Ravens LB Confusingly Worst First-Round Pick of 2020s

The Baltimore Ravens have been on a roll with their first-round picks in the 2020s, adding an impact player pretty much every year.

While all of the Ravens' first-round picks this decade have been at least solid, some have definitely been better than others. The best of the bunch would have to be safety Kyle Hamilton, the No. 14 pick in 2022 who has two Pro Bowl selections in three seasons and is on his way to becoming the highest-paid player at his position. On the other hand, picking the "worst" selection is quite difficult.

Bleacher Report's Matt Holder ended up settling on pass rusher Odafe Oweh, the No. 31 pick in 2021. Linebacker Patrick Queen, the No. 28 pick in 2020 who is now with the Pittsburgh Steelers, was also in the running for the title.

"We have to bend the rules for the Ravens a bit since Oweh is projected to be a starter this season. But Baltimore doesn’t have a blatant first-round miss over the last five years, making it slim pickings," Holder wrote. "Linebacker Patrick Queen was the other player considered since he didn’t sign a second contract with the club, but Queen was a Defensive Rookie of the Year candidate and a Pro Bowler in Baltimore. So, somewhat unfairly, Oweh is the default pick even though he isn’t a 'bust.'" 

Calling Queen a Defensive Rookie of the Year candidate is technically true, but he only received two of 50 votes to finish in a distant third place. He also struggled for a while until Roquan Smith showed up, but to be fair, he was a Pro Bowler and second-team All-Pro in 2023, his final season in Baltimore.

Oweh, meanwhile, started his career slowly and has yet to make the Pro Bowl. However, he did break out with 10 sacks last season, and with him bulking up substantially this offseason, another big year could be in store.

Holder also suggested a replacement player for the Ravens in this thought experiment and ended up picking guard Landon Dickerson, who originally went No. 37 overall to the Philadelphia Eagles.

"Dickerson has earned three Pro Bowl bids in four seasons and is currently the second-highest-paid guard in the NFL on a dollar-per-year basis, according to Over The Cap," Holder wrote. "Meanwhile, the Ravens have questions on the interior offensive line, making him a suitable replacement for Oweh in this exercise."