Baltimore Ravens (Last Year: 12-5)
2025 NFL Season Preview:
Veteran Additions:
QB Cooper Rush, WR DeAndre Hopkins, OT Joe Noteboom, LB Jake Hummel, CB Jaire Alexander, CB Chidobe Awuzie.
Early Draft Picks:
S Malaki Starks, DE Mike Green, OT Joe Noteboom, LB Teddye Buchanan. Ravens Rookie Forecast
Offseason Losses:
WR Nelson Agholor, G Patrick Mekari, LB Malik Harrison, LB Chris Board, CB Brandon Stephens, CB Tre’Davious White, CB Arthur Maulet, CB Trayvon Mullen, S Marcus Williams.
2025 Baltimore Ravens Offense:
Lamar Jackson had a better outcome following his second MVP trophy than he experienced after winning his first. Jackson threw for 4,172 yards and maintained an insane touchdown-to-interception ratio of 41:4. He also led the league in YPA among qualifiers at 8.8, and he scrambled for 915 yards. Some thought he would win MVP a third time, but the award went to Josh Allen instead.
It certainly helped Jackson that he had a massive upgrade in the backfield with him. Derrick Henry was signed over from the Titans and made an instant impact. He rumbled for 1,921 rushing yards and a league-leading 16 touchdowns. It was very difficult for teams to defend him, given that they also had to worry about Jackson’s elite scrambling ability. The one concern with Henry is that he’s now 31, but there is no indication of him slowing down.
Jackson and Henry were both helped by an offensive line that had some question marks entering the 2024 season. Of course, Ronnie Stanley would have to remain healthy for Baltimore’s offense to be electric, and that’s what happened. Stanley played all 17 games, marking the first time he didn’t miss significant action since 2019, which was Jackson’s first MVP campaign. Stanley didn’t play on an elite level, but he was still very good. His bookend, Roger Rosengarten, was another concern because he was just a second-round rookie. Following a slow start, Rosengarten performed well down the stretch.
Baltimore’s best offensive lineman is center Tyler Linderbaum, but there are some issues at guard. Primarily, Patrick Mekari is gone, so he’ll have to be replaced. Andrew Vorhees is the top candidate to fill Mekari’s shoes, which isn’t ideal because he struggled in limited action last year. The other guard, Daniel Faalele, was just a mediocre blocker in 2024.
As for Jackson’s downfield weapons, Zay Flowers will return as the No. 1 threat. Flowers isn’t consistent, but he has game-breaking ability. Rashod Bateman improved last year, as he was able to become a quality No. 2. The Ravens also signed DeAndre Hopkins, but he looked old and decrepit while playing with the Chiefs.
The Ravens have two dynamic threats at tight end as well, though there are rumors that Mark Andrews could be traded. Andrews struggled to start the 2024 season because he was coming off injury, but he picked up the pace as the year progressed. He was primarily responsible for the loss to the Bills in the divisional roud of the playoffs because of three major gaffes, but perhaps he’ll use this as motivation to rebound next year. If he’s dealt, the athletic Isaiah Likely will step into a larger role.
2025 Baltimore Ravens Defense:
The Ravens were never considered an elite team last year on this Web site because they had two glaring issues that were related. The first was that they struggled to generate pressure on the quarterback without blitzing. The primary problem was that their secondary struggled to cover. Baltimore was torched by nearly everyone in the first half of the season, including Gardner Minshew in an embarrassing upset loss at home versus the Raiders in Week 2.
Both the cornerback and safety play was atrocious, so the Ravens did what they could and moved Kyle Hamilton from linebacker to safety. This helped the pass defense, but made the team worse against the un. The front office recognized this dilemma, which is why they used their first-round pick on Malaki Starks, an extremely talented safety prospect who could allow Hamilton to move back to linebacker. Hamilton’s shift back to linebacker seemed like a certainy, but fellow safety Ar’Darius Washington tore his Achilles during training.
The cornerbacks received a boost as well. The Ravens signed Jaire Alexander and Chidobe Awuzie. Alexander is extremely talented, but has missed 34 games in the past four years. Awuzie, who has been a No. 1 corner in the past, missed nine games last year, but he’s not a very old player (30), so he should be healthier in 2025. Alexander and Awuzie should be strong complements to Marlon Humphrey, the only Baltimore cornerback who performed on a high level in 2024. There’s also last year’s first-rounder Nate Wiggins, who had an uneven season, but should improve with experience.
As for the linebackers, Baltimore will have an incredible one-two punch at the position if Hamilton moves back there. Roquan Smith is an excellent player, though he’s coming off a bit of a down season. There’s no reason to think he shouldn’t rebound. If Hamilton remains at safety, fourth-round rookie Teddye Buchanan could see playing time.
While Starks was an incredible value where the Ravens drafted him, the same can be said of Mike Green, Baltimore’s second-round pick. Green is very talented, but dropped becaue of character concerns. If he can stay out of trouble, he’ll bolster the Ravens’ pass rush, becoming an effective third wheel while complementing Kyle Van Noy and Odafe Oweh, who combined for 22.5 sacks in 2024.
Baltimore’s third-leading sack artist was Nnamdi Madubuike, who recently signed a huge contract. He’s one of the better 3-4 ends in the NFL. He’ll play next to nose tackle Travis Jones, a young, effective run stuffer who will improve with more experience. Broderick Washington is the other starter on the three-man front, but he’s a liability in run support.
2025 Baltimore Ravens Schedule and Intangibles:
John Harbaugh has done a terrific job of maintaining a dominant home-field advantage during his tenure as Baltimore’s head coach. The Ravens are an outstanding 104-42 as hosts since 2008.
Justin Tucker was once the best kicker in the NFL, but he struggled last year and then got into trouble via Deshaun Watson-type shenanigans. Tucker is gone now, and he’s been replaced by sixth-round rookie Tyler Loop.
Former fourth-round pick Jordan Stout will return for another season. He wasn’t very good in 2024, ranking 23rd in net average. He was mediocre and placing the ball inside the 20.
Baltimore has a difficult schedule. It begins against the Bills, and then goes on to play the Lions, Chiefs, Texans, Rams, Vikings, and Packers. There are some easy games mixed in as well versus the Jets, Dolphins, and Patriots.
2025 Baltimore Ravens Rookies:
Go here for the Ravens Rookie Forecast, a page with predictions like which rookie will bust and which rookie will become a solid starter.
2025 Baltimore Ravens Positional Rankings (1-5 stars):
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Projection: 13-4 (1st in AFC North)
2024 Projection: 10-7. 2024 Actual Result: 12-5.
2023 Projection: 11-6. 2023 Actual Result: 13-4.
2022 Projection: 11-6. 2022 Actual Result: 10-7.
2021 Projection: 11-6. 2021 Actual Result: 8-9.
2020 Projection: 12-4. 2020 Actual Result: 11-5.
2019 Projection: 5-11. 2019 Actual Result: 14-2.
2018 Projection: 6-10. 2018 Actual Result: 10-6.
2017 Projection: 7-9. 2017 Actual Result: 9-7.
2016 Projection: 9-7. 2016 Actual Result: 8-8.
NFL Draft Team Grade: A+ Grade
Goals Entering the 2025 NFL Draft: The Ravens couldn’t stop the pass at all last year, so they need to find better players for their pass rush and secondary to make sure that they can deal with aerial attacks in 2025. Baltimore has some other areas of need, including guard and running back depth behind an aging Derrick Henry. They also need to find a kicker with Justin Tucker dealing with Deshaun Watson-type behavior.
2025 NFL Draft Accomplishments: It’s truly remarkable how, year after year, top prospects seem to somehow fall to the Ravens. It happened once again in the 2025 NFL Draft, beginning in the opening round when Malaki Starks inexplicably dropped to No. 27. Starks, who easily could have gone in the teens, will have a huge impact on Baltimore’s secondary. The Ravens had severe problems stopping the pass last year until they moved Kyle Hamilton from linebacker to safety, and then their run defense suffered. Starks will allow Hamilton to remain at linebacker.
Starks wasn’t the only mega value the Ravens obtained. Mike Green, a first-round prospect, was available at No. 59. Green has some off-the-field matters that caused him to drop, but he’s a tremendous edge-rushing talent who will allow Baltimore to put more pressure on Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen. And speaking of pressure, Emery Jones will help keep Lamar Jackson safe. The LSU tackle was seen as a second-round prospect, so he was a steal toward the end of the third frame.
All three of these picks earned A+ grades. In fact, seven of Baltimore’s 11 picks were graded between A+ and A-. This was an outstanding draft for the Ravens, as they found huge steals, all while addressing needs. In my opinion, Baltimore came away with the best haul of any team in the 2025 NFL Draft.
NFL Draft Individual Grades:
27. Malaki Starks, S, Georgia – A+ Grade
Once again, the Ravens land a talented player who inexplicably falls to them. What a surprise. Malaki Starks easily could have gone in the teens, so he’s an outstanding pick. Not only does he provide great value; he also fills a huge need. The Ravens had major problems stopping the pass last year, so they had to move Kyle Hamilton from linebacker to safety. With Starks on the roster, Hamilton can move back to linebacker.
59. Mike Green, DE, Marshall – A+ Grade
LOL. Can we just end this draft? The Ravens have won it. Mike Green is a first-round talent. He had off-the-field issues, but at this point, it doesn’t matter. Every pick is a roll of the dice, so why not take a chance on such a high-upside player? If Green stays out of trouble, he could be a devastating edge rusher in the NFL.
91. Emery Jones, OT, LSU – A+ Grade
Surprise, surprise, another A+ grade for the Ravens. I had Emery Jones going in the first round once upon a time. I eventually moved him to the second frame, so I love his value in the latter half of the third round. The Ravens needed one more lineman, so Jones potentially fills a need as well.
129. Teddye Buchanan, LB, California – C Grade
This is the first Ravens pick that didn’t earn an A+. Teddye Buchanan is a sixth-round prospect, so this is somewhat of a reach. The Ravens needed another linebacker, so at least this selection fits from a needs perspective.
141. Carson Vinson, OT, Alabama A&M – A Grade
The Ravens are back to making great picks. Carson Vinson has incredible upside. The level of competition is a concern, but the Ravens could mold him into a quality starter.
178. Bilhal Kone, CB, Western Michigan – A Grade
I may sound like a broken record at this point, but the Ravens hit yet another pick. They obviously had to take care of their secondary, and they did so once again with Bilhal Kone, who could have gone two rounds earlier. Kone is a big cornerback with impressive tackling skills.
186. Tyler Loop, K, Arizona – B Grade
No surprise that the Ravens are drafting a kicker to replace Justin Tucker. Tyler Loop is one of the kickers who would have made sense with this pick.
203. LaJohntay Webster, WR, Colorado – C Grade
I didn’t have LaJohntay Webster being drafted, so I’m a bit surprised to see this for the Ravens. Then again, Baltimore needed receiving depth, so I at least get what the Ravens are doing.
210. Aeneas Peebles, DT, Virginia Tech – C Grade
Aeneas Peebles was a borderline draftable prospect. He offered a solid interior presence at Virginia Tech, but he’s an undersized tweener who doesn’t have a clear role in the NFL.
212. Robert Longerbeam, CB, Rutgers – A- Grade
Another highly graded Ravens pick. Robert Longerbeam has plenty of upside as a terrific, speedy athlete. He’s a project, but this is the end of the sixth round, so it’s not like the Ravens are taking a risk.
243. Garrett Dillinger, G/OT, LSU – A Grade
Another win for the Ravens. Garrett Dillinger could have easily been chosen in the fifth round. He’s a versatile lineman with experience at guard and tackle, though I would expect him to stay at guard.
Follow me @walterfootball for updates.
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