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The Baltimore Ravens will enter the 2020 season as a -200 favorite to win what should be a highly competitive AFC North division and after exiting this year's Draft with one of the highest grades.
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Mel Kiper Jr. of ESPN.com writes:
Look at this Ravens roster. Where are the holes? Definitely middle linebacker. Maybe wide receiver. Probably a guard to replace Marshal Yanda. But that's it. So I liked that the Ravens got an off-ball linebacker at No. 28 whom Lamar Jackson called "Ray Lewis Jr.," and I liked that they didn't have to move up to get him. Patrick Queen started only 16 games in his LSU career, but his talent bursts on the tape. He's a fit as a long-term C.J. Mosley replacement. (By the way: Baltimore has now drafted three linebackers in the first round: Lewis in 1996, Mosley in 2014 and Queen. Those first two were/are pretty good.)
Kiper gives the Ravens an overall A for its Draft picks. CBS Sports breaks it down by picks/positions:
Baltimore Ravens 2020 draft picks tracker
Round Overall Player Selected Grade
1 28 LB Patrick Queen, LSU B
2 55* RB J.K. Dobbins, Ohio State C+
3 71* DL Justin Madubuike, Texas A&M B+
3 92 WR Devin Duvernay, Texas B+
3 98* LB Malik Harrison, Ohio State B
3 106^ G Tyre Phillips, Mississippi State B-
4 143^ G Ben Bredeson, Michigan B
5 170* DL Broderick Washington, Texas Tech D+
6 201* WR James Proche, SMU A
7 219* S Geno Stone, Iowa A-
Ravens starting quarterback Lamar Jackson called their first round pick Patrick Queen "Ray Lewis Jr.!" on Instagram Live.
Asked about the comparison to Lewis, Queen said Thursday night, "When you think about Ray Lewis, you think about an elite linebacker -- speed, physicality, aggression, dominance. I feel like I'm more mobile than he was. Not taking anything away from him, he was a great linebacker, probably the best to play. But I've got a lot to live up to. The bar is set high."
The Ravens have the second shortest odds of winning the 2021 Super Bowl at 7/1 only after the reigning Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs at +650 odds.
- Dan Shapiro, Gambling911.com
