Ravens Already Stocking Draft Picks for 2022
BALTIMORE — Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta always has an eye on the future.
He walks a delicate balance of keeping his team competitive in the short term while laying the foundation for long-term success.
DeCosta made a couple of moves in the past couple of days that positioned the Ravens to make a splash in the 2022 NFL Draft.
On Friday, Baltimore traded rookie fifth-round pick Shaun Wade to the New England Patriots for a seventh-round pick in 2022 and a fifth-round pick in 2023.
The following day, DeCosta flipped that seventh-round pick from the Patriots and Mancz to the Dolphins for Miami's sixth-round pick.
So, the Ravens were able to add more draft equity for a couple of players that were not even going to make their final 53-man roster this season.
Baltimore already has 10 selections in next year's draft:
First Round: One selection.
Second Round: One selection
Third Round: Two Selection, includes a comp pick for David Culley, who was hired as the new coach of the Houston Texans.
Fourth Round: Four Selections. The Cardinals traded their fifth-round pick (No. 160 overall) and a 2022 fourth-round pick in exchange for the Ravens' fourth-round selection and a sixth-round pick (No. 210 overall). Comp picks for linebackers Matthew Judon and Yannick Ngakoue.
Fifth Round: One Selectin via Orlando Brown Jr, trade to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Sixth Round: One (Mancz trade).
These picks will give DeCosta the flexibility to move up and down the draft. The Ravens will likely try to acquire more picks in the offseason.