Here’s everything you need to know before the 2023 NFL Draft begins Thursday night in Kansas City.
What time is the draft and how can I watch it?
Round 1 starts at 8pm on Thursday, Rounds 2-3 start at 7pm on Friday and Rounds 4-7 start at noon on Saturday. Coverage of all three days will air on ESPN, ABC (Ch. 2, 7) and NFL Network.
What is the draft order?
There will be 259 picks in this year’s draft, starting with the Carolina Panthers, who traded up to secure the No. 1 overall pick from the Chicago Bears. The first round will only have 31 picks this year because the Miami Dolphins were stripped of their top selection after an NFL tampering investigation. The order looks as follows: (Here complete command of all 259 choices.)
- Carolina Panthers (from Chicago)
- Houston Texans
- Arizona Cardinals
- Indianapolis Colts
- Seattle Seahawks (from Denver)
- Detroit Lions (from LA Rams)
- Las Vegas Raiders
- Atlanta Falcons
- Chicago Bears (from Carolina)
- Philadelphia Eagles (from New Orleans)
- Tennessee Titans
- Houston Texans (from Cleveland)
- Green Bay Packers (from NY Jets)
- New England Patriots
- New York Jets (from Green Bay)
- Commanders from Washington
- Pittsburgh Steelers
- Detroit Lions
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Seattle Seahawks
- Los Angeles Chargers
- ravens
- Minnesota Vikings
- Jacksonville Jaguars
- New York Giants
- Dallas Cowboys
- Buffalo Bills
- Cincinnati Bengals
- New Orleans Saints (from San Francisco via Miami and Denver)
- Philadelphia Eagles
- Kansas City Chiefs
How many picks do the Ravens have?
Barring any trades, the Ravens have just five picks this year, their fewest since 1999. Baltimore traded its second-round pick (No. 53 overall) to the Bears for inside linebacker Roquan Smith last season, and the team received none. compensatory picks after signing safety Marcus Williams and right tackle Morgan Moses last offseason.
- Round 1, no. 22 general
- Round 3, no. 86
- Round 4, no. 124
- Round 5, no. 157
- Round 6, no. 199
What positions do the Ravens need to address?
I missed any free agency news, like the arrival of wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr in Baltimore? Here is a brief overview on who the Ravens agreed to sign, who they lost and who is still on the open market.
There it is a breakdown of the Ravens’ top five needs entering the draftstarting at cornerback and wide receiver.
And here’s a detailed look at the players who could be available to the Ravens at key positions in the early, middle and late rounds:
- Quarterback: If QB is in play, there are a lot of interesting options
- Broadband Receiver: WR is a must, but what are the best options?
- Cornerback: In the deep CB class, there is talent everywhere
- Defensive line: With the veteran leader gone, DL needs reinforcements
- Edge Erase: Adding juice to the rim might be worth the squeeze
- Offensive Line: With OL help in need, it’s time to think big
- Secondary: Whether it’s safety or slot corner, there are opportunities
Will the Ravens make a trade?
Given their history, it’s always a consideration. They’ll likely float offers when it’s their turn to pick, but will general manager Eric DeCosta ultimately choose quantity over a certain player at No. 22? Here’s a look at that possibility.
What’s up with Lamar Jackson?
Not too much. The Ravens on March 7 applied $32.4 million non-exclusive franchise tag at the star quarterback, who later said requested exchange on March 2nd because the team wasn’t willing to meet his value. According to the terms of the tag, Jackson can negotiate and sign a contract with another team, but The Ravens have five days to match the offer or decline and receive two first-round picks as compensation. So far, no team has emerged as a serious threat to sign the 2019 NFL Most Valuable Player away from Baltimore.
Are there local prospects that could be recruited?
There are more down the road in College Park. The Terps haven’t had more than five players selected in a year since the draft went seven rounds in 1997. but you have a good chance of surpassing that total this weekend. Here are those players (listed with hometown/high school in parentheses):
- CB Deonte Banks (Baltimore/Edgewood)
- CB Jakorian Bennett (Mobile, Ala./McGill-Toolen)
- LT Jaelyn Duncan (New Carrollton/St. Frances)
- WR Rakim Jarrett (Palmer Park/St. John’s)
- WR Jacob Copeland (Pensacola, Fla./Escambia)
- WR Dontay Demus Jr. (Washington, DC/Friendship)
- K Chad Ryland (Lebanon, Pa./Cedar Crest)
- OL Spencer Anderson (Bowie/Bishop McNamara)
- OL Johari Branch (Chicago/Phillips Academy)
- MR Henry Chibueze (Woodbridge, Virginia/Woodbridge)
- MR Greg China-Rose (Los Angeles/DeMatha)
- MR Ami Finau (Kahuku, Hawaii/Euless Trinity)
- LB VanDarius Cowan (Palm Beach Gardens, Florida/Palm Beach Gardens)
- LB Durell Nchami (Silver Spring/Paint Branch)
Here are some other prospects with ties to the state and/or the Baltimore-Washington area (listed with hometown/high school in parentheses):
- Southern California WR Jordan Addison (Frederick/Tuscarora)
- Clemson DT Bryan Bresee (Damascus/Damascus)
- South Carolina CB Cam Smith (Fort Meade/Meade)
- Syracuse RB Sean Tucker (Baltimore/Calvert Hall)
- Minnesota RB Mohamed Ibrahim (Baltimore/Good Counsel)
- Liberty OLB Durrell Johnson (Baltimore/Overlea)
- DT Ohio State Taron Vincent (Baltimore/Gilman, IMG Academy)
- Shepherd OL Joey Fisher (Hagerstown/Clear Spring)
- Shepherd RB-WR Ronnie Brown (Baltimore/Dundalk, Sparrows Point)
- Michigan C Olu Oluwatimi (Upper Marlboro/DeMatha)
- North Carolina DE Noah Taylor (Silver Spring/Avalon)
- Towson QB Tyrrell Pigrome (Birmingham, Ala./Clay-Chalkville)
- Towson WR Darian Street (Bethlehem, PA/Liberty)
- Towson OL Roman Wahrheit (Rhauderfehn, Germany)
- Towson DL Tramar Reece (Clearwater, Florida/Clearwater)
- Towson DL Shaheem Haltiwanger (Lexington, SC/White Knoll)
- Towson DL Janaz Jordan (Hampton, Va./Bethel)
- Towson S Juwan Burgess (Tampa, FL/Factory)
What else should I read to catch up?
Curious about Ravens team history? Over 27 NFL drafts, the Ravens have made over 200 picks. Search, sort and browse them all.
Here’s what columnist Mike Preston has to say about the Ravens’ draft plans, the latest in the offseason and some local insight:
Here’s an in-depth look at some of the Ravens’ offseason storylines:
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