Finding value across the board has been a hallmark of the Baltimore Ravens’ success in the NFL draft, and the process can continue in 2025 if they follow the prediction of “multiple evaluators” on Day 2. They have the Ravens repeating the strategy that yielded right tackle Roger Rosengarten a year go, an approach that would also gain a potential successor for veteran All-Pro left tackle Ronnie Stanley.
The intel about what the Ravens might do after the first round comes from ESPN’s Jordan Reid. He revealed, “Multiple evaluators I’ve talked to mentioned Anthony Belton (NC State) as a Day 2 option.”
Snagging Belton on the second day may seem like a luxury the Ravens don’t need to afford. Not when they already have competent starting tackles to bookend franchise quarterback Lamar Jackson.
Yet, general manager Eric DeCosta has never been above drafting to a strength and stacking talent at key positions on the roster. Taking Belton would be more of the same, and he has the size and tenacity the Ravens have traditionally coveted up front.
Ravens Best Choice is Coveted Around the NFL
Belton makes sense for the Ravens, probably why the team has already looked him over during a top-30 visit. Belton has 18 of those visits lined up, according to click2houston’s Aaron Wilson.
Many teams are naturally eager to run the rule over a 6-foot-6, 336-pounder with three years experience protecting the blindside. Belton’s a powerhouse with a mean streak, but he’s also a good mover blessed with easy feet.
Those qualities helped him thrive during the Senior Bowl and become a “big riser,” per The 33rd Team’s James Foster.
Every Anthony Belton 1-on-1 from the Senior Bowl – Lights out days 1-2, a couple losses to David Walker day 3. Big riser
The Day 3 losses to Central Arkansas edge David Walker noted and highlighted by Foster suggest Belton can struggle with speed. That issue not only makes it more likely Belton will still be available on the second day, but it also suggests a position switch isn’t out of the question once he enters the pros.
As Wilson pointed out, “Belton has positional flexibility, because he can play either tackle spot or even guard if needed, but is viewed as a left tackle.”
The Ravens don’t need a left tackle now after securing Stanley’s immediate future, but it’s a different story at guard. Drafting and converting Belton would solve a sneaky problem and perhaps change the Ravens’ plans for an incumbent interior O-lineman.
Anthony Belton Pick Can Change Ravens Plans Up Front
Losing Patrick Mekari in free agency created an obvious void next to Stanley, but it’s a gap the Ravens apparently intend to fill from within. Specifically by promoting Andrew Vorhees and shifting the beefy but brittle tackle inside.
Comments from Ravens.com Editorial Director Ryan Mink reveal “they view Vorhees,” as “a plug-and-play guard.” Vorhees is a physical specimen at 6-foot-6 and 320 pounds, but staying healthy has been a problem for the former seventh-rounder who’s missed 19 games since being drafted.
Waiting for Belton and sliding him to guard would give the Ravens more security at an important spot. It would also leave general manager Eric DeCosta free to use his first-round pick in more pressing areas, an important consideration when “Safety and defensive line are the obvious needs,” according to Reid.
The only flaw in this approach is whether one of the team’s on Belton’s busy schedule of pre-draft visits feels compelled to take him before the Ravens get started on Day 2 with the 59th pick.
