Unfortunately, John Harbaug’s trade has been reconciled by the owner of the ravens.

Unfortunately, John Harbaug’s trade has been reconciled by the owner of the ravens.

At offensive tackle, Daniel Faalele was at the top of the Ravens’ wish list going into Day 3.

DeCosta was worried, though, that if they didn’t select cornerback Jalyn Armour-Davis first, he might be plucked. One of the Ravens’ top needs coming into the draft was a cornerback, and they tend to go quickly. DeCosta feared that a run would occur.

Nevertheless, DeCosta stuck to the plan and selected Faalele, the formidable 6-foot-8 blocker who has the potential to be the next Orlando Brown Jr. at right tackle, as the best player available.

As it happens, DeCosta was correct regarding the rush on cornerbacks. One (Akayleb Evans) was selected by the Vikings at No. 118, one spot ahead of Baltimore, and one (Demarri Mathis) by the Broncos at No. 115. When the third draft day arrived, Armour-Davis was still the top cornerback available to the Ravens, having been selected ahead of three other cornerbacks (Coby Bryant to the Seahawks at No. 109).

How the Baltimore Ravens nailed the 2022 draft: from surprises to a smile and fist bump—Jamison Hensley
The covert transaction: If you thought that the Ravens’ selection of Hamilton in the first round was shocking, wait until you hear about their trade of wide receiver Marquise “Hollywood” Brown to the Arizona Cardinals. In return for its 1,000-yard receiver and a late third-round pick, Baltimore received a late first-round selection.

DeCosta stated that there was a purpose behind keeping the agreement a secret until after the Ravens announced their first-round pick, even though it had been in place for a week. When nobody anticipated that the Ravens would be interested in a wide receiver, Baltimore was probably attempting to see if it could select one of the best prospects at No. 14. However, Jameson Williams, Chris Olave, and Garrett Wilson were all signed before Baltimore had a clock.

DeCosta did not disguise the uneasiness this choice caused him, even though the Ravens were happy with their ability to keep the trade quiet. Brown, one of DeCosta’s favorite players and first pick as general manager, asked for a trade at the end of the season because he wasn’t happy with the Ravens’ run-first offense.

DeCosta remarked, “I suffered over it for a very long time.” He would tell you that I spoke with him frequently during the spring. As I always say, the club has to win [the trade], and in this case, it was not going to be possible for the club to win in the true sense, so we made the decision that we believed would benefit the player the most.

Ben Linsey ranks the most and least improved units after the 2022 NFL Draft.
The Tennessee Titans and Baltimore Ravens are receiving corpses.

After both teams traded their top wide receivers for first-round selections on opening day, we’ll combine these two.

Even though the Titans acquired good value in Kyle Philips from UCLA on Day 3 and used that first-round pick on Treylon Burks of Arkansas, the loss of A.J. Brown still creates a huge hole on offense. Since his draft selection in 2019, he has been among the NFL’s most productive receivers in terms of receptions per snap.

The Titans’ receiving corps is in better shape than Baltimore’s, despite that setback. With the extra first-round pick they received in exchange for Marquise Brown, the team selected center Tyler Linderbaum, but the current Ravens wide receiver group, which is led by James Proche, Devin Duvernay, Rashod Bateman, and Tylan Wallace, is far from elite.

Charlie Kolar of Iowa State and Isaiah Likely of Coastal Carolina were two receiving threats that Baltimore added on the third day of the draft, but it still appears that the Ravens will be heavily dependent on Mark Andrews in 2022 unless they plan to add more players in free agency.