Playing the board better than most is how the Baltimore Ravens usually win during the NFL draft, and the process can continue in 2025 by using the New York Giants and their need for a quarterback to fix an underlying pass-rush problem.
The strategy would involve the Ravens sacrificing their first-round pick, 27th overall, according to Pro Football & Sports Network’s Jacob Infante. He has Baltimore general manager Eric DeCosta sending the pick to the Giants in exchange for second- and third-round choices, the 34th and 99th selections.
Infante’s scenario has the Giants using their extra first-rounder to take Ole Miss passer Jaxson Dart off the board. Meanwhile, the Ravens wait until Day 2 for their first pick and use it to acquire a “flexible” edge-rusher and potential replacement for veteran Kyle Van Noy.
Trade for Pass Rush Help Would Work for Ravens
He led the team in sacks during a career-best year in 2024, but Van Noy is 34, so Infante believes the Ravens could look for his eventual replacement. He names Boston College edge Donovan Ezeiruaku as the ideal candidate.
Despite Ezeiruaku being “smaller than some edge rushers,” the 21-year-old “has the arm length to hold his own. He’s quick off the ball, flexible when turning the corner, and has a deep toolbox of pass-rush moves to win against blockers.”
Regardless of any physical limitations, Ezeiruaku still logged 14 sacks for the Eagles last season. He was able to win with agility and quickness, often bending around and underneath blockers, like on these plays highlighted by NFL Draft Files.
Being able to manipulate the edge as often as this should put Ezeiruaku firmly on the radar for the Ravens. They won’t be deterred by the 6-foot-2, 248-pounder being undersized.
The Ravens rolled the dice and won with a diminutive pass-rusher when they signed Elvis Dumervil back in 2013. He logged 35.5 sacks in four years, including 17 in 2014.
Finding an elite edge defender has been tough since Dumervil’s time, with young players like Odafe Oweh never completely convincing. Oweh’s had his moments, but 2022 second-round pick David Ojabo has struggled just getting onto the field.
There’s plenty of incentive for DeCosta to go hunting for a pass-rusher in this draft. If he can do it armed with a couple of another team’s premium picks, all the better.
The Giants look like logical sellers based on their needs.
Ravens Can Take Advantage of Giants QB Need
They signed Jameis Winston and Russell Wilson in free agency, but the Giants need a natural successor for the 30-something signal-callers. That ongoing need explains the Giants still meeting with one prolific college QB, but Dart may be a more intriguing option.
Intrigue comes from Dart possessing “a strong arm and ideal ball placement across the middle of the field. He’s also shown some dual-threat capabilities as a runner,” per Infante.
The latter also noted how Dart “doesn’t seem like a quarterback ready to start right away, but he’s shown tools over his time at Ole Miss that could project him as a future starter at the NFL level.”
That’s an ideal projected learning curve for the Giants and their veteran starters. It’s also why the Ravens can take advantage and accrue more picks.
A roster already championship-ready needs only selective reinforcements. Plenty of those can be found outside of Round 1 where the Ravens already have a couple of natural scheme fits to choose from.
Combining either of those with a disruptor like Ezeiruaku would be a win-win for the Ravens, while the Giants would also get what they want.
