The Baltimore Ravens rolled to a 14-2 record in the 2019 NFL regular season. They routed the New England Patriots en route to the top seed in the AFC playoffs. Their losses came in Weeks 3 and 4, losing at Kansas City and then at home to Cleveland. After that, though, they reeled off a dozen wins in a row and led the NFL in points per game. A weakness that no one exploited until the divisional playoff, though, was that the offense was heavily tilted toward the run, and a lot of that running came from quarterback Lamar Jackson. The Ravens almost always jumped out in front of opponents, and so they could use that grinding offense to keep the lead. However, they fell behind Tennessee in the divisional round, having no answer for the punishing runs of Derrick Henry. After the 2020 NFL Draft, their odds to win Super Bowl LV are now just 7/1. Can they really get back there? Let’s take a look at their draft choices.
NFL Betting: Baltimore Ravens 2020 Super Bowl Odds & Analysis After the Draft
Patrick Queen was the right choice in the first round
The Ravens needed to bulk up the interior of their defense to keep other teams from pounding the ball between the tackles, like the Titans did in last year’s playoff debacle. They picked up linebacker Patrick queen to do just that. While LSU’s high-octane offense got all the press last year as they rolled to a national championship, LSU also had a stout defense. Queen has great speed for a linebacker and also has a terrific nose for the ball. He’s a little undersized for linebacker, but his instincts should overcome that. He’ll be playing behind nose guard Brandon Williams and should contribute in big ways to the run defense.
J.K. Dobbins will help take the load off Mark Ingram II
Dobbins, coming out of Ohio State, showed elite speed. He’s not particularly elusive, but all he needs is one cut to take things to the house. He’s hard to bring to the ground, but he needs to grow as a pass receiver out of the backfield. Ingram had a solid season for Baltimore last year, but few positions fall off the table as fast as running back when it comes to losing that edge, so Dobbins adds insurance and depth.
Justin Madubuike will also slow down opposing running backs
Madubuike played defensive tackle for Texas A&M. He is skilled at sliding off blocks and pressuring the quarterback. His center of gravity is low, and his hands and arms are strong, so he can deal with double-teams. He is a little slow in exploding off the ball, so the Ravens will have to help him grow there.
Baltimore got two sneaky-fast receivers
James Proche, coming out of SMU, caught 111 passes for 1,225 yards and 15 scores in his senior season and was first team in the American Athletic Conference. He can run routes out of the slot or on the outside of the formation, and he just goes up and gets balls. He also returned 17 punts for 164 yards, so he could contribute on special teams. The Ravens also added Devin Duvernay from Texas, and he gives them that speed receiver for fly routes, slants, quick screens or end-arounds. He is primarily a slot receiver, which could make him redundant with Marquise Brown. He also needs to find ways to get out of press coverage.
Malik Harrison could join Queen for an all-rookie inside pair of linebackers
Harrison led Ohio States in tackles in both his junior and senior seasons, racking up 156 tackles combined. He drops back into pass coverage well and has above-average range for his size. Last year, he had 4.5 sacks and 16.5 tackles for loss. This is a versatile player who could play inside with Queen or also play at the outside linebacker position.
