The Baltimore Ravens could end up with a best player available type pick and take a safety off the board in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft. So far in NFL free agency, the biggest move was retaining star left tackle Ronnie Stanley. While guards and edge rusher are their two biggest needs, safety is up there.
While they will likely extend superstar former first-round pick Kyle Hamilton, Baltimore may not give restricted free agent Ar’Darius Washington a tender, a former undrafted nickel cornerback who played well when starting at free safety. He had the infamous hit and fumble on Russell Wilson in their Wildcard playoff game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
What this means is that a team could offer Washington a contract and the Ravens can either match the offer sheet or let him walk and get a draft pick from it. Different types of tenders can be placed with draft capital values attached, but Baltimore will need to place one by the time the new league year starts on Wednesday, March 12, or else there could be a chance he becomes unrestricted on the market.
Their other veteran starter at free safety, Marcus Williams, was benched most of last season and is currently a free agent (likely won’t be back on the team). The other two include second-year players Sanoussi Kane and Beau Brade. With Hamilton’s injury history and importance in defensive coordinator Zach Orr’s defense of rotating defensive backs in his secondary, safety is a top-three need.
Jahdae Barron Shouldn’t Make it to Pick 27
I only listed Jahdae Barron as a potential option if he falls in the draft, with the defensive back being tricky to pin down in terms of team interest. While he is a top 20 player, the Texas defensive back could be viewed as a versatile safety who could play the slot as well as a nickel corner. At 5’11” and 194 pounds, he ran a great 4.39 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine but some were concerned about the deep speed despite his production for the Longhorns.
With that issue potentially resolved with his athletic testing, Barron shouldn’t be available when the Ravens pick, but with teams needing outside corners, this could have him slip. This also ties into other teams needing offensive line or edge rusher more, as those are more premium positions to invest in early compared to safety. That shows how the league values safety, with the free agent market at the position grading lesser compared to cornerback and other positions on the defensive side of the ball for the Ravens.
With Brandon Stephens signing with the New York Jets, Baltimore could use another corner opposite former first-round pick Nate Wiggins and veteran Marlon Humphrey. They could revert moving Humphrey back on the outside, to then leave an open door for the nickel position. While Hamilton does roam there from time to time, he also comes into the box as well, so there is a need for another player in the mix.
Veteran Arthur Maulet is their current nickel corner, as he is coming off an injury that sidelined him most of last year. The other corners who will compete on the Ravens roster include T.J. Tampa, who dealt with injuries as a rookie, and Jalyn Armour-Davis. Veteran Tre’Davious White, who they traded for at the deadline in 2024, played well down the stretch but could sign as a free agent somewhere else.
Barron’s size profile and skillset fit what the Ravens could be missing in their secondary.
Malaki Starks is a Popular Mock Draft Pick
The 6’1″ and 197-pound safety Malaki Starks has been a pretty common pick in mock drafts with the 27th overall pick for the Ravens. It would be a Baltimore-type selection, as he didn’t run the “fastest” with a 4.5 at the 40-yard dash but looked good in workouts at the Combine. He was asked to play multiple spots at Georgia and did have some up-and-down moments, but had a better year in 2023 compared to 2024 as a ball hawk for the Bulldogs.
Starks is an experienced starter who has high football IQ to diagnose and that would be something many teams would covet. He would be a high-floor type pick and would be an instant starter next to Hamilton. Out of the three defensive backs mentioned, Starks is the most likely to fall in this range or potentially out of the first round into Day 2 early in the second round. With a better offensive line and edge prospects, they might fly off the board and a safety graded highly like Starks may be too good to pass up for general manager Eric DeCosta.
Two Kyle Hamiltons? On the Same Team?
This is mostly hyperbolic but it is something the Ravens will have to think about if South Carolina safety Nick Emmanwori falls to their spot in the first round. Despite a record-breaking Combine performance, there still is a chance teams pass up on the 6’3″ and 220-pound safety who can run a 4.38 40-yard dash. It is interesting the team he goes to, as he has the build to be a hybrid linebacker/ box safety type but could have the range of a nickel corner that can impact the game closer to the line of scrimmage.
The thing is, while the physical traits and measurables are all there, he is limited to that type of role and it would be scheme-dependent. Emmanwori could fit the mold of what Hamilton does currently for the Ravens. The thought of having two of them is interesting, with Kyle being better as a nickel and more fluid while Nick is more rigid and has better straight-line speed.
With a few free agent pass rushers available to pair with Kyle Van Noy and Odafe Oweh, along with guards as well, safety could be the position the Ravens attack in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft. One of the big three mentioned falling to Baltimore at 27th overall would be a BPA-type selection if they fill two of their other needs.