Did Xavier Worthy influence the Ravens' selection of Nate Wiggins?

Written by Ryan Mink & Clifton Brown

mink: When I asked Eric DeCosta this question on his podcast “The Lounge,” he said that the Chiefs' choice of speedy wide receiver Xavier Worthy was followed by speedy cornerback Nate Wiggins. answered that it had no impact.

“It's nice to see your strengths match up with the other team's strengths and match up well, especially against a competitor,” DeCosta said. “But in general, we're not going to draft players based on what other teams are doing.”

DeCosta said the Ravens would have taken Wiggins even if the Chiefs had selected an offensive tackle, for example. And even if Wiggins and Worthy were both playing No. 30, Baltimore would have gotten a cornerback.

“The players that are valuable are the explosive players and the players that I really like as prospects,” DeCosta said. “But when you look at him, he's a little bit like a Zay/Hollywood Brown type guy. We have Zay. For us, we were looking for a different body type this year. We're looking for a big outside I was looking for a physical player.'' Man. “

Either way, Wiggins and the matchup he deserves will be one to watch for years to come. Worthy set a combine record in the 40-yard dash with a time of 4.21 seconds. Wiggins was the fastest cornerback at 4.28 seconds. Week 1's matchup between the Ravens and Chiefs provided an immediate glimpse into a matchup that could shape this rivalry for years to come.

brown: I could see the Ravens signing a free agent safety to take the No. 3 spot behind starters Kyle Hamilton and Marcus Williams.

At this point, that spot will most likely go to Ar'Darius Washington, a former undrafted player who was limited to eight games in his first three seasons. Head coach John Harbaugh expressed confidence in Washington. Seventh-round pick Sanusi Kane or undrafted rookie safety Beau Blade have a chance to earn a roster spot.

However, a number of veteran safeties remain unsigned as of today, including former Ravens Javon Kearse and Darryl Worley. Adrian Amos, Justin Simmons, Micah Hyde, Marcus Maye, Eddie Jackson, Tracy Walker. The Ravens have the option to move him to that position if they deem it necessary.

Free agent guard Dalton Risner is another player to keep an eye on. The Ravens will replace two starters at guard, with Andrew Voorhees, Sara Omavae-Raul, Ben Cleveland and Josh Jones playing. But Risner has started 73 games in the NFL, including 11 with the Minnesota Vikings last season. If the Ravens feel they need an experienced player as insurance at guard, signing Risner could make sense.

mink: Derrick Henry has led the league in rushing attempts in four of the past five seasons (every year he was healthy). This is a bell cow from an era when there were still few in number. However, even the number of attempted pitches decreased significantly last season, from 349 in 2022 (21.8 per game) to 280 last year (16.5). Last year, Gus Edwards averaged 11.6 carries per game.

I expect Henry's workload to be somewhere between what Edwards got and Henry's average workload at Tennessee last year. The Ravens will certainly want to take advantage of a valuable addition, but they'll also be careful not to run him into the ground. Henry typically gets stronger as the year progresses, but he's now a 30-year-old running back, and the Ravens will be careful to manage his workload to ensure he's at his best all the way for the playoffs. .

I expect Justice Hill's workload to be slightly lower than last year, when he averaged just over five carries per game. But he will probably end up getting the most targets of any Ravens running back. Fifth-round rookie Rasheen Ali will likely start as a back three this year and have a limited offensive role as Keaton Mitchell recovers from last year's knee injury.

brown: Interesting question, but if I had to choose, I think right tackle would be the best choice.

I think second-round pick Roger Rosengarten has a good chance to win the job as a rookie, but I wouldn't call him a lock. It will be interesting to see how Rosengarten fares against the veterans once training camp and preseason begin. Daniel Faalele continues to improve and has the potential to win. However, Jones, who was signed during the offseason, played not only right guard but also the tackle position. Jones gives the Ravens another versatile option as they rebuild their offensive line.

I think Cleveland is the favorite to start at right guard and Voorhees is the favorite to start at left guard. Cleveland has already started seven games and is familiar with the system. Voorhees appears to have fully recovered from his knee injury last year, and the Ravens like his potential and work ethic.

However, I truly believe the Ravens have yet to decide on a starter at left guard, right guard, or right tackle. Offensive line competition will continue to be a key storyline throughout the spring and summer.