Mock Draft 2.0
If the Ravens get these picks, they will have drafted several day one starters and some potential All Pros. Every position of need is addressed in this draft except safety, but the Ravens appear to be giving Brandon Stephens every opportunity to be the starter at safety.
Pick 14
Charles Cross - OT - Mississippi State
Charles Cross is a redshirt sophomore that has started the past two seasons for Mississippi State. Cross has logged more than 20 starts at LT for the Bulldogs. Cross is an exceptional athlete with a great initial first step that makes it difficult for edge rushers to beat him around the edge. He is a fluid athlete in the open field, making it easy to redirect and match defenders' counter moves. In the NFL, Cross' best position will be as a left tackle who can athletically match up with some of the best edge rushers in the NFL. Cross lacks the true strength at the point of attack to be a dominant run defender, but in the right offense, he will be a great pass protector.
Ideal Role: Starting left tackle (primary role to pass protect).
Scheme Fit: Zone-blocking scheme where his primary role is to cut off the backside of plays.
Pick 45
Drake Jackson - DE/OLB - USC
Jackson is a third-year junior who aligns as an edge defender for the Trojans defense. He is a good reactive athlete, as evidenced by his get-off, swivel, and bend on the edge. In the run game, he is seemingly most effective when plays are run away from him, as he has moments of struggling when he is a play-side defender. Conversely, he can bend, get in the gaps, and disrupt run plays in the backfield with quickness and agility when he can use his athleticism and speed to pursue the football. When plays are run at him, he can be inconsistent. When linemen get their hands on him, he can struggle to disengage. Although he displays good length on the edge, he is only sufficient as an edge setter. In the passing game, he uses his athleticism to beat linemen on the edge. He’s a little unrefined as a pass rusher but wins with pure athleticism and quickness. He effortlessly drops into coverage and is even athletic enough to walk out in coverage over slot receivers. Jackson has moments where he feels like a finesse player who doesn’t play with the violent, contact-seeking temperament you’d like to see from defenders. He can afford to improve his strength at the point of attack. As a result, when linemen get their hands on him, he struggles to disengage. He exposes his chest much too much as a pass rusher and overall has been really inconsistent as a defender. Although somewhat unrefined as a pass rusher, Jackson has some redeeming value due to his length and athleticism on the edge.
Ideal Role: Edge rusher
Scheme Fit: 3-4
Pick 76
Kyler Gordan - CB - Washington
Kyler Gordon is an exceptional athlete with explosive and dynamic movement. In the run game, he comes up hard when he is the force player in zone. He is an eager participant in the run game and does a good job as a tackler on the perimeter and in space as a core special teamer. In the passing game, he is exceptional. His outstanding agility and quickness in coverage help him stay in phase. From press alignment, he often uses bail technique and closes quickly when he can play with vision. From off man, he can get a little “nosey” with his eyes but obviously trusts his athleticism in these instances. In the NFL, he has the athleticism and hips to be a starting outside corner. However, his tackling ability, instincts, and agility also project him favorably to playing inside, giving him true inside/outside flexibility.
Ideal Role: Inside or outside CB.
Scheme Fit: Skill set fits any scheme if he’s playing inside.
Pick 99
Bernhard Raimann - OT - Central Michigan
Central Michigan offensive tackle Bernhard Raimann is an impressive developmental prospect who has all of the physical tools needed to become a plus starting offensive tackle in the NFL. Raimann is an international player who is originally from Austria and came to Central Michigan initially as a tight end while also lettering in wrestling and track & field. Those athletic tools are quite apparent for Raimann, who spent his first two seasons as a TE on the roster and logged 20 receptions for 164 yards between the 2018 and 2019 seasons before stacking on weight and converting to play tackle. When you consider he’s got a two-year exposure to offensive tackle, it is easy to see why there’s such an enthusiasm about his projection to the pro game as he continues to master his new position. Initially listed as a 230-pound tight end on his 247 Sports recruiting profile, Raimann now carries more than 300 pounds on his frame and does so with only a few subtle clues that he’s added extra weight and hasn’t naturally been this big. I like his projection best in a system that looks to weaponize his athletic ability on the edge—where his movement skills can help hit ambitious landmarks in the run and screen game and his mobility can help to shine and maintain pocket integrity when his offense looks to move the pocket. The three-year projection is undoubtedly higher than the one-year projection and in a perfect world, he may get a little seasoning on the bench before taking the field. But with his position and his likely projected draft status, I would not be surprised if Raimann was handed a starting role early on and charged with learning on the job.
Ideal role: Starting left tackle
Scheme tendencies: Wide zone heavy rushing attack (Shanahan style system)
Pick 109
Mykael Wright - CB - Oregon
Mykael Wright burst onto the scene as a true sophomore with an outstanding performance that garnered him first-team All-Pac-12 honors. He is a good athlete who demonstrates good body control, short-area agility, and quickness in coverage. In the run game, he’s sufficient as a tackler but presents the threat of bigger backs breaking his tackles. On the perimeter with receivers, he’s a much more efficient tackler and does a good job of limiting extra yardage. In the passing game, he covers very well in the short-to-intermediate range. He closes separation with quickness and his lack of true length forces him to put his body in better positions to get his hands on the football. He has been better in this regard in years past but hasn’t had the same type of output in 2021. In sub-package situations, he should primarily play inside, as his lack of length and bulk will be an issue for him outside.
Ideal Role: Slot cornerback
Scheme Fit: Skill set fits any scheme if he’s playing inside.
Pick 118
Channing Tindall - MLB - Georgia
Channing Tindall is an experiment in seeing how far a single elite trait can take a player. For Tindall, that trait is speed.
Against outside runs (particularly option) or perimeter screens, he regularly showed the elite speed to be the first man to the play. He also has a good sense for tackling angles, such that he rarely overruns or underruns where the ball carrier is headed. In turn, Tindall is a strong, consistent tackler who tends to wrap up well, particularly when tackling in space.
Tindall also has the ability to bring that speed downhill. He can be a good hammer to muck up rushing lanes, as well as an effective blitzer, thanks to the momentum and force he can get behind his pads.
With that said, Tindall's processing is a question mark. He too often steps the wrong way or waits around for too long while run plays develop in front of him. In college, his raw speed could bail him out, but that will likely be less reliable in the NFL. His movement when shuffling side-to-side is also quite clunky, as he plays with long, frantic strides. That makes it tougher for him to redirect.
Pick 127
Haskell Garrett - DT/DE - Ohio State
Haskell Garrett was a 4-star recruit coming out of Bishop Gorman High School. According to 247 Sports, Garrett ranked as the No. 68 player in the nation, No. 6 DT, and No. 4 in the state of Nevada. Garrett is a four-time varsity letter winner who has played on four Big Ten championship teams the past four years. He was a First-Team All-American in 2020. He is a vertical attacking defensive lineman. He plays with an explosive first step and leverage to defeat his opponents. His powerful hands create issues for opposing OL to control him in one-on-one situations. Despite his power, he struggles as a two-gapper and against double teams. He’s best used as a solo-gap penetrator.
Ideal Role: Rotational 3-technique, solo-gap penetrator
Scheme Fit: Vertical attacking 4-3
Pick 139
Marquis Hayes - G - Oklahoma
Hayes is a three-year starting left guard in Oklahoma's multiple run scheme. He has a thick build with extra weight around his midsection and is high-cut with good arm length. Hayes has an upright playing style with adequate foot quickness, and he doesn't always bring his feet into contact yet consistently manages to stay attached to defenders using a wide base, vice grips for hands and outstanding effort to run his feet, strain and sustain blocks.
Hayes is a very good run-blocker with the ability to drop his pads and dig out defenders on double-team and down blocks while excelling as a puller using impressive angles, body control and length to fit on his target. He has very good mental processing to not chase gap exchanges across his face, decipher stunts and pick up the most dangerous man on blitzes.
Pick 141
Brian Robinson Jr. - RB - Alabama
Brian Robinson Jr. is a redshirt senior that had seen limited action due to the stable of talented running backs Alabama has had such as Najee Harris, Damien Harris, and Josh Jacobs. The 2021 season was the first season that Robinson was penciled in as the starter and his production elevated. Throughout the 2021 season, Robinson was able to rush for more than 1,000 yards with his best performance coming against Ole Miss, where rushed for 170 yards and four touchdowns. Robinson is a running back that requires a high volume of touches to really impact a football game. He is a one-cut back that can get vertical and use his power to run through arm tackles. One of Robinson’s best traits is his pass protection. In pass pro, Robinson is able to quickly and effectively pick up blitzing defenders. Overall, Robinson is a short-yardage running back that can consistently gash the defense for short-yardage gains. In the NFL, should be used in this capacity.
Ideal Role: Mainly used in short-yardage situations.
Pick 195
Michael Clemons - DE/OLB - Texas A&M
Michael Clemons is a senior defensive lineman that transferred into the Texas A&M program from Cisco Junior College. Clemons has started for the last two seasons at defensive end. This past season served as Clemons' most productive season as he was able to accumulate seven sacks with his most productive outing coming in the season finale against LSU (three sacks). Clemons plays as an edge defender playing in both the two-point and three-point stance. From the two-point stance, he is able to burst out of his stance and blow past offensive linemen. He can also use his exceptional length to set the edge against run plays that are directed his way. Clemons is a good athlete that with further development flashed the potential to be a productive edge rusher in the NFL for the foreseeable future.
Ideal Role: A edge rusher that can effectively set the edge while also applying QB pressure.
