Connor Lew and the Ravens’ draft night tension: one pick, then another
Connor lew sits at the center of a Ravens draft story that is no longer just about one selection at No. 14. In Daniel Jeremiah’s final mock draft, Baltimore opens with a first-round pick and may not be done before the night is over.
What is Jeremiah projecting for Baltimore?
Jeremiah has the Ravens taking Oregon tight end Kenyon Sadiq at No. 14, a move that would help reinforce a position group thinned by the departures of Isaiah Likely and Charlie Kolar in free agency. He also sees Baltimore moving back into the first round for a defensive tackle, a swing that would add another layer to a draft already expected to shape the roster in multiple spots.
That projected second move is tied to the Seahawks at No. 32, where Jeremiah has the Ravens landing Clemson defensive tackle Peter Woods. His reasoning is straightforward: if Baltimore waits until its next scheduled pick at No. 45, another team could take Woods first. In that scenario, the Ravens would be using draft capital to go get a player they value rather than hoping the board falls their way.
The idea is not without precedent. The last time Baltimore made two first-round picks was 2022, when it selected Kyle Hamilton at No. 14 and later used a first-round pick acquired in the Marquise Brown trade to take Tyler Linderbaum. The last time the Ravens traded back into the first round for another swing was in 2018, when they made the move that brought in Lamar Jackson.
Why does this draft feel different?
This year’s draft has a different tone for Baltimore because the needs are more visible. The Ravens entered with a large pile of picks, but also with more pressure to leave with immediate help. The front office has been linked to the trenches, and tight end has emerged as a prominent need after the losses in free agency.
The context around connor lew reflects that larger theme: a draft in which Baltimore is being pushed to balance best-player value with roster necessity. Even the first round has multiple paths. Jeremiah previously had Arizona State wide receiver Jordyn Tyson going to Baltimore, but now Tyson is off the board much earlier in his latest mock. Penn State interior lineman Olaivavega Ioane, another name tied to the Ravens in earlier projections, also lands elsewhere in this version.
Other mock drafts have pointed Baltimore toward a guard, a receiver, a tight end, or an edge rusher. That spread says as much about the Ravens’ flexibility as it does about the uncertainty around the board. One unnamed prospect may fit the old Baltimore blueprint, but the current roster picture suggests the team may need more than a single clean answer.
How do the needs line up with the board?
Jeremiah’s latest Ravens projection suggests a team trying to solve several problems at once. Sadiq would address the tight end room. Woods would give the defense more insurance while Nnamdi Madubuike works his way back from neck surgery. Together, the two picks would show Baltimore using premium draft space not only to add talent, but to protect against thin depth and uneven availability.
That approach fits a draft in which the Ravens have fewer obvious luxuries. The front office has already conceded that this class offers fewer “draftable” players than in recent years, which raises the stakes in the middle rounds and on any attempt to maneuver upward or downward. The pressure is not just to pick well, but to pick with purpose.
What happens if Baltimore keeps moving?
The answer may depend on how the first round unfolds around Baltimore. If the Ravens stay put at No. 14, Jeremiah’s mock suggests they can still land a player who helps immediately. If they trade back in, they could leave the round with both a skill-position answer and a body for the defensive front. Either way, connor lew points to a draft night built on movement, not patience alone.
For Baltimore, that tension may be the story itself. The opening pick matters, but the possibility of a second first-round move changes the shape of the night. At a time when the roster needs depth, starters, and insurance in key spots, the Ravens may again be judging the board not by who falls to them, but by how aggressively they are willing to act before someone else does.
