The Baltimore Ravens have long been one of the most efficient drafting organizations across the league, and that track record just might have extended another year following a stellar haul during the 2025 NFL Draft.
“The Ravens got a few really good immediate starters on a roster that’s already pretty loaded,” an NFL front office executive told me following the draft’s conclusion.
Baltimore landed one of the premier defensive players, and one of the top safeties in the class, by choosing Georgia’s Malaki Starks in the first round, pairing him alongside Kyle Hamilton forming one of the top duos at the position across the league.
Starks, 6-foot-1 and 205 pounds, produced a career-high 77 total tackles last season with one interception and three pass breakups, and will likely be an immediate starter on the back-end of the defense.
The Ravens weren’t done adding on defense, with the selection of Marshall Edge Rusher Mike Green in the second round. Green, viewed by many as a first-round talent, was a dominant force during the practices leading up to the Senior Bowl back in January and one of the most athletic prospects in a loaded class at the position.
Baltimore leaned hard into its identity on defense, while adding some potentially critical pieces to getting over the top in the AFC against fellow Super Bowl contenders such as the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills who have stood in the franchise’s way of hoisting the Lombardi.
Baltimore Ravens NFL Draft Grade
While it remains to be seen just how well the pedigree of the Ravens’ selections during the draft translates to their production on the field throughout their NFL careers, the group is drawing early praise.
Yahoo Sports gives the Ravens’ draft a solid “B+”
“Malaki Starks to the Ravens was always a team-player fit that I was keen on,” Nate Tice writes for Yahoo Sports. “So it’s cool to see it actually happen in real life. Starks’ versatility joining Kyle Hamilton will let the Ravens do creative things on the backend and in the slot. Mike Green has top-15 type talent and is one of the best pass rushers in this draft. Off-field concerns led to his slide, but he’s a first-round talent and will add an electric pass rusher to the Ravens’ front. Emery Jones Jr. was a right tackle for LSU but could be best as a guard. He gives the Ravens another player who can potentially play at a couple of spots.”
The Ravens have a history of building around elite homegrown talent, and there’s a chance that the franchise added several building blocks in this year’s class.
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