got tougher to move the ball against a Baltimore defense that allowed the fewest points in the league last season.

Key stat: Wiggins only allowed one completion over 20 yards last season. This fits well with a Baltimore defense that led the NFL with the fewest yards per attempt (5.9) last season. "I'm the best corner in the draft," Wiggins said after he slid to Baltimore at the bottom of the first round. "Tape speaks for itself."

Not concerned about size: Wiggins is only the second defensive back in the last 21 years to get drafted in the first round after weighing less than 175 pounds at the NFL combine. The Ravens said his lack of weight doesn't impede his play. "When you watch the tape, he comes up and smacks people," Harbaugh said. "That's what he does. He's not afraid of the physical part of it at all. He's a complete corner."

What we're hearing about Wiggins: "In my opinion, [he's] the best cover corner in the draft. Highly athletic, fantastic feet. [He's] a guy that can [become] a true shutdown-type corner." -- Ravens GM Eric DeCosta

What's next: The Ravens' priority has to be getting an offensive lineman with one of their two picks on Day 2. Baltimore has the No. 62 overall pick in the second round and the No. 93 selection in the third round. Baltimore lost three starters on the offensive line this offseason, and it only added backup Josh Jones in free agency.

My take: The Ravens were able to find their starting right tackle because of a fortuitous second round. With only two offensive tackles selected in 29 picks on Friday night, Baltimore was able to get one of the best and mobile right tackles in this draft. Rosengarten ran the 40-yard dash in 4.92 seconds, the fastest speed of any offensive lineman at this year's NFL combine and the fastest by any 300-pounder regardless of position at the combine. A two-year starter, he is the favorite to fill the void left by Morgan Moses, who was traded to the New York Jets this offseason.

Key stat: No sacks allowed in two years as a starting right tackle (1,158 pass blocking plays). That's the most pass blocks without allowing a sack by any FBS lineman since 2022. Reigning NFL MVP Lamar Jackson should rest easier after the Ravens replaced Moses, who allowed a team-worst nine sacks, with Rosengarten. How important is it for Baltimore to protect Jackson? Last season, the Ravens were 8-0 when Jackson was sacked two or fewer times.

My take: After losing linebacker Jadeveon Clowney in free agency, the Ravens addressed their pass rush with Isaac, who was Penn State's most productive edge player. He led the team with 7.5 sacks and 16 tackles for loss, which were more than first-round pick Chop Robinson. So why wasn't Isaac drafted higher? His 4.74 time in the 40 at the combine ranked toward the bottom of edge rushers. But Isaac played faster on the field. He got pressure in 2.5 seconds or less on 11% of his rushes, which ranked second in the FBS behind Texas State's Ben Bell. This marks the third time in four years that Baltimore has drafted an edge rusher in the first three rounds.

Ties to the team to know: Isaac said Ravens outside linebacker Odafe Oweh helped recruit him to Penn State. Now, Isaac will join Oweh in the NFL as part of a Baltimore pass rush rotation that also includes Kyle Van Noy and David Ojabo. "We're close," Isaac said of his relationship with Oweh. Depth at edge rusher is a big reason why Baltimore led the NFL with 60 sacks last season. "I like having fresh guys out there playing really hard and especially at that position," Ravens coach John Harbaugh said.

My take: The Ravens are hoping they found their vertical threat. Last year, after some transfer eligibility issues, Walker had nine receptions on passes thrown at least 20 yards, which was the most in the ACC since he made his season debut on Oct. 14. Last season, Baltimore wide receivers had 16 receptions on passes of 20 yards, which ranked 24th in the NFL. Walker is extremely explosive. He was one of three wide receivers at this year's combine to record a sub-4.4 40-yard dash and a 40-inch vertical (first-round pick Xavier Worthy and Xavier Legette were the others). The Ravens love addressing this position at this spot in the draft. Walker is the ninth wide receiver selected in the fourth round by Baltimore, which is tied for the second-most since the Ravens' first draft in 1996. The only one to become a starter was Brandon Stokley (1999).

My take: Mel Kiper Jr. calls this "one of the steals of the draft." Tampa was the sixth-ranked cornerback on Kiper's final rankings and was the 38th-best prospect overall. Baltimore has now taken two corners with their first five picks. Tampa and first-rounder Nate Wiggins adds much-needed depth for the Ravens, whose top three corners entering the draft were Marlon Humphrey, Brandon Stephens and Arthur Maulet. Last season, Tampa allowed one touchdown on nearly 400 coverage snaps. He has 24 career pass breakups. When asked for three words to describe his game, Tampa replied: "confident, physical and persistent."

My take: Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta followed through on his prediction that the Ravens would draft a running back, although it was later than many expected. Baltimore needed to add depth after not re-signing Gus Edwards and J.K. Dobbins in free agency. The only healthy backup to Derrick Henry was Justice Hill. There has been no timetable given on the return of explosive second-year back Keaton Mitchell, who suffered a season-ending knee injury in Week 15. Ali is a big-play runner. His 10 touches of 50-plus yards since the start of 2021 led the FBS, and seven of those came last season. Ali scored 25 touchdowns in 2021, which were the most by a Marshall player since Randy Moss had 26 in 1997. Ball security is an issue. Ali has fumbled 11 times over the past three seasons.

My take: Leary has the potential to be the Ravens' long-term backup. For this season, Baltimore is going with 37-year-old journeyman Josh Johnson as the No. 2 quarterback behind Lamar Jackson next season. The Ravens brought in quarterback Malik Cunningham at the end of 2023, but they've been noncommittal about his role this offseason. That's why it's no surprise Baltimore used a late-round pick on Leary, a five-year starter who threw 25 touchdown passes last season for Kentucky. Accuracy is a concern with Leary. His 56% completion rate last season ranked 62nd out of 69 qualified Power 5 QBs, although Kentucky's pass-catchers combined for an 8.5% drop rate (the highest in Power 5). This pick marked the first time the Ravens have drafted a quarterback since 2019 (Trace McSorley in the sixth round).

My take: After not re-signing Sam Mustipher in free agency, the Ravens might have found their new primary backup to Pro Bowl center Tyler Linderbaum. Samac is very experienced, making 32 starts at center. Last season, he suffered a broken left fibula on Nov. 18 and couldn't participate in the NFL combine. He's the second offensive lineman drafted by the Ravens this season, joining second-round pick Roger Rosengarten. Samac is the first Michigan State player taken by the Ravens in their 29-year history.

My take: Kane can help immediately on special teams and be the primary backup at safety behind Kyle Hamilton and Marcus Williams. The Ravens lost last year's No. 3 safety, Geno Stone, to the Cincinnati Bengals in free agency. Kane is a versatile defensive player. While primarily a safety, he played a linebacker role in the box as well as some cover corner. In his final two seasons, Kane totaled 151 tackles (including 10.5 for loss) and broke up 10 passes.