Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NFL. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Ravens fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.
The NFL draft community debates no topic more fiercely than positional value, with need vs. best-player-available coming in as a runner up. So, inspired by Stephen Bopst’s Sunday article about potential BPA targets in the first round, we are bringing both arguments to Baltimore Beatdown
with our latest Ravens Reacts Survey! Of the 2026 draft’s top prospects at non-premium positions, who would you want the most…and least? Here are the options (and be sure to take the survey at the bottom):
- RB Jeremiyah Love (No. 13 prospect on Baltimore Beatdown’s Big Board)
- LB Sonny Styles (No. 10 prospect)
- S Caleb Downs (No. 11 prospect)
- TE Kenyon Sadiq (No. 19 prospect)
Nikhil’s take (best): It feels like cheating to pick Sonny Styles, a jumbo-sized linebacker who could be a hybrid edge rusher in the NFL. He has much less experience in that role than his Ohio State teammate Arvell Reese, but the two have undeniable similarities in their length and athleticism that can show up in the pass rush.
So, taking Styles at No. 14 would not necessarily be a non-premium positional pick, but his inexperience on the edge would likely keep him in an off-ball role as a rookie. That actually might work out for the Ravens, who need a running mate to Roquan Smith in the middle of the defense with 2025 fourth-rounder Teddye Buchanan recovering from a torn ACL. Styles would be the No. 2 linebacker as a rookie as he develops his pass rushing chops and hopefully transitions to that role in 2027 and beyond. Even if that does not work out, Baltimore will need a successor to Smith eventually, and Styles already looks the part.
Nikhil’s take (worst): Our Big Board rankings might have given this away, but I would be least satisfied with Oregon tight end Kenyon Sadiq at No. 14. This also gives me an opportunity to introduce my favorite (and completely unserious) athletic comparison of the 2026 draft class:
In all seriousness, Sadiq does bring elite athleticism to the tight end position, but without the college production to match. He is a solid blocker and could be a versatile chess piece in Declan Doyle’s new offense, but he seems like less of a ‘sure thing’ than Caleb Downs and Jeremiyah Love. Uber-athletic tight ends taken in the first round have a particularly volatile range of outcomes (see: Noah Fant, O.J. Howard, pre-2025 Kyle Pitts). If the Ravens are going to draft a non-premium position with their first-round pick in April, it needs to be a surefire long-term superstar. Sadiq has the ceiling, but not the floor.
Now, we want to know your thoughts! Who would be the best and worst players at non-premium positions for the Ravens to draft with the No. 14 pick? Answer the survey below and add your takes in the comments section!
Athletic comparison cards via ras.football
