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The Baltimore Ravens are one of the best drafting teams in the NFL. They utilize multiple strategies when figuring out who will be the right fit both from an on-field and off-field perspective and have done a great job of finding talent not just in the early rounds of the draft, but in the later rounds as well.
When putting together his latest 2022 NFL mock draft, Josh Edwards of CBS Sports gave the Ravens a versatile offensive lineman with the 27th overall pick in the first round, selecting Ikem Ekwonu out of NC State. Edwards explained his pick for Baltimore by mentioning that Ekwonu’s strength is in the run game, which also happens to be the Ravens’ strength.
“Baltimore is a run-based offense and Ikem Ekwonu’s strength is run blocking. He will lean on defenders in the ground game while tilling land. The Ravens know their identity and should focus on maximizing that aspect.”
The 6-foot-4, 320 pound lineman surges in the run game, using his overwhelming power to move defenders off of their spots with ease. He also has a good anchor in pass protection and is very hard to get by in the passing game. He can also move in space well, which for his size is impressive. While he has to become a bit more consistent in a few areas, he has all of the tools to be extremely successful at the NFL level.
Ekwonu has played at both left tackle and left guard for the Wolfpack in college, making him a very versatile option. While there isn’t a spot at left tackle available in Baltimore as long as Ronnie Stanley is around and healthy, he could potentially be the long-term answer for the Ravens at left guard if their current options don’t work out. Baltimore could also move him over to the right side if they like him at the tackle position, but as they’ve recently seen with Orlando Brown and Alejandro Villanueva, moving sides on the offensive line is easier for some as opposed to others.
Overall, Ekwonu is a very solid player and would give the Ravens another versatile option who they could plug and play at multiple different positions if needed.
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