31. Baltimore Ravens (via DEN) - Cashius Howell, EDGE, Texas A&M
The Baltimore Ravens traded down 14 picks to the 31st slot in the first round, as the Denver Broncos wanted to move up in this mock draft for Carnell Tate. Baltimore takes Cashius Howell from Texas A&M and gets some pass rush help at the bottom of the first round.
Howell has 35.5 career tackles for loss and 27 sacks, so he’s got a track record of production. The Ravens had just 30 sacks in 2025, and not a single player on the roster had more than five sacks. The Ravens have a lot of capable pass rushers, but they don’t have a top-tier one, and that’s not something that can keep happening.
Every elite defense in the league has a top-flight pass rusher, so the hope here is that Howell can develop into one. The Ravens obviously got some additional picks from moving down nearly 20 selections.
The defense as a whole just wasn’t great in 2025, so snagging a defensive prospect in Round 1 really makes some sense for this team.
32. Seattle Seahawks - Brandon Cisse, CB, South Carolina
Fielding one of the best secondaries in the NFL is not an easy task, and in the 2026 NFL Draft, the Seahawks take Brandon Cisse at pick 32. With a ton of free agents on the backend of the defense, it’s not likely that the Seahawks bring all of them back.
No NFL team is able to pay everyone, as a huge challenge in building a top-tier roster is being able to understand when it’s time to say goodbye to a player and replace him with a rookie draft pick. However, if Seattle isn’t planning on a CB in Round 1, some OL help and perhaps even another wide receiver could be a logical choice