22. Baltimore Ravens: Jordan Addison, WR, USC
Speaking of teams who would be thrilled to see top receivers on the board when they get ready to pick, the Baltimore Ravens find themselves in a brutal, brutal spot. What is going to happen with Lamar Jackson? Could he be traded this month?
Regardless of who is playing quarterback for the Ravens, they are going to need some additional weapons in the passing game. Mark Andrews remains one of the game’s top tight ends, but the jury is very much out on former first-round pick Rashod Bateman. The Ravens’ leading receivers in 2022? Well, let’s just take a look at the list beyond Mark Andrews…
Ravens 2022 receiving leaders (not named Mark Andrews)
- Demarcus Robinson – 458 yards
- Devin Duvernay – 407 yards
- Isaiah Likely (TE). -373 yards
To say the Ravens need an overhaul at this position would be an understatement, and yet they have done nothing in the 2023 offseason. I take that back, they picked up Nelson Agholor.
Jordan Addison would be a tremendous fit for Baltimore at this juncture, to say the least.
23. Minnesota Vikings: Deonte Banks, CB, Maryland
When all is said and done, the Vikings may need to move up the draft board to secure a player like Deonte Banks out of Maryland. Let’s look at the Vikings’ current situation in the secondary before getting into this pick, however.
The Vikings undoubtedly emphasized the secondary in year one of the Kwesi Adofo-Mensah era. Minnesota’s rookie GM prioritized the secondary in his first draft on the job, spending a first-round pick on Georgia safety Lewis Cine and a second-round pick on Clemson cornerback Andrew Booth.
In 2023 NFL Free Agency, the Vikings went out and got Byron Murphy for new DC Brian Flores’ defense. But the departure of Patrick Peterson leaves a bit of a void at the outside cornerback position. Deonte Banks could come in and be a day one starter for this team.
An example (against Ohio State) of the type of physicality #Maryland CB Deonte Banks brings to the table as a press-man corner. Love his fit in Detroit, Minnesota, and Pittsburgh.
— Jordan Reid (@Jordan_Reid) March 20, 2023
Shouldn’t get outside of the top-20. pic.twitter.com/LQZBLEV0kQ
That kind of physicality and attitude is a must for a Brian Flores-coached defense, and I think Banks is the type of playmaker in the secondary that could really take Minnesota’s unit to the next level, giving them some much needed balance on both sides of the ball.