Ravens Have Surprising Top Draft Need

Most of the Baltimore Ravens' biggest remaining needs seem relatively obvious, with guard, cornerback and safety being some of the greatest examples.

According to Bleacher Report's Alex Ballentine, though, there's one need that's less apparent: the interior defensive line.

Yes, the Ravens have two capable starters in Nnamdi Madubuike and Travis Jones, but their losses, while subtle, have left the unit lacking in depth.

"The Ravens' pursuit of a long-term answer at edge-rusher has been in the public eye for a while now," Ballentine wrote. "It's no secret that another safety to pair with Kyle Hamilton and another shot at a young cornerback should be in play as well." 

"What gets lost in the shuffle is that the Ravens lost Michael Pierce to retirement and Brent Urban to free agency. Neither were superstars, but they teamed up with younger players Nnamdi Madubuike and Travis Jones to give the team a formidable rotation up front. Losing those two has left the interior defensive line rotation a little thinner than they are used to."

Technically, Urban remains unsigned and the Ravens could still bring him back, but Ballentine's point still stands.

Baltimore dealt with injuries along the interior of the line last season, as Pierce and Urban both missed some significant time and Jones was clearly limited for weeks. So, making sure they have the depth they need to maintain a stable rotation would be ideal.

Luckily, there are a lot of good prospects in the draft. Ballentine suggested Oregon's Derrick Harmon, Michigan's Kenneth Grant and Texas' Alfred Collins as potential early options later this month.

"Landing Derrick Harmon in the first round would give them yet another disruptive option," Ballentine wrote. "Kenneth Grant would be a more one-to-one replacement for Pierce. He could slot in as the rotational nose tackle to spell Jones early on. 

"Alfred Collins is a more realistic Day 2 target with the length to potentially play multiple spots."