Given that the Ravens currently have just one quarterback under contract — Anthony Brown — it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the team is evaluating whether or not to select someone at the position in this month’s draft.
But could that player come in the first round?
“It depends on the board. It really does,” General Manager Eric DeCosta said in a pre-draft press conference on Wednesday when asked if drafting a QB in the first round is under consideration. “I’d have to say yes because we have quarterbacks in our top 31. So just based on that alone, simple math, I would have to say yes.”
Baltimore holds the No. 22 overall pick in this year’s draft. That’s certainly too low for the top couple of players at the position, but the Ravens may have an option if someone falls — much like they did in 2018 when they traded back into the first round to select Lamar Jackson.
The Ravens have maintained that they would like Jackson back at quarterback. But to this point, Jackson and the team have not come to any kind of agreement, short-term or long-term.
DeCosta declined to answer direct questions regarding Jackson during Wednesday’s press conference.
But when it comes to the draft, DeCosta did say that “there’s probably more than four guys” who will become “significant” quarterbacks in this year’s class. DeCosta noted that Baltimore has a history of finding successful QBs later in the draft, citing Tyrod Taylor and Derek Anderson.
“Forget about where they might get picked,” DeCosta said. “The fact is that we think you can get a quarterback in the first round, or the third round, or the fourth round who have a chance to develop. ... You saw what the Niners did last year with Brock Purdy. It’s quite possible to get a good quarterback at any point in the draft. Obviously, the GOAT [Tom Brady] — as my son would say — was a sixth-round pick.
“So, they’re all over the place in the draft. You have to have good scouts, you have to have conviction, and in some cases, you’ve got to get lucky, too.”
We’ll see if Baltimore elects to add any one of those QBs at the end of the month.
