Baltimore Ravens A Trade Down Candidate in NFL Draft?

If there isn't a player that the Baltimore Ravens like with their pick in the first round, they could look to move back and accumulate more draft picks.

May 4, 2023; Owings Mills, MD, USA; Baltimore Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta answers a question. / Brent Skeen-USA TODAY Sports

Having success in the NFL Draft goes well beyond just drafting players at positions of need.

When you draft a player and the value of it are also important factors that go into every pick. Could you have traded down and landed the same player while acquiring more draft capital? Is there a lot of depth at a position, and you can afford to wait and see who is available when you're on the board? Those factors go into every pick and differentiate the good from the bad when it comes to drafting players.

May 4, 2023; Owings Mills, MD, USA; Baltimore Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta answers a question / Brent Skeen-USA TODAY Sports

For the Baltimore Ravens, it's clear they have to address receiver, offensive line, cornerback and pass rusher at some point in the 2024 NFL Draft. Which positions should they prioritize and how should approach adding players at each position?

The Ravens' team site broke down the team's needs in the draft and the directions they could go in the first round with the No. 30 overall pick. Among the possibilities mentioned was Baltimore trading back if there isn't an offensive tackle it values at its first-round pick.

"My guess is if one of those top tackles aren't available, the Ravens will hope for an opportunity to trade back from No. 30," the Ravens' team site writes. "Sure, keeping the fifth-year option is valuable, but not more valuable than the addition of another possible third-round pick. Quarterback-hungry teams may eye pick No. 30."

Teams like the Las Vegas Raiders (No. 44) and New York Giants (No. 47) are teams who could be potentially looking at trading up to draft a quarterback if they don't address the position with their first-round picks. Trading back and getting an extra second-round pick along with other middle-round picks can help Baltimore further round out its roster and allow it to take more stabs at drafting players at positions of need.

Among the players the Ravens have drafted in the third round or later who have become vital to their success are tight ends Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely, running back Justice Hill, cornerback Brandon Stephens and defensive tackle Justin Madubuike.

If there's a player who can become an immediate contributor that makes it to the Ravens' pick in the first round, it's hard to envision them trading back. But if Baltimore has its doubts about the players available when it is on the clock with its first-round pick, trading back and getting multiple early and mid-round picks for this year's draft and beyond could be in the team's best interest.

And given the Ravens' track record with those picks, that may be their best option to keep replenishing their roster and landing players who can keep them among the elite in the AFC.