The Baltimore Ravens didn’t have many pressing needs entering the 2025 NFL Draft but still walked away with one of the most complete and impressive classes in the league. While adding a running mate next to Kyle Hamilton felt more like a luxury than a necessity, Baltimore’s best-player-available approach once again paid off, landing Georgia safety Malaki Starks at No. 27.
That pick came just one year after the Ravens spent their 2024 first-rounder on cornerback Nate Wiggins. Back-to-back years addressing the secondary with first-round picks makes sense in context—but that’s also what makes ESPN’s early projection for 2026 a bit head-scratching.
In ESPN’s way-too-early 2026 mock draft, analyst Jordan Reid has the Ravens selecting Texas cornerback Malik Muhammad in Round 1.
“Muhammad’s attitude and upside would be a perfect fit for Zach Orr’s defense,” Reid wrote. “His 11 pass breakups tied for the 15th most in the FBS last season, and he didn’t give up a touchdown as a zone-heavy corner.”
Reid went on to add that scouts will want to see more ball production from Muhammad (just one interception in two seasons), but that he’ll have every opportunity to show growth with Jahdae Barron and Andrew Mukuba now off to the NFL.
Listen—we get it. The Ravens’ pass defense ranked second-worst in the NFL last season. That’s not a stat you want on the resume of a franchise built on defensive identity. But context matters. Since drafting Wiggins, Baltimore has also added T.J. Tampa, Sanousi Kane, Bilhal Kone, and Robert Longerbeam over the past two drafts. That’s in addition to established starters like Kyle Hamilton, Marlon Humphrey, and Ar’Darius Washington. That's a crowded room.
The Baltimore Ravens won't go cornerback in Round 1 of the 2026 NFL Draft
Reid’s breakdown of Muhammad isn’t the issue—it’s solid. If he takes a leap in 2025, he could easily warrant first-round consideration. But for Baltimore? It just doesn’t add up... and it's also May. A lot can change over the next year.
The Ravens’ early-season struggles in pass defense skew the stats. Defensive coordinator Zach Orr helped engineer one of the more dramatic second-half turnarounds in recent memory. With Chuck Pagano now in the building to help develop a loaded DB room, the Ravens are much more likely to spend early capital on the front seven than add yet another defensive back.
Which brings us back to Muhammad. He’s clearly a gifted player, and maybe he’ll warrant first-round consideration a year from now. But for a Ravens team that didn’t address the Michael Pierce-sized gap up front and now faces the potential loss of Travis Jones in 2026, the defensive line is a more obvious concern. Add in that Odafe Oweh, David Ojabo, and Kyle Van Noy are all entering contract years, and it’s hard to imagine Baltimore prioritizing the secondary over fortifying the defensive front.
If the Ravens are targeting a true need next April, it won’t be at corner. It’ll be along the front seven.
