2026 NFL Draft Grade: Baltimore Ravens -- C+

The Baltimore Ravens entered the 2026 NFL Draft with a clear mandate. General manager Eric DeCosta and first-year head coach Jesse Minter had watched the departures of All-Pro center Tyler Linderbaum, defensive line disruptor Dre'Mont Jones, and tight end Isaiah Likely create critical holes across the roster. The team's pre-draft needs list identified interior offensive line as a critical concern, with cornerback, wide receiver, tight end, and edge rusher all marked as high-priority areas. On paper, this was a draft that needed to deliver immediate starters at multiple spots.

Eleven selections later, what did the Ravens walk away with? A mixed bag that reflects both the draft board's volatility and DeCosta's willingness to chase upside. Baltimore landed one of the class's genuine steals in the fifth round, found a first-round guard who should start from Day 1, and unearthed a seventh-round defensive tackle who was widely projected to go rounds earlier. But the middle rounds are littered with reaches -- prospects taken well before most evaluators had them graded -- and one late-round punter selection that simply does not compute. The result is a C+ (63.5) -- a class with real highlights but enough head-scratching moments to leave the final grade feeling appropriately middling.

Pick 14 (Round 1) -- Olaivavega Ioane, OG, Penn State Grade: A- (83.0)

If you were going to draw up a first-round pick that perfectly addresses the Ravens' most glaring weakness, it would look a lot like Olaivavega Ioane. Guard was the team's only critical-need position entering the draft, and the departure of Linderbaum from the interior line left the cupboard bare. Ioane is a powerful, technically refined blocker who started three years at Penn State and projects as an immediate plug-and-play starter.

The value here is immaculate. Most draft boards had Ioane ranked right around this range -- he went 14th overall with a predraft ranking of 15th among all prospects, making this a fair-value selection at a premium position. In a scheme that asks its guards to pull, climb to the second level, and handle power rushers in pass protection, Ioane's combination of functional strength and foot quickness is an ideal fit. He steps into a guard room that includes John Simpson and Andrew Vorhees but lacks a true long-term anchor. Ioane is that anchor. This is how you open a draft when you have a critical need and a board that cooperates.

Pick 45 (Round 2) -- Zion Young, EDGE, Missouri Grade: C (56.0)

This is where the Ravens' draft gets interesting, and not entirely in a good way. Zion Young is a high-upside edge rusher who posted solid production at Missouri, but the analytics community had him ranked as the 99th-best prospect in the class. Taking him at 45th overall -- a 54-slot gap between where evaluators had him and where Baltimore pounced -- represents a significant reach.

The need makes sense. Edge rusher was a high-priority area despite the addition of Trey Hendrickson in free agency. The Ravens need young, explosive pass-rush juice opposite their established veterans, and Young has the length and burst that defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver looks for in his multiple front. But the gap between the player and the pick slot is hard to ignore. Several edge rushers who were ranked higher on most boards -- including Cashius Howell, Gabe Jacas, and R Mason Thomas -- were still available and went later in the draft. Baltimore clearly had Young higher on its board than the consensus, and they bet on their evaluation. In a division that features some of the league's best young quarterbacks, that bet needs to pay off.

Pick 80 (Round 3) -- Ja'Kobi Lane, WR, USC Grade: C (56.0)

Another third-round pick that feels like a reach relative to the predraft market. Ja'Kobi Lane was ranked around 119th overall on most boards, and the Ravens took him at 80th. The 39-slot gap is notable, especially when you consider that receivers like Brenen Thompson, Cyrus Allen, and Chris Brazzell II were all ranked higher and went later.

That said, Lane brings something the Ravens' receiving corps genuinely lacks. Zay Flowers and Rashod Bateman are crafty route runners, but neither is a true boundary X-receiver who can win on the outside with size and physicality. At 6-foot-4 with a massive catch radius, Lane fits that profile. In an offense that can use more downfield juice to complement Lamar Jackson's arm talent, Lane's ability to high-point the ball and make contested catches is a skill set the current room does not have. The value is poor, but the fit makes the pick defensible.

Pick 115 (Round 4) -- Elijah Sarratt, WR, Indiana Grade: A+ (96.0)

Here is where the Ravens reminded everyone why Eric DeCosta is one of the league's sharpest draft-day operators. Elijah Sarratt was ranked as the 101st-best prospect on most boards, and Baltimore snagged him at pick 115. That is a classic value grab -- a player who was projected to go in the third or early fourth round falling to the back half of the fourth.

Sarratt is a physical, competitive receiver who was Indiana's go-to target against Big Ten competition. He plays with a nasty finishing mentality in the run game and has the short-area quickness to work the intermediate areas of the field effectively. In a receiver room that now includes Lane as the big body and Sarratt as the polished chain-mover, the Ravens have added two distinctly different skill sets in back-to-back picks. This is the kind of value that can turn a "C" draft into something more, and Sarratt might be the steal of the mid-rounds for Baltimore.

Pick 133 (Round 4) -- Matthew Hibner, TE, SMU Acquired via Compensatory Pick (From SF) Grade: C- (53.0)

Tight end was a high-priority need entering the draft, with Mark Andrews as the only proven option on the roster after Isaiah Likely's departure. Matthew Hibner is a big-bodied inline blocker who started at SMU, but the pick timing raises eyebrows. Most boards had Hibner ranked around 239th overall -- the Ravens took him at 133rd, a staggering 106-slot gap.

This is one of those picks where the need was real but the value calculus is tough to square. Several tight ends who graded higher on most boards -- Max Klare, Sam Roush, Oscar Delp -- were available at this point and went later in the draft. Hibner is a developmental prospect who brings the blocking skills the Ravens value in their tight ends, but the opportunity cost of passing on higher-graded talent at the same position is significant.

Pick 162 (Round 5) -- Chandler Rivers, CB, Duke Acquired via From LAC Grade: A+ (100.0)

The best pick of the Ravens' entire draft class arrives in the fifth round, and it is a masterpiece. Chandler Rivers was ranked as the 107th-best prospect in the class -- a player many evaluators thought would come off the board in the third or fourth round. Baltimore got him at pick 162, a 55-slot gap that represents one of the biggest value wins in the entire 2026 draft.

Cornerback was a high-priority need for the Ravens, who have Marlon Humphrey and Chidobe Awuzie on the roster but need depth and long-term succession planning. Rivers is a sticky, instinctive cover corner who started three years at Duke and projects as an immediate nickel contributor. He plays with the kind of physicality that Minter's defense demands from its defensive backs. To land a player of this caliber in the fifth round -- especially at a premium position of need -- is the kind of pick that can define a draft class. This is the highlight of the Ravens' weekend.

Pick 173 (Round 5) -- Josh Cuevas, TE, Alabama Grade: C- (53.0)

Baltimore doubles down on tight end in the fifth round, but again the value is hard to love. Josh Cuevas was ranked around 198th overall on most boards, and the Ravens took him at 173rd -- a 25-slot reach. He's an athletic, move-style tight end who flashed receiving upside at Alabama, and his skill set complements the more blocking-oriented Matthew Hibner. But with higher-graded tight ends like Joe Royer and Jack Endries still on the board at this point, it feels like the Ravens could have found better value. The need was real, but the execution is average.

Pick 174 (Round 5) -- Adam Randall, RB, Clemson Grade: C- (53.0)

Running back was a high-priority need on Baltimore's board, and Adam Randall is a between-the-tackles runner who brings a physical element to a backfield that features Justice Hill and Keaton Mitchell. But again, the value is a stretch. Randall was ranked around 194th overall -- the Ravens took him at 174th, a 20-slot gap. Higher-graded backs like Kaytron Allen, Demond Claiborne, and Eli Heidenreich were all available later. Randall is a solid, scheme-fit runner who can contribute on special teams, but in a deep running back class, reaching for need over value is a recurring theme.

Pick 211 (Round 6) -- Ryan Eckley, P, Michigan State Acquired via From DEN via NYJ, MIN, and PHI Grade: F (10.0)

Every draft class has its puzzling selection, and this is Baltimore's. Ryan Eckley is a punter -- a position that was already a relative strength on the roster with Luke Elzinga in the building. Most boards had Eckley ranked at 477th overall, and the Ravens traded through multiple teams to take him at 211th. That is a 266-slot reach at a position where the team already had a capable starter.

This is the worst-graded pick in the Ravens' class for a reason. Punters are rarely selected before the seventh round, and when they are, it is typically only if they are generational talents. Eckley is not that. The Ravens moved through multiple trade partners to acquire this pick, which makes the opportunity cost even more frustrating. In a draft where Baltimore had clear needs at multiple positions, using a sixth-rounder on a punter -- and not a particularly highly-rated one -- is difficult to justify.

Pick 250 (Round 7) -- Rayshaun Benny, DT, Michigan Grade: A (85.0)

The Ravens close their draft with a thunderous value play. Rayshaun Benny was ranked as the 105th-best prospect on most boards -- he should have been off the board by the end of Day 3, at the latest. Instead, he fell all the way to pick 250, and Baltimore pounced. That is a 145-slot value win.

Benny is an interior disruptor who flashed the ability to penetrate gaps at Michigan. Defensive line was a moderate-to-high need for the Ravens after Dre'Mont Jones departed, and Nnamdi Madubuike needs a running mate who can generate interior pressure. Benny has the quickness and hand usage to be that player. To land a top-105 prospect in the seventh round is the kind of lottery-ticket swing that makes late-round drafting worthwhile. If Benny hits, he could be the steal of the entire draft class.

Pick 253 (Round 7) -- Evan Beerntsen, OG, Northwestern Grade: C- (53.0)

Baltimore goes back to the guard well in the seventh round with Evan Beerntsen, a Northwestern interior lineman who was ranked around 328th on most boards. The 75-slot gap makes this a reach even by seventh-round standards, but the need makes the swing understandable. The interior offensive line was the team's biggest weakness, and adding developmental depth behind Ioane is a sound strategy. Beerntsen is a smart, technically sound blocker who fits the Ravens' scheme. At this point in the draft, the value calculus matters less than the fit, and this pick checks that box.

Overall Grade: C+ (63.5)

The Ravens' 2026 draft class is a study in contrasts. On one hand, Eric DeCosta landed two A+ value picks in Elijah Sarratt and Chandler Rivers -- players who were ranked well above their draft positions and fill clear roster needs. Olaivavega Ioane is a clean, immediate starter at the team's most critical position. Rayshaun Benny in the seventh round is a potential home run. When Baltimore was patient and let the board come to them, they were outstanding.

On the other hand, the middle rounds are littered with reaches. Zion Young in the second round and Ja'Kobi Lane in the third both went well ahead of where most evaluators had them, and the double-dip at tight end with Matthew Hibner and Josh Cuevas featured aggressive timing that did not align with the predraft market. And the Ryan Eckley pick -- a sixth-round punter at a position of strength -- is the kind of selection that drags down the entire class's grade.

The best pick of the class is Chandler Rivers, a fifth-round cornerback who should step into the nickel role immediately and has the talent to be a long-term starter. The worst pick is clearly Ryan Eckley, a punter who was not a need and was taken far too early.

What is the verdict? The Ravens filled their most critical need -- guard -- with a first-rounder who should start from Day 1. They added high-upside pass-catching talent at wide receiver and tight end. But the volume of reaches in the middle rounds, combined with a baffling punter pick, keeps this class from being anything more than average. In a division where the margin for error is razor-thin, Baltimore will need its evaluation bets on Young, Lane, and Hibner to hit. If they do, this draft looks much better in retrospect. If they do not, the Ravens will be left wondering what might have been if they had simply let the board come to them.

Grade: C+. The Ravens addressed their biggest need, found some steals, and will hope their reaches turn into hits.

Pick-by-Pick Summary