This year’s NFL draft, which is now less than two weeks away, will be a big one for the Baltimore Ravens. As the team looks to quickly re-establish themselves as contenders and usher in the Jesse Minter head coach era, the Ravens still have a number of roster needs to address.
The Ravens are entering the draft with 11 picks at their disposal, giving General Manager Eric DeCosta and company plenty of capital to acquire talent and fill spots. The Ravens have long adopted a “best player available” draft strategy
and have not shied away from selecting multiple players who play the same position, especially if it’s an area of great need.
What are some position groups the Ravens might double-dip at in the 2026 draft? Let’s break it down.
Offensive Line
It’s very possible, if not likely, that the Ravens will draft at least two offensive linemen this year. In particular, the Ravens may draft multiple interior players up front to add much-needed depth and starter-caliber talent. While they signed veteran John Simpson to occupy a starting spot at left guard, right guard and center are two pressing needs. After Tyler Linderbaum departed in free agency, the Ravens are without a certain long-term fixture on the interior.
They have been linked to offensive line prospects in the first round, which very well could be the route they go with the No. 14 overall pick. If so, the Ravens would then still have 10 remaining picks across two days, with many viable mid-to-late round offensive lineman prospects looming. Drafting an offensive tackle is also plausible as well, given the lack of a clear-cut succession plan behind Ronnie Stanley.
Defensive Line
On the other side of the trenches, the Ravens could also double-dip on defensive line prospects. Perhaps the biggest question around the whole team is the health status of defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike, who missed almost the entire 2025 season with a neck injury. There’s still no clarity on whether Madubuike may return to action this year but recent developments have been more promising.
Given the huge question mark with the team’s best player in this group, the Ravens would be wise to select a defensive tackle pretty early in the draft. Even if they might sign a veteran defensive tackle still, the Ravens need more juice and depth on the defensive line as a whole. This was one of their pitfalls last year. After Madubuike got injured, way too much pressure fell on Travis Jones. Fortunately, Jones had a career-best season and was signed to an extension, but the rest of the depth chart (John Jenkins, Broderick Washington, Aeneas Peebles) could use some reinforcing.
Tight End
The Ravens have not needed to draft a tight end in several years as they’ve had the same core of Mark Andrews, Isaiah Likely and Charlie Kolar, as well as hybrid fullback/tight end Pat Ricard. This group was ravaged in free agency, however, as all three of the latter players departed to sign with new teams. Andrews is now the last man standing in the tight end room, although the Ravens did add veteran Durham Smythe. They’ve also been linked as the frontrunner to sign free agent David Njoku.
The addition of Njoku would lessen the need for two more tight ends in this group. However, the Ravens have a history of drafting multiple tight ends in the same class — and with good success. They did so with Hayden Hurst and Andrews in 2018, and then again in 2022 with Likely and Kolar both in the fourth round. As the depth chart currently stands, the Ravens need another pass-catching threat and blocker to round out the room. With Andrews also on the wrong side of 30, the Ravens need young talent for succession purposes.
Edge Rusher
The Ravens made their biggest splash of the offseason at edge rusher by signing Trey Hendrickson to a four-year contract. Hendrickson was a significant addition and will immediately step in as the leader of this position group. However, they could still stand to add more talent and depth around him. Mike Green and Tavius Robinson are returning contributors while Dre’Mont Jones and Kyle Van Noy (unlikely to be re-signed) departed. Adisa Isaac’s injury struggles through two seasons make him an almost complete unknown and wild card.
Like the other aforementioned position groups, it’s still possible the Ravens could make a veteran signing to bolster their depth chart here, such as Jadeveon Clowney. Either way, the Ravens would benefit from having more pass-rushing in the edge rusher room. They haven’t been hesitant to use early-round picks on edge rushers in recent years and could do so again this year.
