The Baltimore Ravens are no strangers to trading down in the first round of the NFL Draft, doing so in 2018, 2019 and 2022. With the 2025 draft just over a month away, one can’t help but wonder if they’ll do so again.
Baltimore’s roster is in a pretty good spot right now, with more concerns about its depth rather than the starting lineup. As a result, the Ravens could likely afford to trade down a few spots from No. 27 overall and gain some extra draft capital later on.
That’s exactly what NFL.com’s Chad Reuter predicts them to do in a recent mock draft. He has the Ravens trading down to No. 31 overall with the Kansas City Chiefs, picking up an extra third-round pick while sending No. 27 overall and a fourth-round pick the other way.
Reuter then has them taking Georgia safety Malaki Starks at No. 31 overall, a very common selection in these mock drafts.
“Some teams will view Starks as a fair athlete without an NFL position; despite their talent, Brian Branch and Cooper DeJean lasted until the second round for similar reasons,” Reuter wrote. “The Ravens won’t let that happen, though, as they see Starks’ playmaking skills — just like when they scooped up Kyle Hamilton at No. 14 overall after his 4.59 40 caused other franchises to pass.”
Between one of the best safeties in the game in Hamilton and a breakout star in Ar’Darius Washington, the Ravens have a starting duo that they can feel very good about. As has been pointed out repeatedly, though, they have essentially no one behind those two. Starks, one of the top safeties in this class, should help shore up that problem substantially.
For those wondering what the Chiefs do with the pick the Ravens gave them, Reuter has them taking Alabama guard Tyler Booker at No. 27 overall. Booker has been a somewhat popular pick for Baltimore as well, but in this scenario, he instead goes to Kansas City to help rebuild an offensive line that struggled mightily in Super Bowl LIX.